[Photo of my friend Marty, courtesy John Baird.]
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according to legend, i think this is the day the easter bunny rose from the dead
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This, of course, is a photo of our friend Marty on the occasion of Zombie Claus.
Yeah, Marty lost the head and hands of this suit a while ago. He did just find the head this Easter Sunday at a Zombie Jesus party we were both attending. The blood on the suit, unfortunately, washed right out.
I thought it was the day the Easter Bunny ate Jesus.
Mark, you know I’m a fan of this blog, but this is classless. I know it’s a hipster thing to bash Christianity, and I tend to lean that way myself, but c’mon man…You have to be sensitive to what the Easter holiday means to so many people. And I know Christianity has it’s flaws, but Jesus doesn’t deserve to be made a fool of. Would you disrespect Martin Luther King Jr? He and Jesus had a similar message. Again, I’m not a Christian, but we need to live in a world where tolerance of cultures, religions, and beliefs is the hipster thing to do. Your blog is too influencial to do something like this.
But, I respect your freedom to do what you want on your blog.
It’s probably futile, but I’ll try to defend myself. I can see how someone might take it that way, but I really didn’t mean this to be anti-Christian in any way. I had a great photo of a zombie rabbit that I wanted to use and, given the origin of the holiday, I thought I’d put in a reference to rising from the dead. It may be stupid, but I don’t think I was belittling the contributions of Jesus. And, if it came across like that, it wasn’t my intent, and I’m sorry.
I think I’ve said it here before, but I very much respect the teachings of Jesus (and that’s why it irks me so to see them twisted into right wing talking points). While I don’t personally think he rose from the dead, however, I certainly wouldn’t take that away from anyone. And, I might also add that I find this picture, even with the caption, to be far less offensive than the marketing of Easter as a holiday of honey-baked hams and chocolate bunnies. I respect your opinion, but, in this instance, I don’t think the shoe fits. In my heart, I wasn’t attempting to make a fool of Jesus when I posted this. I would never do that. I may take a swipe every now and then at fundamentalists who, in my opinion, have perverted his teachings, but I’d never go after the big guy himself. I do thank you, however, for calling me on the post. I wish people told me more often when I did things that rubbed them the wrong way. I respect it. And I hope that I don’t lose you as a reader.
Thanks Mark…No, no, I am not really that offended (or pissed off in any way)! :)I just wanted to see what kind of a reaction it would get from you or your readers. I realize that your intent wasn’t to bash Jesus. Religion is a complex thing. Holidays like Easter come along, and they are marketed with the Easter Bunny, but I think it’s done for the kids. And kids have fun decorating eggs and hiding them. But Easter gets me thinking about Jesus and his teachings, just like MLK day, when I put on my old scratchy recordings of his speeches and really think about his message and what it meant (and still means) for everyone.
It’s just that people have taken Jesus’s teachings and twisted them around for profit, control, and power. And it IS a big turn off when Bush says God tells him what to do, or when you meet that guy down the street who corners you and says you’re going to hell if you don’t accept Jesus as your personal savior.
But there are those who believe in the significance of Easter that aren’t all those things. I just feel that it’s become too common these days for Christianity to be openly bashed because of the things I mentioned that go on. There are also die-hard Jewish people out there that have some radical belief-twists on Judaism, but nobody would ever do something to mock a holiday like Passover. But why? Because of Bush? Or because of the over-marketing of Christian holidays? Or both? I just wanted to raise the issue and get a reaction.
I see the point you made in mocking the Easter Bunny. In the end, you provided a topic that aroused some controvery and discussion out there from someone (me), and that means it was a successful blog. Plus I was on my third beer, which makes the opinions fly looser. And I know that you are not an intolerant person-this blog actually does a great (an important job) of shedding light on important local social issues. Plus I know this isn’t Mark Maynard’s feel-good social justice blog; it’s the variety that makes it what it is. You gotta take the good with the bad, as my dad says. I guess it’s those posts like this one that gives it that Ypsi edge :)
Couz. If not the only, I’m probably one of the few readers who went to church Easter Sunday and proclaimed, in honest faith, the resurrection. And so, I feel slightly compelled to comment.
I enjoy disagreeing with Mark more than defending him, but, as one of the lingering orthodox, I generally agree with all of his accusations of Christian peoples. I find it bizarre that bunnies and crucifixion are blended into a holiday. And so, the bunny ate Jesus or the bunny rose from the dead is a nice commentary on the weird blend of fluffy marketing and ghoulishly sacred. (I also find it disturbing that people decorate their kids’ rooms in Noah’s Ark themes.)
On Easter Sunday, my pastor preached on the foolishness of the faith (I Corinthians 1). Basically saying what Christians believe is kind of stupid (i.e., somebody raised from the dead to save us all) so we Christians shouldn’t get all up-in-arms when folks don’t agree with us and we shouldn’t be cocky because what we believe is, after all, rather far-fetched in any century.
Your calls for religious tolerance are well-received. But, I’d also like to be tolerant of those who find religious belief absurd. In many cases, at least on the surface, it is. Maybe Christianity’s detractors are a bit harsh at times. But our leader was “rejected and crucified.” Our faith is for outcasts. It’s for crackheads, PhDs, and retards. At its inception, Christians were told some would pervert it for power, some would chuckle, and some would believe. No Christian should be surprised at any response. (Personally, I take offense at the perversion of the my faith, but disbelief is wholly understandable.)
On one hand, I’m glad if folks are tolerant of Christianity. I’m glad if folks are tolerant of anything they find offensive. But, Christianity works best when it’s subversive, when it’s smuggling slaves, hiding Jews from Nazis or protesting wars for oil. The best thing for the faith is to push it to the edges of society. Christianity is sick now, and I’m afraid only the bloody Easter Bunny can save us.
So, if you really want to preserve Christianity, destroy the monster it’s become. I promise, Christ will rise from its ashes.
Excellent post Ol’ East. (I am actually a fellow East Crosser and was baptized in an Orthodox church). I think you’re right – the absurdity of the Christian religion and what is in the bible, as well as what is preached and commercialized is what people struggle with. It’s the conflicting feelings of agreeing with certain core things and disagreeing with others. It’s confusing, which is why I don’t like going to church, or caring whether or not I declare myself a Christian. In the end, actions are more important than worrying about details. And I see what Mark was doing there. I just took it the wrong way, and aided by a few beers I called him on it. But you raise some interesting points, as Mark did, and you gave me something to think about this morning.
Couz. Glad to have you as a fellow E Crosser (East Cross Rulz!). If you’re ever walking on Cross, stop by and say hi. I’m the one on the front porch visciously flicking the downward three fingers (MM!) and sporting orange/green/blue colors.
And, thank you Mark, for helping me meet my neighbors.