Once Again, Gay Jesus Stirs Up Trouble

Personally, I like the idea that Jesus was gay. I don't know why, but make no mistake - this is not supposed to be insulting or baiting toward Christians. As a non-Christian, I think of Jesus in the same grand scope as I think of Paul Bunyan or Captain America. I might not think of Jesus as being real, but I do think of him as a kind of superhero and his compassion is a superhuman trait that he has, in the same way Spidey has his Spidey sense and Green Lantern can use his ring to make shit.

So, I kind of like the idea of Jesus and the Apostles being a band of gay Texans. I get that, you know? Well, evidently a trustee of a Michigan community college doesn't share my artistic appreciation regarding the son of the Christian god. :/

Trustee opposes funds for theater over gay Jesus

A Michigan community college trustee says he opposes funding "evil things," citing school support for a theater group that once performed play depicting Jesus and his apostles as gay Texans.

Grand Rapids Community College is working to close a $3.5 million budget deficit.

At a meeting Monday, Trustee Richard Ryskamp objected to $60,000 budgeted for three groups, including $19,000 for the Actors' Theatre.

In 2003, the troupe presented Terrence McNally's play "Corpus Christi."

Ryskamp says the school should consider if groups it funds "are meeting a standard of decency."

President Steven Ender says the college doesn't censor the theater. A trustees vote on the budget is expected in June.

Expression shouldn't have to be decent. Art shouldn't be constrained by one group of people's opinion regarding the tastefulness of the content. If the trustee doesn't like the performance, he or she ought to use their own equally proportioned freedom of speech to speak out against it instead of trying to use their position of authority to force people to curb their own expression.

Also, fucking chill out on the homosexual hatred. We get it, you don't approve. Obviously you're obsessive about this shit, you're throwing a fit about a play that was put on seven years ago. Now stop throwing a fit because fewer and fewer people care what you think. You can't force society to stagnate just because you refuse to evolve.

THIS Is Why I Supported Everybody Draw Mohammad Day

I knew this was going to happen. It was inevitable. As soon as I heard that ridiculous 'we should all play nice' response to Everybody Draw Mohammad Day, I knew the Christians, Jews and other religious groups were going to jump onto the offended bandwagon. Why? Because religious people react to sympathy the way sharks react to blood in the water.

Not long ago, Comedy Central censored the depiction of the Islamic prophet Mohammad from their hit show South Park because a few Muslim extremists were so offended that they “warned” the South Park created could be killed. Now several Christian groups are feeling left out.

Comedy Central recently announced their plans to develop a thirty minute comedy cartoon called “JC” which depicts Jesus as an everyman trying to escape from his father’s shadow. This depiction, which seems to have more to do with parenting than religion, has offended several Christian groups. Now, the Family Research Council, the Catholic League, Parents Television Council, The American Alliance of Jews and Christians, and Radio host and Glenn Beck wannabe Michael Medved have come together to form a group called “Citizens Against Religious Bigotry.”

On Thursday June 3rd, the group released a statement calling for advertisers to boycott Comedy Central over depictions of Jesus. Their website specifically mentions the recent controversy over the depiction of Mohammad as a catalyst for this push to censor the depiction of Jesus.

So, all you jackasses who were trying to take some imaginary high road in regard to theists and their ridiculous beliefs being imposed on others, you better not respond to this group as if you don't agree with them. You better stand proud with your 'C.A.R.B.' brotherin in protest of free speech and the ability to ridicule ideas.

Because that's all a belief is - it's an idea that people have decided is something they hold true, for whatever reason. It should be enough for the people who have a belief that they believe it, no one else should be forced to agree or even forced to stay silent about that belief, especially in instances where it is being imposed on others via threats of violence. This group is suggesting forced silence which is a form of prohibited speech and it's not even a response to a real issue, it's a response to a bigotry that doesn't exist. No one is telling these people they can't believe what they want, they're just telling these people that they can't dictate the behavior of others based on a belief they personally decide is relevant.

I don't think it's relevant. I have the right to say so just like you have the right to disagree with me. Trying to force me to respect theistic concepts and rules will only succeed in me losing what little respect I still have for religions and the religious in general.

Atheist Ads and Consistent Negative Religious Response

I ran across this story online and, like many of you I'm sure, I was like "yeah, atheist bus ad, cool, whatever." I mean honestly, is this news anymore? There are so many ads going up everywhere, and I appreciate the fact that there are so many cities with ad campaigns that the individual occurrences are becoming less surprising, but they are losing their interest for me as individual occurances. Then I continued reading the article and realized it IS news. It's news because the reaction from the religious communities in whatever area these ads are being displayed is always fascinating and often pretty irrational.

Bus Messages Try To Connect Atheists

The Detroit News - Atheists are taking their message to the streets.

More than a dozen SMART buses for the rest of the month will carry the message "Don't believe in God? You aren't alone" as part of a national campaign to raise the spirits of atheists. The nationally based United Coalition of Reason will pick up the $5,600 tab.

"We are not trying to insult anyone or to proselytize," said Detroit Area Coalition of Reason coordinator Ruthe Milan.

"This is a message from the heart to reach out to the atheist community; we want them to connect with like-minded thinkers. We have no interest in converting anyone to our way of thinking."

The SMART buses will travel as far north as Pontiac and Auburn Hills, as far west as Walled Lake, as far east as Troy and as far south as downtown Detroit, according to DetroitCoR.

The idea is not to destroy the faith of believers, but to let atheists know that they aren't alone, said Milan, who said the Bible-like term "you aren't alone" was purely unintentional.

This is a side note, but what the hell? The Christians have designated the term "you aren't alone" as theirs now too? Can't we somehow regulate the number of things Christianity claims as its own so they at least have to put some thought into what they decide to assimilate into their religion?

To date, similar ads have appeared in numerous U.S. cities, including San Diego, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Baltimore.

While atheists don't believe in God, the Rev. Dr. Stanley Scott doesn't entirely believe in their ads.

"Their bottom line is that they want to engage more people to learn more about being an atheist," said Scott, of the Salvation Temple Church in Detroit.

"My first thought when I heard about this was that 'Wow, I sure am glad that there are more with us than with them.' "

Scott is a firm believer in free speech, "but my point and concern is that certainly the church should have the same opportunity to express itself; then from there we'll see which side wins."

OK. So..."Don't Believe In God? You Are Not Alone = come be an atheist? The phrase on the atheist ad makes you feel threatened? It's a factual and obvious statement. I don't understand this trend with religious people where a statement as vanilla and inoffensive as this inspires a defensive reaction.

When I read reactions like this, I imagine people who lack confidence in their convictions/beliefs/opinions/whatever. It's not a game of risk. We're not not trying to amass an army to fight you. Calm down.

As for having the same opportunity for expression, how are these ads keeping him from doing anything? Take out some of your own bus ads or get involved with a religious organization that can help you do so.

Of course, this isn't the only reaction that religious people have to these ads, and there are voices of reason that make me feel more at ease with my religious brothers and sisters. Like this guy:

Detroit Archdiocese spokesman Joe Kohn downplayed the advertisements.

"These kinds of advertisements speak more to the people who take them out than to us, the ministry and the church," Kohn said.

"They speak to their beliefs, not to ours."

According to DetroitCoR, the advertisements will be on the outside of the buses with the words "Don't believe in God? You aren't alone" superimposed over fluffy clouds in a blue sky.

I don't think he's downplaying them, I think he's reacting the exact same way I would react to an advertisement that said "Believe in God? You Are Not Alone" - he's unconcerned with the advert because it obviously doesn't pertain to him.