To think the parish newsletter is not appropriate

[NikoBellic]

I'm not talking about the notices regarding the horticultural society, nor am I referring to the village "300 Club", or Gwen's amazing contribution to the village hall this month...

...I realise that unless you live in a rural area, much like fibre broadband, you won't get this...

Each month the parish council post a newsletter through my front door. A quaint little wedge of folded paper with some useful information on local gas safe engineers and who is raising what for which charity, interspersed with reminders to pick up dog poo. The outer cover is usually a lot quality 1995 clip art file along religious lines, printed onto coloured paper of some sort. This month, for the start of spring and the Easter period, its a sort of yellow. Its the cover that I'm not completely comfortable with...

We always hear, particularly from the type of person who lives in a village and reads the parish newsletter, that children should not be subjected to images of violence, sex, and general "bad stuff"...

SO WHY IS OK TO POST A PICTURE OF A BLEEDING MAN BEING CRUCIFIED THROUGH MY LETTERBOX!? (Even if it is in 1995 clip art form).

If I were to post an image of a man being hung through someone's front door I'd have to face, at the very least, a police caution. Seems like double standards from where I'm sat.

In an area where Nigel Farage gets a pat on the back (a man who is offended by seeing a breastfeeding mother in a pub...) why does religion get special dispensation?

Is it OK because its, you know, Jesus?

Am I being unreasonable?

Our parish magazine has a depiction of the crucifixion. Kind of expected it, what with it being a parish magazine and close to Easter. The clue is definitely in the title!

Completely and with posters who are saying YANBU as it's a bloody PARISH magazine

Dunno op. You can't be of that sensitive disposition really, considering your name.

Christians = bad, but Grand Theft Auto and all the gratuitous violence that entails is totally fine? 'Kay then.

You'd need to download the latest version of windows for that OP

But actually, I get your point kind of.

We are always being told about violent images and children getting immune to them and the crucifixion is a prime example of that. It's an incredibly violent thing to depict yet no one bats an eye because we've all seen it so many times.

But there's little you can do about it though.

I get it.

It's shocking. It's not about "not wanting a parish newsletter" it's about the front page picture being A DYING MAN NAILED TO A CROSS.

How is that not shocking and disturbing?

It's not about the church, it's about putting that on the front of a newsletter posted through doors.

Unless you are going to offer to do the work and produce it I can't see how you can moan. Do you want to get rid of most of the art from art galleries, tear down things from churches etc? I suggest you just explain very simply ( without gory details) to your child, or keep the magazine away from him or don't take the magazine.
I don't think you will get anywhere as most of the village will think you are being ridiculous- bearing in mind it is the CHURCH magazine and you don't have to take it.

Yes, I do understand what a "parish" is, as some posters seem to doubt...

According to the newsletter the are local advertisers for small businesses.

Most, if not all, parish magazines will advertise small businesses in order to help pay for the publication/printing costs. They certainly aren't produced with the sole purpose of being a local directory.

Contrary to the subject matter, I am not offended by it. Actually I coloured it in (would that offend the parish?).

My point is - why is it OK if its Jesus? Would it be OK if it was someone else? Ghandi? Or Jonny Cash? Wayne Rooney?

Where I used to live they would get some of the local kids to act the easter story out on the roundabout. Rather a shock to draw up in the left lane and suddenly notice some of the local Year 4s being crucified in among the daffodil beds.

I think that Niko's saying that it's a double standard, in that her small child is prevented from watching certain films etc, but there is no censorship around shocking images such as this as long as it's for a religious cause. So in the name of religion, it's okay for her small child to pick up a distressing image from the doormat of her own home which has been placed there without parental consent, but other things which are deemed inappropriate are banned for her child on her behalf.

If I want my child to be shocked by the easter story then i'll take them to church myself and they can hear about it there. However, to me it is exactly that, a STORY, and when you view it like that, it's actually an inappropriate story about a violent murder- there are a lot more appropriate stories out there which I would rather my children were exposed to!

Well it's okay that it's Jesus because he was crucified as per the Bible.

Pretty sure it would have caused quite some furore if Ghandi, Johnny Cash or Wayne Rooney were crucified and I've not yet heard about it.

I am surprised that your children are remotely interested in the school magazine.
Don't go into town centres on Friday- they are likely to be carrying a cross through it.

What if it were Elvis dead on the toilet, or Michael Jackson with a drip in his arm, or Kurt Cobain with half his head missing?

Factually correct

Heh.
You live in a place like where I grew up.
I got the fuck out!

I get your point OP. If it was a Hospital Newsletter (for example, not a real thing obvs) with a graphic picture of surgery on the front I doubt you'd get people saying "well it's a hospital - What Do You Expect?"

You do realise that they will get the Easter story at school so it won't come as a surprise to them?

the parish newsletter is perfectly appropriate.

what may not be appropriate is sticking it though your letterbox when you are not a member of the parish (although living in the parish boundaries).

Why don't you go to the parish admin and ask to be removed from the distribution list? Problem solved and your children are saved from trauma.

If they get the Easter story at school then I hope they also get to hear how Spiderman defeated Doctor Octopus...

Honestly, I'm not worried about the trauma that may or may not be caused (won't be caused). Its the double standards.

I'm not offended because of content, I'm offended because of the impunity.

Yeah?

Oh leave the parish pump news letter alone. The things are lifelines for so many communities.

Just put it in the bin and forget about it if it offends you so much.

Are you getting the magazine free? I thought you had to subscribe to it- simply unsubscribe. A parish magazine is primarily a church magazine.

Well those images would certainly be a modernised take on the Classic Easter imagery, op.

How do you feel about the imagery used on packets of cigarettes and rolling tobacco, easily seen by children in day to day life.

My parish newsletter (The Wriggle Valley) is much more swanky than that. Full colour photo on the front.

Yes its free, I didn't ask for it, and its posted out by a small number of well-wishing volunteers.

Again, not offended.

Just disappointed if anything. Double standards.

I'll have to leave this thread soon, I have work tomorrow (which offends some people more than dead people nailed to crosses)

Ffs it's a parish newsletter. The clues in the name . It's approaching Easter Bin it if it offends you.
Crack on and produce a secular newsletter if it upsets you that much.
I'm reporting this because it's offensive on so many levek