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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think the parish newsletter is not appropriate

755 replies

NikoBellic · 28/03/2015 21:51

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?

OP posts:
DramaQueenofHighCs · 28/03/2015 23:09

OP is talking about the double standards and is right about that whether you agree the image in question is shocking or not! (And as I said before, I'm a christian and even I can see those double standards, but then maybe that's because I've been campaigning about the 'We must never allow gay marriage in the church' vs 'Love your neighbour as yourself and treat all equally' double standards that exist within the church itself so I'm tuned in to finding them now. not that that was entirely relevant to this thread but even so )

Summerisle1 · 28/03/2015 23:10

Our parish magazine has clearly gone soft. We have some sort of shit drawing of a rabbit on it.

But actually, I'm up to here with crucifixion. I had to witness an unpleasantly eager and disturbingly realistic rehearsal of it the other night. I'm seriously thinking the local Passion Play needs a PG rating at the very least.

SylviaPouncer · 28/03/2015 23:13

I thought this was going to be a funny thread with an accidental phallic image on the parish newsletter if you look at it upside down. Or something.

Laquila · 28/03/2015 23:14

But personally I think it's ludicrous to report this thread for anything - that was just one poster. As far as I can tell, it was only actually offensive to one poster on this thread that the OP questioned the appropriateness of that image - the rest of us are just discussing it.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 28/03/2015 23:15

Also remember the crucifixion became such a dominant symbol of Christianity because most Renaissance painters wanted to get their hot male models naked.

LumpySpacedPrincess · 28/03/2015 23:16

You are not being unreasonable at all. Christianity isn't relevant to a lot of us but it's something we have to tolerate at this time of year.

DramaQueenofHighCs · 28/03/2015 23:16

Totally agree Laquila

PilchardPrincess · 28/03/2015 23:17

Yes HopLikeABunny that would make sense I think.

BarbarianMum · 28/03/2015 23:18

I remember being terrified of the numerous crucifixes at my grandmother's house as a small child. It's a horrific image - bleeding man in agony and dying, rolling eyes, slit side...

I kept my children well away from them and the Easter story when they were small. One minute they're being taught about little baby Jesus, a child like them, months later - guess what kids?

This year we talked about the Easter story. They were horrified and mystified by turns. Watching their churchgoing grandparents try and explain why an omnipotent God required his son to be tortured and murdered to save us was interesting. To the uninitiated it makes no sense at all.

Summerisle1 · 28/03/2015 23:23

To the uninitiated it makes no sense at all.

DH and I were talking about this over dinner tonight. We were reminded of the Jesuit missionaries whose modest success in converting the Chinese was based entirely on skipping the crucifixion bit of Christianity altogether.

CuttedUpPear · 28/03/2015 23:24

Custardcream14 You've lost it completely. The crucifixion is central to Easter, or did you think it was all about chocolate eggs?

YES!
I did think it was all about eggs...because it is!
Oestre was an ancient goddess who presided over spring rites in this bit of europe. Eggs are symbolic of this time of year because they represent new life and female fertility. (Oestrogen, get it?)

The christians saw this pagan festival and decided to rebrand it as their own, now with a miserable bleeding death symbol replacing all that fine female energy.

Which brings us to the patriarchy, and where we are today.

Hoplikeabunny · 28/03/2015 23:26

To be honest, I think it makes even less sense to the initiated (well, in my experience of 13 years of Catholic school!)- but that's probably a whole other thread entirely!

SmillasSenseOfSnow · 28/03/2015 23:29

Laquila, you appear to be the kind of religious type that would argue that one form of bloody execution is nothing like another form of bloody execution, just for the sake of defending its use on a religious leaflet. Why not use an argument that actually makes sense, like the idea that a small child is unlikely to give such a leaflet a second glance?

fattymcfatfat · 28/03/2015 23:29

I am a Catholic and I agree that crucifixion is shocking. yes it is supposed to be but as a religion that teaches love thy neighbour, surely the church should be more understanding of others and their views. not everyone wants to see such imagery.

but in the churches defence, to the poster who said she doesnt want her child to learn anything about religion in school, just out of curiosity do you buy your children easter eggs? or Christmas presents. . see where im going with this? You can't completely shun anything to do with Christianity if you are going to celebrate Christian holidays. Smile

SmillasSenseOfSnow · 28/03/2015 23:31

I'll be honest, the fact that someone said they were going to report this thread takes MN to a whole new level of bonkers for me.

fattymcfatfat · 28/03/2015 23:31

as for report? why? whats wrong with this thread?

SmillasSenseOfSnow · 28/03/2015 23:32

fattymcfatfat, please read CuttedUpPear's post. What possible link to Jesus do you think eggs and rabbits have? Is it really so hard to engage in a little critical thinking?

Tobyjugg · 28/03/2015 23:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

trufflesnout · 28/03/2015 23:36

You can't completely shun anything to do with Christianity if you are going to celebrate Christian holidays

But they aren't christian holidays

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 28/03/2015 23:38

Fatty Which poster said they didn't want their children to learn about religion at school?

LumpySpacedPrincess · 28/03/2015 23:38

Most of the symbology associated with Easter are pre Christian. The eggs, the hare, hot cross bun, they are all older than Christianity and were acquired along the way.

People always celebrate at springtime and in the darkest part of winter. Christianity doesn't own that.

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 28/03/2015 23:38

To the uninitiated it makes no sense at all.

There's a reason for that Grin

An image of a bloodied man suffering a horrible death is appropriate for children, apparently. And that one about a big flood being sent to kill every person and animal on the planet except for one small group is a jolly bedtime story.

But someone holding hands with another of the same sex, cover the children's eyes!

I don't know how people can tell children this stuff, as fact, and think they're doing a good thing. It makes me angry actually.

fattymcfatfat · 28/03/2015 23:39

I never said anything about a bunny...
as for the eggs, I was always told that it was symbolic of jesus rolling away the stone to ascend to heaven. while that may be a load of old bollocks, just as a lot of shite in the bible, and cutteduppear may be right, as she also said it has become Christian. and im pretty sure eggs are even more modern than any religious crap that gets trotted out.
just like the concept of presents at Christmas. I just get a bit Hmm when people say absolutely no to any form of religion being taught to our children, yet we are expected to raise tolerant humans. how can we do that if they know nothing of religion and belief? it doesn't have to be taught as fact, just as belief.
I believe that a god of some sort exists, what others believe is entirely up to them but you can't shun religion because of what some believe, just as I can't shun people who don't believe iyswim.

Hoplikeabunny · 28/03/2015 23:39

fattymc- I see what you are saying, and no I don't shun Christmas and Easter, but I see them as cultural celebrations rather than religious- after all, i'm pretty sure that Christmas presents and easter eggs aren't actually central to the Christian aspect of Christmas and Easter!

Summerisle1 · 28/03/2015 23:39

It is quite possible to celebrate this time of the year without paying any mind to the rites and rituals of the Christians though.