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?

RubbishRobot - I think it is exactly the point.

Some posters have replied to the OP stating 'the clue is in the title" i.e it's a Parish newsletter. In saying this, they are clearly implying that they believe the newsletter has been published by a Church Parish - but the OP has stated it was produced by the Parish Council.

Parish Councils have nothing to do with the Church.

Oh and I forgot the bloody wheals on his back where they whipped him. My, this thread is bringing back memories. ..

I'm off to bed. Sweet dreams all. If anyone would care to explain why that level of suffering was necessary, id be interested to read it in the morning. Although I realise that's not the point of this thread.

OP here's a warning and advice for your own good. Never, ever go to an art gallery. You might find it a bit difficult.

This is the kind of cognitive dissonance you get with certain types of believers - "oh no not the nasty, violent torture-murder images, the naice, clean, wholesome kind of torture-murder images"

"OP here's a warning and advice for your own good. Never, ever go to an art gallery. You might find it a bit difficult."

As far as I am aware, most art galleries don't drop Caravaggios through your letter box unannounced...........

That analogy would make total sense UpTheChimney if the OP didn't go to the gallery but instead the gallery got posted through her letterbox unsolicited.

Is the National Point-Missing Society for the Hard of Thinking having its AGM on this thread or something?

It is horrific. Barbaric image.
I had severe nightmares as a child of this form of death. It's awful because you cannot avoid it!
Yanbu at all. I would complain. It's a deeply upsetting image and just because it's part of a religion doesn't change that.

As far as I am aware, most art galleries don't drop Caravaggios through your letter box unannounced

But if the OP weren't aware that art galleries contained paintings of religious subjects, just as she seems not to know the reason we all get a Bank Holiday over Easter, then she could be traumatised.

And I speak as a raving atheist. But cheers to all the Christians. I always enjoy the 4 days of quiet over Easter.

I 100% agree with you OP. When I was a Reception teacher at a CofE school we had to teach the bible stories as fact. The school was largely made up of children from a local RAF and Army base. Try teaching the story of Noah's Ark (deemed suitable to 4 year olds yet pretty horrific when you think about it) to a group of worldly wise children who knew their parent(s) were away battling the Taliban. One little boy said "when will the next flood be because there are lots of evil people in the world now and will I die because I don't have a boat?" I felt horrific and realised I couldn't teach this stuff anymore so left.

Sure, I will teach my children the Easter story when appropriate as I know they will encounter it at school, just as I will teach them the key stories from all religions. But i will approach it as 'this is a story which some people believe' and I will say that I don't believe it (then teach them about evolution).

What makes you think the OP doesn't know why we get a holiday at Easter, UpTheChimney?

Also, Christians cannot claim ownership of Easter. There are plenty of posts about that upthread.

It would be nice if they did post them through our letterboxes Hakylut, we'd all be rich! Sadly I don't think the parish newsletter has much money making potential

The image and story of the crucifixion have had a massive impact on our society today. They have influenced art, politics, music, poetry, and our country's history for more than a millennium. It is an integral part of our culture.

That's not to say that you have to like it OP, it just means that most other people do not find it inappropriate in the run up to Easter, especially on the cover of a parish newsletter.

YABU OP.

If you want hardcore, check out jesus daily on facebook. They deliberately send out the most gruesome blood-dripping ripped-flesh pinups, every day.

Our parish council just send out an A4 sheet about things like potholes, and lawnmowing fees for grass verges. That's because parish councils are nothing to do with the church - we don't even have a church - and it is simply the lowliest tier of local government.

Even if it were the church sending out the letters, it's perfectly understandable that the OP doesn't want that image landing on her doormat. Our familiarity with it probably has densensitised us , but it doesn't make it any less horrific. The OP can avoid church and art galleries, but not her own doormat.

Dione.
Yes Christianity has been influential in art and culture but we have the choice to look at that or not.
Can people not celebrate this in church And learn about it in school and just not force those who don't want to see it to have to?

I find it revolting as well. It's a pity, as one of the finest pieces of jewellery I own (OK, the only piece of fine jewellery) is a detailed representation of this person being murdered in a particularly gruesome fashion.

Still ... yeah, we all know what it is and it's unavoidable in many parts of the world. So we learn not to think about what it is, really, don't we?

I produce our parish newsletter. It will not be featuring any religious icons, other than pictures of the church, ever! (I also remove non-pc language from our lovely, if slightly unworldly, contributors.)

I'd put a sign on the door/letterbox asking them to not put their religious claptrap through the door. a violent image of an imaginary person, whether in cartoon form or not, is not something I would want in my home.

Oh do bore off..

YANBU. I feel for you living on naice Little England village you need to move to civilization

Erm, I haven't read the whole thread but most of f its pretty stupid. The crucifixion image is central to the Easter story because Jesus rose from the dead. You cant just block that part out. My mum wears a gold crucifix complete with a "dying" Jesus. My kids have not been traumatised.

This was fun reading!
Op, YANBU. I get what you mean, but I think you might need to post a pic of the actual image used to amuse me clarify the horror.

I don't think your children will be traumatised. Mine go to the village CofE school and have managed just fine with that image for the last 5 years.

Slightly off topic as I got bored reading after one page my son was being cocky about Easter being purely for chocolate so I asked him to tell me why people celebrate it. He replied (sarcastically) because Jesus was made to carry a cross while wearing a cactus on his head then he died in a cave and then moved a stone and disappeared. It's a version of events I suppose! (I did correct him afterwards) including the details around crucifixion and that it wasn't a cactus on his head.