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?

As has been said a hundred times, she's not offended, 'professionally' or otherwise- it's about the absolute double standard of it all, and the 'put up or shut up' attitude, just because it's Jesus.

Why should the OP ask not to have the newsletter, it contains a lot of information about village life. It's useful. Why is it not okay to.question what's on the front cover when quite rightly, it is such an inappropriate double standard?

Our parish newsletter is not produced by a church. Parish also has a civil meaning, as in Parish Council - the first tier of local government. So the clue isn't necessarily in the name...

I get what you're saying, OP, and think YANBU.

She doesn't have to 'put up or shut up'- she simply has to ask not to be given a copy.
It is a lot simpler than other people who move to villages and find they don't like church bells, cocks crowing at dawn, mud on the road, the smell of muck spreading etc etc. Hers has an easy solution.

Yes, people often get muddled between parochial church council (the churchy one) and the parish council (a tier of local government). I had thought that OP was referring to a newsletter produced by the church, but perhaps she wasn't.

Our parish magazine is produced by the parish council and has bugger all to do with the church. To be fair it often has bugger all to do with anything useful and is used by the person who puts it together as a tool for self congratulation and to control others. Shame as it would otherwise be useful lets hope at the next election that changes.
I know what the OP is getting at and she kinda has a point but I'd let it slide there are far more things in this world to get annoyed about.

Oh for fuck's sake. OP is not offended. She's wondering why this particular violent image is considered suitable for being posted through doors when other similarly unpleasant ones wouldn't be.

Our parish mag is a church one. She needs to find out if it is church or secular. The very name 'parish' intimates to me that it is church based.
Of course it is useful- but she has to decide whether some content is useful enough to warrant having the rest.
I am getting a Sunday paper today- I don't want several sections but I just read the parts I like- I don't stop them for everyone!

And she was "wondering" so much she joined MN to "wonder" about it.

So which other violent images would be relevant to the church in March/April? I can't think of any and my mind boggles that a bit of clip art from 20 yrs ago can class as 'a violent image'- especially when it is a crucifix which are in churches, church yards, roadsides etc.

Mehitabel, you may join the others over there under the "we don't understand" sign. Sorry, it's getting a bit crowded.

Are people expected to cherry pick the fluffy parts and censor the rest?

Nice to know we are a crowd and I am not alone!

If we never started threads because 'there are more important things going on in the world' then there would be very few threads on mumsnet!

Right, so your answer is that it's ok for children to see a picture of a man being murdered because it's Jesus. That's what the OP is asking.

What is there not to understand about it being a church magazine and she doesn't have to have it? We have to pay for ours and it goes to subscribers. I don't have one.
Perhaps the answer is for them to charge and then it only goes to those who ask for one.

OK- let's remove religion from this- (although I do have a fab story about the playgroup, the Minister, the crucifix and the felt Christmas tree that I might regale you with sometime).

If somebody posted about not wanting PETA to put images of suffering animals through her letterbox, would people be telling her she was being unreasonable then?

Of course - it is Easter and that is what it is about for the church. They will have had it in school anyway.

You have to choose one issue that you consider to be the most important thing in the world and are only allowed to talk about that one thing, ever, Hop, you see.

Taxes the brain otherwise.

You can't remove the religion from it- it is a magazine from the church!
Any organisation can put anything they like through your door- they have the freedom and you have the freedom not to take it.

If PETA put one through the door ask them not to- how difficult is that?

OP has stated it is from the Parish Council - not the Church.

There's a huge billboard in the street showing a man answering Jesus's description being crucified. This is allowed.

There's another billboard showing a man being hanged. This is allowed? Or not? Why not?

A third billboard shows a man being crucified like the first one but he isn't white with long brown hair. He's got short blond hair and definitely doesn't look like Jesus. Is this billboard ok?

So what if she did join MN to post this, or stoped lurking and posted this, or name changed and posted this- whatever she did, who says that her first ever thread has to be about which flavour of jam is her favourite, or what to do when her DC want to play outside when it's raining- or some of the other non-issues we see on here daily?!

"If PETA put one through the door ask them not to- how difficult is that?"

So unless you have specifically said not to in advance.........