Very Will Rodgers-ish of you.
It is impossible to set the bar too low.
Posted on 12/14/2009 6:21:01 PM PST by kristinn
USA Today is headline and link only. Link to article here.
The 'blasphemous' posters and literature can be found at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights website. They are in PDF formats if someone wants to grab them and post them to the thread.
What’s next?
“Jesus made a miracle with loaves of bread. Today we call it... WONDER BREAD!”
“Jesus kicked the money changers out of the Temple — but he wouldn’t have kicked us out. We’re Smith Barney.”
Seriously, what is the gummit thinking?
- Traveler
It may be a bit much, but “blasphemous”?, and that term from a Latino Clergyman who sounds like he belongs to an organization that would benefit from a high Hispanic census count? Sounds like he may be coyly playing his part in a Bad Cop/Badder Cop scenario......to me, the ‘blasphemous’ part is the stupid/secular part: NOT the Biblical/Christian/Mary, Joseph, and Jesus part, but tying in the “census” TO it-—supposedly this is all part of the Biblical birth of Jesus story, “returning” to be counted.?
Not a Bible scholar, by any means, but as far as I know the Census never played much of a part in the Holy Bible.
Hmmm, they mean to cite Herod’s census????
*************************
Christmas and the Census
December 22nd will mark 100 days until Census Day (April 1st), providing an unprecedented opportunity to connect the 2010 census with the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The following language may be helpful to those preparing readings and announcements, writing stories for church bulletins, or composing remarks for press conferences and other public events.
The Birth of Jesus
(excerpts from the 2nd chapter of The Gospel According to Luke, New International Version)
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world…And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first-born, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Suggested reading language for church bulletin: According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus decreed that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph’s home town, to register. And the angel appeared to the shepherds with the familiar assurance: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Jesus’ birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecy that a new King of Israel would be born in Bethlehem.
The 2010 census in this country will not fulfill prophecy, but it will comply with the Constitution’s requirement for a count of everyone living in America once every ten years. And it will help guarantee that our national investments go where they are most needed. The census is used to determine the distribution of more than $400 billion a year in education, health care, economic development and more, and to guide private spending on factories, stores, and restaurants. And it helps ensure that we’re all fairly represented at every level of government.
It’s not easy to get an accurate count of every person living in this country. Most likely to be missed are young children, people who are poor, and people who are homeless or living in untraditional settings. Sound familiar? We don’t want a single precious child – any child of God – to be missed. We encourage everyone to spend a few minutes to complete the census questionnaire that will be distributed by mail this March. And over the next few months we will encourage you to participate in efforts by community groups to make sure that everyone, including children born in humble circumstances, is counted.
http://www.civilrights.org/census/census-resources/christmas/fact-sheetcensusandchristmas.pdf
Very Will Rodgers-ish of you.
It is impossible to set the bar too low.
The Biblical census was Rome’s idea so they could collect more taxes—does Rome resemble Washington, D.C.?
Thanks.
>>Hmmm, they mean to cite Herod’s census????<<
One must assume so (or Quirinius’). And we know how great it was to have the occupier’s puppet dictate the rules of the real rulers.
No hardship, no problems, no big deal. Thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of people had to mobilize in wretched conditions. It may have been the crucible that produce Christ Our Lord, but it was cruel and hard.
And since the new chosen one is now the ruler, we need not hope for a Child To Lead us to be born.
My dad works in D.C..
He calls it, half joking, “Rome”.
One of the kings of Israel (I believe it was David) was severely judged by God for conducting a census.
Unless you want to fit in.
That would make 0bama the modern Herod, wouldn’t it???
Maybe not. See my tagline...
Pretty much, maybe with an Islamic twist instead of the Roman one.Using the Christian images against the weak infidels.
Jesus was born because of a census? Uh, no, He was coming, census or not, at the appointed time. What's wrong with these people? Never mind, never mind, I know, I know.
I agree I don’t find it blasphemous, it is shameful self-promotion, however I think it would have been blasphemous if it had mocked Jesus or Christianity (which I don’t think it did, and certainly not intentionally).
Which what it does it lay out a reminder of a very Biblical event that God used for the Birth of the savior (if the US 2010 Census reminds people of Christ’s Salvation and Birth)! All the better for it; Glory to God!
****My dad works in D.C..
He calls it, half joking, “Rome”****
Many years ago in the late ‘80’s I saw a commercial come on TV that was Dan Akroyd in a Centurian outfit, and all he said was “Welcome to the new Rome”. I only saw it that one time, and it wasn’t really a commercial since he wasn’t promoting a product. It was very strange.
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