Posted on 02/20/2010 8:03:42 AM PST by cajuncow
GAUHATI, India - Authorities in a Christian-majority state in India's remote northeast have confiscated all copies of a school textbook that carried a picture of Jesus Christ holding a can of beer and a cigarette, an official said Saturday.
The primary school textbook, which teaches cursive handwriting, used the picture of Jesus on the page for the letter 'I' — to represent Idol.
Ampareen Lyngdoh, education minister of Meghalaya state, strongly criticized the illustration.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
I’m not sure if in their culture they consider it offensive. There are many images of Ganesh holding beer and it is one of the offerings they give.
Did they have a picture of Ganesh with a bottle of wine and a biddie?
LoL
Yep. They probably thought replacing one of their idols with European-Jesus would make the Catholics happy, especially since Catholics are frequently seen holding booze and smokes as well.
Really?
or better yet, Muhammad?
Don’t mind Jesus being shown drinking (Wedding at Cana etc).
But above the word “Idol”? That word does not mean what they think it means.
Oh yeah. It is utter hypocrisy for the Catholics to get all huffy about it. For one, to deny a statue of Jesus is an “idol” in the land where idols are everywhere, and two, to be offended by this picture with smoldering butts in their ashtrays and iceboxes full of cold ones. LOL! I would love to go there and wag my finger at everybody involved, but wattaya gonna do.
My suspicion is that the Muslims are more likely to riot at that than the Christians.
Regardless of the fact that no one has a good idea of what Jesus looks like (other than Isaiah 53 — where he is described to be unattractive physically, there’s no physical description of Him in the Bible); what is up with the beer and smokes on a textbook?
Well, we know that there was wine at the Last Supper, and also that Jesus changed water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana.
We don’t absolutely know if He drank wine with His meals or not, but most likely He did, in moderation.
Beer was unknown back then, and long afterward in the Middle East. And so was tobacco—let alone cigarettes, a much later invention.
Err, beer has been around a lot longer than wine and was a staple in the middle east.
Is that right? I was under the impression that the beer and mede drinkers were further north.
The distinction between a mere image or token of remembrance and an idol that is or is imbued with an actual god and worshipped itself is subtle but important and has blurred at times, usually by detractors, even within Christianity.
Well, well. Wikipedia confirms your statement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_beer
But wine seems to be the chief biblical drink. Although see this:
http://bible-christian.org/beerandalcohol.html
WWJD? - What Would Jesus Drink?
Please take a seat in the Amish minivan and a homosexual Episcopalian will come 'round for your drink order.
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