What They Think of Us: Zombie Nativity

Jasen Dixon says that he did not intend to offend anyone with his zombie nativity scene. There is now a fundraiser under way and a Facebook page for what supporters are calling a “wonderful piece of artwork.” Hostile online posters derisively said “… Jesus is the most famous zombie the world has ever known.  …  I thought that Jesus being a zombie was pretty much the central tenet of the religion.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/zombie-nativity-jason-dixon_n_6374428.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/23/ohio-homeowner-told-to-take-down-his-zombie-nativity-scene/

http://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/jasen-dixon-man-has-to-remove-zombie-nativity-scene-due-to-zoning-violation

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/24/1224-zombie-nativity.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie-nativity-scene/365944350233282

http://io9.com/zombie-nativity-scene-is-possibly-the-greatest-thing-ev-1674937583

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/12/23/ohio-conservative-christians-freak-out-over-homeowners-zombie-nativity-scene-threatens-lawsuit-video/

Amish Bishop Convicted of Hate Crime

In Bergholz, Ohio, sixty-six year old Amish Bishop Samuel Mullet Sr., four of his children, and eleven of his followers have been convicted of hate crimes against an Amish man and his wife whom Mullet accused of rebelliousness and straying from his religious teachings.  The man and his wife were awakened to several persons holding them down and cutting off their hair and the man’s beard.

Old Order Amish men all grow beards and the women do not cut their hair.  The hair-cutting attacks were taken to shame the couple.  Those convicted of the hate crimes face up to ten years or more in prison.  The hair cuttings were considered to be hate crimes because they were motivated strictly on the basis of differences in religious beliefs.

Mullet, the founder of the twenty-five family group about twenty years ago,  has been described as an authoritarian leader who has abused his authority to coerce sexual favors from female members and who has enforced many practices at variance with traditional Amish culture.  The attacked couple were among those resistant to Mullet’s leadership.

Some of the other members of the group shielded their faces as they left after the reading of the verdict.  Because of their tradition which favors separation from the outside culture and because of biblical instructions to settle church issues within the church, many were quite ashamed of the church leader being dragged into court.

The Amish are a subsect of the Mennonite faith.  Most are of German or Swiss-German ancestry.  They are Anabaptists (they practice adult believer’s baptism rather than infant baptism) and, while they aware of modern technology, they do not use it.  Most Amish live as farmers and they are known for their sturdy and beautiful furniture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish

http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pennsylvania/a/amish.htm

http://www.religioustolerance.org/amish.htm

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Sun Yat-sen: b. 1866, China – d. 1925) Revolutionary, physician, President of the Republic of China, Congregationalist.

Cornel Ronald West: (b. 1953, Oklahoma) Civil rights activist, philosopher, author, actor, socialist.

Takeda Kiyoko: (b. 1917, Japan) Feminist intellectual.

John Glasgow Kerr: (b. 1824, Ohio – d. 1901) Surgeon, Presbyterian missionary to China.  One of his medical students was Sun Yat-sen.

Arthur Gostick Shorrock: (b. 1861, England – d. 1945) Surgeon, Baptist missionary to China.

Touchdown Jesus

I read the news reports on the destruction of Touchdown Jesus and immediately thought of Notre Dame University football. This isn't that Touchdown Jesus. The Notre Dame one is a mural visible from Notre Dame Football Stadium in which Jesus has upraised arms. The "legend" is that Jesus cheers every touchdown by the football team.

The destroyed statue is actually the "King of Kings," a 62 foot tall upper torso of Jesus with His arms upraised to Heaven. The locally popular name comes from the fact that the positioning of His arms is the same as that of a football referee signalling a touchdown by a football team.

The plastic foam and fiberglass statue was built over a steel frame and placed on an island at the head of the baptismal pond of the Solid Rock Church, a 4000 member non-denominational congregation in Monroe, Ohio. The statue was struck by lightning on 14 June 2010 and erupted into flames down to its base. To see a picture of the former statue go to http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9786