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Risqué Xmas Ad Sparks Anger

Catholics offended by Anglican church billboard

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 17, 2009 3:50 AM CST

(Newser) – A New Zealand Anglican vicar trying to be funny by putting a sheepish Joseph naked in bed with Mary on a billboard has infuriated Catholics. "Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow," reads the ad. The idea "was to lampoon and ridicule the idea of a male God in the sky who somehow impregnated Mary,” Archdeacon Glynn Cardy told the Times of London.

But Catholics were not amused. The Auckland Catholic diocese called the billboard disrespectful and offensive. “Our Christian tradition of 2,000 years is that Mary remains a virgin and that Jesus is the son of God, not Joseph,” said a diocesan official. Cardy's liberal St. Matthew's church comes up with a different billboard every Christmas. One proposal this year featured Jesus as a glowing sperm under the words "Joy to the World." But that was considered too risqué.

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We would question the virgin birth in any literal sense. We would question the maleness of God in any literal sense. - Anglican Archdeacon Gynn Cardy

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 32 comments

bewilderbeast

Dec 21, 2009 2:21 AM CST

@almostincognito, you shoulda put a FULLSTOP after "mmm. I dont know". It's easy to find out: ---------------- 1. Read about the Crusades. 2. Add DubyaCheneyRumsfeld - presto.

bewilderbeast

Dec 21, 2009 2:18 AM CST

Well, actually about 1890 years later (the whole myth was only invented about 130yrs AFTER "Jesus" was meant to have lived. There's NOT ONE SHRED of evidence that he lived available from the actual time he was said to have lived). Go figure.

bewilderbeast

Dec 21, 2009 2:15 AM CST

Hey! Faithful stupidity is what we're TALKING about! We built a mega money-making EMPIRE around this! Respect the business model!! (and did I tell you it's tax-free? Har har har and a bottle of rum . . )

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Anglican Church • religion • New Zealand • holiday • Christmas • Anglican • Catholics • Auckland

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Risqué Xmas Ad Sparks Anger