Is Jesus a Joke?

1. After reading the articles and reviewing the visual examples of the tee-shirts, I cannon really pin-point one opinion on this issue. I, being Catholic, would not typically wear a shirt like this not because it offends me, but because it is not really my style. I consider myself relatively spiritual and at the same time I believe that people should be able to express their faith however they choose. I can understand why some might see these designs as parodies (for example, if one is significantly traditional in their religious practices) but at the same time I do not really understand why it is being blown up into such a controversial issue. To me, religion is a freedom, and no one person should tell another how to express it.

2. A quote used by Paul Mitchell refuting his argument was, “in the end, Christianity is not a brand”. It does not really make sense because at the beginning of the article he was discussing how he was trying to make a statement of his religious beliefs through choosing the perfect shirt to wear to a rock band.

3. If the shirts only contained the text and not the pictorials, it actually would change my view on them. It would make me take the shirt more seriously because the pictures of Jesus are kind of modernized or in a sense made to appeal to a kind of youth-culture which I can see how that would offend more traditional religious members. With only words, the message is simple and more straight-forward, eliminating the illusion that Jesus, this almighty force of God, is being turned into a “homie” or “friend”.

4. Interpreting the tee-shirt on the left, I feel that it is more a bold statement due to the black and white colors, the thorny halo on Jesus’ head, and his more seldom facial expression. I think this shirt appeals to pathos in a more serious way. It makes Jesus out to look more like a real person and corresponds to the Jesus that is imagined by people when he is carrying the cross or being hung on the cross. Again, it convinces me to take the shirt and message more seriously and view it in a more respectable manner. The tee-shirt on the right however really makes Jesus out to be a goofy cartoon figure. His attire is very urban and his facial expression is not pious at all. The colors might be evidence that the shirt was made for fashion statement purposes than religious message purposes. I feel like it would appeal to an audience who does not see religion in a traditional way or to someone who has a more comical, open-minded personality.