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A Christian's dilemma

Last Wednesday I received an E-Mail pointing me to this press release on Scoop proudly announcing "that billboard" to be placed outside St Matthews in the City for the duration of the Christmas season.

"Here we go again", I thought, "another attack on our Faith" .

These things are common enough and it is always difficult to know what to do - the usual suspects will crow and blather on about free speech and Christian intolerance if we complain.

And our complaints usually lead to more publicity for the blasphemy.

So I held my tongue.

But saying nothing can lead to even more egregious blasphemies. And given this blasphemy comes from a Christian Church there is no way ignoring it was going to work.

Anyway the vandalism of the billboard gave DPF another bite at the cherry this morning and I left a tongue in cheek response to his post.
Perhaps the gentleman who did it was exercising his right to free speech.

[DPF: How sad that you do not know the difference between exercising free speech, and suppressing free speech through vandalism. I hope no one ever exercises free speech on your property]
Irony can sometimes be lost in translation.

Anyway thinking on this, quite clearly the "vandal" has not suppressed "free speech", rather he has added to the storm raging over the poster, a story now carried by most major papers and TV networks world wide - who of course, and correctly in my opinion, show the grievous calumny against the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary in their stories thus further broadcasting the vile thing.

What the gentleman has done though is express his feelings about this and there is little doubt that he will be identified and caught - this was no sneak attack but one carried out in broad daylight and in front of TV cameras.

The real origin of all of this is clear - the Church appears conflicted and divided by this dispute, a source of joy and merriment to those who dislike her. And Christ is not revealed in this unedifying spectacle but the adversary most surely is.

An what should a Christian man or woman do in the face of this?

It is not easy to know sometimes.

Comments

  1. It seems to me that Glynn Cardy has to take responsibility for the division that he knowingly created.

    He can't cry foul over the strong opposition he has received when his own press release announcing the first billboard stated that it was meant to "lampoon" and that it was likely to "disturb" some people.

    Can't he see that all he's done is create ugly disharmony between Christians, and other people of goodwill, at the very time of year when we should be unified in celebration?

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  2. On Waitangi Day perhaps Mr. Cardy will bravely put up a poster mocking Maori culture? Something about stone age cannibals ought to create a stir.

    Or is that too much of a sacred cow?

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  3. I wonder if the poster portrays his aversion to the oppressive patriarchal institution of marriage and the stuffy old concepts of heterosexuality and monogamy?

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  4. Well,

    Whether we say something or nothing, the whole thing's already blown up, so to speak. Therefore, the response has to be to say clearly what our position on the whole thing is.

    For instance:

    1) the poster was inappropriate and offensive.
    2) that does not excuse the vandalism and theft was was done.
    3) however, we are not surprised someone was incensed enough to vandalise the poster.

    Point 3, unfortunately, requires further explanation, as secular society can't really see what was so offensive in the poster that it would inspire such strong feelings.

    Ironic, too, that we've recently had the provocation defence removed.

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  5. Actually, I have a preface to all my points.

    Prayer.

    When in doubt, pray. The murkiness of the crap we live through clears up a little that way.

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  6. This has really caused me pain, I'm not sure why it is so deep but it is.

    But you are so right Lucia;

    Prayer is what is needed.

    They have put it up again - I hope no one touches it - Let it stand for the whole world to see

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  7. Andrei,

    I think it is a grace from God to feel pain over this sort of thing. It's a minor participation in the Agony.

    I'll pray for you as well.

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  8. Farrar is a dick. his blog is a troll farm and he has lost his "mojo" on the blogosphere after the Climategate thing.

    So when the glynn cardy thing comes along he takes his chances to exercise his devious anti-
    christian bigotry.

    I actually took the chance to turn this event into a riposte to educate anyone who asked me about it.

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  9. Mr Tips,

    Yes.

    The bigotry was veiled before. Now it's obvious and ugly.

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  10. Farrar was too quick to defend Glyn Cardy. This was, after all, the same person that defended the vandalism on the spy base. Cardy, as leader of the God-Optional wing of the Anglican Church, is never one for consistency. These "progressives" have a very flexible and situational theology.

    The point needs to made and made again. Would have he put up a poster mocking Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism?

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