What's your opinion? We'd like to know. (tm)

[surrealestate]

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[Poll #1371263]

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Easter is more offensive to people who identify more with Jesus than with soldiers; Memorial Day for those who identify more with soldiers than with Jesus.

I don't agree. I'm Jewish, but that doesn't mean any given Jewish joke offends me more than any [insert-someting-I'm-not] joke. The guys quoted in this article are probably "closer to Jesus" than anyone posting here, but they don't seem to be offended.

[dpolicar]

I'm not sure what "closer to Jesus" means.

But maybe you're right, regardless.

In any case, I still can't answer the "which is more offensive?" question; it still seems to me that different groups of people will be offended differently.

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what "closer to Jesus" means.

Dead?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

*grin* Oh, you know what I meant -- they do religion for a living. Presumably Jesus is a pretty big deal to them.

But seriously, you'd honestly be offended if you saw a zombie march on Easter? Because that really doesn't fit with the you I think of, and yes, of course I know you are deeply religious and respect that. But when I imagine you exiting your church to see some undead lurch by, I can only picture you laughing a deep belly laugh.

Speaking of offending people on Easter, I had a crossdressing friend who was very religious. He didn't try to pass or anything -- he was mostly bald with a long beard and liked flouncy shirts and long floofy skirts. One Easter I happened to be hanging out with him and as we wandered the streets of Baltimore, he strummed his guitar and called out Easter greetings to random people, "Christ has risen!" that sort of thing. I imagine he bothered people on all sides of the matter and then some.

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

Would *I* be offended? I dunno, maybe a part of me would, and that probably wouldn't stop me from lurching towards one of them and pretending to devour their brains. ;) But the issue isn't whether I would be offended, as I won't be anywhere near Somerville. (And besides, it usually takes an awful lot to really offend me.) I just see a whole potential for negativity up against very little if any potential for positivity. Perhaps for non-Christians (or non-practicing Christians) it's difficult to comprehend the heightened emotions that accompany this day. If you've followed along and participated in the entire Triduum, it can be a powerful experience, closely following Jesus' Passion, death, descent into hell, and finally His glorious resurrection. Emotions get run through the wringer. I've seen ordinary people burst into tears as they read the Gospel on Easter and the full impact of its significance hit them. We're not all even-keeled and level-headed, as you can imagine from a group of people that take all this on faith alone. So what is accomplished by mocking them? If nothing else at all, it's just not very nice.