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NZ church's Joseph and Mary billboard stirs debate

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Lyndsay Freer said the billboard implied the Virgin Mary and Joseph had just had sex and was inappropriate, disrespectful and offensive to Christians.

Maybe some Christians prefer to think they never had sex? What is wrong with sex? They were married. I wonder if some Christians realize it was God who created sex, not Satan.

What is offensive about the poster is that it implies that God had sex with Mary and, therefore, she was not a virgin. Its more like God artificially inseminated Mary in some way (I don't think even God can violate the basic laws of his own universe. What we do today would seem like magic to ancient peoples, and so what God does looks like magic to us). God works in mysterious ways. Sex with Mary is pretty straight-forward. Implying Mary was not a virgin is the offensive part.

I don't actually believe in God though so I think Mary was lying and I can think of several reasons why. The billboard is funny to me, but I see no reason to get up in Christian faces like this.

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numbskull; God imprenated the virgin Mary, it is common knowledeg and written on ancient scrolls.The billboard disturbs me and i am sure all who know Jesus is the son of God and whos path we must follow.

How can people blasheme is such a manner!

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It's crazy that people take all kinds of religions' scriptures as literally true --and then when they speak they speak in allegory and all sorts of figures of speech... I mean, c'mon, if people bother to read (or drink the coolaid from AM radio) those things, at least get to know how language was used when those things were written, you know, like they used all sorts of figures of speech, that is, they did not write like one writes modern law.

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m5c32; The Bible shows you how to live your life. It is true. The billboard is offensive to regular guys such as myself, and Mary WAS a virgin, period!!!

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Mary WAS a virgin, period!!!

She probably was, before she met Joseph.

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How can people believe in Jesus still?

I gave up believing in the J-man just after Santa and just before the tooth fairy.

Still, I'm glad there is religion. Just wish people were not so serious about it

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It's really amazing how much mileage the church has got from some dark-age mistranslation of the Hebrew (or more likely Aramaic) word for "young woman" (not virgin).

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Has Chritianity come to this? Convoluted thought processes, to say the least.

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I quite like the idea of the billboard, as a bit of Christmas fun. Besides, it's not as if Mary and Joseph didn't sleep together at some point in their lives. How else where Jesus' brothers and sisters born? Mary was only a virgin until she first had sex, after all.

I'm all for taking your beliefs seriously, whatever they are. That doesn't mean you have to lose your sense of humour, though. There are enough angry people out there already without religion, atheism, politics or anything else being used for unfounded indignation. Merry Christmas, all!

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On the billboard—painted to mimic the fresco style commonly used in church murals—Mary and Joseph are in bed side-by-side. Joseph is looking down. Mary, looking heavenward, appears sad. The caption reads: “Poor Joseph. God is a hard act to follow.”

Until this paragraph is read, this article isn't real clear. Then when you read this paragraph it puts it all into perspective. I understand the tongue-in-cheek humor. I'm not sure it's proper for a church to display it.

It's not worth defacing though. < :-)

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The billboard is having the desired effect, publicity.

DickMorris at 04:39 PM JST - 17th December numbskull; God imprenated the virgin Mary, it is common knowledeg and written on ancient scrolls.The billboard disturbs me and i am sure all who know Jesus is the son of God and whos path we must follow. How can people blasheme is such a manner!

Actually Dick it is not "common knowledge" that a god impregnated the mother of Jesus. It is a belief held by the Mother Church and many of it's christian sect that hold that as their dogma and no one else.

Beelzebub at 07:00 PM JST - 17th December It's really amazing how much mileage the church has got from some dark-age mistranslation of the Hebrew (or more likely Aramaic) word for "young woman" (not virgin).

Shhhhhhhhh don't go into the actual translation, you may get stoned by some of our friends here.

With that I wish everyone here a very happy holiday season. Or should I call it Dies Natalis Solis Invicti day? Hm

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