Urban Outfitters Catalog Treats Jesus like Trash

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/jump.jsp?itemID=676&itemType=CATEGORY&iMainCat=336&iSubCat=676&agift&14 ^ | self

[Yaelle]

An Urban Outfitters catalog arrived yesterday and I thumbed through it. In addition to trendy clothing and gift items, they sell "cool" wrapping paper, oh so hip, in colorful prints, of things like bacon slices, sushi, martinis, and Jesus. Jesus? Yes, Warhol-style colored pictures of Jesus with halo, all over the wrapping paper.

Does this convey the true spirit of Christmas to Christians hoping for a little more religion and a little less Santa Claus? I do not think so, seeing the Jesus paper in there among martini or bacon festooned wrap. The next page of the catalog is titled "Sex, Drugs, and Christmas Kitsch" and sells books on marijuana, drinking games (that book's title: Passing Out), and DVDs of Peewee Herman.

I am offended that Christianity's holiness is mocked as a clever bit of kitsch for the anti-cultured youth of America, and I am not even Christian.

Can you imagine if copies of a Torah scroll, perhaps with the Hebrew letters colored pink and lime green, were carelessly used as something to wrap trinkets in and toss away? Passages from the Koran? Would the ACLU stand for that?

What can be done to hurt the business of this fine company who shows such utter disrespect for what is sacred for the majority of Americans?

[Yaelle]

Please ping your Christian lists and get some kind of protest going against this company. This is really low.

[Mount Athos]

You are saying the Jesus pictures appear by itself right? Not with bacon or martinis on the same paper? So what is the problem then? No problem unless the picture is especially unflattering or disrespectful right?

[clee1]

What are you doing with a Urban Outfitters catalog in the first place?

This crap company's main customers are the "Colishin' o' da Chillin'" anyway.

Does their idea of "values" surprise you?

[Rebelbase]

Jesus assoicated with trash.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

I lost whatever degree of respect I previously had for this company after they caved in to the poverty pimps and race hustlers, by removing "Ghettopoly" from its shelves.

[visualops]

They've got Xmas wrap with a hand flipping the bird. Yeah, that's how I want my gifts wrapped.

[cyborg]

LOL only you ;-)

[clee1]

I heard one of the company's founders on a talk show during the ghettopoly fiasco.

Young hipsters trying to cash in on the "hip-hop culture".

Eff 'em. I'm buying none of their trash.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I'm a non-Christian, such as yourself.  And frankly, I'm starting to get pissed off about the way the Christian faith and followers are being treated by ignorant snobs now-a-days.

But I actually view Urban Outfitters treatment of Christ as not being all that bad:  I look at it this way - they're accidentally keeping the image of Christ out there amongst the teen-set customers.

Maybe many of the customers at Urban Outfitters would find the wrapping humorous...or mocking.....but if it helps - just by planting the image out in public - to bring one person to Christ, I have the feeling that most Christians would accept it.

(Ironically, I walk past Urban Outfitters, Seattle every day too and from work.)

[the_gospel_of_thomas]

not surprising, Urban Outfitter ( and most of their patrons ) have a dim view of Christianity, and Jesus.

this ( or something like it ) in their stores for quite some time.

[Yaelle]

Ping to protest this:

"Jesus" gift wrap sold as kitsch between sushi and bacon strip wrap.

They wouldn't DARE do this to Jewish holy things; let's not let them do it to our Christian brothers.

[Yaelle]

Like making Jesus so "out" that he's "in" again?

[Yaelle]

I am not a Christian but I would be deathly offended if my religion were mocked like that, so I stand up and get offended when my fellows' religion is mocked. It's just a gut reaction that I have. If this wrapping paper does not offend Christians, then I will slink back to my corner. I thought the company deserves some backlash for this.

[Gershkies]

How do we start the BACKLASH? I'm an offended Christian!!

[durasell]

Uh, Richard Hayne, the Chairman and President of Urban Outfitters is a staunch Republican and supporter of our President. You might want to re-think that.

[Ptarmigan]

Same here. I am not a Christian either, but I do believe in God.

[Gershkies]

How did you know that tidbit about Richard Hayne?

[durasell]

It's been all over the news. U.S. News & World Report did a major feature story on it when his stores came out with "Voting is for Old People" t-shirts.

[Thumper1960]

At least they got it right by having Jesus associated with Christmas, and not some fat dude who hangs out with little people in a commune north of Quebec.

[Moonman62]

Uh, Richard Hayne, the Chairman and President of Urban Outfitters is a staunch Republican and supporter of our President.

He needs to switch parties.