Posted on 11/14/2006 11:13:58 AM PST by Tulsa Ramjet
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A talking Jesus doll has been turned down by the Marine Reserves' Toys for Tots program.
A Los Angeles company offered to donate 4,000 of the 1 foot-tall dolls, which quote Bible verses, for distribution to needy children this holiday season. The battery-powered Jesus is one of several dolls manufactured by one2believe, a division of the Valencia-based Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co., based on biblical figures.
But the charity balked because of the dolls' religious nature.
Toys are donated to kids based on financial need and "we don't know anything about their background, their religious affiliations," said Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, in Quantico, Virginia.
As a government entity, Marines "don't profess one religion over another," Grein said Tuesday. "We can't take a chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or a Muslim family."
Michael La Roe, director of business development for both companies, said the charity's decision left him "surprised and disappointed."
"The idea was for them to be three-dimensional teaching tools for kids," La Roe said. "I believe as a churchgoing person, anyone can benefit from hearing the words of the Bible."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
In this season of giving and sharing, why in the name of all things decent and holy did you put that in my head????
I Totally (and respectfully) disagree...
in fact, at our church we say our communion in Hebrew, we celebrate the Sader, we study and celebrate the connection between Pentacost and Shavuot, we had a Jewish Rabbi come and speak last Sunday, it was his second time to our church....
The more Christians know about Judiasm, the better Christians we become. It is our heritage also...because of Christ, we Gentiles are able to be adopted into this wonderful family....
The point of this article smacks of the hypocrisy infested in Americans.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, in fact, it is a celebration of the gift to this earth-- that gift is Christ. How is it that the guest of honor, is inappropriate?
I wonder if Bibles would be inappropriate too? sad.....
What makes you think it is alright to be making an image of our Lord Jesus Christ?
It's a joke...we all know she's got one with a kick start....vrrroooommm....vrrroooommm.....
It's a joke...we all know she's got one with a kick start....vrrroooommm....vrrroooommm.....
I wrote to the Toys for Tots organization and no word back yet...that is disappointing! I cannot believe that this is actually a true story. I am giving the most benefit of the doubt that I can.
Discard the perspective of the offended and that which offends is not objectively offensive. That's a pretty neat trick.
Isn't it?
In other words, if we just forget all of the evil, horror, oppression, bloodshed and carnage that have emanated from followers of the Koran since it was written, and just read it as literature, like the novel that it is, then it's not very offensive, less offensive than, say, Mein Kampf. Perhaps on the order of Mao's Little Red Book or The Communist Manifesto.
Take it in the context of mere reality, then the Koran is offensive.
>>I just woke up the kids laughing at your response...
that is my mission....not waking up the kids, tho.
Agreed, and well said. I'm with you 100%.
If the "tots" aren't Christian, they shouldn't be getting gifts anyway. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, our Lord.
"What makes you think it is alright to be making an image of our Lord Jesus Christ?"
Are representations of Jesus on a cross images that we hang around our necks, or wear on t-shirts, or bumper stickers? What does Jesus look like? Jesus may look at the different paintings now and say, "Hey, that looks like Peter!" Who cares. You are not worshiping the little doll. But to each its own, and to their soul, reconciliation of what is right. Not what someone else tells them.
Hint: Christians celebrate Christmas.
"Take it in the context of mere reality, then the Koran is offensive."
Ha, you are smoking some major cacti. Originally, Mohammed's teachings were rather benign, and he wasn't threatening, but very few took him serious. Even his fellow tribesman made slight of him. But once he left, and took on the mantle of a warrior, then people started taking him serious. And well....they were killed. Later pronouncements, or suras, from him, were cancelled, or replaced the more violent suras. I think this is when satan entered his soul.
LOL. My first thoughts also. Funny how everyone is offended by the Marines not accepting them, but not offended that they are being made in the first place. Isn't the whole idea of trivializing Jesus, and his message, into a talking doll rather insulting enough?
No image of Christ is valid.
The Bible never describes Him.
Moreover, whatever He looked like when on earth has drastically changed as He is seen by John in Rev.1:13-15
TOYS FOR TOTS ARE TAKING THE DOLLS..SEE MY POST..DOES ANYONE READ???
First of all I am not impressed by your temper tantrum. Second, you are just plain wrong...You posted that in a post that I did not get to read down that far because I HAVE A JOB. I am not able to read FREEPERS all day. I suppose you don't realize that we post replies as we read. I did not even get NEAR your post. So next time it would be nice if you would be a bit more considerate in knowing how Free Republic works before you post to people. Thank you for your information however. I do appreciate it.
I don't know who I'm supposed to address this post to. I have a confession to make. I bought one of the talking Moses (press the button and hear a Commandment) action figures and intended to give it to my son for Christmas. He has been base guitar player on a band called The Ten Commandments for about seven years. The music sounds like five guys on stage wielding chain saws that are badly out of tune (that would be the rythim (sp?) section). Wide-eyed people would come up to them after they played and ask if they really were a Christian (my son is hopelessly liberal but he does have a sense of humor) band (you couldn't hear a "word" they "sang," of course) and they'd say "F--k no!" But I am giving that to Toys for Tots, of which I have coordinated for two years here. I found something else for my son. It's a "racing granny" set, like the old electric car racers, only this has old women in wheelchairs, with hair blowing backward, of course. This is all for under $20.
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