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 ...
"it's simply rude to give a Jewish kid a Jesus doll for Christmas."
Yeah, think of all those poor Jewish kids in need of CHRISTMAS presents.
Better yet, the new for the 2006 holiday thingy: "Mooselimb Barbie". She comes complete with Berka, 3 different sized rods, and black and blue all over.
"A talking Jesus doll seems sacreligious to me."
Jesus would probably say not to worship false idols. Jesus isn't a doll just a representation. What do you do when you break the baby jesus in the nativity scene? Bury it in the back yard, or buy another. Lighten up. Besides, if it gets a little roughed up, you could claim it was John the Baptist.
The kid would probably think it sucks as a gift.
ROTFLMAO
Agreed, give a kid THIS as a gift....now that'd be cool!
http://www.estesrockets.com/
Why is it rude? what is rude about it? can you name anything that is rude about giving Jesus to any person of any faith?
Maybe telling anyone about the 10 Commandments is rude.
Don't tell me I can't lie or steal or murder or commit adultery... (Sheesh!)
I don't care if it rains or freezes
long as I got my plastic Jesus...
Well I will agree with that..I am sure most are looking for a MP3 player or the latest I-POD anyways.
Maybe because parents like to have control of their children's religious upbringing and don't expect well-meaning strangers to try to change their kids' faith through an anonymous charity program.
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program
MISSION: The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.
Hahaaa, I love my Ann Coulter talking doll!
"I unapologetically submit that Jesus is not a toy."
I'm with you. If the company wishes to donate their dolls, good for them. But let them distribute the dolls themselves rather than rely on Toys for Tots. For Toys, in this atmosphere, it is buying 4,000 lawsuits from the likes of the Michael Newdows and Mohammeds and Levy's out there. As to accepting gifts, any poor parent welcomes a chance to get toys for their children and there are other holidays this time of year for other religions.
The charity is a good one and is accomplishing good. If toys go to non-Christian tots, then good. Maybe they will begin asking why some good people do good things in December and find out something they didn't know beforehand. What this sounds like is a publicity stunt by a company that wants to cause a furor either against the Marines or against political correctness and they are not above using poor children to do so. Who do you suppose notified the press about the Marine's reaction? I doubt it was the Marines.
If posters disagree with what happened, then buy the dolls yourself and distribute them. Leave the Marines out of this unless you want them sued and compromised in a whole lot of ways we can't foresee.
And, like you said, Jesus isn't a toy. I can't imagine what a doll would look like and sound like to do justice to the Son of God. Can anyone say, "idolatry"?
Indeed he is!
And not just any old prophet either.
The Koran dwells on Jesus in many places. He's the most important prophet in the Koran in many ways. (For starters, his mother Mary is the only woman named by her name in the Koran).
The Koran speaks of the virgin birth as proving that Jesus was "the Purest Prophet". Jesus is the Koranic model the one who comes to earth, unmistakeably, born of virgin, to show mankind God's law by living it out.
But, the Koran says, men killed him anyway.
And that is why, the Koran says, God sent the FINAL prophet, Mohammed, to reveal the law FULLY and explain all that was previously fuzzy or unexplained. Jesus is hearkened back too by the Koran as God's Purest Prophet, who even in his purity could not sway men to cease their evil. And so men tried to kill him and God took him away, and sent Mohammed, a man, not born of a virgin and not as pure as Jesus (the Koran does NOT assert that Mohammed is pure. Jesus is the pure one. Mohammed is authoritative because he is FINAL. It's Mohammed who takes the dictation from God that makes plain, forever, what Jesus tried to teach by acts and words (and got killed for).).
That's what the Koran actually says.
It's interesting.
What the Koran says about CHRISTIANS (as opposed to Christ) is that they go too far in the praise of Jesus, to the point that they fall down and worship him - a man - as God. This is an error and a blasphemy, the Koran says, because there is no God but Allah. Actually, this was the same charge that Judaism laid at Jesus' feet in his trial. Recall that Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin for the capital crime of blasphemy, by asserting that he was Son of God, he claimed divinity, but Judaism could accept only one God, Yahweh, and therefore Jesus COULD NOT BE divine, bu the logic of Judaism and Islam.
Indeed, Islam and Judaism are of a pair in this regard. The Koran's criticism of the Jews is the same as Jesus': that they set up their traditions on an equal footing with the laws of God, and did not distinguish the two, thereby worshipping the works of man along with the works of God.
Islam is an outgrowth of Christianity which returns to Judaic monotheism and calls the Trinity blasphemy. It does NOT, however, preach death to Christians and Jews. They are people of the book, to be persuaded (according to the Koran. Muslim tradition in some places is otherwise). Heathens and pagans - which doesn't include Christians and Jews - are to be made war upon.
Taken independently, without the prism of world events, and without a partisan Jewish or Christian belief system, the Koran is not offensive.
Not if I don't think it is cool. I determine what is cool for kids.
I have been working with Toys for Tots for several years now and I dont think all of the details are in the story. Probably the only requirement that is stressed is that the toys be packaged and not wrapped. Were these toys packaged at all? I have never seen any toy turned down for anything but the packaging issues.
It's not idolatry if you don't worship the toy.
What it is, is bad taste.
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(otherwise too true to be toooooooo funneeeeeeeeeeeee)
:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.