Actors Whip Easter Bunny at Church Show ("Mommy why are they hitting the Easter bunny?")

fredericksburg.com ^ | 4/7/04 | AP

[Diddle E. Squat]

GLASSPORT, Pa.

A church trying to teach about the crucifixion of Jesus performed an Easter show with actors whipping the Easter bunny and breaking eggs, upsetting several parents and young children.

People who attended Saturday's performance at Glassport's memorial stadium quoted performers as saying, "There is no Easter bunny," and described the show as being a demonstration of how Jesus was crucified.

Melissa Salzmann, who brought her 4-year-old son J.T., said the program was inappropriate for young children. "He was crying and asking me why the bunny was being whipped," Salzmann said.

Patty Bickerton, the youth minister at Glassport Assembly of God, said the performance wasn't meant to be offensive. Bickerton portrayed the Easter rabbit and said she tried to act with a tone of irreverence.

"The program was for all ages, not just the kids. We wanted to convey that Easter is not just about the Easter bunny, it is about Jesus Christ," Bickerton said.

Performers broke eggs meant for an Easter egg hunt and also portrayed a drunken man and a self-mutilating woman, said Jennifer Norelli-Burke, another parent who saw the show in Glassport, a community about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

"It was very disturbing," Norelli-Burke said. "I could not believe what I saw. It wasn't anything I was expecting."

[mhking]

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Slings and Arrows]

I'd hate to see their Christmas pageant:

[hellinahandcart]

I'd pay ten bucks to see this.

[NYC GOP Chick]

You are certainly living up to your screen name! ;D

But then again, I'd pay to see it, too!

[hellinahandcart]

It played in a big venue, according to the article.

Can you imagine? Hordes of young children screaming their lungs out, with every lash laid on the back of the Easter Bunny, every colored egg squished in the hands of the drunken man and the self-mutilating woman...it's like this church hired some dominatrix to put on an Easter show.

[HairOfTheDog]

...it's like this church hired some dominatrix to put on an Easter show.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Can you imagine? Hordes of young children screaming their lungs out, with every lash laid on the back of the Easter Bunny, every colored egg squished in the hands of the drunken man and the self-mutilating woman...it's like this church hired some dominatrix to put on an Easter show.

Actually, it sounds like The Passion crossed with South Park!

[hellinahandcart]

Look at the keywords. Bwaha! "Santa in a shredder"...

[NYC GOP Chick]

Cadbury Jihad! Santa Clause [sic] is next! The Passion of Harvey! :D

[weegee]

PETA?

[Caipirabob]

What? They didn't Crucify the bunny? Jeez, the kids really missed out on a valuable lesson...

What a group of sick freaks to inflict this upon children.

[TaxRelief]

Just so we're clear--It's OK to make something up as long as it makes someone happy?

[Future Snake Eater]

A picture of the Easter Bunny torturers.

If you don't get this, then see "Mallrats"

[Vigilantcitizen]

I'll never forget the local news reports of an incident that happened at a local Chuck E Cheese.

After her father had an argument and fight with the Chuck E Cheese mascot, a little girl tearfully gave the following soundbite on camera,"My daddy picked up Chuck E Cheese and then he threw him in the salad bar."

[spectr17]

You can put some nuggies on Barney too for me.

[Gary - Peters]

The Easter Bunny represents the sinful materialistic capitalism that undermines a central religious theme of ascetisism. The Easter bunny should be ceremoniously and symbolically beaten to demonstrate removal of materialistic bunny-isms from our society.

Beat the Wabbit until his eveready batteries fall out !!

For more direct bunny beatin' information, possibly a jaunt to the publicly listed site:

http://swsentinel.crosswinds.net/op197.html

Playboy Bunnies, However, are Good Bunnies.

[Gary - Peters]

From another current news story - Is this man a pastor at another Assembly of God church ?

" Man charged with fatally kicking dog like a football "

Does the Yorkshire Terrier flying through the air represent some religious point also.

I'm confused, is the symbolic beating of the bunny rabbit so much different from the real beating of a animal. Guess I missed the funny part ? Guess I'll have to kick my 'ol dog when I get home from work, explain it off as a religious statement. How much should I kick the dog ? The more kicking, the longer the beating, does that imply greater religious conviction - like those flagalists who whip themselvs senseless and bloody because it's so holy.

Am I missing something with this S&M twist in religion ?

- Holy Dog (excuse the dislexia, I mean God)

[spatzie]

The bunny is also a pretty ancient fertility symbol,( which ties in interestingly to the girls who work for playboy.) The bunny, and eggs, and the name "Easter" are all based on pagan beliefs that predate Christianity and have to do more with the season of the year than the celebration of the Resurrection. Some people I know won't even call it "Easter" anymore. The eggs can be used as symbols for the empty tomb, however, so I guess they're okay.

[Charlespg]

nutters are us
these people sound like the Christian version of the taliban

[firebrand]

The latest episode of "When Morons Become Creative."