Jesus, Budweiser Billboard Defaced - advertisement with Jesus as a pitchman for Budweiser beer

nbc13 ^

[chance33_98]

Jesus, Budweiser Billboard Defaced
Display Was Part Of Artscape
Larry Frum, Jr., Staff Writer 

POSTED: 7:46 a.m. EDT August 6, 2002 UPDATED: 7:47 a.m. EDT August 6, 2002

BALTIMORE -- Is it art or an advertisement? A billboard in a Baltimore neighborhood is drawing fire from people and paint cans alike.

The artist believes it's art, but it looks like an advertisement with Jesus as a pitchman for Budweiser beer. The painting shows Jesus holding a bottle of beer.

Sometime Sunday night, someone tried to whitewash the message by splashing paint all over the painting. The person who threw the paint left behind the can and a mess.

The billboard was part of Artscape, the downtown Baltimore art festival held last week. It was designed by a New Jersey artist and has been the source of many church discussions recently.

WBAL-TV 11 News in Baltimore couldn't find anyone who agreed with its message. One person said, "People are getting killed in accidents because of beer. But they got Jesus holding a beer up and that's not right."

However, most people also agreed that splashing white paint on the billboard was not the answer. One resident said, "Anybody can do the art they want to. If you don't like it, you should say so, but you shouldn't just destroy it.

Late Monday afternoon, the city removed the billboard. They say, not because some people find it offensive, but because it was covered in paint.

[Bobby777]

you've got FReepmail ...

[socal_parrot]

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

And now, the King of Kings for the King of Beers...

"You know, after a long hard day of smiting the wicked and healing the lame a guy can really use cold refreshing drink.

I may wash my feet with oils and create wine from water at weddings, but I like an ice cold Budweiser at quitin time.

Hey Saul, go get another suitcase while your out."

[StoneColdGOP]

Well, at the very least, I know I'd have a wee bit of booze at my last supper on Earth.

[StoneColdGOP]

Grape flavored "Kool-Aid", right?

[StoneColdGOP]

Beer bump.

[uglybiker]

How bout a billboard with Mohammed holding a beer?

How 'bout this:

Moses, Jesus and Muhammed crouched around a coffee table playing quarters with Bhudda passed out on the couch behind them.

Hey! If you got a beef with religion, might as well cover all your bases.

(yeah, yeah, I know....All your covered bases are belong to us blah, blah, blah...)

[Alouette]

ROTFL!!!!

[Alouette]

There is an Israel brand of beer called "Knight" beer. The Hebrew word for "knight" is abir. When the maker was asked why he gave his brand of beer this name, he said, "When an Israeli comes into a bar, he'll say Ten li abir!. When an American comes in, he'll say 'Give me a beer!' Either way they'll get Abir."

[LostTribe]

That .gif of "Jesus" is so CALIFORNIA I literally have to ROFLMAO every time I see it. (Been there, seen that!)

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Ha! Good point. Actually I thought the worship of graven images and pictures is the same. Sort of like calling a church building "God's Temple". Still under the law. People miss the point. It's a non-issue to me.

[Dakmar]

I know. I thought the whole idea of Christ as pitchman for anything was in rather poor taste, but some people want to dilute the issue by going off on neurotic tangents.

[swarthyguy]

What are the Brazilians doing with a beer named after a hindu anifestation of the creator?

[LostTribe]

>He drank wine. Why not beer?

I suspect Jesus was a real kick-ass, not the prissy sissy he is made out to be by the anally retentive and excessively holy who control todays churchs. Could probably knock back a Bud with the boys and really enjoy it. And in the process attract real men.

[NeoCaveman]

He drank wine. Why not beer?

Heck at the wedding in Cana (sp?) they ran out of wine and He made more out of water. I wonder what the hangovers were like after that party?

[aruanan]

One person said, "People are getting killed in accidents because of beer. But they got Jesus holding a beer up and that's not right."

"People are getting killed in accidents because of beer. But Jesus turned water into high quality wine. And that's not right." Yeah, right. I just don't Jesus would be promoting any brand of alcoholic beverage but his own. Also, was this an ad for Budweiser (I don't think so) or some ad for an arts council kind of thing with the artist having depicted Jesus as holding a bottle of Bud?

[aruanan]

There is no bibical evidence that Jesus drank wine....

Don't read the Bible much, do you? Or, if you do, you don't reflect much on what you read.

[chance33_98]

A bit of trivia - in the movie 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes' an ad producer used God to promote his product. Anyone remember that scene?