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.

[TheyConvictedOglethorpe]

I think I've figured out where the lines are drawn.

Arguably in poor taste:
Here's Jesus with a word about the First Community Church.

Probably in poor taste:
Here's Jesus with a word about the Budweiser family of beers.

Definitely in poor taste:
Here's Jesus with a word about Neosporin.

[Jim Scott]

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

Wrong on both counts.

The fact that Jesus drank the 'fruit of the vine' does not preclude that he was drinking plain grape juice. Not every grape was fermented, even then.

With 3 1/2 years to complete His mission on earth I have a difficult time picturing Christ as imbibing many, if any, fermented beverages. If He did, He did. You don't really know either so knock off the snide remarks about bible reading. It's a moot point.

[Dakmar]

I think what earned me a bit-o-wrath on this thread was the idea that using Jesus Christ as a spokesman for any commercial product was offensive, and I thught the arguements claiming Jesus only made/drank non-alcoholic wine were missing the point.

RightOnLine: I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, I don't ever want anyone to hate me. My grandfather was a B-17 mechanic in Burma and India during WWII, he used to tell such incredible war stories. Troops from the Congo eating captured Japs. I didn't believe him until he showed me the photographs.

[Dinsdale]

In those days, the days of Jesus, there was no refigeration, hence, the fermentation of the fruit of the grape was up to nature.

I've brewed many a batch of Ale and a few batches of wine (nothing drinkable by my standards).

At room temperature most fermentation will be done in the first week. No skin could hold the CO2 produced during this week (it's many times the volume of the wine). After this initial fermentation the wine was transfered into skins. Small amounts of CO2 were still produced which would burst the old skins (much later a controlled version of this second fermentation would produce carbonation).

Jesus not only drank real wine, his first recorded miraculous act was turning water into wine. Good marketing for the religion.

He would never touch Buttweiser though.

[LasVegasMac]

The problem with your analogy is that there is nothing in the bible saying don't drink. NOTHING. There are some contradictory old test passages, but no direct don't drink messages.

Yo, Skippy - I don't have a problem with "my analogy". There was not an analogy to begin with.

'Twas a joke, son. Islam - Bacon ?? Get it? Or do ya need more instruction?

Take a pill or something. Relax. Use that God given sense of humor once in awhile.

Or are you wrapped around the axle about the drinking thing? Just asking.

And never, ever SHOUT at me in your posts!

Or else....Ummmm..., let's see....I'll e-slap you so hard that your recent sign-up date will be rolled forward several months.

Hugs and kisses,

LVM

[Conservative til I die]

The Last Supper says Hi.

[Conservative til I die]

The Last Supper says Hi. And the Catholic Church serves and has served wine as part of the Eucharist for the last 1950 years for a reason.

[Jim Scott]

The Last Supper says Hi.

The Bible says: 'Try reading me sometime before you use me as a reference. Thanks'.

Nowhere in the gospel accounts of the Last Supper of Christ does it state that He drank wine. Scripture concerning the account of the Last Supper refers to the 'fruit of the vine' and drinking from 'the cup'. It's an assumption that Jesus was drinking fermented grapes (wine). He may well have been doing just that - but it's not known as a fact, it's only assumed.

You don't know - I don't know, so while you are free to assume Christ drank wine like a frenchman and others can make stupid jokes, no one can prove that He was drinking wine. Your smug assumptions are misplaced.

[Conservative til I die]

Wow, you're awfully arrogant in condemning me for being "wrong" when you yourself said there's no right answer and that you don't know what he drank, yourself. What makes your belief more right than mine?

BTW, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church have been serving wine as part of the Communion since just after the time of Christ. There's a reason for that.

[Jim Scott]

I'm weary of getting snide remarks over this bibical non-issue from people who appear to feel superior about their bibical knowledge but are actually making assumptions with no basis in bibical fact.

Yes, your belief on this is as good as mine but your comment to me about the Last Supper infers that I was flat wrong when you don't know that I was. I could just as well be right and you are wrong about this. A simple questioning without the smug assumptions attached would have been better received.

Protestant churches have also served plain, unfermented grape juice for a very long time; it 'proves' nothing except that reasonable people can disagree on matters that have little effect on anyone's salvation or worship and where the truth may only be guessed at.

I suggest we simply leave at that.

[Conservative til I die]

Well, the fact that some, *some* Protestant sects have been serving grape juice for tens and even hundreds (!) of years says a lot to me.

The fact that the most ancient of the Christian Churches have a)since the time of Christ and b)consistently since then served wine with the Communion says even more to me.

[Jim Scott]

Whatever. This bickering about grape juice and wine at communion is a pointless argument that actually proves only what your religious biases wish it to prove.

Stop playing off the Catholic and Protestant churches against each other and attempting to fight the ancient battles all over again. I'm simply not interested. Find someone else to bicker and argue with about this non-essential subject that pales in contrast to what Christianity is really about. Here's a hint: It isn't wine - or grape juice. Let it go.

[Conservative til I die]

You should really stop making this more than what it is. Seriously, this is a discussion board, words on a screen. It's not a Holy War. And no one is "playing" Catholics and Protestants against each other. You made a statement with the arrogance as if it were fact that Jesus drank grape juice and not wine. I sought to correct you.

[AppyPappy]

Hate Art.

[AppyPappy]

The Lord and Savior of the World would never lower Himself to drink Budweiser.

[illbenice]

The other day I was driving home and I noticed one of those billboards advertising some lady who was 'spreading the word of god' and some one spray painted this over the bill board "STOP INSUTIONALIZING CHRIST." I think that fits this situation like a glove, this type of advertising angers people because companies are trying to make money off of our lord.

[LostTribe]

>The Lord and Savior of the World would never lower Himself to drink Budweiser.

Hmmm. You have a point there. [ggg]. Maybe Heineken?

http://www.heineken.com/

[gargoyle]

...I find comfort in the fact, when Christ comes back to earth, He's going to be very angry. And, I don't think He wants to see a cross. I'll have plenty of cold water ready...

[Jim Scott]

You should really stop making this more than what it is.

I believe I've already asked you to do the same. You want to justify what you believe and that's understandable but the wine/juice 'issue' cannot be proven so why belabor it? We simply have a difference of opinion. No matter how many responses you make to me or I make back to you we're not going to agree so I see not point in going on and on about this.

Seriously, this is a discussion board, words on a screen. It's not a Holy War.

As I tried to explain to you. Is there an ehco in here?

What Catholics and Protestants do regarding communion is not of interest to me as a subject of discussion. You interjected it here to attempt to make the point that the Catholic practice of using wine somehow validates your contention that wine was used by Christ at the Last Supper. It does not, that is simply an assumption, as I pointed out.

And no one is "playing" Catholics and Protestants against each other. You made a statement with the arrogance as if it were fact that Jesus drank grape juice and not wine. I sought to correct you.

Any assumption that one denomination's practice invalidates another's is mistaken and I saw your comparison as an attempt to state that. We could go on forever comparing Catholic and Protestant practices and to what end? That was my point, sorry you missed it.

'Arrogance' by your definition apparently means disagreeing with you. Get over it. Everyone doesn't agree with you - or me. Drink what you wish at communion and believe what you wish regarding this very minor point. It's not provable and attempts to justify what you believe by insisting you're right and I'm wrong go nowhere.

Life is too short for this sillyness. Graciously accept that we have a simple disagreement over Jesus drinking wine or grape juice at the Last Supper and that neither of us can prove our contention with any degree of certainty other than what we personally believe.

Then, as I've already suggested, please let it go.

[William Terrell]

Hmmm. You have a point there. [ggg]. Maybe Heineken?

Naw. All those kinds have tax stamps. He would make His own.