Brion Vibber wrote:
Offense is only taken, not given. There is no objective
measure of
offensiveness that I can perform; actual reactions and quanitifable
results as to how the project is affected are much more convincing to
me.
This is a good point. There's no way of knowing simply from the
phrase "Crucified Christ" whether the speaker means it as a joke or
as some sort of actual statement of religious belief.
Mormons actually regard the crucifix itself as offensive. They argue
that using it as a religious symbol is tantamount to worshipping the
weapon used to murder Christ. Obviously, most traditional Christian
religions don't share this attitude, but it has a certain logic to it.
I remember taking a Japanese Buddhist on a visit to a Catholic church
once. She walked around the chapel, looking at the depictions of the
stations of the cross, with Jesus dragging the crucifix and being
tortured with his crown of thorns and blood dripping down his
forehead. I don't know if she was "offended," exactly, but she
certainly found it scary.
--
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| Sheldon Rampton
| Editor, PR Watch (
www.prwatch.org)
| Author of books including:
| Friends In Deed: The Story of US-Nicaragua Sister Cities
| Toxic Sludge Is Good For You
| Mad Cow USA
| Trust Us, We're Experts
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