Mike Dunford was a graduate student in the Department of Zoology at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where he studied evolution. Life as an army spouse has since moved him on to Pensacola, where he's currently trying to figure out what to do next. While he's doing that, he writes stuff here, although not usually in the third person. He's also a contributer to Via Pharyngula, I just learned what Catholic League president Bill Donohue is pissed about today - a life-size sculpture of Jesus made out of milk chocolate that is going on display in New York next week. According to Donohue, the sculpture is, "hate speech." In the same press release, Donohue also said, "All those involved are lucky that angry Christians don't react the way extremist Muslims do when they're offended--otherwise they may have more than their heads cut off." It's clear that this particular sculpture has aggravated Donohue to the point where he is incapable of reasonable and rational behavior - but that's not a difficult thing to do.
Here's the thing that I don't get about this one, though: why does Donohue think that the sculpture is the big assault on Christian sensibilities? Easter is the religious holiday in which Christians celebrate the resurrection. Cadbury, Hershey's, Hallmark's, and the rest of the commercial crowd have made it into a holiday about chocolate and candy and little marshmallow chicks and eggs and big bunnies hopping around with baskets full of stuff - all of which is available at local stores for $9.99. But it's the chocolate statue that's the offense to Christian sensibilities??? As Charlie Brown said to the Easter Beagle before consuming the York Peppermint Patties, "Good Grief!"
Comments
You note that it's not easy to aggrivate Donohue beyond reasonable and rational behavior. I argue he is no longer capable of such reactions period.
I also find his statements about cutting off people's head atrotious and a veiled threat. It essentially sounds to me like "oh yeah, we may well just start doing that."
He doesn't speak for Catholics. Every Catholic I know despises the man.
Posted by: DragonScholar | March 30, 2007 2:53 PM
Pope Sturbanfuhrer Benedict needs to keep him under control better... Ach, Perhaps a visit vith ze Gestapo.. I mean ze Jesuitsmight be in order?
Und perhaps Mr. Donohue is concerned that the portrayal of "Little Jesus" is bigger than "Little Bill"?
Posted by: J-Dog | March 30, 2007 3:52 PM
Actually, I said that it's not difficult to aggrivate Donohue beyond reasonable behavior.
Posted by: Mike Dunford | March 30, 2007 4:20 PM
My take on the Chocolate Jesus is that it is a criticism of the candy aspect of the holiday as celebrated. I.e. the Easter as a religious celebration for trinitarian Christians seems to me to be the most important holiday of the year. It is the whole sacrifice/resurrection/redemption theme that is the core of the Christian religious message. How can this poke at the candy-for-profit aspect -- which does nothing to emphasize the religious message of the holiday -- be anti-Christian let alone hate speech. Donohue is a braying ass.
Posted by: Craig Pennington | March 30, 2007 4:45 PM
Praise Easter, Goddess of the Dawn!
(Okay, I'm a morning person.)
Posted by: SnarlyOldFart | March 30, 2007 4:57 PM
Chocolate is "hate speech"? That's not what my ex-wife thought. She called it the language of love.
Posted by: Paul Sunstone | March 31, 2007 2:41 PM
I think PZ's commenters got it right: Donohue is probably pissed that the sculpture doesn't have a loincloth, and is made of dark chocolate.
- JS
Posted by: JS | March 31, 2007 3:46 PM
Note that "angry Christians don't react the way extremist Muslims do when they're offended" is now proven to be a false statement.
Death threats were part of the reason the display was cancelled. I suppose though, since Muslims also hold Jesus to be a prophet of Islam, Christians could still point the finger at them.
Posted by: JohnnieCanuck | April 1, 2007 2:50 AM
That's a wicked turn of humour you're displaying there, Mike. You're not going to claim that it is just my dirty mind, are you?
Why Peanuts fans everywhere may descend in droves upon you for sullying the innocence of these icons of their Sunday worship.
It's, it's... hate speech, that's what it is.
Posted by: JohnnieCanuck | April 1, 2007 3:02 AM
Are they really withdrawing the Chocolate Jesus, or is that just an April fool's joke?
Posted by: Paul Sunstone | April 1, 2007 6:49 PM
Bill Donahue isn't a real Catholic.
Catholics forgive.
Posted by: dan | April 2, 2007 10:08 PM
Don't ya know, the big objection is that the confection model of Jesus, has, gasp, an anatomically correct penis! How can this be, gasp, how disrespectful, a penis? OMG, this is just too much!
Puleeease!
Posted by: Cindy | April 5, 2007 2:55 AM
bayrak imalat bayrak satis
Posted by: bayrak | June 25, 2009 7:47 AM