Good points across the board here. There's always an alternate response to take in situations like this. Unlike its critics, Christianity has a huge body of widely recognized, centuries old works of art that are available for mockery. The mockery can hurt, but no one can take away the lasting cultural impact which Christianity has had. Plus, a refusal to play status games was a core part of Jesus's ministry. If it doesn't affect people's salvation, it doesn't particularly matter.
Great post that benefits from time and reflection. So many issues, but one is that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world, and the olympics was a western imperialist the face of western Christianity with no understanding of a global audience, let alone children watching.
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I absolutely agree that it should not have happened in the first place, especially since it sends such a strong message to the rest of the world.
Upon thinking further, I wonder if what I’m really reflecting on is Christian outrage rather than mere offence. I am not at all surprised that secularism wishes to parody and mock our faith because I came of age in the height of Dawkinism. I grew up with family members who told me I was stupid for believing in God. But my response as a teen was to turn to Matthew 5-6, not throw a tantrum about it. I guess what surprises me is that so many Christians lashed out in such an extreme way, and many leaders/influencers stoked the fire. The organisers and actors literally received death threats! And we certainly don’t need the likes of Andrew Tate “defending” us…
My point isn’t so much about the mockery itself (I completely agree that it is blasphemous). I’m primarily concerned with how we publicly respond to such mockery.
Good points across the board here. There's always an alternate response to take in situations like this. Unlike its critics, Christianity has a huge body of widely recognized, centuries old works of art that are available for mockery. The mockery can hurt, but no one can take away the lasting cultural impact which Christianity has had. Plus, a refusal to play status games was a core part of Jesus's ministry. If it doesn't affect people's salvation, it doesn't particularly matter.
Great post that benefits from time and reflection. So many issues, but one is that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world, and the olympics was a western imperialist the face of western Christianity with no understanding of a global audience, let alone children watching.
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I absolutely agree that it should not have happened in the first place, especially since it sends such a strong message to the rest of the world.
Upon thinking further, I wonder if what I’m really reflecting on is Christian outrage rather than mere offence. I am not at all surprised that secularism wishes to parody and mock our faith because I came of age in the height of Dawkinism. I grew up with family members who told me I was stupid for believing in God. But my response as a teen was to turn to Matthew 5-6, not throw a tantrum about it. I guess what surprises me is that so many Christians lashed out in such an extreme way, and many leaders/influencers stoked the fire. The organisers and actors literally received death threats! And we certainly don’t need the likes of Andrew Tate “defending” us…
My point isn’t so much about the mockery itself (I completely agree that it is blasphemous). I’m primarily concerned with how we publicly respond to such mockery.