Twisted Nativity

The AP reports:  "A Dutch gay group has organized a 'Pink Christmas' festival for the first time in Amsterdam, featuring a manger stall with two Josephs and two Marys."

Can I just point out that the Nativity scene depicts a historical event, not a political agenda, so the fact of Mary and Joseph should override any symbolic gesture.  Tolerance, you would think, would inhibit the profane use of some sacred symbols.  But then I guess that line was crossed quite a while back in this campaign against religion. 

Comments

[Garry Sahl]

As the Western World rejects Christianity it returns to Paganism.

The Dutch age of sex consent is also 12.

What else is new?

[Francis Beckwith]

And the Planned Parenthood nativity scene has no baby in the manger and Mary not knowing which one of the wise men is the Daddy, though she was able to place third on American Idol.

[Victoly]

We may for the first time in over 600 years, see punishment live, as a previously undoccumented lightningbolt may race accross amsterdam with unprecidented accuracy

and i realize that was typo laden

[Karen A.]

Melinda, could you help us with how to respond to "Prop 8: The Musical"?

I heard lengthy excerpts (the whole thing is only 3 minutes) on the local news station yesterday and was not happy, but unsure of the best strategy for how or if to respond to it.

[AaronSTL]

Gaytivity scene?

Garry Sahl said:

The Dutch age of sex consent is also 12.

Actually, the Dutch age of consent is 16 as per the Dutch Criminal Code, Articles 245 and 247.

You might be thinking of the laws in the Vatican State in which there is an equal age of consent set at 12 years of age in Art. 331. When there is a relationship of dependence (like teacher/student, etc.) the age of consent is 15 years in Art. 331.

[Victoly]

yikes! thats pretty creepy ^ ^

[Randall]

Going along with a previous poster, the PETA scene has no humans, just the cows and sheep contently chewing their cud around a full manager with a small collection basket off to the side for the animals.

[salt.racer]

I would like to point out, that if we hateful Christians responded as the peaceful Muslims responded, this situation wouldn't occur for long.

(I would also like to point out that the entire comment above was completely tongue-in-cheek. I am in no way advocating violence, simply pointing out some rather obvious differences.)

[Damian]

How do two Marys and Two Josephs create a...never mind.
We hold this stupidity to be self evident. Next topic.

[Duane]

Karen,

You mean the Prop-aganda 8 Musical?

I posted a couple of very quick thoughts about this on my blog a couple of days ago if you'd like to see how I dealt with it in brief. Feel free to visit and read the comments that followed.

http://home.people.net.au/~DuanesMind/wpblog/?p=453#comments

[Lyndon]

"How do two Marys and Two Josephs create a...never mind." Well, obviously Mary conceived through an act of God...or at least one of them did. Of course, why, this God
(the God of the bible) would create that kind of family is inconceivable if you're listening to some "obscure verse in Romans."

[Eluros]

"Can I just point out that the Nativity scene depicts a historical event, not a political agenda"

Actually, don't most nativity scenes have the wise men there? If so, if I understand correctly, it's a religious scene, not a historical scene...

[Victoly]

For all intents and purposes, Eluros, at the minimum, Nativity scenes depict an historical scene, even if it is probably a bit inaccurate. (Given the likely location of Jesus'es birth)

[Duane]

Eluros,

How does the presence of the wise men transform the scene from a previously historical non-religious scene into a religious non-historical scene?

[Ryan]

AaronSTL, which "Vatican State laws" are you citing?

[Chris]

Frank, you are hilarious!

[Tony]

Its interesting to me that non-Christians dont have enough inspiration to create a new epitaph celebrating their beliefs, but seem only to distort the Christian epitaphs. Shows their emptiness and hate. Nothing is new under the sun since the the Fall of man.

[AaronSTL]

Ryan,

The Vatican law was based on the Italian penal code which set the age of consent at 12.

From Wikipedia:

The criminal law was introduced 1929 and was the same law as the Codic Penal in Italy on 8 June 1929. Because of the death penalty, reintroduced in 1926 in Italy, the reference point was changed in 1969 to 31 December 1924, but this has no effect on the age of consent laws. The age of consent in the Codic Penal from Italy was changed in 1930, but this no longer had any effect on Vatican City. Vatican law provides that criminal suspects arrested in Vatican City are to be tried under Vatican law in Italian courts, while those who escape to Italy before their arrest are to be tried under Italian law, even if their alleged crime occurred on Vatican territory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Europe#Vatican_State

Maybe laws have been updated and the age raised? I've looked around a bit but couldn't find anything.

[Duane]

Also Karen,

Neil does a more thorough job on the Prop 8 musical here

[John Q. Public]

AaronSTl: You are aware that Wikipedia is subject to viewers 'editing'? It is not an academically reliable source. Are you able to reference a more reliably accepted source?

"A lot of good information is found, but you do have to take it with a grain of salt. Information on the site can be altered by anyone in order to allow public contribution. The benefit of this is unlimited access to information as it's known by people throughout the world. While most additions appear to be valid (as though the contributors really appreciate fact over opinion) you'll want to stick to a dictionary or encyclopedia if the information you seek depends on certainty." - from the site.

AND from users of the site:
"any english professor or teacher will tell you that when citing material for research, wikipedia is probably the worst place you can use. alot of information there is pretty good. but there are enough users who can change things. I've found weird changes in actors profiles and casting mistakes in a few movies. Queen Elizabeth's page once read that she had two kids, one named batman and the other robin. wiki is great for some knowledge, but I would never use it as a source for any papers or when sharing information with others."

I suggest you quote a more reliable source. I for one, discount everything you have said base on your information from this site.

[wilco]

John Q. Public:
AaronSTI is right. I am dutch and just checked the 'wetboek van strafrecht' and 16 is the legal age for consensual sex.
Aaron STI:
feel free to qoute me as a 'reliable source'.

This is pretty off-topic though.

I love this country but we're in a lot of trouble. Pray for us!

Oh and don't forget that the dutch are the raison d'etre of the whole calvin-arminius feud.
Arminius is dutch, after all.