Unsurprisingly, this New Zealand billboard featuring Mary with a pregnancy test sparked some Christmas controversy.
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Reflections on Christianity, Art, Nature, and Culture
Curious Christian
I like this billboard better than the “Poor Joseph” billboard they did a few years ago.
From the article:
“St. Matthew’s ignores the gospel account of matters surrounding the pregnancy and birth of Jesus, in which Mary is not a shocked solo mother but a young woman who has given her assent and trust to God,” diocesan spokeswoman Lyndsay Freer told the Daily Telegraph.
Yes, but Ms. Freer neglects to bring up the fact that when Joseph found out about the pregnancy, he planned on breaking off their betrothal. In fact, it took God sending another angel to change Joseph’s mind on that matter.
Yes, an angel came and told Mary the good news, and Mary was overjoyed at first. However, the Bible never tells us how Mary handled the next nine months as her belly swelled and people began to talk. How many people in her life actually believed her when she told of the angel’s visit? (Again, it appears that her own betrothed had his doubts at first.) Was there gossip? Did such talk and doubts ever cause her to question her own experience and even her sanity? I imagine even the confidence boost of an angelic visit might wane in the face of the equivalent of “church lady gossip” in Israel during that time.
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She’s testing positively causcasian.
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A conversation piece, no doubt, Jarred. Prob a good thing they had to escape to Egypt for a while.
Controversial in several ways, as Kalessin’s comment artfully indicates.
Divine/Angelic visitations are generally not witnessed, and therefore difficult for the visit-ee to substantiate.
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Many of the angelic visitations recorded in scripture actually happened in dreams (see Matthew 1:19-21 and Matthew 2:18-20 for example). Very difficult to objectively verify! Some have suggested it’s no wonder Jesus grew up with empathy for the outcast, given he probably had a reputation as a bastard.
@Kalessin. I had to laugh!
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example
Mary with Pregnancy Test – Glocal Christianity
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Indeed, a very controversial billboard. I wonder how the Church responded into this billboard.
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