School board fights to keep Jesus portrait

[Judi Lynn]

School board fights to keep Jesus portrait
Lawsuit targets painting that has hung at W.Va. high school for 37 years
Updated: 11 minutes ago

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. - The Harrison County Board of Education said Tuesday it will fight civil liberties groups' efforts to remove a painting of Jesus Christ at Bridgeport High School.

The board vowed earlier not to spend public money defending itself but had given outside interests a Tuesday deadline to raise at least $150,000 for a defense fund.
(snip)

"This board is moving forward," Queen told a cheering audience of about 50 people, many of whom wore white T-shirts that read, "You can't take our Jesus down."

"I feel proud to be a West Virginian and an American today because of what these people did here," said actor Mayf Nutter, who helped with the fund-raising. "They said they would not be pushed off their own porch."
(snip/...)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14366479/

[savemefromdumbya]

1. Pictures of Jesus are quite cute

after all he was born a Jew!

[domlaw]

2. Stick a picture of Muhammad et al

next to it. I don't have any problems. Oh wait I'm sure they would. I love the lunatics.

[saigon68]

19. Better yet how about Ayatollah Khomeini or Jim Jones up on the wall

LOL

THE SHEEP POSING AS ASS-CLOWNS

[NMMNG]

20. My thoughts exactly

But of course they'd have a fit because this is a Chrishtuuuuuun nation.

[maxsolomon]

31. islam allows no pictures of the prophet

because they don't want it to come to this! ;>)

the atheist TALIBAN is trying to DESTROY BABY JESUS! :sarcasm:

[BrightKnight]

34. Some Christian factions would consider this graven images or idolatry.

There were many early Christian cathedrals with no imagery for this reason.

[maxsolomon]

35. Cistercian Monasteries being one example

but what idol worship actually consists of (this is a perfect example - if jesus is in all of us at all times, why do we need a picture?) is lost on most people.

[pepperbear]

3. why did it take 37 years? n/t

[Botany]

4. Well i checked out the City's Web Site

and here are the upcoming events in Bridgeport.

http://www.bridgeportwv.com/COB-calgen.html

:rofl:

[maseman]

5. How many new text books

Would $150K buy? At $25 per book that would be 6,000 new text books...probably enough for every kid in every grade in the school system.

What a waste of fucking money and time.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

10. Ditto

I thought that too,

[BlueJazz]

6. My Goodness...How will they fit all that Fun in one month?. n/t

[Canuckistanian]

7. As an atheist, I say....

WGAS? Who gives a shit?

If it's been there for 37 years, leave it there.

As long as they're not forcing the whole school to have Pro-Jesus rallies underneath it, leave this alone.

Let them have their little victory.

[Olney Blue]

8. If Jesus was in the class of 1969, let his picture stay!

[Canuckistanian]

9. He was the kid

Voted most likely to freak out at the money-changers at the Temple.

Look it up.

[Selatius]

12. Jesus was on that wall when Jim Crow was still popular.

That should show you how pointless it is to keep that painting up there.

[longship]

11. That's West "By God" Virginnie

WV is a very Christian state. I'm not surprised.

[Lyric]

23. No more than most other states.

West Virginia is actually a pretty nice place to live, all ridiculous "Wrong Turn" stereotypes aside. I've lived in this region for 27 years, between West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and West Virginia seems far more politically similar to Pennsylvania than hard-right Virginia, to me. This is the state that gave the nation Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller. If we were truly a state full of religious nutjobs, we wouldn't be consistently electing Democrats to the Senate.

The painting is doomed, everyone knows it. This is just an opportunity for the frustrated local conservatives to rattle their plastic swords a little over a wedge issue. It must be awfully hard for them, living under Byrd's shadow. Poor babies. ;)

[Bill McBlueState]

24. agreed

I grew up across the Ohio River from West Virginia, and on the West Virginia side, people seemed to be more progressive and the schools were definitely better.

The failure of Gore and Kerry to carry West Virginia was symptomatic of their failure to connect with certain traditional Democratic voting blocs.

[tanyev]

13. I think Jesus would take down the picture and give the 150K to the poor.

[DumpDavisHogg]

14. The school board met in private???

Isn't there an open meetings law?

[Bill McBlueState]

15. what a waste of $150,000

The courts have been pretty clear about this sort of thing over the years, and I have to wonder where the Harrison County school board has been.

[drfresh]

42. my thoughts exactly. give it to the poor, like Jesus would -nt

[Porcupine]

16. They'd rather be stupid with Jesus than educated without.

And as you can tell they're succeeding admirably. It's just too bad that compassionate atheists have to support them with our tax dollars rather than let their children starve.

[truthisfreedom]

17. aww, poor Jesus must be looking down in utter horror! after all, he lives

inside pictures, according to the bible, and that's the best place to keep him... where he's most easily worshipped!

[BrightKnight]

18. It is not really a picture of Jesus.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/12/25/face.jesus/index.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Suitable artwork available from a DUer's teenage son

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=191&topic_id=17887&mesg_id=17897

[JohMunich99]

40. True...

but neither is that.

[GeorgeGist]

22. So little faith...

it's really no surprise.

[donsu]

25. is this a picture of a white jesus?

nt

[KurtNYC]

30. I'm betting someone could just swap it for a picture of

Ted Nugent and they wouldn't notice.

[colorado_ufo]

26. With all the traveling, preaching, healing, recruiting of disciples,

teaching in the temples, settling disputes, interpreting scripture and prophecy, spending time with His Mother and other family members, dealing with hostile politicians, and general performance of miracles, it was amazing that Jesus was able to sit for a portrait.

Superior time management, indeed.

[Ezlivin]

27. Did Jesus sit for the portrait? Do we have a photo of Jesus?

Then how in the hell does anyone know that it is Jesus?

Since there is no earthly way of telling if the white man portrayed is even a reasonable facsimile of a mythical character, the portrait is merely symbolic.

And why do we need this particular symbol in the school?

[YankeyMCC]

28. Will they use this image:

Which is based on actually scientific research of what someone in that part of the world at that time is likely to have looked like? :) Somehow I doubt it :)

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/1282186.html

[maxsolomon]

32. could jesus could look semetic

but not look like ernest borgnine or the villian in fistful of dollars?

[TankLV]

38. Interesting comment...

So, people of color remind you of villains and other less than honorable persons?

Very telling indeed...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

36. They should use this one:

http://www.jesusdressup.com/

It's interactive and educational

[Quantess]

43. Looks like Dom Deluise lost a few pounds.

Obviously this guy isn't as fat and happy as Dom Deluise.

[kineneb]

29. anyone seen the short, Semitic-looking dude?

curly black hair, dark eyes, bigish nose...

I have a friend who would be a much better stand-in than the classic "European" Jesus pictures- he does match the above description, and he is the cantor at his synagogue.

[OregonDem]

33. Fundies love of country and faith is extremely shallow.

Its all for show. They call themselves religious while they try to put crosses and the ten commandments everywhere on public property. But do they follow the ten commandments or the teachings of Jesus? No. They call themselves patriotic because they like to wave the flag and wear lots of clothes with flags on them. But do they defend the rights and civil liberties of which the flag symbolizes? No, they are more than willing to give them up (and everyone else's) and hate organizations like the ACLU which defend them.
They hide behind a wonderful flag and Jesus (a man who if he existed taught some great truths) while they work toward their goal of an imperialistic theocratic police state. But if you don't want to live in a nation like that and try to stop them they pretend like your attacking the flag and Jesus. To me their actions do way more to desecrate the flag than a flag burning does. To me their actions are much more unchristian than a cross in a jar of urine.

[HuffleClaw]

37. i like the bit about "The board vowed earlier not to spend public money"

i guess they KNOW it would be a losing battle. it would be pretty funny if the court ruled they could keep the jesus if they also put up stuff for other faiths. you can be sure they'd tear down that pic rather than have to put up a star of david or a star and crescent.

[MountainLaurel]

39. As if they don't have better things to worry about

Being from the next county over, I have to wonder if the digging in of heels is a backlash against the influx of "different" people thanks to local tech firms and the FBI facility there.

What's ironic is that 75 years ago, there was a similar reaction to the influx of Italian immigrants. In some communities, home purchase contracts included the stipulation that the house could not be sold to an Italian. Now, the main annual event is the Italian-Heritage Festival.

[TexasLawyer]

41. Sheesh-- It;s just a picture

put the dang thing up and get yer praise on!



"You can't take our Jesus down."

[lumpy]

44. No one knows what Jesus looked like.

He could have been as ugly as sin, who knows. All the imaginary pictures I have seen, except some horrific medievel paintings, Jesus looks the flawless likeness of a clean cut Aryan rock star. This is so stupid. Anyway God doesn't go in for graven images and Jesus believed in the Ten Commandments. I don't believe he would approve.

[Guaranteed]

45. Ridiculous. You'd think they'd know that's illegal. nt