Saturday, December 16, 2006

Mixed holiday message


My 10-year old gets it. "It's just kinda weird to have a Muslim girl on a Christmas card."

We didn't get one of these cards first hand--we saw it in this morning's paper.

The portrait on Gov. Bredesen's Christmas card is very reminiscent of the National Geographic cover of June 1985 which has been been replicated over and over in various mediums.

However well intended Gov. Bredesen's Christmas greeting, he did miss the mark. In trying to please many, I dare say he pleased few. It's hard to tell who his target audience was with this mixed message. Jesus being THE Savior of THE world doesn't work very well in society's tortured attempts at inclusiveness.

I can agree with the Governor here:

The back of the card closes with, "May the miracle of Christmas help bring peace to this young woman and her wounded land."
Let's be clear though--the miracle of Christmas was the birth of a Savior, God's only son born of a virgin, for a fallen world that He loves dearly and wants to restore to full relationship with Him. When that restoration happens, there will be peace on Earth and good will toward men.

7 comments:

S-townMike said...

The miracle of Xmas was the proclaimation of the Jubilee, when all debts are forgiven, prisoners are released, and the last shall be first. Read the Magnificat; read the Beatitudes; they will stop you from hyperspiritualizing the gospels.

Anonymous said...

Let's see... dark hair, head scarf, strong nose. It could be intended to be the woman from National Geographic, or it could be intended to be roughly 95% of all Semitic women. A Semitic woman like, oh, I don't know, Mary? The fact that most Semitic women today are Muslim doesn’t change the fact that all early Christians were Semitic too.

T.V. Fritz said...

So Kay. Why are so offended? You didn't even receive the governor's card, and my guess, you didn't even vote for him.

Kay Brooks said...

Anon seems to be implying that I'm unaware of the Jewish roots of my faith. And perhaps worse, that I object to the painting because of her race. Both are far from the truth. Had Governor Bredesen never mentioned her faith--I wouldn't have known it wasn't intended to be Mary. But he felt the need to make sure we wouldn't make that assumption.

And tv: I'm not offended. It is just a curiosity that I felt like commenting on. It's unusual, to say the least, to purposefully place a Muslim woman on a CHRISTmas card.

And Mike Keeney: If I am hyperspiritualizing (and I don't believe I am) apparently your prescription doesn't work.

Anonymous said...

From the article..."But, he said, if the governor saw a Muslim woman in Afghanistan as depicted — with her head partially uncovered — that's not the Muslim dress code."

C'mon Phil, just tell us you did the card "for the children"...that line always works.

s-town, you can put that skin on Puzzle all you want, but it ain't no Lion...

T.V. Fritz said...

Well, seeing as how Christ is relevant in all aspects of life, including those persons who don't realize his presence, I'm a little perplexed about your soul-searching over putting a Muslim woman on a Christmas card. That woman needs peace and Christ's love as much as you do, Kay. Honestly, I truly pray for a Christmas when conservatives and liberals can quit bickering over the mundane and truly enspouse goodwill to their fellow man instead of turning everything into a neo-political witch hunt.

East TN Conservative said...

Who cares it's bad art, below high school level.