Talking Jesus doll – product of a consumeristic society?
Today is Thanksgiving, and here in the Barnes house, we are grateful for so much. Having Talia and Estie home is reason enough to give thanks, but we are also celebrating the presence of family friend Kevin Rubottom this week. Our home has a festive atmosphere and rings with laughter. Our spirits tingle with a sense that “life is very good.”
Tomorrow is the busiest shopping day of the year. Here’s a toy for that child that has everything. Is it just me, or this trivializing our faith? It’s symptomatic of a culture that is perpetually mistaking form for function, ends for means and style for substance. How do we navigate to reality in such a world? This news article came out earlier this month:
Talking Jesus
Doll Stirs Debate
Figure To Test
How Religion, Retail Mix
POSTED: 8:52 pm
PDT November 2, 2007
UPDATED: 10:28
pm PDT November 2, 2007
PHOENIX —
Controversy is
swirling over a foot-long, talking Jesus doll that Wal-Mart has put up for sale
at more than 400 of its stores in at least 20 states, including some in the
Valley.
It’s the first
time the world’s largest retailer has carried a full line of religious
toys.
The
battery-powered, button-activated doll is able to recite a handful of different
bible verses and the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes with five loaves and
two fish. It also comes with a booklet giving parents tips on how to shape a
child’s faith.
Not everyone is
lining up to shell out $14.97 for the made-in-China
plaything.
“You can learn
it at Sunday School,” said shopper Angie Librizzi. “It doesn’t have to be a
doll.”
Other shoppers
said it trivializes religion. They also believe children will handle the Jesus
doll much like they do with secular mass-merchandised action-figures, which they
don’t feel is appropriate.
What are your thoughts? Is this a valid ministry or selling out?
Comments (3)
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Depends on where the proceeds go…to feed an orphan for a month or to some use-the-faith-to-make-us-money-group…
Walmart definitely has its flaws, but it also donates tons of money to great causes! Well…. my thoughts…
Someone out there is still trying to put Jesus out there! No matter what it looks like to us… or the secular world. I praise God for this! I don’t know that logistics behind it all, but I know God’s word will not return void.
Our obligation in this matter is that His words fall into the right hands (just like Bibles have), and people get saved. It can happen you know!
Don’t laugh or mock… simply pray!
But the problem is that Jesus is already a soundbite to peoplea snippet of wisdom taken out of its context and without its full meaning. We have enough kids who can memorize a verse and not have any real understanding of its meaning or more importantlyapplication! Jesus is more than a novelty toy to be discarded under the bed 3 days after Christmas, and that message of discardability will damage more than the soundbite of loving your neighbor will help. After all, I didn’t obey my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle that told me to only eat pizza.
We need to be more discerning about the message that we’re putting out, because the shotgun approach to evangelism is not always effective and sometimes less is more.