There is a bit of an argument going on at the moment over the decision of a publisher to refuse to print 10,000 copies of the ‘good book’ with the words “Jesus Loves Porn Stars” on the cover. The order had been placed by Californian pastors Mike Foster and Craig Gross, whose anti-porn ministry is called www.xxxchurch.com. They wanted to hand out the customized bibles at Adult Film Conventions.
The hook for some bloggers has been to ask the question as to whether or not Jesus loves porn stars and to suggest that the refusal to publish by the American Bible Society has something to do with reference to the ‘adult’ industry on the cover of the ‘holy’ book. For what it is worth, if the bible is to be believed, I think you could make a fairly convincing argument out for the case that Jesus probably does love porn stars. And in my view, to see the issue in terms of embarrassment about the word ‘porn’ on the cover is to miss the point.
If I were a publisher of the ’sacred text’, I too would want to resist the complexity of a 66 book library, produced over thousands of years by many authors (the bible), being reduced to a single slogan. And if I allowed “Jesus Loves Porn Stars” on the cover, I would open up the floodgates to a myriad of other slogans which may have dubious support from the text itself, and merely reflect the beliefs and wealth of the person(s) placing the order. If they could afford it after their £5.2 million fine, the fine leaders of Westbor Baptist Church would presumably want to distribute bibles at certain funerals with the words “Homosexuals will rot in hell” on the cover. And someone is bound to come up with the idea of sitting outside mosques distributing bibles with the words “All Muslims are damned for eternity” in gold lettering on the black leather. And what about the bibles that could be given out at Agricultural Shows with the slogan “Coveting your neighbor’s ass is a sin!” I think the American Bible Society was right in its refusal.
The bigger issue for me was the absurdity of what messrs Foster and Gross were trying to do. These men seem to have a seriously misguided belief that the bible is somehow magical - that merely handing it out will result in conversions.
I remember when I used to be a teacher that men in suits from the Gideon Organisation would come and do a school assembly, and afterwards present bibles to every child in the school. After they had gone, the school caretakers and cleaners were left with the cleanup. Thousands of pounds (and forests of paper) were wasted as bibles were torn apart, and stuffed down toilets and into every available crack in the school fabric. Presumably the Gideons would say that if one bible was taken home and read and resulted in a single soul being saved from hell, the exercise was worth it. However, to me, it always seemed a waste of money or a very inefficient use of resources.
Ask yourself this question? Is it likely that antagonistic children that usually don’t do a lot of extended reading, or who can’t read, are likely to wade through what must seem like an almost incomprehensible library of books from an ancient foreign culture, and be persuaded to change their lives? Ask yourself another question. Is it likely that porn stars and attendees at Adult Conventions that probably don’t do a lot of extended reading, or who can’t read, are likely to wade through what must seem like an almost incomprehensible library of books from an ancient foreign culture, and be persuaded to change their lives?
I suppose there is a slight possibility that the answer could be “yes” to the second question under certain circumstances. People often find faith because of psychological need and because of sociological acceptance. There will always be some disillusioned enough to want to respond to a notion that Jesus loves them - but even here, giving a bible is probably a waste of time and money. I would dare to suggest that building a relationship with people and buying them a meal is more likely to be effective in getting a hearing than trying to thrust a sloganized ancient library into their hands.
All messrs Foster and Gross are doing is displaying a belief in magic - which incidentally, the bible condemns.
Well, at age eleven I took my Gideon Society ‘New Testament and Psalms’ home and religiously followed the reading plan inside, which meant that after two years, I had read it right the way through - and I wasn’t the only one.
My kids each brought theirs home, too - and as young adults, still have them. I suppose the kids’ reaction at any school might depend on the way the books and message were presented along with the attitudes and expectations of the staff? Don’t know - just never have heard of such a strange reaction.
That’s really interesting Julie. Were you already part of the faith and going to a faith school? The other thing in your favour, of course, is your gender. Girls do tend to take reading big books more seriously than boys!
You wouldn’t believe the amount of damage a large number of New Testaments and Psalms can do to an already creaky sewage system!
We probably have little idea of what Jesus thought since all we have to go on are the scant and contradictory clues in the various writings on him produced in the years following his death. However, supposing he really did say that a man who looks at a woman and feels sexual desire for her and has therefore committed adultery in his heart is, I think, most unlikely to tolerate pornography and porn stars though I suppose he might follow his own injunction to hate sin but love sinners.
More to the point, let’s simply admit that people who hand out Bibles with stupid mottoes on them are deluded fools, “nutters”, as we say around here.
I’m all for respecting people who are different from me but only if they deserve respect. Idiots like this do not deserve respect.