A new doll would you buy it?

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My niece received this cute stuffed Jesus doll with a scroll for the baby on how much Jesus loved him.
It was so cute, I wanted to buy one for my granddaughter but in talking to others they thought that was terrible.
Years ago I ran a Sunday school program and had a Jesus doll and the kids loved it. They would carry Jesus around, hug him, and talk to him. I thought it was a great introduction for a child to Jesus.
Is there a doll out there I don’t know about, that maybe people are talking about? That would not have the same effect? I thought the family section would be a great place to get an answer. Thanks for your help!
 
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Toni:
My niece received this cute stuffed Jesus doll with a scroll for the baby on how much Jesus loved him.
It was so cute, I wanted to buy one for my granddaughter but in talking to others they thought that was terrible.
Years ago I ran a Sunday school program and had a Jesus doll and the kids loved it. They would carry Jesus around, hug him, and talk to him. I thought it was a great introduction for a child to Jesus.
Is there a doll out there I don’t know about, that maybe people are talking about? That would not have the same effect? I thought the family section would be a great place to get an answer. Thanks for your help!
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Am I missing something? What could be wrong with the Jesus doll? What did other people say was wrong? :confused:
 
I say buy it, it can help the child get accustomed to prayer and will help give the idea that Jesus loves us.

Think about it, on a scarry night in bed the child hugs and talks to Jesus for comfort.

Sounds good to me.
 
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mjdonnelly:
Think about it, on a scarry night in bed the child hugs and talks to Jesus for comfort.
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Sounds idolitrous to me. It’s cool as an intro to Jesus, as long as the child knows the doll is not Jesus Himself. It’s important to make that distinction, because a teddy bear or a dolly IS the bear or dolly itself. You might first give the child a “grandma” doll to show how the doll is not really grandma, the person she knows and loves. I don’t know. Not really sure how I’d feel about it. Sounds good in a classroom, but not as constant confidante and companion like a teddy bear or other doll can become.
 
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MamaGeek:
Sounds idolitrous to me. It’s cool as an intro to Jesus, as long as the child knows the doll is not Jesus Himself. It’s important to make that distinction, because a teddy bear or a dolly IS the bear or dolly itself. You might first give the child a “grandma” doll to show how the doll is not really grandma, the person she knows and loves. I don’t know. Not really sure how I’d feel about it. Sounds good in a classroom, but not as constant confidante and companion like a teddy bear or other doll can become.
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Unless they are somehow mentally disturbed I’ve never known a child that didn’t know the difference between a doll and a real person. The difference in size and texture is a dead giveaway and children are far more observant than adults.
 
Doesn’t anybody else here think the “loving Jesus” doll is crude and hideously ugly – notwithstanding whatever merit it may have in teaching?
 
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MamaGeek:
Sounds idolitrous to me. It’s cool as an intro to Jesus, as long as the child knows the doll is not Jesus Himself. It’s important to make that distinction, because a teddy bear or a dolly IS the bear or dolly itself. You might first give the child a “grandma” doll to show how the doll is not really grandma, the person she knows and loves. I don’t know. Not really sure how I’d feel about it. Sounds good in a classroom, but not as constant confidante and companion like a teddy bear or other doll can become.
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I wonder how many of us kneel before a crucifix, or a statue of Mary and pray for comfort. We know it isn’t really Jesus or Mary. My children know that the Jesus hanging on the crucifix in my home isn’t really Him. I’m gonna buy one for each of my daughters.
 
Unless they are somehow mentally disturbed I’ve never known a child that didn’t know the difference between a doll and a real person.
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Of course! I’m not saying that. I’m sorry if it sounded that way. What I mean is that since Jesus is not visible in the sense that a flesh-and-blood grandma is visible, a very young child might hear “Jesus” and think of the doll, not the Son of God, the way she might hear “Teddy” and think of her bear. Just handing a child a doll and saying “this is Jesus” is a recipe for disaster, but using the doll to introduce the true Jesus is a great idea.
 
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MamaGeek:
Of course! I’m not saying that. I’m sorry if it sounded that way. What I mean is that since Jesus is not visible in the sense that a flesh-and-blood grandma is visible, a very young child might hear “Jesus” and think of the doll, not the Son of God, the way she might hear “Teddy” and think of her bear.
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Children have a better preception of the real and the unreal, the visible and the invisible than most adults do. With or without an explaination I’ve never know a child to ever think that a doll was anything other than a doll.

I’ll bet when Jesus was a babe He had a simple ragdoll hand-made by his Mama. :love:

http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/timelines/topics/pics/ragdoll.jpg
 
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Chickamauga:
Children have a better preception of the real and the unreal, the visible and the invisible than most adults do. With or without an explaination I’ve never know a child to ever think that a doll was anything other than a doll.
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You’re missing my point. I guess I didn’t explain very well. I never said the child would worship the doll, or think it’s a real person. I even made a point of saying that.

If a little girl had a doll named “Annie” that she carried around with her everywhere, and you said to her “who is Annie?” She’d probably say, “Annie is my dolly” or something like that. She doesn’t think the doll is a real person, but the name “Annie” signifies the doll. If you introduce the Jesus doll too early on, the child will think the name “Jesus” signifies a doll! She won’t think Jesus is a real person, but a toy.
 
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MamaGeek:
If you introduce the Jesus doll too early on, the child will think the name “Jesus” signifies a doll! She won’t think Jesus is a real person, but a toy.
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Have to respectfully disagree…

My son is 14 months old. When I say show me Jesus, he will look around, then point at my necklace, or the picture on the wall, or the crucifix, or a little Jesus statue he has. Really which ever he sees first. He knows ALL of these things are Jesus. (Even though at 14 months I know he has no concept “of” Jesus.)

So I think children are capable of more complex reasoning than you assume.

🙂 Dana
 
When one of my children was very ill …probably about 4, he wanted to hold a statue of the Sacred Heart in bed with him so Jesus would make him feel better… 🙂 Didn’t hurt him any…an outstanding Catholic father to this day!
 
Thank you for all your imput I am glad that I have posted this. The crucifix, pictures and even a life size pieta in my church my grand daughter regularly sees. I think she knows the difference between all these things, when I take her to adoration I have always taught her that Jesus is there, and in our hearts, the tabernacle etc. My main point is that I would much rather see her playing with a Jesus doll, and learning from an early age that Jesus is her best friend, then having her drag around a stuffed dog etc. But again thanks your opinions do matter to me and I appreciate them. And thanks for the post on the doll site. I will order it today.🙂
 
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mjdonnelly:
I say buy it, it can help the child get accustomed to prayer and will help give the idea that Jesus loves us.

Think about it, on a scarry night in bed the child hugs and talks to Jesus for comfort.

Sounds good to me.
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I would agree! I would even possibly like one!😃
 
Yes, I would buy a doll of Jesus though perhaps not the one I saw posted. I praise the concept even if the end product leaves a lot to be desired in terms of esthetics. The doll artist in depicting Jesus as a fully-grown adult seems to have overlooked the simple, beautiful fact that Jesus can honestly be portrayed at any stage of his life. Why not a child or even a baby Jesus doll? After all, Our Lord was once an infant held in His mother’s arms. Everyone loves to hold a baby. Moreover, I’m sure Jesus would welcome all the hugs, kisses and attention children would so generously give Him. No, I don’t see the problem. If God humbled Himself to become as small and as vulnerable as a newborn babe than such a humble God would not feel His dignity offended if He were to be portrayed as a stuffed doll. God knows we have bodies with senses that need to see and touch. He certainly loved to touch us. How many times did Jesus choose to touch in order to heal even though His Word alone sufficed? He too loved to be touched. Did not John the beloved lean his head on the chest of Our Lord the night before he died? Of all the ways God could have chosen to come to mankind He wanted the caresses and touch of His Blessed Mother. For that matter, He loved her caresses and touch so much that He wanted to enjoy them for all eternity and assumed her into heaven after her earthly life was over. So let the children hold Jesus: give them the dolls.
 
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MamaGeek:
If you introduce the Jesus doll too early on, the child will think the name “Jesus” signifies a doll! She won’t think Jesus is a real person, but a toy.
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If a child thought that the name “Jesus” signifies a doll, that perception would not last very long. Children do no maintain a static understanding of things. They grow rapidly in both mind and body. They pick up more through their own observation than what they are taught by adults. In a Christian household a child would come to know the difference between a Jesus doll and the real Jesus very quickly.
 
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