Do you think this is a disrespectful thing to do?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rosie11
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Irishmom2 said:
See, I don’t understand why it’s okay in one place but not another. If it’s not okay at church, why is it okay at home? No one sees that as odd?
Click to expand...
I like to think that I am usually pretty good at articulating things, but this is an exception — there’s a difference between a nativity at church, and a nativity at home, but I don’t know how to explain it.

If I had to find something to compare it to, I’d have to use something like the hugely popular contemporary Christian songs that you hear all the time on the radio or online — God’s Not Dead by the Newsboys or I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe. Incredibly uplifting to play in one’s home or car, or to listen to at a concert, but inappropriate for Holy Mass. I once heard Shine Jesus Shine used as the recessional at Mass, and I found this very jarring. Some would disagree with me on this, but then again I prefer the TLM where you would never hear this sort of music.

God’s Not Dead is the kind of song you want to imagine playing full blast at 3:00 am driving in a convertible with the top down across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St Petersburg, Florida, the Christian equivalent of Radar Love, I guess. Something else that really can’t be explained, you have to experience it.


Those kids in the audience really need to calm themselves down.
 
I’m not horrified or think this a grave sin or anything but I do think we should avoid making light of the nativity. It strikes me as something I would have done to be ironic when I was Atheist, not something a practicing Catholic should feel inclined to do, even at home. Some things should be kept sacred to symbolize the strength of our faith, to remind ourselves and witness to others. Leave the pranks to non-believers.
 
Irishmom2 said:
See, I don’t understand why it’s okay in one place but not another. If it’s not okay at church, why is it okay at home? No one sees that as odd?
Click to expand...
At home, we know everyone, have a pretty good idea what others find acceptable, and are able to discuss it if there is a problem.

In public or in a parish, we don’t know who might be offended, or why, and it is not as easy to resolve unexpected problems.

But you do have a good point. It is a kind of duplicity in the literal sense of the word, i.e., contradictory doubleness in our thoughts and deeds. It is better to be whole and undivided.

Full Disclosure: In my home, we have a rubber ducky nativity set.
 
Last edited:
catholiclala said:
I’m not horrified or think this a grave sin or anything but I do think we should avoid making light of the nativity. It strikes me as something I would have done to be ironic when I was Atheist, not something a practicing Catholic should feel inclined to do, even at home. Some things should be kept sacred to symbolize the strength of our faith, to remind ourselves and witness to others. Leave the pranks to non-believers.
Click to expand...
I think something like this would probably be done spontaneously by a member of the family (like a boy is playing with his toys, sees the nativity scene and the Yoda figurine he is holding, and decides to stick Yoda with Mary and Joseph and the shepherds) and people would have a laugh.

As far as why imo it would be tasteless at a church and not so much in a home: the church is a public sphere for people to worship as a community and the hundreds or thousands of people seeing the nativity aren’t privy to something that would ordinarily be an inside joke. Some things are intrinsically wrong but for many things context matters. Twister is a fun game to play at home or in a gym but it would obviously be inappropriate at adoration, not because Jesus is anti-Twister but because that isn’t what the chapel is set aside for.
 
Last edited:
A nativity set in the home teaches young children an important lesson - that all of God’s creation came to worship the Christ child at his birth. In a child’s mind, a teddy bear, a Yoda, a favorite doll, any small toy would want to be part of that nativity scene. My daughter used to read her Bible to her dolls, bears and our dogs. She helped them pray. I think this is the innocence and trust that Jesus is looking for when he said, “suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
 
Irishmom2 said:
So would everyone that doesn’t think it is disrespectful be okay with seeing something like this in the Nativity set at their church?
Click to expand...
No. And I also don’t let my kids play with the church set or visit it in their jammies, either. But at home the kids bring all of Noah’s plastic animals to the nativity & Mary and Joseph often ride to Bethlehem in LEGO cars. One year the toddler added a pacifier to the nativity scene (it looked enormous of course!) All of this would be tacky at church… but at home I think it’s sweet. The children are meeting Jesus in their childlike way.
 
I am afraid I still don’t get it. Why is it privately okay if my son wanted to put a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in our Nativity set? Leaving church out of it, I would not allow my family to include things at home that wouldn’t be allowed at church. It seems hypocritical to think it is okay at home if it isn’t in church.
 
Irishmom2 said:
I am afraid I still don’t get it. Why is it privately okay if my son wanted to put a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in our Nativity set? Leaving church out of it, I would not allow my family to include things at home that wouldn’t be allowed at church. It seems hypocritical to think it is okay at home if it isn’t in church.
Click to expand...
Well, I think because you might personally realize your child was doing it out of love or affection for Jesus. Admittedly this depends on the age of the child. Mine are little. If they were teens doing this as a joke, I would think twice about it. But little ones who want everyone to see Jesus - including ninja turtles and barbies and their stuffed moose? I think that’s very sweet. Baby Jesus probably enjoys the unusual visitors, too.
 
TK421 said:
I think something like this would probably be done spontaneously by a member of the family (like a boy is playing with his toys, sees the nativity scene and the Yoda figurine he is holding, and decides to stick Yoda with Mary and Joseph and the shepherds) and people would have a laugh.
Click to expand...
When she was four, my daughter used to pose her model dinosaurs at our creche scene. The carnivores fortunately kept their appetites under control at the nativity of our Lord. (The sheep may have had something to fear, however).
Jen7 said:
Well, I think because you might personally realize your child was doing it out of love or affection for Jesus.
Click to expand...
Yes! Context is everything! Children aren’t mocking our Lord, and frankly neither is the meme.
 
Last edited:
Irishmom2 said:
So would everyone that doesn’t think it is disrespectful be okay with seeing something like this in the Nativity set at their church?
Click to expand...
Context matters. What would be fine at home might not be acceptable in church.
 
Irishmom2 said:
See, I don’t understand why it’s okay in one place but not another. If it’s not okay at church, why is it okay at home? No one sees that as odd?
Click to expand...
At home alone I can laze about in my underwear, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
At home with friends I need to be fully clothed but I can wear threadbare sweat pants and a torn T-shirt and probably not offend anyone.
Attending my sister’s wedding or my grandmother’s funeral I had better wear something formal. Sweat pants and T-shirts won’t do.

Context matters, and location or occasion count as context.
 
Yes I see it as very disrespectful to God. Why? because of what the master jedi yoda represents there. This character was written from quite a few non Catholic religions. This character believes in what? God? nope, the power of some force and the ability of self to link in and help self. That is usurping the power and position of God.
It quite simply is demonic. (gets ready to be flamed)

I was watching a video conference by an exorcist that discussed all the generations leading up to the current one being born. He said that pagan demonic gods would be worshipped quite openly in the near future with the up and coming generation. And Egyptian demonic idols like horus were already entering openly into popular culture.

We gotta make a stand now. We gotta raise that bar and keep it raised.

It is also disrespectful to your parents if they are going to all the trouble to create nativity scenes. Just because it is not a church, doesn’t mean we can do what we want with religious items.

shortening Christmas to xmas is bad enough.
 
Last edited:
Thank you Peaceable. God bless your heart.

It is disrespectful.

Imagine if you had a memorial to a family member and someone put something ‘humourous’ in the display. How would you feel. So do the rest of us who see the signs of Christ’s impending sacrifice and death in the Nativity.

Similar the mocker who followed the priestly procession in the post that followed. Horrible
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top