Kanye West Poses as Jesus for Rolling Stone Magazine

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I suppose he thinks of himself as a prophet, and even given that, Jesus was much more than a guy that said what the others didn’t like. I’m sure he means well by it, and thinks it makes a point, I can forgive him sure enough. It is true that we should be living an imatation of Christ, but we should keep in mind it is an imatation, we are not comparable to Christ. If we start doing that it really smacks of pride. I guess it’d be one thing if he was trying to show us an image of Christ, but is a whole nother thing to act as if one is just like Christ.
 
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Bella3502:
I don’t like Mel Gibson either, but something tells me if he posed the same way in Rolling Stone, there would be a lot of happy Catholics…BTW… when did I say Mel is a racist. I never listen to what he has to say…

Lighten up folks… it’s just a picture. If you don’t like it don’t buy it…It certainly didn’t make me want to rush out and buy Kanye’s records. If it had been Mel Gibson, I still would not rush to his movies… In my book they are the same. And Caviezel is just an actor who said he was devout to get the part. If he showed up an any churches it was part of a press junket. I think Adrian Brody would have been a better Jesus.
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There you go again. Saying things about people you don’t have facts on. I sensed an animosity in you.
Caviezel HAS BEEN DEVOUT before the Passion came along. That was one of the reason Mel chose him. When Mel called Jim for an interview, Jim had no idea what it was about.
 
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cathgal:
There you go again. Saying things about people you don’t have facts on. I sensed an animosity in you.
Caviezel HAS BEEN DEVOUT before the Passion came along. That was one of the reason Mel chose him. When Mel called Jim for an interview, Jim had no idea what it was about.
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Excuse me then… “Mel said it” so it must be fact…

Mel will say and do anything to promote his own movies/agenda. He is no different than any of the others in Hollywood. Except that his movies are “ho-hum”. :yawn:
 
I dnt get y its offensive thgh :confused: I meaan teh baptist girl was ryt wen she said dat we’re sppsed to carry the cross thingy.
Y is it offensive? Someone tell me pls. :confused: :eek:
 
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Bella3502:
Goodness people, it was a PICTURE. I don’t even like Kanye West.

Where was the outrage when the white Jesus appeared on “Book of Daniel” with the ugly fake beard?

Why is ok for a good looking white guy to play the part of Jesus in the Mel Gibson film?

Race is an issue when it’s ok for one and not the other.
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You need to settle down. This was not a race issue until you made it a race issue. You sound more racist than anyone on this thread.
 
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jimmy:
You need to settle down. This was not a race issue until you made it a race issue. You sound more racist than anyone on this thread.
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It was a race “issue” from the first post. Kanye West is Black and he posed as Jesus. There are many people out there who are not black and don’t want their “white” Jesus misrepresented by a black person. That is all I was saying. Kanye poses on the cover of Rolling Stone as Jesus to sell his music. Jim Caviezel does Church press junkets and says he is a devout Catholic, to entice people to see a Mel Gibson movie about Jesus. Both are just catering to a targeted demographic. Being Catholic does not mean sticking your head in the sand and pretending that things are not what they really are.
 
I’m somewhat surprised at the reactions here. I would have thought that getting a portrayal of Jesus on the front of a mainline magazine would be a victory. This an opportunity, but it looks like it will be squandered.

If anyone cared, they would take out a quarter page ad in the next Rolling Stone presenting information about the passion of Jesus. The ad would be in the same style as the magazine cover. Maybe use a similar picture of the guy from the Passion movie. It’s a perfect opening to a group that is very hard to reach with a religious message.

A door has swung open at Rolling Stone and people are just kicking it shut.
 
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Bella3502:
It was a race “issue” from the first post. Kanye West is Black and he posed as Jesus. There are many people out there who are not black and don’t want their “white” Jesus misrepresented by a black person. That is all I was saying. Kanye poses on the cover of Rolling Stone as Jesus to sell his music. Jim Caviezel does Church press junkets and says he is a devout Catholic, to entice people to see a Mel Gibson movie about Jesus. Both are just catering to a targeted demographic. Being Catholic does not mean sticking your head in the sand and pretending that things are not what they really are.
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No, the first post had nothing to do with race. You turned it into a race issue. If you are going to make assumptions about peoples integrity you should always err on the side of saying they were acting with a good heart. Instead you accuse the posters of being racists. You don’t know the posters nor do you know their motives. You should stay silent on their motives.

You are also questioning the integrity of Jim Cavezal. Why? Do you have a reason other than that he is an actor? I am sure that your motives could be questioned in the same way. Who says he is not a devout Catholic? He very well may be.

I don’t know whether it is offensive or not. I am not going to make a judgement.
 
This is offensive to me because Kanye West is a very wealthy, spoiled, celebrity whose worst day couldn’t compare to being beaten bloody, crown with thorns and crucified.

West is not the only celebrity to have compared himself to Christ. Howard Stern has done so as well, he’s just not as popular so it goes under the radar.

ANYONE who elevates their trivial daliy annoyances to the level of Christ’s most holy suffering and death deserves to be called on it.
 
Has anyone read what Kanye says in the interview? Does he say his reason for the depiction? Just wondering.

But I think why this post veered off into race is because maybe we looked into the original post more than was intended. I’ll admit myself that at first I thought, “what do they mean offended, offended how? That he was Black, that’s it’s a rapper, etc, etc.” So maybe the fact that the original post didn’t explain the reason for the offense, whether intentional or not I don’t know, could have raised the whole race thing.

But if the person who posted the original post didn’t and doesn’t currently intend it to be interpreted in such a way, then that’s what it is, and it should be dropped.

Anyway, as to whether I’m offended Kanye portrays Christ. Well if it’s too imply he’s a persecuted person, then I’ll say yes because whatever persecution he’s enduring is of his own doing. Whereas Christ did nothing but be obedient and faithful to the God and willingly laid down his life for the sins of the world, Kanye’s too.

But the fact of the matter is, at least in my case since I’ve not read the article, is that I don’t know his intentions, so I won’t presume to know.

Now as to the actual appearance of Christ, no one can with 100% certainty say they know how he looked. I know many point to the shroud of tourin, but I have to point out that’s more of an outline. For all we know the outline is correct, but needs to be pictured with a darker complexion. Personally, I believe him to be of a darker complexion myself, but heck I may be wrong, so I won’t be closed minded to that possibility.

As a matter of fact, if any of you remember the actor who played Simon of Cyrene in the Passion of Christ, don’t know his name, but that’s how I’ve always felt Christ probably looked closes to. You may have to see the movie again to know whom I’m talking about.

Incidentally, maybe some of you noticed, but there were a few black jews in the movie as well. Check it out. Look at the scene with the mob in particular. Whether Mel was insinuating these were converts or actual Jews with descendancy from the 12 Tribes I don’t know.

Anyway, that’s my two bits.

Nelson
 
This is the last time I post on this subject. I didn’t want to dignify unfounded accusations of racism with a reply but I think I should.

Since I am the original poster, I would like to respond as to my “motives” for posting it.

First and foremost, I was not offended because the guy was Black. I was offended because he was portrayed with a crown of thorns…as the suffering Christ… in an article stating he was addicted to porn. Also, because of his disrespect for President Bush when they were trying to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

That is basically it.

I didn’t know I had to explain myself fully before posting. I thought that the attached article would be read along with viewing the picture.

I didn’t know there would be a someone who would make unfounded accusations time and time again, and have to have the last word every time some other poster tried to explain rationally, why it was offensive to others.

I must say, I’ve learned my lesson. I will not be posting anything in this group so readily because I really believe there are people here who join up just to cause trouble. I’m sorry but I am really starting to believe that.
 
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ReflectHim:
could you scream racism ANY louder. and Jesus was NOT white either. so thats a misrepresentation too. and second of all its not okay. in your opinion maybe. but I really wish that sometimes non-blacks would sometimes thing of the things they say when it pertains to race. very offensive for the comment that you made. i know that when i have children i would rather have them identify with a black jesus than have them look at a blue eyed blonde haired Christ. no more than do you want to show your child a BLACK Jesus do i want to show mine a WHITE Jesus. period. so for you to say what you just said, seems to racist IMHO. it just does. yes he was a Jew, but his skin color we do not know. so for one to have a Black Jesus vs. a White one…well thats preference. it doesnt’ make it right or wrong. doesn’t matter what he looked like anyways. but for some sarcasm for you…EVERYONE doesn’t know. and to me, you just don’t want him to be, becuse it would be so hard to bow down to a BLACK man in this country. but he wasn’t white either.
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Your profile says you’re an editor and a copy desk chief. Could you learn to capitalize properly, please? 😉
 
I did not find Kanye’s photo to be offensive.

I think it is a beautiful photo.

Also, I think it was reasonable to discuss the reactions to James Caviezel and his portrayal of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s movie.

I found both Kanye and James to make the image of Jesus as respectful as possible.

Neither tries to intentionally damage the image of Jesus.

Of the two, of course, Kanye has generated more excitement due to his words, lyrics, lifestyle, politics and ethnic background. For some, not all, Kanye embodies images and behavior that some find out of sync with Jesus. Kanye is flawed and Black.

James is flawed and White. ( some say he is less flawed…)

However, I think it a small distinction to imply that Kanye was trying to present himself as Jesus while James was just playing a part in the movie.

Both tried to dress up like Jesus for their own reasons which may be totally different from each other.

I won’t judge which man had greater sins than the other or which man was more “worthy” to strike a pose as Jesus.

Further, I reject the idea that the photos are judged via total “colorblindness.”

Bahati
 
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bahati:
I did not find Kanye’s photo to be offensive.

I think it is a beautiful photo.

Also, I think it was reasonable to discuss the reactions to James Caviezel and his portrayal of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s movie.

I found both Kanye and James to make the image of Jesus as respectful as possible.

Neither tries to intentionally damage the image of Jesus.

Of the two, of course, Kanye has generated more excitement due to his words, lyrics, lifestyle, politics and ethnic background. For some, not all, Kanye embodies images and behavior that some find out of sync with Jesus. Kanye is flawed and Black.

James is flawed and White. ( some say he is less flawed…)

However, I think it a small distinction to imply that Kanye was trying to present himself as Jesus while James was just playing a part in the movie.

Both tried to dress up like Jesus for their own reasons which may be totally different from each other.

I won’t judge which man had greater sins than the other or which man was more “worthy” to strike a pose as Jesus.

Further, I reject the idea that the photos are judged via total “colorblindness.”

Bahati
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“However, I think it a small distinction to imply that Kanye was trying to present himself as Jesus while James was just playing a part in the movie.” Thats not a small distinction that is a huge distinction. We are in no way blameless as Jesus is. As the thief said to the other, atleast we deserved to be where we are, he does not, I think its a bit much to compare ones crosses as that of Jesus.
 
joey(name removed by moderator):
This is the last time I post on this subject. I didn’t want to dignify unfounded accusations of racism with a reply but I think I should.

Since I am the original poster, I would like to respond as to my “motives” for posting it.

First and foremost, I was not offended because the guy was Black. I was offended because he was portrayed with a crown of thorns…as the suffering Christ… in an article stating he was addicted to porn. Also, because of his disrespect for President Bush when they were trying to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

That is basically it.

I didn’t know I had to explain myself fully before posting. I thought that the attached article would be read along with viewing the picture.

I didn’t know there would be a someone who would make unfounded accusations time and time again, and have to have the last word every time some other poster tried to explain rationally, why it was offensive to others.

I must say, I’ve learned my lesson. I will not be posting anything in this group so readily because I really believe there are people here who join up just to cause trouble. I’m sorry but I am really starting to believe that.
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Some people will see racism when they want to see racism, no matter what.
 
So that I may better understand the point of view.

Could you please elaborate on the

position -

regarding distinctions and comparing crosses…

We’ll leave race out of this as it was respectfully and clearly requested.

Anxious to learn your thoughts.

Thanks in advance.

Bahati
 
If you didn’t know Mr. West then I could see someone believing this would be a postive thing about a man posing as a Jesus to show his christain faith. Yes his song Jesus Walks is a great song with a good message but have you heard his other stuff??? It’s not that positive. My biggest issue is with Mr. West personal. He believes he is better than anyone else and that everyone should listen to him. Thats why i take offense to him posing BUT I understand that he did it for attention. Remember there is no such things as bad publicity in the business…

My examples of his i know better than you and i am the best attiturde…Saying George Bush doesn’t like Black people comment on the Relief Show…MR. West you don’t have a clue as to what happened in NO but instead just jumped on the band wagon of someone to blame…At the American Music awards last year he got out of his seat when they announced the best new artist and started walking down the isle with his hands in the air…problem…Gretchen Wilson won…and then at the grammy’s he complained that he didn’t win enough of them…

Now hearing about his porn problem makes me even more scared…lots of kids today look up to him but he is no different then any of the other rappers and such out there. He has been sucked into the Music business and all the evil that goes with it.I just hope kids today can look at him and appericate his “music” but not listen to his message. Just because he is popular doesn’t mean he understand or that his solutions to problems are any better than the next person.
 
OK.

The original question was whether one finds the photo itself to be offensive.

If one simply doesn’t like the guy, there would be few if any photos which he can take that one would care to look at.

Yes. I believe that getting even a millimeter closer to Jesus would be a good thing. If the photo helped that possibility then I support it.

However, I can understand that if someone that I don’t like was to pose as Jesus, I wouldn’t like it.

It seems that one is judging Kanye, his music and his lifestyle in general and not the photo specifically although I think that’s what the original topic was about.

If you did not know anything at all about James or Kanye would either photo pose as Jesus disturb you?

Also, The Rolling Stone article seemed to be just a general article about Kanye; and, it had little to do with the photo shown on the cover in my opinion.

An earlier post here mentioned the Catholic League -
In advance of the release of the article, the Catholic League posted a stinging criticism of the Rolling Stone and Kanye.

It alleges that it is a misappropriation of Catholic iconography and it is anti-Catholic among other negative things.

catholicleague.org/06press_releases/quarter%201/060125_Rolling_Stone.htm

Bahati
 
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cenpress:
In no way do I mean to defend him, because I too think it is offensive. However, I think I understand why Rolling Stone chose to make a reference to Jesus with the photo of Kanye West …

It is because Kanye West himself sings (raps) about Him (Jesus) … and in quite a positive way.

West’s most popular/powerful song is called “Jesus Walks” and is about how he refuses to go the way of so many “gansta rappers.” How instead, he prays to Jesus for the strength to be better than that. Here are some of the lyrics (the song is quite powerful):

To the hustlers, killers, murderers, drug dealers even the strippers
(Jesus walks with them)
To the victims of welfare feel we living in hell here, hell yea
(Jesus walks with them)
Now hear Ye hear Ye wanna see Thee more clearly
I know He hear me when my feet get weary
Cause we’re the almost nearly extinct
We rappers are role models we rap we don’t think
I ain’t here to argue about his facial features
Or here to convert atheists into believers
I’m just tryin to say the way school need teachers
The way Kathy Lee needed Regis that’s the way I need Jesus
So here go my single dawg radio needs this
They said you can rap about anything except for Jesus
That means guns, sex, lies, video tape
But if I talk about God my record won’t get played huh
Well if this take away from my spins
Which will probably take away from my ends
Then I hope it take away from sins
And bring the day that I’m dreamin about:
Next time I’m in the club everybody screamin out

(Jesus Walks)
God show me the way because the devil try to break me down
(Jesus Walks with me)
The only thing that I pray is that my feet don’t fail me now
(Jesus Walks)
And I don’t think there’s nothing I can do to right my wrong
Again, I’m not trying to defend the photo. But in this context, I understand why they did it. I think Kanye West could be one of those rare pop stars brave enough to make an example of himself by drawing a line in the sand, and saying “Hey, listen, I’m a Christian and I refuse to hide it. I’m gonna shout it from the rooftops. Follow me in doing so.”

Anyway, that’s just my 1-1/2 cents is all. God bless.
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This is a distortion of what kanye west raps about, yes he might have this song which doesn’t seem that bad, but a majority of his songs are about sex, exploiting women, and the usual gangta rap stuff. He might not talk about the violence part, but certainly the sex part is certainly prevalent throughout his lyrics.
 
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Bella3502:
Race is an issue when it’s ok for one and not the other.
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No one had mentioned race until you trotted that tired pony out for everyone to see.

– Mark L. Chance.
 
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