Jesus is just all right with me

1. I originally saw these shirts as more a parody than anything else, even though I suspected that there were many Christians who wore them. However, I do see how they could be an attempt to make religion more appealing to those who would otherwise want no part in Christianity, mainly young people. My guess is that if that is the goal, then these shirts are not likely to be very effective simply because a number of people will not think that they are meant to be taken seriously. As a non-religious person, I am not offended by any of these shirts and I actually like the idea of Christians showing their faith in a creative manner. However, I can see how more religious people might view them as making light of their faith and what Jesus went through.

2. With regards to shirts reading “Jesus is my Homeboy” and “Mary is my Homegirl” Paul Mitchell confesses “Sadly, I even know Christians who wear them” (324). This shows that many in the Christian Community have no problem showing their faith in a more unorthodox, humorous approach and that they don’t consider the shirts blasphemous at all.

3. For me personally, the images of Jesus or Mary do not have much impact on my view of the shirts, so I would not feel differently if they were not there. I do think that the images are a large part of what bother some of those who are offended by these shirts, so their attitudes could change significantly if the images were removed. However, I doubt that would happen because the pictures of Jesus and Mary make the shirts stand out more, and usually depict them in such a way that they look cool, and thus appealing to young people. For some Christians, this is exactly what they do not like about the shirts.

4. I think the shirts want to convey much the same message that priests and ministers do about Jesus and his sacrifice, but in a way that makes him seem more like someone that young people can relate to. Jesus is portrayed in the top photo as being cool, happy, peace loving, and in touch with current fashion. He is meant to look like someone that would be a friend to teenagers, which is something that Christians believe is very important, if not essential: to have a personal relationship with Jesus. The fact that he’s flashing the peace sign goes with his teachings, and could just be another way for people to show others what Jesus and Christianity are all about. The second shows him looking slightly more like what we are used to, though with the black and white coloring he still looks a little “cooler” than we’d expect him to. He is also making gestures with his hands that look like something a teenager or athlete or rapper might do and seems to be holding the words with his fingers. Though I think this one carries the same basic message that Jesus was the kind of person we could all respect, love, and be friends with, it also suggests through his halo that he was more than that. While some may say this makes the image even more blasphemous, I think it shows some genuine faith in Jesus that they thought to include the halo even though we could easily identify him with just the text and picture. This suggests that he really is the prophet that Christians believe him to be.