Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow

An unholy row has broken out in New Zealand over a church billboard aimed at "challenging stereotypes" about the birth of Jesus Christ. A dejected-looking Joseph lies in bed next to Mary under the caption, "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow". (BBC News)

I just about fell out of my chair laughing when I saw this. And it was done by an Anglican church (as Robin Williams would say, it's Catholic light - same rituals, half the guilt). They certainly have stirred up a hornet's nest by going after one of the most sacred cows in all of the Catholic Liturgy.

If you follow along, you will note that I accept nothing at face value, and certainly most of the Liturgy just does not do it for me. There is nothing miraculous about Jesus's birth. Fishy, circumspect, curious, but not miraculous.

The point of the billboard is, as pointed out by the church's vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, Is [Christmas] about a spiritual male God sending down sperm so a child would be born, or is it about the power of love in our midst as seen in Jesus? I guess the vicar has not been paying attention to the message the religious right has been touting, in Jesus's name of course. Love thy fellow man, just do not love thy fellow man.

That of course is only some of the discontinuity between the message and the meaning but the point here is that many Catholics will find it offensive. To which I say too bad. It is long past time to wake up and start questioning the marketing material. It is not a question of faith. It is a question. And it does not pass the smell test.