Gee, I wish they had a Jesus Force Four action hero set when I was a kid!
Associated Press – November 14, 2006:
A talking Jesus doll has been turned down by the Marine Reserves’ Toys for Tots program.
A suburban Los Angeles company offered to donate 4,000 of the foot-tall dolls, which quote Bible verses, for distribution to needy children this holiday season. The battery-powered Jesus is one of several dolls manufactured by one2believe, a division of the Valencia-based Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co., based on Biblical figures.
But the charity balked because of the dolls’ religious nature.
Toys are donated to kids based on financial need and “we don’t know anything about their background, their religious affiliations,” said Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, in Quantico, Va.
As a government entity, Marines “don’t profess one religion over another,” Grein said Tuesday. “We can’t take a chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or a Muslim family.“
Astoundingly, or perhaps not surprisingly at all, the Freepers are irate over this.
They’re actually going to boycott the Marine Corps charity over this. Pathetic.
Good for them!
This doesn’t make sense – it is a CHRISTMAS present. Why not worry about insulting Jewish or Muslim families by giving their children presents on a holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus H. Christ?
But, what kid would want a talking Jesus doll anyway? That would be a pretty lame present. Can you imagine the disappointment of some poverty stricken kid, who (I would assume) receives few gifts, wasting one on a boring Jesus H. Christ doll?
I’m sure the Terminator is okay though…
Wow, I hope no Islamic or Jewish person gets a Jesus doll for CHRISTmas.
Are people seriously this dense or is this willful naivety to advance their (religious) political purpose? Because, you have to be pretty fucking dense to not understand or appreciate that various, nonreligious entities decide to give out gifts once a year and their purpose is not to proselytize one religious denomination or another. Rather, charities have long used this time of year, the “holiday season” (war on Christmas!) to simply function as a charity and not a religious entity.
Strict adherence to the Christian aspect of the season and mechanical citation of “CHRISTmas” is idiotic. Moreover, it willfully ignores that Christmas, like it or not, long ago passed from being a strictly religious holiday to simply a period of gift giving, family time, and other not-inherently religious activities.
Of course, I think people objecting to this are perfectly aware of this fact and are professing outrage for the despicable reason that it suits their purposes to advance religion by hurting needy children and not because they genuinely are surprised/shocked by the Marine Reserve’s decision.
Yea, the cigar “smoking” Monica doll is a popular item with the poor this holiday season.
Makes sense.
Michael La Roe, director of business development for both companies, said the charity’s decision left him “surprised and disappointed.”
“The idea was for them to be three-dimensional teaching tools for kids,” La Roe said. “I believe as a churchgoing person, anyone can benefit from hearing the words of the Bible.”
It seems pretty clear that the companies had an agenda. If the motivation was simply to help the poor, then instead of alerting the media and making a fuss, they could easily have found another charity to work with, perhaps one with an existing religious component…cough… Salvation Army…cough…
Give the kids a game instead.
Strange enough, they also turned down free cartons of cigarettes for the children from Marlboro. Why don’t they want these children to have “free” gifts? I think these Marines have some kind of a selfish agenda. {sarcasm}
Just call the figures Death Men and everything will be just fine.
RBG
maybe it is me, but I wonder if the same people would have their undies in a bunch if the Marine Corps rejected the talking Jesus dolls as being blasphemous to Christians? same effect, different rationale, maybe a different bunch of people offended. “What about us athiest children! Shouldn’t we get talking Jesus dolls!”
And lets start modding those voice chips, people:
OBSimpsons:
“Somethings wrong with my talking Malibu Stacey”
– pulls string –
“My Spidey-sense is tingling! Anybody call for a web-slinger!”
Jesus Christ, these toys suck! Yet another propoganda campaign aimed at kids.. and POOR kids with little else to turn to but the false hope religion spouts. I side with the Marines on this one.
And to BHTB Co.: Quit wasting valuable plastic on this crap!
Normally, I don’t take advice from talking dolls, but my Nancy Reagan doll says “Just say NO to childhood religious indocrination.” If God truly approved of this abomination, these Jesus dolls could quote their little Bible verses without the aid of batteries, and it would be a true Christmas miracle.
A much more useful gift would be the Noah’s Ark Bath Time Play Set. It would serve as an important reminder to always play safe at bath time, since innocent children can easily drown if God doesn’t save them, just like in the Great Flood. Now there’s a toy with an important message.
Seriously, giving a talking Jesus doll to any non-Christian child borders on proselytizing, and the Marine organization made the right decision not to participate. If it pisses off a few Christians, that’s just gravy 😉
If you don’t want to offend Jews or Muslims, just give the gift of an athiest… nothing! And the best part is it’s completely tax deductable.
If you don’t want to offend Jews or Muslims, then one should really avoid Jesus and consider the just give the gift of an athiest… nothing! And the best part is it’s completely tax deductable.
I think the dolls are outdated. And they don’t even look like they’re from the Middle East.
Why not make some fresh ones? Maybe of Haggard. That would open for some interesting playtime…
Hmmmm, maybe they did that already? That guy with the whip? Ooh, that’s xstian; “Where there’s a whip, there’s a will” 😉
Roger, that’s completely uncalled for. You know perfectly well that the song goes, “Where there’s a whip, there’s a way!”
The Christians stole their celebration time frame from the Jews who stole it from the Pagans!
So I wish all these Christians would stop saying they are celebrating the birth of Jesus and that it is a Christian Holiday.
For Christ sake pick up a f-ing history book and learn something.
Did it ever occur to you that by demanding that it is a Christian holiday, when it clearly was begun by others, that you look dumb?
Moses is a safe bet with the big three, and will not offend Buddhist or Hindus.
Yes. Good for them. It’s Toys for Tots NOT Christmas Toys for Christian Children. Remember that the holiday season coming up is celebrated by more than just Christians. Can’t we all just get over ourselves already and celebrate the time as one for families coming together?
BTW, has O’Really started his whole War on Christmas B.S. yet? I just love how a few very vocal Christians love to say they are being persecuted for their beliefs if stores greet them with “happy holidays” instead of “merry christmas.” What crap. Over 75% of people in the US say they are Christian.
I think it is time for the few very vocal Christian weenies to just grow up. I guess you might fit in that category too SN (give you thought the post deserved an exclamation mark at the end, you must have found it shocking!!!)
Im sorry if you think my comments were Christian related, though i am not. i am tired of people over sensitive (the new key word for politically correctness). It is a doll you are giving children, if they dont like there gift — forgetting this is a gift they would not have been given if many religious organizations give — why dont they crucify it. i see that the CHRISTmas we have today has many pagan traditions in it but that should not stop you from opening a book and seeing that Christians have been celebrating some from of christmas for almost a millennium. If CHRISTmas wasnt such a religious holiday why is christ name if the holiday. I dont like crazy religious fanatics as much you do but stop with the over sensitivity of not offending people.
#24 ben
Christmas is not the only holiday that is celebrated during the winter season. It is not they only holiday that gift giving is a primary part of the tradition. There are many that fit that bill and they have been around a lot longer than Christianity itself, not to mention Christmas.
IT IS NOT A CHRISTIAN TIME OF YEAR!!!!! It belongs to all races and all religions for their choice of celebrations.
It is offensive that Christians think that it is all theirs and everyone else should just put up with having to accept Christmas as their holiday too.
So, what do the Jesus figures say, then?
“Bring Me into your lives or burn eternally in torture by fire, Jew!”
“Repent, Oriental blasphemer, or face My holy whips of flame in the Pit of Eternal Torment!”
“Mohammedan, thou art curst for thy idolatry! I turn my face from thee! BUUUURRRNN!!!!”
Context is everything. After all, the Jesus of Revelations is gonna burn all those Jews, Buddists and Mohammedans forever and ever. That IS the message, ya know? Depends on what story you’re reading.
As a Christian Minister I am very happy that the USMC, with their Toys for Tots program, (A great ministry/service they provide) initially took this course of action it was the correct course for the foundation to take, and the Christian thing to be do. However since taking that action Toys for Tots Foundation has found a place that will take them and thus has accepted the “dolls” thus someone will be getting these so called toys
26. Apparently Christians do share the Christmas season with all races and religions, as a walk through any mall will prove… beginning in October.
RBG
#29 RGB
Sorry, I don’t shop at malls but I know what you mean.
My point in all of this is…… if someone makes the decision to play the correct position of Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas they shouldn’t berated with the “You are attacking Christmas” nonsense. The Christians don’t own this time of year. They stole it!
The USMC made the correct decision and the LEGAL one.
BTW I celebrate both Christmas and Chanukah. So more for me lol 🙂
You poor, poor, people… How sad that you feel you must attack other people. I will pray for you.
#31 … No need to pray for me, KKK, I’m good. Oh wait, I see now that your name is just KK.. Funny how I get all these hate groups’ names confused! 🙂