The Easter Bunny rose from the dead today. Well okay, the easter bunny didn’t actually rise from the dead today, but on this day we remember his resurrection when he became the first and only bunny to hatch from an egg, right?
Okay, so it turns out that the Easter Bunny was never actually crucified and chocolate eggs have very little connection to the religious reason behind this holiday weekend that marks the miraculous resurrection of Christ.
Nevertheless it strikes me that there is a significant amount of brand confusion between chocolate eggs and Jesus coming back to life. So with that in mind I had an idea that I thought might help the Christians get their man back into the public eye… Behold the chocolate Jesus!
Rather than pointless eggs and bunnies, Christian folk could give their friends a chocolate Jesus instead. Variations might include the Good Friday version where Christ is affixed to a candy crucifix, or the perhaps more palatable, but no less tasty, Christ without the cross.
Children and adults alike, who might not ordinarily give Jesus a second thought as they go about their Easter weekend activities, would now have pause to think about the risen Lord as they contemplate what part of his anatomy to bite off first.
Indeed, choclatising Jesus in the same way his followers Christianised the pagan festival of Eastre (the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe) is surely a fantastic way to put the subject of Jesus Christ back on centre stage of this increasingly secularised holiday weekend.
Yet when I suggested this idea to Christian friends of mine it was curiously met with looks of disdain and outright offense. “I can’t talk to you about Christ like this.” Said one of my friends before abruptly ending our conversation. Another told me the idea was “profoundly distasteful.”
But seriously, what’s the big deal? Why is the idea of a chocolate Jesus more offensive than a regular Jesus? How come it’s acceptable to cast a crucifix in gold but not in candy?
I guess I don’t really care. I like eating chocolate and I’m happy to relax over a four day weekend for any reason. But I do find it somewhat confusing as to why the idea of a chocolate Jesus is met with such utter derision by the very people who decry the removal of Christ from Christmas.
Now, if I really wanted to offend people, then I would have suggested something far worse. Just imagine the outcry when the crucified chocolate easter bunnies hit the store! Eat your heart out Glenn Close.
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The Pagan origins of Easter
Happy Eastre
Easter
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Wrote the following comment on Apr 4, 2010 at 10:23 pm
I could say something but in lieu of the holiday I will just behave myself :D
Wrote the following comment on Apr 4, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Oh dear Simon…comments on this one are going to be interesting. Well, casting a crucifix in gold is solid and permanent. Cast in chocolate is the least permanant thing I can think of. As Christians, we look outwards to Jesus and although we keep Him in our hearts he does not belong in our tummy. The (chocolate) egg symbolizes new life. On a personal note, I truly don’t like that hot-cross buns are available in supermarkets throughout the year now, reducing the meaning and specialness of them being bought fresh on Good Friday. Enjoy your chocolate Simon in whatever form you are eating it :)
Wrote the following comment on Apr 4, 2010 at 11:12 pm
PS I think you need a bag of Jelly Babies ~ they are the confectionary we eat while considering which part of their anatomy to eat first, not chocolate Jesus’s.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 5, 2010 at 5:33 am
For the sake of evangelism, I have seen Christians utilize techniques and create products that seem to me far worse than your idea of a chocolate Jesus. In all of this, however, the problem is a trivialization of faith that is all to prone to happen in a capitalist society where the bottom line is… well… capital.
Elaborating on trivialization, Christians contribute to this when in their attempts to evangelize they uncritically embrace techniques akin to the marketing techniques used by corporations. Beyond Christianity, it seems that Western culture in general and American society in particular is so inured by technology, entertainment, and market forces that there is little room left in our collective soul for anything genuinely sacred.
Marshall McLuhan, a noted educator and medial critic, once said “The medium is the message,” by which he meant the form in which a message is communicated actually influences the content of the message itself. This said, a chocolate Jesus is merely a Jesus to be consumed and forgotten, an insubstantial and trivial Jesus, and certainly not a person to seriously consider and contend with.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 5, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Anthony ~ like I said Jesus belongs in our hearts not our tummy. That way we are sincere in our belief, taking Him and our faith seriously.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 3:03 am
Funny thing is, christians eat Jesus and drink his blood in communion! Yet they get upset at the thought of eating a chocolate Jesus. Its a culture thing I guess, not really a respect thing. I mean where is the respect for that pagan godess from the christians huh? I actually think the idea of eating someones flesh and drinking their blood in remembrance of them is absolutely sick and disgusting, but thats because that crap isn’t my culture.
PS. lol at the caption on the chocolate Jesus picture.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 9:20 am
Philly because something is not ‘your culture’ doesn’t make it ‘crap’ and we are not going ‘oh yummy we are eating the flesh and blood of Jesus’ in communion. It is done with respect in rememberance of all Jesus gave for ‘us’ and you. We are not vampires Ok. It’s a great pity you label things ‘you’ and ‘us’…we are all people. Hope you had a lovely Easter.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 10:33 am
The cartoons on this post are great; I love the last one!
As for the religiousness of easter, I can’t say I ever really gave that much thought, I would probably choose an egg over a Jesus every time, but it wouldn’t offend me. These days I think, like xmas, it’s more about time off work and getting together with family and stuff. I don’t think easter is seen as a religious holiday by most people anymore, just as xmas is not seen as a religious holiday that much either.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 1:03 pm
You’re not the first person to come up with the chocolate Jesus idea Simon. One Frank Oynhausen from Germany created a chocolate baby Jesus for Christmas a couple of years back. He called his white chocolate baby Jesus “Sweet Lord” but it offended those of the religious persuasion all over the world who found it tasteless (though I’m sure the majority of them never actually got that far).
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 5:22 pm
This would be a very bad thing for you to do Simon. Please do not do it. Jesus died for your sins and he does not want to be eaten by you.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Personally I think that the religiousness of most holidays has fallen to the back burner. But what better way to get children to ask questions about who he is than when they see a chocolate Jesus at the store. For the kids who grow up without him in their home, hey! mom, who’s that dude. Good conversation starter.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Come on Christians, be fair! The way I see if this idea is brilliant because it’s probably the only ever time the chocolate you eat might actually contain some goodness!
Wrote the following comment on Apr 6, 2010 at 9:09 pm
the idea of eating a jesus made from chocolate is quite simply offensive and i suspect that is the point of your suggestion given the fact that you have wriiten this post in such a way as to portray a deep disgregard for the sensativities of people who might actually value the message and truth of the gospel i bet you woulndt suggest eating a chocolate mohammed for fear of your life but i think people like yourself need to understand that you need to give yourself unto the authority of the lord because it is your life that hangs in the balance when you mock the lord who will not be mocked
Wrote the following comment on Apr 7, 2010 at 3:37 am
Dude, these kids coming up are stealing all the ground breaking ideas of our generation!
https://media.jesusoftheweek.com/1329116.0.jpg
Wrote the following comment on Apr 7, 2010 at 12:20 pm
By your logic Simon, shouldn’t we all be eating choclate forms of the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people?
Wrote the following comment on Apr 7, 2010 at 5:11 pm
It always amuses me when Christians profess to know what would or wouldn’t offend God. The religious leaders of Jesus’s day found Jesus offensive, and no doubt assumed God found him offensive too. No doubt it’s similar today, Christians are far more sensitive on matters of religion than God is.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 10, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Wilvo – What you say is true, but… It seems to me that if a person takes faith in God seriously then such a person would want to reflect God in how they respond to sin. Of course the thing is, as you point out, too often people’s offense meter is not aligned with God’s but is rather a reflection of egoism, or cultural influences, or some interaction between the two. This said, if we see Jesus as reflective of God’s heart, then there is a place for being offended by the trivialization of religion. When, for example, Jesus over turned the money changers’ tables in the temple court he certainly expressed offense and anger at people treating a holy place, “a house of prayer” in such a trivial manner that there were no qualms about the sale of wares supposedly in support of temple rituals.
In the Christian Tradition, as I know you know, Jesus is basically considered the temple of God, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Christians respond by expressing offense if Jesus is trivialized. Of course, I think Christians, in such circumstances, could exhibit the same spirit Jesus did, when he said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Perhaps the main thing in all this that I am responding to is the prevailing attitude in modern western society whereby people basically want religious folks to chill out when it comes to expressing passion for their religious beliefs and convictions. The subtext of our society is something like “Hey, it’s okay to believe, but don’t take it too seriously.” Granted, I understand the concern people have about zealotry and religious violence, but in response to that I would point out that zeal has also resulted in positive cultural transformation. So, its not zeal so much as what it is directed towards and how it is expressed.
Finally, I would say that God is far more sensitive about matters of religion than most people are, particularly those who claim to be his followers. The hitch is how religion is defined. James says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Yes, what pollution from the world actually means is perhaps unclear and debatable, but couldn’t we all agree that looking after orphans and widows (people at risk) is something we should all be zealous about.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 12, 2010 at 12:00 am
The only thing more difficult to swallow…is the latest cheese I read about recently…made from human breast milk. Not sure I could even muster a taste without grimacing.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 28, 2010 at 7:11 am
@ Love the Lord – “i bet you woulndt suggest eating a chocolate mohammed for fear of your life” Lets eat Mohammed!!! I dont fear!! And I dont believe that all who worship him are violent. What does this mean? That only ppl that believe in Mohammed are violent and crazy? That they are the only ones that kill if you dont believe in their exact beliefs? Or insult their prophet? That is a very close minded way of thinking. It makes me think you think you are more superior because you are Christian. Being Christian is not a rank or status. Being a Christian means not to judge and to spread love. I see/feel no spreading.
Wrote the following comment on Apr 28, 2010 at 4:42 pm
You know Missy, what I think a lot of christians like ‘Love The lord‘ don’t want to acknowledge is that when it comes to a murderous body count I think they are way out ahead of the Muslims.
His comments reminded me somewhat of this cartoon…
Wrote the following comment on Jun 18, 2010 at 9:58 am
No, it should actually be a chocolate Mithras.
Mithras was the man made god after he was dead and buried and rose again from the dead to save mankind. At his last supper with his disciples he told them, ‘this is my body and this is my blood’ (they were eating a sacrificial bull). That was the origin of the death and resurection myth way before the Jesus myth.