Jesus is My Co-Pilot
I know we’ve all seen them. They’re everywhere. Sometimes they’re witty, somtimes they’re rude, they’re often political, or just nonsensical. You could call them bumper stickers, or decals, or “car jewelry” or whatever you want. They’re a form of self-expression that is specially suited to the car-centric American public. Everyone has their own personal tastes, and there is no accounting for tastes. For example I have a TROGDOR the BURNINATOR static cling on my rear window. Though I love Calvin and Hobbes, I find the Calvin Peeing on [insert icon here] to be lame and stupid (as an aside Bill Watterson has never sold the rights to his strip for marketing purposes, so *any* C&H merchandise is a violation of copyright).
My honest question for you folks is, what about things like this. In fact there is a wide assortment of merchandise that just doesn’t sit well with me. I know I’m not alone in this discomfort. My sister told me about one of her missionary companions who had the moxie to rip offending “Jesus” bumper stickers off of cars in parking lots. Her reasoning was that it was taking the name of God in vain, and could be considered to be a ‘graven image.’ As far as I know damaging cars is vandalism, but was her reasoning behind her actions sound?
I know that I should be glad that people have religion in thier lives, and are learning about Christ, and are not ashamed of their beliefs. Somehow it just doesn’t sit well with me. Could it be that they’re doing their alms before men, so to speak? Could it be that it feels too ‘in your face’ to be humble and heartfelt? Could it just be that I’m not comfortable with it simply because it is unfamiliar to me?
If my kid someday decides to wear a shirt with a detailed picture of Christ on the cross on the front and “Jesus Saves” in big letters on the back, would I have a leg to stand on if I told him that it is inappropriate to wear that kind of shirt? What about if he wants to put a bumper sticker on his car? Or wear a wristband that say’s he’s saved?
Now here’s the kicker, how are shirts like those different than these LDS shirts? I feel the same discomfort with these types of LDS shirts as I do with the Christian shirts. Will I have a leg to stand on when I tell my son that I don’t think it’s appropriate to wear clothes like that? What about a big CTR sticker on the back of his car? What about a RWH wristband?
I don’t like any of these things, be they “Jesus Saves!” soccer jerseys, or Calvin Klein knockoff CTR shirts. I don’t like them because they represent a culture instead of a concept. They are a brand name. They are signals of belonging to a group, not necessarily because of shared beliefs, but because of what it says on your shirt. Sometimes what it says on your shirt is indicative of your beliefs, but not always, and not nearly as often as it should be.
[I should put a disclaimer in here that my distain for LDS trademarks is strictly personal. I don’t like them, but I don’t think anyone is a bad person for having them.]
May 9th, 2006 15:20
This is a question I have asked myself many times. Aside from the priestcraft question, the real problem I have with things like this is blasphemy. Throwing the lords name around like it were… um… a bumper sticker… rings disingenuous to me. I think subtle references are more appropriate. I kind of like the Fish symbol that some of the Christians use.
The only problem I see with some of this merchandise is that what drives people to create these things is not worship but greed. But that is their problem, not mine.
Oh, and I have an LDS bumper sticker. It helps ward off the Vampires.
May 9th, 2006 15:43
Slightly o.t., but I can’t help myself.
Speaking of LDS t-shirts, I can’t imagine when or why I might actually *wear* it, but this one makes me laugh so flippin’ hard it literally isn’t even funny anymore. (I just look like a freak.)
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/LDS/-/pv_design_details/pg_22/id_10441967/opt_/fpt_/c_/hlv_t
Hahahahaha! isn’t that awesome?
May 9th, 2006 16:43
I have to admit to getting my husband a CTR shirt. Actually for a very good reason. He came up with an acronym for it when he was studying for his degree in Counseling. Communication, Trust, and Romance as a guide in keeping marriage relationships strong.
As to your other point many things make me uncomfortable, but what do we do about it? There are so many things that are offensive in this world. I guess as long as I live to the inner standards I have, I should not need to expect it of others who might have other standards and beliefs.
May 9th, 2006 16:56
Starfoxy:
I feel a lot like you on this. There are a few born-againers at my work that wear all kinds of outlandish christian t-shirts. To me this seems vain. It like - look at me I’m saved! I do think it is a way of taking the name of the lord in vain.
As far as strippling warrior t-shirts I don’t feel as bad about that, because of the same type of thing Ian said. It’s not really blasphemy to me.
I had a bumper sticker on the piece of junk car I bought in High School. It might give some insight into my frame of mind at the time. It said, ‘Life is Hard. Then you die.’ It particularly fit the ugly boat I was driving.
I do wear my MA t-shirt once in a while.
May 9th, 2006 17:44
Starfoxy, I think I’m with you, even on the LDS shirts- the culture vs concept issue is a huge deal. While I do think there’s a hierarchy (i.e. CTR is not as unacceptable as Jesus is my Homeboy), there’s an issue of reverence that needs to be considered. I don’t know when the Christian mantra T’s became in vogue, but I doubt you’d have to go more than a few decades back to find a time when even liberal evangelicals would have shuddered at proclaiming their religious vigor on cotton T-shirts. Religious principles are deserving a level of reverence (which transcends respect) that should demand we not reduce them to the mundane and ordinary world of T-shirts, bumper stickers, and coffee mugs. There’s a phenomenal book that came out by Paul Woodruff (a non-LDS ancient philosophy professor over at UT-Austin) called Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue. I highly, highly recommend it. He develops the concept of reverence extensively, but his ideas can be distilled to it being the possession of a blend of respect mixed with awe for those things which deserve it, and the capacity to recognize which things deserve it. It is a capacity which reminds us of our relationship to God, and our subordination to him. Teaching a child to cultivate this capacity, and helping him to discover where rituals, ceremonies, and order can assist in perpetuating reverence, can help in ensuring a child would comprehend why a Jesus Saves Hanes Edition is not appropriate.
Having said that. . . I think that the sister missionary acted inappropriately as well, for the simple fact that she showed a lack of reverence for the agency of other’s beliefs, not to mention respect for their property.
May 9th, 2006 17:47
I should add, lest anyone think my giving of parenting advice is a bit presumptuous, that I’ve never been a parent, but that my own parents did exactly what I just mentioned, and I believe they were pretty darn succesful in inculcating the capacity of reverence in myself and my siblings!
May 9th, 2006 18:04
I suppose I should disclose that much of my disenchantment with specifically Mormon merchandise has to do with a friend I had in high school. She would wear all sorts of jewelry that had CTR on it. She’d sign yearbooks with “CTR! RWH!” after her name. They were meaningless to her except as a sign that she was Mormon, and therefore eligible to date Mormon boys and be friends with Mormon girls. It especially drove me nuts when she considered it missionary work.
May 9th, 2006 19:06
Then I am guessing you might not like this shirt either. I have to admit that it makes me laugh.
May 9th, 2006 19:21
I used to have a “Stripling Warriors: Mama’s Boys” tshirt. I loved that thing. I don’t know about the tshirt issue. On the one hand, I’m with you on things like “Jesus: Tougher Than Hell.” They do seem distinctly lacking in respect. On the other hand, “Stripling Warriors,” “Eight Cow Woman,” and etc. shirts don’t bother me. I like them for their identification with the LDS culture. For me they’re like a harmless in-joke.
May 9th, 2006 22:04
I totally agree with you Proud Daughter of Eve.
My previous car had an LDS sticker on the back of it, and we got rid of it, but left the sticker on. We still see the car around here and there, and the sticker is still on it. I know they aren’t LDS, and they probably have no idea what it means. It gives me a chuckle. An inside joke indeed.
May 10th, 2006 03:53
Someone sent me a link to this a few days ago. I wouldn’t wear it but I found it slightly amusing.
May 10th, 2006 05:34
Agreed here, too. Besides its just plain bad fashion taste.
As far as bumper stickers. The closest one I’ve come to ceveting was a little christian fish symbol except this one had to little feet.
If you want to see good born again bumper stickers go midwest or south. We’re even talking personal license plates. GSUS4U
May 10th, 2006 08:06
I think this is a tribal/cultural value you’re discussing that we don’t exactly teach explicitly, but it comes through. I think it’s an outgrowth of the non-use of crosses. I’m rather sure about the tribal/cultural aspect of it because I have a clear memory of coming home from a temple trip when I was a youth (my last such iirc) and stopping by a store with the person I was riding with and having a “Jesus is the Answer” sign on the store next door. I recall seeing that sign and thinking it looked really cheesy, and was a sign that the person who put it up just really didn’t understand God and Jesus.
Over the decades since, I have repented of this attitude many times. I was an amazing snob at that moment, and I have worked hard to stop looking down my nose at those who understand God differently and show their devotion differently.
I had the same discomfort when I started running into folks with the pop-Christian t-shirts, for the same reasons.
The first time I saw the Darwin fishy, I laughed, because I thought it was really clever. It’s the last fishy thing I’ve laughed at, and that was also about 20 years ago.
On a parallel line, I have trouble with businesses that put the little fishy in their yellow-pages ads (unless they are Christian bookstores), and I have the same trouble with people who present themselves as LDS/Mormon counselors (let’s say). I don’t think we need to be marketing ourselves that way. If we’re good at what we do, that is a reason to be patronized, and if we are not good at what we do, we ought not be patronized because we are Christian/LDS.
There’s a line between keeping spiritual things special and hiding our candle under a bushel. I think one way of telling the difference is if your motivation is for personal recognition and exploitation of your Mormon identity (on the one hand) or if you’re afraid of being identified as a Mormon and taking crap for it (on the other hand). If you’re somewhere between those, then you’re probably okay.
May 10th, 2006 08:55
Blain, just as a little aside (okay, total tangent) many times it is helpful to know if a counselor/therapist is LDS, because then you can integrate prayer and scripture into your therapy, and feel quite comfortable with it. You don’t have to be dependent on a well-meaning, righteous, but totally unqualified bishop for that part of your emotional healing. So in my opinion it is often helpful to advertise as a “Mormon” therapist. Just my two cents!
May 10th, 2006 10:25
“I don’t know when the Christian mantra T’s became in vogue, but I doubt you’d have to go more than a few decades back to find a time when even liberal evangelicals would have shuddered at proclaiming their religious vigor on cotton T-shirts.”
It wouldn’t surprise me if the timing coincides with the rise of the Mega-Church. In most cases, these churches use heavy marketing to fill their pews(or stadium seating) and such t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc… Mega churches aim to be seen as hip, savvy and cutting edge. Even irreverence is good marketing, i.e rock concert worship services, and fills the seats. The reasoning is that as long as they are here, they are not sinning “in the world”.
Here is an interesting article on the dispute over Christian Rock. “http://www.av1611.org/crock/crock1.html” (I don’t mean to threadjack, but I see the t-shirts, bumper stickers and Christian Rock in churches as part of the same phenomenon)
All said - I think some of the t-shirts are clever, some sacreligious, and others downright idiotic.
May 10th, 2006 12:55
I do think there’s a problem when Jesus is being treated as essentially just another consumer product or pop culture icon. On the other hand, I think in many situations, it’s an issue of what you’re used to. When I attended a Catholic university, I remember that I was at first rather unsettled by seeing a crucifix in every classroom, but after a while it looked normal, and I appreciated it as a symbol of faith.
Reverence is certainly important, but I also think that just as it’s a problem to be overly casual in speaking about our relationship with the divine, there’s a danger on the other side of being too distant, of being hesitant to bring our relationship with Christ into our everyday lives because we think it might be somehow disrespectful to him. Not that I’m advocating T-shirts as the optimal way to do that; just that I’ve wondered a little about the basis of ny own discomfort with the very familiar way in which some Christians talk about Jesus.
May 10th, 2006 13:34
14 — It is something that has some value, but not what it might seem. That someone is an LDS counselor doesn’t mean they are good at counseling, nor that they’re particularly good at being LDS. The most you can really be certain on is that they might have some understanding of the cultural background you are working from and a few things about your belief system. But many LDS folks will pick them simply because they are LDS, and will look with fear and suspicion at any counselor who isn’t. Any good counselor will be respectful of the belief system of their clients and, while they may challenge the client’s understanding of that belief system, they should only challenge the belief system itself in rather extreme cases.
If you have a good counselor who’s LDS, rock on. But if you can only pick one of the two attributes, I’d pick good.
But that was an example of the issue I have with plastering our LDSness on our business face. A Mormon can rip you off every bit as much as a non-Mormon can, and I’ve known no shortage of those who would. Most of them used their Mormonness as a marketing piece. It has something to do with my suspicion.
May 10th, 2006 14:29
Great comments everyone. I especially like in #13 where Blain said “I think one way of telling the difference is if your motivation is for personal recognition and exploitation of your Mormon identity (on the one hand) or if you’re afraid of being identified as a Mormon and taking crap for it (on the other hand).” I think he said in one sentence what the whole point of my post was.
The shirts you guys linked (Naiah, Carrie, and Danithew) all made me laugh. Yes, even the big pimpin’ one.
And I agree with Blain thatt supporting some business just because they’re LDS can lead to all sorts of problems. In my parents ward there were three competing dentists, and they all knew which members of the ward went to who, and if you switched from one to another it made for very uncomfortable moments. Maybe someday I’ll write a post about how my OB GYN used to be my bishop and was the father of my roomate’s boyfriend. That was weird.
May 10th, 2006 14:37
These t-shirts bring to mind something my dad once said about popular Christian music: “Even if I knew for a certainty that the Savior himself liked such things, I still wouldn’t feel compelled to like them.”
May 10th, 2006 15:44
The Jesus-related t-shirts, buttons, bumper-stickers, and posters go back at least as far as the “Jesus Freak” days of 1971, probably back into the late 60’s.
I wore a pin-on button (about 2″ in diameter) when I was a Jesus freak back in 1972.
How an adult person reverences the Savior is pretty much up to them, and is a freedom-of-religion thing.
Personally, I think there are lines we shouldn’t cross in order to be reverent towards the Savior. But I may draw those lines differently than you, or differently than believers who are members of other churches.
I do think Starfoxy’s concern in the original post is more due to ultra-conservative Mormon culture than scripturally proscribed irreverence. Personally, I don’t think putting the Savior’s name on a bumper sticker, poster, sign, or t-shirt is in itself irreverent. I think context has a lot to do with it.
And I would agree that some of the messages in those (non-LDS) Christian-related items seem more spiritually juvenile than irreverent.
The first thing I thought of while reading the original post is “What about our covenant to take upon us the Savior’s name?” Isn’t wearing a T-shirt with the name “Jesus” on it a literal manifestation of that? Aren’t there scriptures that teach that we are to become a Jesus?
There are times when wearing T-shirts with any message would be inappropriate. But if one is in a location where a T-shirt-with-message fits in, why not?
I wear all sorts of T-shirts with messages on them while working out at the gym. One is an LA Lakers shirt, one is National Guard (I’m not in guard, it was a gift), one is about the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial, a couple are about local festivals, one has the name of a local gun store. One says “P.U.S.H.- Pray Until Something Happens” (it was on sale at a such a low price, I couldn’t resist buying it.)
I felt a little awkward about the PUSH t-shirt at first. But later I realized that if my public behavior is not out of line with a person who believes in prayer, why not?
I decided to read the Ensign magazine while on the treadmill and elliptical machines at the gym. Is that “flaunting” my religion? No, it’s freedom of the press, and freedom to read whatever I want.
Then the April 2006 issue came out, with the painting of the savior on the cover, and I found myself always folding it so the cover was on the inside while carrying it, so as not to “flaunt”. But then I felt ashamed that I was ashamed of being seen with a magazine with a painting of the Savior on it.
I think the problem is not the name, likeness, or symbolism of Jesus Christ, or his teachings. I think a problem would be empty symbolism. It would be a problem if one’s attitude, behavior or speech were in obvious contradiction to the teachings of Him who one is “advertising.”
Jesus said that we should not be ashamed of him, or of his name. And if we feel like conveying some part of His message through a button, t-shirt, bumper-sticker, and are striving to live according to that message, then we should remember that we have an inherent Freedom of Speech to convey that message. (side: It’s an inalienable inherent right protected by our consitution, not granted by our constituion.)
May 10th, 2006 16:00
Bookslinger: “What about our covenant to take upon us the Savior’s name?” Isn’t wearing a T-shirt with the name “Jesus” on it a literal manifestation of that?”
I will agree that it is a literal manifestation of that, but in a culture where brand-names mean everything one might say that I’m taking upon me the name of the GAP when I wear a t-shirt with GAP written across the chest. Because of the similarities in form between the GAP shirt and the Jesus shirt they will carry a similar weight of meaning. The Jesus shirt doesn’t make the GAP shirt more serious, the GAP shirt makes the Jesus shirt less meaningful.
It isn’t good to be ashamed of our beliefs, but it also isn’t good to flaunt our beliefs. Perhaps a tricky question is how do we reconcile our covenant to take Christ’s name upon us with the counsel from Matthew 6, that we not let our left hand know what our right hand doeth, and to go into our closets and pray in secret?
May 10th, 2006 16:39
Although the 8 cow T-shirt is tempting!
, I wouldn’t wear one of the T-shirts in question. But, I’m not offended by those that wear them, am amused by some, and would probably not object if a child of mine wanted to wear some sort of stripling warrior T-shirt. I think that, like Blain mentioned in #13, I have repented of condescending attitudes towards those “who understand God differently and show their devotion differently.”
In places like the Philippines and some Latin American countries, it is very common to see banners or stickers referring to Christ, and even pictures of Christ (or the Virgin Mary) painted on the privately owned vehicles used for public transportation. I came to regard those expressions of belief as sincere attempts to show that the owner/driver was 1) a believing Christian, 2) not ashamed of his beliefs, 2) desirous of sharing his beliefs, and 3) aware that most of those who saw or rode his jeepney/bus would be sympathetic rather than offended by the explicit expression of faith. I personally found it quite heartening and even inspiring. It is not surprising that our missionary efforts tend to go well in those countries now that the dominant religion has lost some of its power and control. Many who already believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior are eager to learn more about his true nature, and that his gospel has been restored in its fullness.
May 10th, 2006 16:58
You’re right, the GAP t-shirt and the Jesus t-shirt can convey a similar weight of meaning. One would be “taking upon them the name of GAP” while wearing a GAP logo’d t-shirt. One shouldn’t wear a GAP shirt unless one wants to identify with and promote GAP, just like one shouldn’t wear a Jesus t-shirt unless one wants to identify with and promote Jesus.
So I do believe we are “taking upon us the name of” GAP, or Nike, or LA Lakers, or Tommy Hilfiger when we wear their names on our clothing. And sometimes, there is no intent on the part of the wearer. Sometimes a t-shirt is just a t-shirt to them. That could be bad, good, or neutral depending on circumstances.
I have a thing against buying t-shirts with commercial advertising on them unless I actively want to spend my money to promote them. I don’t care to promote overpriced fashion merchandise from Gap, Nike, or Tommy H. If I’m going to be a walking billboard for them, they should give me the t-shirt for free!
Yet I am willing to pay for the priviledge of wearing a t-shirt with the name of my favorite gun store on it.
” but it also isn’t good to flaunt our beliefs.”
Why? How do you mean that? Doesn’t “flaunt” depend more on the mind-set of the person wearing the item? Why should the LDS-related logos or sayings on a t-shirt be restricted to “insider information” like “8-cow wife” or “Stripling Warriors” kind of things?
If I’m willing (and eager) to wear a t-shirt or ball-cap that obviously identifies to everyone that I have other affiliations or fan-dom (for instance, Rush Limbaugh, Republicans, NRA, George Bush, Ted Nugent, Robert A. Heinlein, Albert Einstein, Enya, 3 Stooges, Star Trek, etc.), then, as long as I stay in the bounds of reverence, why couldn’t I wear something that identifies me with Moses, Jesus, Nephi, Moroni, or Joseph Smith?
(The cartoon showing how Moses parts his hair would look cool on a t-shirt. And, I think a T-shirt with a picture of Orin Porter Rockwell with the caption of “Wheat! Wheat!” would be cool, even though that one would be “insider only”.)
Would I be ashamed to be “caught dead” in it? Would I be ashamed to be in the presence of those people, or the Savior in it? Those are the questions I’d ask.
And, we’re also commanded to pray in public in addition to praying in secret.
My experience is that when one is confident and unashamed of their beliefs, other people respect them more. If we act like our beliefs are offensive to other people, then that somehow encourages people to take offense.
A good question then is “How can we be confident and unashamed but not ‘in your face’?”
Is a Jew wearing a star of David or a yarmulke being “in your face”? Is a Muslim woman wearing a hijab being “in your face?” Or a Sikh who wears his turban? Or a Muslim man wearing one of those knit hats?
You might say “Well, those people are required by their religion to self-identify with those items of clothing.” However, by stating that, the implication is that self-identification is a bad thing and one needs a “legitimate excuse” to do it. To which I would counter “freedom of speech allows me to self-identify when I want to, even when I don’t have to.”
May 10th, 2006 21:04
I’d like a t-shirt that said:
—- “Looking for an 8-cow wife
—- on a 2 chicken budget.”
May 10th, 2006 21:36
18 — That sounds more than a little weird. For a while, our ward had the VP of Marketing for one of the major grocery chains in the state, the owner of the local Grocery Outlet, and someone who worked inthe corporate office of the other major grocery chain in our area. Actually, all but the last guy are still in the ward — one in the bishopric, the other on the high council. It did make choosing where to buy groceries a bit of an issue for a few minutes, but not for very long for me — I buy based on cheap.
I think Mormons are just raised to not care for large outward expressions of our faith. Perhaps it comes from our “We’re not Catholic” thing, shown in our plain dress, plain buildings, plain worship music, etc. We want all our expressions to be internal. Which is problematic, because “expression” is outward directed. And also because we’re so PR sensitive in the current Church. I don’t think I’ve thought about this in quite this way — no wonder we’re a little schizzy about this stuff. We’re darned close to a double-bind here.
May 11th, 2006 06:17
Here is another site of interest:
http://www.talkingbibledolls.com/
You can get a Jesus, Moses or Esther doll that talks.
May 11th, 2006 11:54
Living in the South, “Jesus culture” is everywhere. I met a guest speaker at the university I attend who was talking about his book, a photographic survey of religious ‘art’ in the South. My husband served his mission in Mississippi and would often send me pictures of marquees in front of mobile home parks that had Jesus-centric sayings and once even a bus that had ‘next stop-Heaven’ written on it. (I never saw anything that cool on my mission.) We once came across religious graffiti spray-painted on a condemned building. Billboards abound. I’ve been asked while waiting for the train whether or not I’ve accepted Jesus into my life. I suppose that for me, it’s a cultural thing, and I’m not bothered by people who think that such displays show genuine devotion. I work in marketing, and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that there are just so many things out there screaming for attention. If it makes people feel closer to God/Jesus to sprawl it on their chest or their car bumper and declare their ‘brand loyalty’, more power to them. Although I would never be caught dead in a ‘Mormon-themed’ t-shirt, I had many Methodist friends in high school who genuinely took pride in wearing their Jesus t-shirts.
(However, I suppose I must be somewhat sacreligious for a Mormon, though, as I get a kick out of southern religious kitsch. It’s part of the landscape where I live. I even altered a thrift store t-shirt that says “On Fire…For Jesus! Pisgah Baptist Church” to be a maternity shirt. Nothin’ like wearing that on a big preggo belly.)
May 13th, 2006 23:25
My friend has one of those “my bishop rocks!” t-shirts. It elicits even more laughs from those who know that she’s married to the bishop.
As far as decals and bumperstickers, it’s a moot point for us with the need to have a fairly non-decript vehicle. I do like the new kind of magnet-based messages (like the ribbons for various causes) because then you’re not stuck with a “Vote for Echohawk” sticker or a “No on Prop 1″ long after the races and the ballot initiatives are over.
We will purchase greater quantities of CTR stuff than we would otherwise, simply because our daughter’s initials are CTR =)