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LCCC atheists put up ‘gay Jesus’ poster

Jason Hawk | The Chronicle-Telegram

ELYRIA — Jesus Christ had a homosexual relationship?

Those words, written on a poster above the image of a topless man tenderly kissing Jesus on the neck, angered dozens of students Thursday night at Lorain County Community College.

“We had complaints all day,” said Amanda Lucero, a senior who also works at The Student Connection. “It’s sexually graphic. It’s very suggestive, and it still would be if it were a man and a woman.”

The sign went up about 4 p.m. in College Center student commons as part of Club Awareness Week, along with many other displays advertising student-run extracurricular organizations.

Students stopped to gawk, then grew angry and very vocal about the statement made by the poster.

Campus security guards said offended undergrads voiced complaints for about three straight hours, but the sign remained up because it didn’t present a security issue.

“You can’t portray Jesus like that. He believes in matrimony, that relationships like that should be done inside matrimony,” sophomore Brianna Holland said.


				CHUCK HUMEL / CHRONICLE
				The poster that was put on display Thursday by Activists for Atheism at LCCC.

She said she believes homosexuality is wrong because she is a Christian, but she also said she is proud that her religion teaches tolerance and acceptance.

“I have a lot of homosexual friends. I’m not going to tell them they’re going to hell. That’s something they have to take care of between them and God,” Holland said.

Student aide Jessica Hodge said she felt the poster would “pollute the minds” of her children, ages 2 and 5, if they saw it.

“It looks like soft-core pornography,” she said. “I don’t think they’re making a statement at all. They just want to shock everyone.”

A Christian, Hodge said she doesn’t try to force her opinions on others. Questioning religion is fine, but mocking it isn’t, she said.

Lucero said the LCCC student handbook agrees, and pointed out a part of the school code that says, “Harassing any person(s) verbally, in writing, by graphic illustration, or physically, including any abuse, defamatory comments, signs or signals intended to mock or ridicule race, religion, age, sex, color, disability, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin” is not allowed.

“In higher education, we certainly respect all viewpoints. There is debate, and there are different perspectives,” Marcia Ballinger, LCCC’s vice president, said. “Controversy on a college campus from students is something that is inherent to free speech.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean she agrees with the message of the poster.

Christopher Burns is the secretary and treasurer of the campus Activists for Atheism club, which put up the poster.

He said it wasn’t intended to mock religion. Instead, the poster was meant to stir debate about Christianity by referencing a passage of the Bible that was allegedly cut out by early Christians.

Burns said most Christians have never heard of the Secret Gospel of Mark, which was found inscribed in a letter by Greek historian Clement of Alexandria. The letter has been disputed for decades and is now lost, with only photographs of the passages remaining for study.

One text from the letter hints that the Bible’s account of Mark’s gospel originally told the tale of Jesus raising a man from the dead and then having an intimate relationship with him, said Aaron Weaver, a senior at LCCC and president of the college atheist club.

“The purpose of the poster is to get students to see something they haven’t seen before,” he said. “The chances are it challenges them to challenge something they thought they knew.”

Sure, the poster was attention-seeking, but ultimately Weaver said he just wanted to create enough buzz to get people debating and thinking about why they believe what they believe.

“I understand that people will be offended. People will sometimes be offended for the most ridiculous of reasons,” he said.

He said his fellow students have the right to practice their religions and to express themselves in any way they choose.

He said he was shocked to learn the college had a policy that bans students from mocking religion, or any idea, for that matter. The policy is a clear violation of the First Amendment, Weaver said.

Sophomore Dejoune Grantham said the poster is libelous and blasphemous, and in her opinion it isn’t protected by the First Amendment.

“I don’t want my children walking through here and seeing that. It’s filthy,” she said.

Another sophomore, Amber Cales, said the poster was in a public place, and it was easily seen by anyone who passed. She said that took away her right as a parent to shield her children from controversial ideas.

She said she also felt the poster was just taking a pot-shot at Christianity instead of protesting all religious expression.

“You know if it was something about Judaism or Islam, it wouldn’t be tolerated,” she said.

A student named Zach Jefferson, who Weaver said is not a member of the atheist group, decided about 7:30 p.m. to take down the poster, but he wouldn’t say why.

Laura Nash, president of the Student Senate, said she wasn’t surprised at the outrage so many students voiced.

She said anyone offended should write a complaint and submit it to the Campus Life Division or campus security.

Weaver said anyone offended by the poster has never read the Bible.

“The Bible is full of gross sexuality, rape, murder. If you’ve read through the Old Testament, you’d be disgusted,” he said.

He said he received permission from Student Life officers to put up the poster but was denied permission to place smaller versions on bulletin boards.

And Weaver said he didn’t just take a shot at Christianity. On Wednesday, he put up a picture of the prophet Mohammed — an act strictly forbidden in the Islamic faith.

He said that about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, he received a death threat in response to the picture, which read, “With love and missiles.” He took the picture down, turned over the note to campus security officers and went home.

“I put myself at risk, but I do so freely. I don’t let fear or the threat of death stop me from speaking my mind freely,” he said.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.


Filed by Jason Hawk \| The Chronicle-Telegram August 22nd, 2008 in Top Stories. Popularity: 45%	Email this story Print this story Read comments and discuss this story Report an innappropriate comment

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Comments

Comment from Dan S.
August 22, 2008, 2:47 am

““You can’t portray Jesus like that. He believes in matrimony, that relationships like that should be done inside matrimony,” sophomore Brianna Holland said.”

Sorry to get technical, but wasn’t Jesus born as the result of an out of wedlock pregnancy?

Wouldn’t that make him a… you know… where the mommy and daddy aren’t married to each other…

OK, God’s an adulterer, yet he hates fags according to the bible thumpers?

Comment from johnbear
August 22, 2008, 5:47 am

Great start to a career by these liberal, do-nothing punks.They’re only upset because they couldn’t get into Oberlin College to display their trash. This doesn’t deserve another inch of newspaper space in the future. Post stuff and receive death threats. Tit for Tat. Too bad.

Comment from WaynRahuu
August 22, 2008, 6:43 am

Its freedom of speach, thought everyone like that, guess when it is your voice you trying to shout… but this isn’t as bad as the Jesus freaks on the corner or coming to your house.

Comment from me
August 22, 2008, 6:52 am

“Atheism” - denies the major claims of all varieties of theism. In the words of Ernest Nagel, a atheist, “Atheism denies the existence of a self-consistent, omnipotent, omniscient, righteous and benevolent being who is distinct from and independent of what has been created” (philosophy,2008,p251).

These students that hung up this picture just disproved that they are atheist. A true atheist would not even acknowledge Jesus as a Savior, maybe a person but not as a god. These students just admitted they believe in something, “theism”.

Hopefully, these students will receive an education while at LCCC and learn the difference between an atheist and pop cultural shock.

Comment from justsaying
August 22, 2008, 7:17 am

*Maranatha*

“As understood here (”O Lord, come!”), it is a
prayer for the early return of Christ

Comment from Aaron.Weaver
August 22, 2008, 8:02 am

To the comment left at 6:52 am by “me”: I AM an Atheists, and do not actually believe in the existence of Jesus Christ. (Luckily for me, quite a bit of scholarly evidence presides over that idea). It was a discussion topic about scripture. Get over it.

To the mothers who are so dramatic about it offending their children: If you plan to keep your children away from the scholarly pursuit of knowledge and understanding, then you are a wretched mother. How dare you keep your children in ignorance so blatantly…. you should be ashamed of yourselves.

If anyone outraged would like to have a formal debate about the poster (or anything for that matter) feel free to contact my email, and we can set it up. (campus.atheists@gmail.com). If not, then keep displaying your anti-free speech messages, you fascist crackpots.

You do not have the right to NOT be offended. Offense is a CHOICE - and in this case, it’s a silly one.

Comment from Tim
August 22, 2008, 8:21 am

A true atheist would not care enough about a mjor religion to ridicule it in such a juvenile manner. These half-wits think that they’re being intelligent just because they’re creating controversy. Sorry, but the intelligent students your age left Elyria a while ago, ladies and gentlemen. There is a difference between creating a dialogue or debate and just trying to make headlines by intentionally being abusive.

Get a life. Jesus called. He said you suck.

Comment from crystal forest
August 22, 2008, 8:23 am

What a great catch ME….It gives me some hope for this boy just for the mere fact he does recognize JESUS.

I do have the right to be offended and do have the right to encourage my daughter to pick a different school to obtain her nursing degree.

Aaron you are allowed your beliefs. I question my own at times. But why are you so angry by mothers who disagree with you. Why call them names? This is their freedom of speech. Are you not a fascist as well?

Comment from crystal forest
August 22, 2008, 8:29 am

Aaron I thought the following would be a better way to get your self noticed;

Ways To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars.
See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The In tercom. Don’t Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over
their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write ‘ For Marijuana’..

7. Finish All Your sentences with ‘In Accordance With The Prophecy’.

9. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is ‘To Go’.

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can’t Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream ‘I Won! I Won!’

18. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling ‘Run For Your Lives!
They’re Loose!’

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, ‘Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have
To Let One Of You Go.’

20 And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity

Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile.
It’ s Called … THERAPY

This email and any attachments are only for use by the intended recipient(s) and may contain legally privileged, confidential, proprietary or otherwise private information. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, dissemination, distribution or other disclosure of the contents of this e-mail or its attachments is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original.

————– Forwarded Message: ————–
From: Jennifer Tamayo
To: Candi Brown , Kara Burke , cynthiacharles@sbcglobal.net, Dana , Robin Edens , Michele Gluch , Stacie Groll , Mom and Dad Groll , Colleen Hale , LISA Harjak , GABRIELLA INDINDOLI , Trisha Jenkins , jiggin073@yahoo.com, Joey , Chrissy Kelley , Lady Di , Lindsey Martin , Sandra Martinez , Janet McDonough , Shannon Minder , Kim Moore , Brian & Jody Pruitt , sharonflysata@aol.com, Sheryl Smith , Symone , Terry Tamayo , tammi webb , Brooke Wise , dani_hruby@comcast.net
Subject: 20 Ways to Keep a Healthy Level of Insanity
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:11:44 +0000

20 Ways To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity