Let's Buy Jesus!, Religion & Consumer Products Options

[Comptine]

I was shopping at Urban Outfitters and was browsing their non-clothing section. I look around and see a giant pink thing. Upon closer inspection, it was a giant, pink Jesus. The little place tag in front of the item said Eight Ball Jesus. So I shake it and flip it over. Sure enough, it was an eight ball. When I put it down, I felt as if I disrespected one of the most important religious figures in Christianity (I'm not religious). Also, when I browsed through the tees at Urban Outfitters a little later, I found a tee that proclaimed 'Jesus is My Homeboy!'

I've been noticing lately how much of our consumer products are geared towards religious people (Not just Christianity. There was an Eight Ball Buddha and a Jew Unit shirt). Starbucks even started to print phrases from the Bible on their coffee cups.

If you are religious, are you happy to see your religion on products or do you feel as if it's disrespectful? If you aren't religious, do you feel uncomfortable about the influence of religious views?

[*disco infiltrator*]

But their religion is their identity. That's who they are, that's what they believe and know as truth, that's what they want others to follow in as well; why not have something to help spread it and identify themselves with the rest of the group? It happens in many, many other things in our culture {emo, preppy, goth, race, nationality}. It's not offensive to make shirts saying, "Italitan Guys Are Hot", such as one I have, but it is to make shirts about Jesus? Is it only because it's Jesus? Why does it matter that people make money off of it; our entire foundation is built on money. We pay for EVERYTHING, and if people want to identify themselves with a certain religion, then they're probably going to have to pay for that too.