A poster in the southern Spanish city of Seville that depicts a young, handsome, Jesus wearing only a loincloth has unleashed a storm on social media.

A poster in the southern Spanish city of Seville that depicts a young, handsome Jesus wearing only a loincloth has unleashed a storm on social media, with some calling it an affront to the figure of Christ and others posting lewd remarks and memes poking fun at the image.

The poster by internationally recognized Seville artist Salustiano García Cruz shows a fresh-faced Jesus without a crown of thorns, no suffering face and minuscule wounds on the hands and ribcage. It was commissioned and approved by the General Council of Brotherhoods, which organizes the renowned and immensely popular Holy Week processions ahead of Easter in Seville.

As soon as it was unveiled last week criticism of it went viral on social media and a debate erupted over how a resurrected Christ should be depicted. Many called it a disgrace, inappropriate, too pretty, modernist and out of line with Seville’s Easter tradition.

Spain is predominantly Catholic and church traditions such as marriage, baptisms and religious parades are immensely popular both among believers and nonbelievers. A campaign on Change.org to have the poster of Jesus withdrawn was signed by some 14,000 people from around the country.

  • queermunist she/her
    75·
    10 months ago

    I’m fascinated by the decolonization of Christianity, because it’s clear that (at the time) the Jesus movement was revolutionary and political. The Jesus movement wasn’t just a sectarian split from Judaism, it was a rebellion against both the Roman empire and the doctrine of an elite chosen people, presenting salvation universally to the masses. For the first time, everyone could be saved as long as they were faithful. That’s why the ruling class killed him.

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
      4·
      10 months ago

      For the first time, everyone could be saved as long as they were faithful. That’s why the ruling class killed him.

      Really? Which text says that?

      • queermunist she/her
        53·
        10 months ago

        16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

        17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

        18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,

        19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

        20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

        21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

        22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

        23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

        24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

        25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

        26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

        That was the whole point of the Jesus movement. I should clarify, “faithful” in the sense that they not only believe but also are loyal and trust God will save them. That’s a radical message! No more was salvation only for the chosen people, it was for everyone.

        Of course, Christians today don’t seem to remember this passage lol

        • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
          2·
          10 months ago

          The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

          He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

          Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

          For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;

          Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

          Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]homosexuals, nor [b]sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

          Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

          I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

          Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

          Noticed how my passages reinforce my point and yours did not? Consistent message in the NT is that authority is to be obeyed. That to use your mind or assert any dignity for yourself leads to hell. Instead you are to blindly obey. It is about as revolutionary as Stalinism.

          • queermunist she/her
            22·
            10 months ago

            Let me clarify something: I am not saying anyone should follow Jesus today. He was a man born over 2000ish years ago, obviously by today’s standards it’s not revolutionary at all. My only point was that the Jesus movement was radical at the time, which is why he was killed.

            Also, what do you mean I didn’t address your point? He said anyone who is “with god” can be saved, which contradicted the ruling class at the time. At the time salvation was reserved for the chosen people, essentially a caste system, so no matter how godly or faithful a gentile was they could not be saved. He broke those barriers and that, for the time, was a radical departure from mainstream religious teaching.

            • HACKthePRISONS@kolektiva.social
              1·
              10 months ago

              hey, you don’t need this shit.

              youre smart and savvy and your talents are better spent on the other threads i’ve seen you dominate.

              this guy isn’t worth your time.

            • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
              21·
              10 months ago

              He was a man born over 2000ish years ago

              Why can’t you tell me the year he was born? Also what city was he born in? What was the name of his dad?

              My only point was that the Jesus movement was radical at the time

              In what way? And how do you know that? Because the only sources we have for him on what he supposedly said don’t say what you are communicating.

              which is why he was killed.

              Again. How do you know that? The only sources we have make it out that he was claiming the throne. King of the Jews. Wanting to be a dictator doesn’t mean you have bold new ideas about society.

              He said anyone who is “with god” can be saved, which contradicted the ruling class at the time. At the time salvation was reserved for the chosen people, essentially a caste system, so no matter how godly or faithful a gentile was they could not be saved. He broke those barriers and that, for the time, was a radical departure from mainstream religious teaching.

              No. There are were multiple Jewish afterlife ideas at the time. Including that there was no afterlife, that there would be an afterlife someday but not now, that there was a vague sleeping like state afterlife, a more traditional heaven-hell afterlife system, and the one Judaism has today with temporary hell. All of this is documented in the works of Pliny, the Talmud, Josphius and you can even see the arguments when Paul was talking about the bodily resurrection in his letters. There is no strain of thought that put the chosen people as the only ones capable of going to heaven even amongst the minority of believers in heaven.

              Plus full monotheism wasn’t a thing yet for them, that would take another 3 centuries. The Jews had their God, and other tribes had their own.

              So where did this idea of only choose people get to go to heaven come from? Christianity. We see James arguing that people have to convert first to Judaism and then become Christians while Paul arguing that you could bypass that step if you were hetro and cis.

              If there were a historical Jesus, which again super unlikely, the only idea he invented was ideological purity as a means of salvation over acts of kindness or even just allowing a person to be a freethinker. He invented Stalinism. A society that rewards the ability to echo back the right ideas over character, thought, or merit and what’s more he is very blunt about it.