# Nordic Jesus **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 12, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425 "2010-11-12T14:47:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/1 "2010-11-12T14:47:03Z")
I have seen in several websites belonging to Mormons a picture of Jesus that makes me scratch my head. He looks like somebody Hitler would be proud to have over for tea.[See here](http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee180/juliewuliee/4.jpg). Can somebody explain to me why Jesus is blond and Teutonic-looking? I understand if Renaissance artists did it, but in this time and age? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/2 "2010-11-12T15:07:27Z")
Everyone wants a Jesus that looks like them. It makes him easier to love. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/3 "2010-11-12T15:11:18Z")
[Recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=582175). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/4 "2010-11-12T15:29:55Z")
Why can you understand when Rennaisance artists did it but not when we do it? ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/5 "2010-11-12T15:47:55Z")
It makes it easier to answer the question not only of “When is this dude coming back?,” but “Will I actually let him in?”. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/6 "2010-11-12T16:11:10Z")
It is largly due to plain ole bigotry. Religious people seem to need their gods and man-gods to look like them, not the ‘others’. I recall several years ago in Dallas, I believe, a theater group was running Jesus Christ Superstar and cast an african american as JC. The ticket people recall getting many calls of people saying they would not see the show until they got a ‘proper’ actor for the lead. I haven’t been able to find anything online about this, but it propably happened some time in the early 90’s. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/7 "2010-11-12T16:21:57Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Why can you understand when Rennaisance artists did it but not when we do it? Ignorance. Bigotry was also not as offensive to as many people. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/8 "2010-11-12T16:33:24Z")
> [@Cumberdale](#): > > It is largly due to plain ole bigotry. Religious people seem to need their gods and man-gods to look like them, not the ‘others’. Reminds me of that quote by that Greek philosopher: “If horses had gods, their gods would look like horses.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/9 "2010-11-12T17:51:45Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Everyone wants a Jesus that looks like them. It makes him easier to love. In that case, why does he so often look like a damn hippie? 😉 BTW, the picture the OP linked to is not what I’d call “blond.” ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/10 "2010-11-12T18:47:58Z")
What is he supposed to look like then? I bet the actual Jesus looked like a swarthy Danny DeVito but, being the earthly manifestation of the all-mighty God, he chooses to look like whatever the current day ideal is, keeping only the trademark hair and beard so he is easily identified. Back in the 60’s, when I was a kid, it struck me as odd that Jesus was depicted as bearded and long haired, the very things the church-going folks I knew hated. Apparently it’s the hair that makes the Jesus, the rest is open to interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/11 "2010-11-15T06:54:42Z")
As I’ve pointed out in other threads, it is Paul who claimed that long hair on a man was disgraceful, and he reported seeing the resurrected Jesus, so one can assume that Jesus did not have long hair, unless that’s why it was disgraceful. Of course, there are different definitions of long. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/12 "2010-11-15T09:24:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > BTW, the picture the OP linked to is not what I’d call “blond.” Yeah, if that’s what the people in the other recent thread call “blond”, the default hair color for Spaniards isn’t “brown”. I wouldn’t even call the hair on that pic “light brown”… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/13 "2010-11-15T12:33:54Z")
What kind of bindings does Nordic Jesus use? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/14 "2010-11-15T12:53:48Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Yeah, if that’s what the people in the other recent thread call “blond”, the default hair color for Spaniards isn’t “brown”. I wouldn’t even call the hair on that pic “light brown”… Yeah, my bad. I have seen pictures of blond Jesus, that one is not one though. But that dude is clearly not middle-eastern (as they would look at the time). In fact he looks Northern European, possibly Nordic. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/15 "2010-11-15T12:56:08Z")
Apparently,[Jesus actually looked like one of the kings at the Argonath](http://www.metro.co.uk/news/846371-jesus-statue-in-poland-is-worlds-biggest): ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/16 "2010-11-16T00:31:31Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > I have seen in several websites belonging to Mormons a picture of Jesus that makes me scratch my head. He looks like somebody Hitler would be proud to have over for tea.[See here](http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee180/juliewuliee/4.jpg). > > Can somebody explain to me why Jesus is blond and Teutonic-looking? I understand if Renaissance artists did it, but in this time and age? He looks like a biker. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/17 "2010-11-16T00:58:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Of course, there are different definitions of long. That’s what _I_ said! ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/18 "2010-11-16T02:29:17Z")
The most famous picture of Jesus is Warner Sallman’s _The Head of Christ_: > **[Warner Sallman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Sallman)** > > Warner Elias Sallman (April 30, 1892 – May 25, 1968) was an American painter from Chicago best known for his works of Christian religious imagery. He also worked in commercial advertising, as well as in freelance illustration. He is most associated with his portrait of Jesus, Head of Christ, of which more than 500 million copies have been sold. In 1994, The New York Times wrote that he was likely to be voted the "best-known artist of the century". > Warner Elias Sallman was born on April 30, 1892... In fact, there are some estimates that it’s the most reproduced picture of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/19 "2010-11-17T22:56:32Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > It makes it easier to answer the question not only of “When is this dude coming back?,” but “Will I actually let him in?”. I love this. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425/20 "2010-11-18T03:36:08Z")
For a compendium of the many faces of the Lord, [check this out!](http://www.jesusoftheweek.com/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nordic-jesus/560425.md?page=2)