I don’t find it offensive. It sorta’ reinforces the idea that the wearer and Jesus are of a like mind.
Now a hijack: Last week at a mall, I saw a young girl[appeared to be 13 or 14 y.o.] shopping with Mom. The girl had on a pink T-shirt bearing the words, “I Love Christian Boys.” The sentiment intrigued me. Was she looking for a future mate of like religious leanings? Was it really a spoof of some sort? I now wonder if there was something printed on the back that would’ve clarified the front. The shirt appeared to be a mass-market type, not something you’d have one of made at some shop. I couldn’t possibly have approached her to ask what the deal was with the shirt, she or Mom would’ve freaked[who wouldn’t, I guess] Anyone seen this shirt, or have thoughts as to its meaning?
Atheist weighing in. I don’t find it offensive. I’m in agreement with others that think the tight-assed end of the Christian spectrum would find it offensive, but I think we’ve already seen evidence of that.
Seriously, if you think it might offend, then choose your location for wearing it carefully, but go ahead and buy it if you want. Just like any other message T-shirt, you take the risk of offending someone.
That may be your opinion, but you have no right to force it on others.
I personally believe that Roadwalker has it right. Most others are giving their personal opinions. Why are atheists chiming in, their opinion is meaningless in this context.
I’m a Christian, and I don’t really find the shirt offensive. I do think it’s goofy. And it shouldn’t be pink. And I would never, ever be caught wearing it.
For what it’s worth, several of my Catholic friends have considered buying a “Mary Is My Homegirl” shirt. See my comments above.
In the Word, Jesus is described as a friend who sticks closer than a brother. If that’s not the archaic definition of “homeboy” I don’t know what is. As one Assemblies of God member to another, I don’t find the shirt offensive. I would, however, advise caution when wearing around tightly wound people of either Christian or African-American persuasions, as people with chips on shoulders tend to kneejerk over things like this.
My daughter has a T-shirt like that, except her T-shirt is black with white letters.
She gets compliments on her shirt from Episcopalian priests, members of faith-based volunteer groups, such as Reach Workscamp staff, and from Evangelical Christians. My daughter is fairly devout, and she takes her faith seriously.
It’s not offensive, but it’s ridiculous. Remember that Onion article called “Man, That Teen Abstinence Rally Totally Rocked!”? Yeah, it’s like that, but times a million.
As evidenced by this thread, anything but the most reverential praise possible is going to offend some Christian somewhere and that same praise is going to offend some non-Christian theist or atheist.
Some people just go through life offended. Ignore them and wear whatever the hell you want. Does some stranger’s righteously indignant opinion really mean that much to you?
When I was growing up in the rural South, a “home boy” was any male who had grown up in our town. It was not a racial term then. I think it is still used in that way by some people.
I don’t know that people of color would be particularly offended by the use of “homeboy” or “homey” by a white person. They are not of one mind.
Neither are Christians. Some would be offended for one reason and some for another. Some wouldn’t be offended at all. Still others might find it a little uplifting. You never know.
I understand your not wanting to offend other Christians. Just remember that some are offended if you wear pants, makeup or cut your hair. Some Christians are offended if a woman works outside the home when she has children or if she leads church activities.
I am a Christian and I find the t-shirt to be unpleasant – but that’s a personal thing. I don’t disagree with the message; I just wince when I see religious messages on t-shirts or street signs. My taste is offended, not my beliefs.
Hmmm, maybe I should elaborate. I guess what I’m saying is that attempts to make Christianity look “hip” always come off as contrived and ludicrous. It’s a RELIGION. It’s not supposed to be hip; it’s supposed to be something you do so you don’t burn in hell, or get your chakras out of alignment, or get eaten by gatekeeping monsters in the afterlife or whatever.
It’s like the Christian rock scene. Not all Christian music is bad. Bach, for example, did lots of Christian stuff. A lot of folk songs about Jesus are pretty decent. I’m not a big gospel fan, but I can respect it because it sounds honest and comes from the heart. The problem with Christian rock is that most of it is an attempt to imitate existing popular music in a way that will lure kids to the “Word of God.” The amount of actual artistic expression in the music doesn’t seem like a big concern to Christian rockers. Note, for example, how the entire genre is lumped together by subject matter rather than musical style. Rather than being about musical expression, the message of Christian rock to kids is more like, “Do you like Metallica? Then you’ll love ‘Hallelujica!’ Same power chords, but really righteous!”
A shirt saying “Jesus is My Homeboy” is an attempt by the wearer to say, “Hey, look at me! I’m Christian, but I’m COOL!” It’s like how “compassionate conservatism” is an intrinsically defensive term because it implies that much of conservatism is not compassionate. And there is nothing more lame-ass than people who have to tell you how cool they are.
I think you have to ask yourself: Is Jesus your homeboy? Seriously: does the shirt accurately convey your relationship with Christ? Is Jesus a figure you view as a friend, brother, and partner, or do you view him as more of a smitey, fire’n’brimestone deity? Do you think Jesus would be offended by that shirt? That’s not something anyone can answer for you, least of all myself. If you think the shirt is an honest declaration of your faith, go for it. Some people will find it offensive, but so what? Your religion is about you and God, and not about anyone else.
I am an atheist and agree completely with PussyCow’s sentiments. I’m amazed someone could see this as anything other than a joke at His expense. :rolleyes: What is humor? A conflict. The conflict here is that you-- like most sane people-- do not use the word ‘homeboy’. I would bet the farm you don’t. So the shirt is a rather weak joke.
However, the “Mary is My Homegirl” one should be fine.
I’m not sure about the word “Lord” in particular, but King James supposedly ordered the translation of the KJV in order to combat the dastardly egalitarianism of the Puritans who were, inter alia, against the Divine Right of Kings. Therefore, the language of the KJV tended to emphasize the “render unto Caesar” aspects of Christianity a little more than the translations favoured by the Puritans and other groups.
I don’t have a great deal of information on this topic, but perhaps this is enough to allow you to google some more. Let us know if you find anything interesting…
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