Outrage as Jesus portrayed as transsexual woman
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Independent Minds
The creator of a controversial play which depicts Christ returned to earth as a female transsexual has accused critics of misinterpreting her work. Nearly 300 people picketed the opening night of Jesus, Queen of Heaven at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow this week, part of the city’s publicly funded annual Glasgay! arts festival.
Protesters lit candles, sang hymns and brandished placards saying: "Jesus, King of Kings, Not Queen of Heaven" and "God: My Son Is Not A Pervert." But the play’s writer and sole performer Jo Clifford, who is herself transgender and a committed Christian, has been deeply shocked by the reaction to the play.
She said opponents, who had not seen the piece, were wrong to condemn her and had misunderstood her intentions. She said: “I think it is very sad that the protest has enlisted Christians who have difficulties with gays and transsexuals. I wanted to point out that this does not have any foundation in the Bible. The people who angered Jesus were the scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites – the people who were deeply prejudiced those who passed judgment on people they did not know.”
The 59-year-old playwright from Edinburgh, formerly known as John Clifford, switched genders nine years ago following the death of her partner with whom she had two children. Her specially commissioned play, which was described by one reviewer as “overburdened by its ambition and a central characterisation that could inspire no-one” has a capacity audience of just 25. Since the publicity over the protests it has sold all remaining seats until the run comes to an end on Saturday
Organisers hope it could transfer to another theatre, festival or even church but have grown increasingly dismayed at the tone of the reaction in a city which recently reported a 32 per cent rise in homophobic attacks. Ms Clifford’s next play Every One is due to open at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum next year.
The festival’s press agent Alan Miller said: “This is really not what we anticipated. We understood it was a provocative subject and there might be some problems though we never imagined protests like this. There have been a lot of complaints to the theatre but Jo has received a lot of positive correspondence and support on phone-ins as well.”
However, a spokesman for Archbishop Mario Conti, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, said it was “difficult to imagine a more provocative and offensive abuse of Christian beliefs.”
He said it was particularly troubling following an earlier exhibition at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art as part of the same festival which encouraged visitors to write comments on a Bible which he described as “part of an agenda to mock Christianity”.
"Far from combating prejudice, productions like this reinforce stereotypes. Organisers should realise that you do not promote tolerance of the minority by offending and insulting the majority,” the spokesman said.
A local quango, Culture and Sport Glasgow, received £25,000 in a grant from the city council towards the cost of the festival now in its 16th year which attracts 25,000 art fans. But opponents have questioned why it is continuing to receive funding while other budgets are being cut. Among those taking part in the protest on Tuesday was Pastor Jack Bell of the protestant Zion Baptist Church who has previously led opposition against Jerry Springer, the Musical as well as stars such as Billy Connolly and Marilyn Manson over alleged blasphemy. He told reporters: “If this play had treated the prophet Mohammed in the same way there would have been a strong reaction from the Islamic community, but that just wouldn't happen.”
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Comments
try thinking of the entire universe as a hologram, including God an everything; we are merely pieces of that hologram and the whole can be seen in us; that does not require faith in Mr. bar Joseph; who was a messenger from Above; label it as you will. me, I'm not interested in labels
Material for the play might be based on Jo Clifford's switch from man to woman.
Of course it's perfectly feasible for "Our Lord" to do the same as Clifford.
Last time on earth he was a man, this time he could be a woman, having changed gender in the intervening period.
To a christian, the koran states that Jesus wasn't crucified and it denies the divinity of Jesus too. This should be far more offensive to christians but I don't see them picketing outside mosques.
Christianity is one of the past phases Islam (the religion of those who submit to God). The languages of Islam are Hebrew (Jewish era), Aramaic (Christian era) and Arabic (the final era). The prophets in Islam start from Adam all the way to the last prophet Mohamed. And on to the next but final phase of mankind, ruled over by Jesus, when he returns.
Obviously, the phases of the religion are chronologic separated and there is no looking forward from one phase to the next; Jews dont recognise Christians and Muslims; Christians dont recognise Muslims.
Freedom of speech is not completely free/open by law (as you have assumed), its a limited freedom.
The author is going to be in trouble if Muslims find out about this twisted mockery of the most talked about and revered prophet in the Koran...
All Abrahamic religions are male orientated. God create Adam not Eve. When angels (non humans and genderless) appear in the presence of humans, they come only in male form. All prophets are male and so on...
One thing however is certain. Jesus was a Jew who followed all the ancient Hebrew laws.Given the condemnation given to homosexuals in Leviticus & Deuteronomy, it is highly unlikely that Jesus would have approved of same sex relationships.
But why wouldn't a Jesus returned to earth have political & social attitudes in keeping with the times? Makes as much sense to me as the myths of the Virgin Birth & the Resurrection.
Religion is timeless. Its core subject is relationships between you and God, parents, spouse, family, neighbours, the needy etc etc. So it doesnt matter what century you live in, its valid.
Yes he will live in todays environment but he will scrap the Roman version of Christainity and restore his original Word of God message.
ps, I completely disagree with the mocking of Jesus as transsexual.
Hate laws are fine as long as they work both ways??
Straightway, while I was contemplating these things, behold, the heavens opened and the whole creation which is below heaven shone, and the world was shaken. I was afraid, and behold I saw in the light a youth who stood by me. While I looked at him, he became like an old man. And he changed his likeness (again), becoming like a servant. There was not a plurality before me, but there was a likeness with multiple forms in the light, and the likenesses appeared through each other, and the likeness had three forms.
He said to me, "John, John, why do you doubt, or why are you afraid? You are not unfamiliar with this image, are you? - that is, do not be timid! - I am the one who is with you (pl.) always. I am the Father, I am the Mother, I am the Son. I am the undefiled and incorruptible one.
Straightway, while I was contemplating these things, behold, the heavens opened and the whole creation which is below heaven shone, and the world was shaken. I was afraid, and behold I saw in the light a youth who stood by me. While I looked at him, he became like an old man. And he changed his likeness (again), becoming like a servant. There was not a plurality before me, but there was a likeness with multiple forms in the light, and the likenesses appeared through each other, and the likeness had three forms.
He said to me, "John, John, why do you doubt, or why are you afraid? You are not unfamiliar with this image, are you? - that is, do not be timid! - I am the one who is with you (pl.) always. I am the Father, I am the Mother, I am the Son. I am the undefiled and incorruptible one.
So all you christians please shut up; all your bibilcal fairy stories have caused nothing but epic wars, death and destruction throughout the ages, all in the name of 'love'. GIVE ME A BREAK.
And Jesus portrayed as a woman is far less fantastical than all that old testament clap trap. 7 days to create the world? UTTER CRAP.
I can tell you (this time not from heaven) - you make me very happy,
it's not easy for you poor humans to see God's plan - but seeing you
produce and enjoy these blasphemous acts is already part of God's final solution.
Train yourself in resisting your maker, how else will Zombieland ever become reality?
Best wishes to each of you, may the hunger no longer thirst you, let there be plenty for
all of God's children, even in your family, Amen.
And this is exactly what so-called transsexuals are doing as they attempt to fit themselves into another pre-existing category other than the one they were born via chemical alteration and surgical mutilation. They're just chopping off other parts.
As for female and male being illusory, are you high? Neither of us would be here without the two very different sexes, whom btw, also serve very distinct and necessary functions in the progression of humanity beyond mere procreation. Also the allusion to fascism is lame. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to live their own life.
I wonder what would happen to a play that dared to mock judaism, or expose the ugly side of Zionism. I guess bravery ends some way before that. -Easier and safer to mock Christian beliefs. Yawn.
I wonder what would happen if they questioned the official figures of the holocaust.
As for Jesus, it seems to me that we in the West have made him in our own image anyway. He was a Jew and we represent him as a slightly hippyish blond with blues eyes. That is a Jesus made in our Caucasian image because we can relate to such a Jesus better. This transgender woman is a Christian and she has made Jesus in her own image so that she can relate to him better. Many black Christians have made Jesus black. Likewise, gay people might make him gay - or lesbian. It's really a question of fashioning a Jesus who you can relate to. It's the message that matters surely, not the image we create. This, it seems to me, has nothing to do with insulting Jesus. It is more a question of her fashioning a Jesus who she might feel comfortable with.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter
I regret this post isn't really about the play itself - which was a very powerful political act and a privilege to experience - but rather about the protesters outside who were calling the piece blasphemous and demanding that it be closed down. Let me say up front that I’m not denying these protesters the right to free speech – which is exactly the same right that I’m using in writing this – but their actions are as close to ‘inciting hatred’ as I’ve ever seen in person.
As the title suggests, I'm finding it difficult to reason why these protesters anger me as much as they do - I really don't care what they think of gay people, transsexuals or any other minority for that matter. I'm not religious in any way – although I have the utmost respect for people who do have a real faith - so their placards and words mean nothing to me. I think my main grievance is two-fold - I know that there are people out there who so desperately want to resolve their religion and their sexuality/gender identity and I also know that homophobes, bigots and ‘those kinds of people’ latch on to protests such as this to legitimise their prejudice by cloaking it in theology.
To the first group – the reconcilers – please know that these people aren’t Christians in any meaningful sense of the word. We all known the biblical quotes about loving thy neighbour and not judging others, as well as the condemnation of hypocrites and the self-righteous, although I’m not convinced by talking a quote for quote approach to this debate. If these people do represent what it is to be Christian, then it’s no wonder that their numbers have dwindled so rapidly in recent decades. Imagine a young person seeing that as the face of Christianity – their inner struggle of faith just became a lot easier! So, to those trying to reconcile their religion and sexuality, speak to people who know a lot more about these issues than I do – such as the Metropolitan Community Church in Glasgow.
To the homophobes who use these protests to back up their narrow-minded beliefs, I’d urge you to find a stronger basis for your prejudices or, if you can’t, abandon them. This play isn’t saying that Jesus was transsexual – it’s asking the question of what if she/he had been. The answer to that simple question is that the world would probably be a much more tolerant and inclusive place. I’d go further to say that it’s the job of theatre and the arts to ask such questions and expose these thinly disguised prejudices – how else do we move forward? And to the cries of “you wouldn’t attack Muslims in this way” – well, a) this play isn’t attacking Christianity, it’s just imagining a better form of it and b) we live in a predominantly Christian society and therefore it is perfectly legitimate to ask these questions here – it would be inappropriate to question Christianity in a Muslim country, or Islam in ours. There’s a world of difference between posing questions of a predominant religion and attacking minority cultures or beliefs.
I’ll end by making my own act of confession – had it not been for the protests around this play I, as a non-religious person, probably wouldn’t have gone to see it. I’m wholehearted glad that I did, though for me it was more of an exercise of political protest than a desire to reimagine a system that I don’t believe in to begin with. So what did these protesters actually achieve? They animated me as a political being to speak out once again against such intolerance.