Easily Offended

It seems like, constantly, all I hear about from Christian groups is "I can't believe that they would be able to show/write/draw/laugh about/whatever else that....I am SO offended!". Every time a movie comes out that includes the smallest hint of a "Christian joke", or a song that depicts God in a untraditional way, Christians get up in arms and begs people to sign petitions or to boycott certain movies, shows or artists. I say. take a joke people. seriously, get off of your high horse and stop getting offended at EVERYTHING!
When the movie Bruce Almighty came out, there was an uproar among many Christians who thought that a movie about a man who recieves God's powers for a short amount of time was unbiblical and heretical. Of course, the people who were "offended" never saw the movie, or else they would have realized that the point of the movie was to show that God is all powerful, and even when we don't understand why he can't just say YES all the time, he is in full control and knows what he is doing. The movie Year One also raged controversy, because it made fun of numerous bible stories. In my opinion, it was fun to watch a movie that shed new, satirical light on bible stories that I have gotten so familiar with that I found boring and no longer impressive. The Da Vinci Code...I don't even have to get into that one too much, as it is likely the most popular "offensive" piece of fiction/movie ever made. Jesus Christ Superstar, Saved, Harry Potter, the list goes on...and that's just movies. Television shows are no better in the minds of most Christians...Family Guy, The Simpsons, South Park...all are obviously from the devil because they include jokes about Christians or God. Now, I'm not saying these are Christian shows (the only one that MAY be is the Simpsons...and that's only because it is created by a Groening, so who knows), but are they from the devil? Well...other than South Park, no i don't think so (and even that I am joking). Songs as well have gotten Christians outraged, "What if God was One of Us", "God is a DJ", and anything by KISS or AC/DC are enough to send us, and especially the artists to hell. It's absolutely ridiculous. Pretty much anything other than Facing the Giants, Fireproof, or the shows Touched by and Angel or Promised Land are considered ok...and I'm sure even they occasionally had something that offended some Christian somewhere. And if the song isn't sung by a CCM artist (oh, and Ray Boltz doesn't count anymore, cause he is gay), it is also evil. GET OVER YOURSELVES PEOPLE!
What Christians need to realize, first of all, is, what is the point of the thing that is offending you. For example, The Da Vinci Code was a WORK OF FICTION. It said so at the start of the book, and was never meant to be taken seriously the way that it was. The TV shows, such as Family Guy, are meant to be funny and are offensive on purpose. They offend everyone, or at least attempt to. It's not a "let's ostracize the Christians" sort of thing, it's a "let's push the buttons and cause controversy" sort of thing. Also...Family Guy is created by an Athiest...do you really think he is going to go out of his way to glorify God and please Christians? of course not. If those things offend you, DON'T Watch Them...but don't get on your soapbox and cry bloody murder.
In my opinion, the most offensive things come from Christians. I've blogged about it before, but the Christian propeganda, that you find at Christian bookstores is stupid. Those T-shirts that make fun of "Guitar Hero" with the slogan "Godismy Hero"...seriosuly? And the stuff in church isn't any better either. The song "Blessed Jesus Meek and Mild"...was he really meek and mild? At times, but is that what Jesus wants us to remember...his meekness and mild manner? He got angry, he got frustrated, he pushed the limits. Facebook groups offend me, such as "become a fan of JESUS!". Is this the legacy Jesus wants...a fan page on Facebook? These things are most offensive to me because it is Christians putting Jesus in a lame, meek, mild, silly light. You want to know why non-Christians poke fun at us? It's because of this ridiculous stuff. We bring it upon ourselves. You don't see other religious groups with merchandise. There's no Muslim bookstores, with shirts that say "Mohammad is my homeboy", or "Allah Loves You". They take their religion more seriously...they don't need all that crap.
Perhaps the reason why we are so offended at movies like SAVED (I haven;t seen it, so I'm treading on thin ice here), is because it hits close to home. The creators of that movie was obviouisly basing it off of something, yes they probably blew it out of proportion, but who doesn't know a bible-thumping Christian who is always trying to convert everyone. Look at ourselves. People don't make fun of things or people that they respect. You won't hear a black man make an offensive joke about Martin Luther King Jr, because they respect him. What we need, instead of blowing up and getting offended...we need to look inward and ask "what do we have to do to make people respect us as Christians, and in turn, respect God". That's the million dollar question, and thats the main problem we have...not Family Guy, AC/DC or Harry Potter.