Toys of Biblical Proportions

Published September 22, 2007 IN THEORY Toys of Biblical Proportions Q: Wal-Mart is test-marketing biblical action figures - Jesus, Moses, Mary, Noah, David and Samson among them. And Target will do the same on its website. There is at least some concern, however, among consumers - parents - that such figures may prompt children to equate biblical heroes and heroines with secular figures. And while some may see the action figures as a learning tool, others may see them as gag gifts. What do you think of the idea of biblical action figures? A: There are few things that irritate me more than a plastic Jesus. I can't speak for the other "action figures" but when it comes to Jesus, I wish they would leave him alone. It's bad enough that most people have an image of God as an old man in the sky ready to swoop down to save us from ourselves, smack the bad guys on the head and reward the good with homes behind pearly gates. He's become a combination of Superman and Santa Claus. And when He doesn't deliver, watch out! We become unforgiving and take our "business" elsewhere. Now, imagine God sitting on a shelf at Target or Wal-Mart. I can't. In the Armenian Orthodox tradition, we reference God as "Khorhoort" which literally means, "Mystery." He is inscrutable. Why do the spires of our churches reach up to the heavens, beyond where our vision can take us? How can we then presume to contain in words, images or plastic models His essence? A bend-him-up Jesus will only further confuse a population who needs to find the essence of Love rather than a message of might-is-right. But alas, capitalism does rule the day and there is no doubt in my mind that if there is a profit margins then there will be no stopping Wal-Mart, Sears, Target, Mattel or Hasbro (just to name the tip of the iceberg). Last year when talking to a group of kids at Burbank High School about their values, I brought it to their attention that most of our ideas are shaped by models presented to us by the media. A couple of teachers were shocked when I suggested that in America, money is even more powerful than God. Tragically, we keep seeing it over and over. Plastic Jesuses are not created to teach values, morals or even religion. They are created to make a quick buck. Fr. Vazken Movsesian Armenian Church In His Shoes Mission