Saturday, March 23, 2013

Cheesus

Giles Fraser on creepy chummy Evangelical Christians.


After a while, if you say a word enough, over and over again, it loses its meaning. It even begins to sound a little different. Jesus morphs into Cheesus – the es getting steadily elongated. Those who talk about Cheesus do so with a creepy sort of chummyiness. This is what evangelicals call "a personal relationship", by which they mean that Cheesus has become their boyfriend or best mate. And when such people speak of Cheesus they have to wear that sickly smile too. It's that I-know-something-you-don't smile. Patronising, superior and faux caring all at the same time. And if you disagree with them they will pray for you. It makes you want to bang your head against a brick wall.

I grew up with Cheesus.  Maybe that's why I always picture aggressively smiling Children of the Corn whenever I hear the word "Christian."




Maybe that's why I infinitely prefer genuine impersonality to creepy phony intimacy.


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4 comments:

  1. BexMarch 23, 2013 at 1:39 PM

    Thanks, Giles Frasier, for some of the best theology I've read: "Christianity had an existential crisis."

    ReplyDelete
  2. JCFMarch 23, 2013 at 4:41 PM

    It's harder to do "Jesus, My BFF" w/ this guy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CounterlightMarch 23, 2013 at 5:04 PM

    ... or this guy.

    http://www.paintinghere.com/UploadPic/Rembrandt/big/Christ%20On%20The%20Cross.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tristan AlexanderMarch 23, 2013 at 6:55 PM

    LOL, well, I am sure you know the picture is from "Children of the Damned" NOT "Children of the Corn"...but I understand!

    ReplyDelete

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