LETTER TO THE EDITOR
April 2, 2007
Dear Editor,
I would like to comment on Konrad Klinkner’s column “Chocolate Jesus causes… Dear Editor,
I would like to comment on Konrad Klinkner’s column “Chocolate Jesus causes religious groups to melt with anger, rage.” Konrad tries to relate to the angered Catholics by imagining if it would make him mad if somebody made a naked chocolate exhibition of Frank Zappa – someone he respects a lot.
I would like to ask Konrad another question: Would you be mad if somebody made a naked chocolate sculpture of your own mother? How about if many people ate your naked chocolate mom?
I apologize if my question was insulting, but what you are failing to see as an atheist, Konrad, is that Jesus means to Christians far much more than your mother means to you. And to answer your question about why “religious factions are the ones whose sensibilities are supposedly more important to be mindful of,” I simply say that a character like Jesus or Mohammed cannot by any means be compared to Frank Zappa, with all due respect.
I’m not trying to excuse the death threats some people in the hotel received, especially since Jesus says “Whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn the other cheek to him.” I’m not a Christian myself, but I think Jesus is a model for many people. Thus, it wouldn’t hurt anybody if we sustained from eating a giant chocolate Jesus or giant chocolate your mom this Easter and every Easter. As human beings, we make sacrifices for our brothers and sisters in the world to show respect for their beliefs, whether they’re atheists, agnostics or believers.
Thank you, Samah Mazraani Economics PhD Candidate University of Pittsburgh