Read the full story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/17/joseph-mary-billboard-god-is-a-hard-act-to-follow_n_395343.html
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A billboard at a New Zealand church depicting a downcast Joseph lying beside Mary in bed and the heading “God is a hard act to follow” provoked more than the intended reconsideration of the meaning of Christmas.
The sign was defaced by a paint-wielding vandal just hours after it was erected Thursday outside the St. Matthew-in-the-City Anglican church in Auckland, and triggered passionate and sometimes angry debate on talk radio and the Internet.
Church vicar Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to challenge stereotypes about the way Jesus was conceived and get people talking about the Christmas story.
“This billboard is trying to lampoon and ridicule the very literal idea that God is a male and somehow this male God impregnated Mary,” said Cardy, who described his church as having very liberal ideas about Christianity.
Comments from Cardinal Gustavo Porchi, boyhood friend of Italian president Sylvio Berlusconi
This is an outrageous attempt by liberal intolerants to trash something as holy and as sacred as the conception of Christ. Why, my dearest and oldest friend, President Sylvio Berlusconi, who, only last week, was lying alone and prostrate in a hospital bed, would never, NEVER have allowed such a blasphemous billboard in Italy!
To even suggest the act of sex with the Holy Mother is unthinkable and this so-called vicar will surely roast in hell-fire (and be devoured by the devil’s minions) for his sins.
Also, I can’t help but notice that the billboard ‘Mary’ looks rather like a young New Zealand friend of mine – Suzy- who will be mortified to learn that her likeness has inspired this kind of filth. She and I spent many happy nights discussing theology and I think she learned a lot about Holy Communion (as she liked to call it) from her stay with me.
Actually, her parting words were, “Gus, you’re a hard act to follow….”
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Up till today, I thought Joseph was gay whilst many say nay, he did want to play.
But god said to Joe: “No she is my ho so take your mo-jo and not me but you go.
Needless to say, god had his way and Joe the poor sod was angry with god and swore to get even one day.
Now here the tale starts to divide into parts of which one says he stayed with pain in his heart.
In the other he fled with a friend that he had thus marking the day that Joseph turned gay.