Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

All this post-modernist talk on Friday began to remind me of a certain comic book I once read called Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. It was a short Batman comic book written by Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman is very popular in post-modern culture and for him to write a batman comic book was very surprising to me.
The story begins at Batman's funeral and everyone, friends and foes alike, are there. Slowly each friend and foe tells their story of how Batman died. Alfred claims that after Bruce Wayne's parents were shot, he and a group of his friends pretended to be all the villains that Batman thought were real so that he would feel that taking on the role of batman meant something. Sadly, one of Alfred's friends goes insane and shoots Batman in the head. Catwoman comes to the front and tells a different story. She says that she found Batman bleeding on her couch in her living room after swearing off crime. The Joker tells an even different story, claiming that he poisoned Batman.
Each villain and friend of Batman tells a story of how Batman died, each one completely different from the last.
The first time I read this comic, I was very confused. I then asked my brother who checked out the comic, and who was an avid Neil Gaiman fan, told me that it was story about stories. It said that no matter how different one story is from another, the principles remain the same: that Batman was a noble and heroic person.
I feel that this relates greatly with post-modernist views: about how we try to break things down into their most basic elements. Everything is complicated and can't be fully understand, much like Batman and his multiple deaths.

Thinking About Thursday

I love learning things. Like getting my mind blown and having the pieces scatter all over the place and then struggling to pull it back together. Thursday's class did that for me.
First of all there was the quiz, and Leeper's beautiful rendition of the southern baptist voice.
Then there were the films. They. Were. Awesome. As in like I was totally full of awe watching them.
The power of the first film, of the people carrying their burdens and the sound of the homeless singing his heart out. Then there was the gorgeous shot of Bill Viola's of the Ascension. My jaw hit the floor. Watching it at first, I was pretty confused, trying to understand where the light was coming from and whether we were under water. I was struggling to try to wrap my mind around what we were looking at. And then the person came up and it was so. painfully. slow. But it was so progressive and moving. And even though the picture was moving slowly, it only made my mind move faster and faster as I began to understand. It was so simple yet so complex, and I find so much more beauty in that than in a lot of full length films today. The image of the cross and the idea behind the minute of film was so subtle but then again it was screaming at me. 
Finally, there was Mako Fujimara's art in the Four Holy Gospels. I have always always always admired those who can express themselves through contemporary and abstract art. My mind is just way too controlled and logically wound to free myself enough to do something so amazing. I admire him not only because he can pull of the style so beautifully, but also because of what he was facing. He was creating modern art for some of the most important words ever recorded. He was tying the art world and the Christian's world together. That idea intimidates me enough to turn right back around and run far, far away. But his courage and drive for this project was incredible, and the fact that he pulled it all together in one, big, beautiful piece was truly a gift from God. Mako was able to do what I dream of doing someday: bringing God into this reckless and broken world we live in, and I admire him for what he did.

Uniting Art with Faith

A painting by Makoto Fujimaru. 

It was absolutely captured by this idea of a moving painting that we saw in class on Thursday. It reminded me of some futuristic photograph where the people move within the frame, but I thought it was absolutely brilliant. The fact that the creators of such art were incorporating ancient Christian images and ideas into it was amazing as well.

It brings me back to my thought about accessing the ordinary through the extraordinary. The swimming pool is just a basic thing of our lives, but when lit in such a way and filmed in super slow motion, gives an aura of another dimension. Its like we are watching death turn back to life right in front of us. I would be very interested in seeing more of this type of art.

I also found it very refreshing to see the Japanese artist Makoto Fujimura embracing his art and his faith all at once. I think the Church needs to listen to him and realize that art is an integral part of our faith. Without it, we deny God and lose sight of our Creator. Those are very dangerous waters to run. Once we lose our art, we lose our humanity.

Artist and the Viewer

Being an artist and a viewer can be very difficult.  Let me explain....

As a viewer we have to try interpret and put clues together.  The artist imagines and then creates to interpret what he/she's thinking.  Most times there's a straight forward message that is shown.  But other times it could be just for fun and enjoyment and others is for just trying something new, Sometimes it can be difficult trying to get inside the artist head.  Other times it's easy.  This painting you can try to interpret.  But if you aren't given any information, it could be anything, like Man trying to reach God's standards.  But if you are truly trying to interpret this painting into an essay it will end you looking like this :








If I have to right an essay about this famous painting, I will end up like this.....probably much worse...  The quiz was better than I expected it to be.  Some questions did surprise me, but my week of studying has left me like this ->










But this was something relaxing.  I did do all the readings and study guides. And it wasn't so bad (though I wish we could hand them in).  I did learn a lot in this class like being open and not being close minded.  People won't respond to a fist full of opinions, but they just might if its new ideas through evidence of experience.  And I can't wait to learn more in this class.

Jesus in Art?

Do I believe Christians need art? Yes? Should Jesus, or religion, be portrayed within art? Umm yea I believe so. I have no problem with it, in fact I believe no one should. I love how many artist show their image of Christ and how they capture the specific emotions. If there wasn't any art, I think things would be a little dry and tasteless.

Honestly I love it but I like it the most in the television series The Bible. I love how many artist show their image of Christ and how they capture the specific moments and emotions of Jesus, Mother Mary, Samson and many more. 

A Beautiful Mind

     The other night I watched the movie “A Beautiful Mind” for the seventh time and it was just as good as the first time I had watched it. It is one of my favorite movies for a lot of reasons and one that I highly recommend to anybody that hasn't seen it. While it can be a little slow at times, the story line is well developed and the slowness doesn't really detract from the movie. The movie centers on John Nash who is played by Russell Crowe. In the film Nash is a genius but also suffers from schizophrenia causing him to also be extremely asocial. While the movie is centered around Nash’s life and the obstacles he has to overcome to succeed, it is the message to humanity that truly makes this film so unique and wonderful.

     This movie challenges the very logic and reason that run John Nash’s life by causing him to believe in something he can’t see, love. It is through the relationship he has with his friend and then wife that he learns not everything can be reasonably explained or figured out. It is through this relationship that he is able to come to terms that the schizophrenic images he sees aren't real and that what is real is the love he has for his wife and his job as a professor. This film really does a good job of doing this more in depth and with passion and it is definitely worth checking out. 

A kabob of random stuff from today

            I don’t think I have ever taken a more chill exam in my life. Honestly every exam should be like this, your so relaxed and focused without flipping out and going brain dead. We were laughing during the whole thing which was fantastic. The best part had to be the second bonus question when Leeper pulled out his best southern Baptist, it was very convincing, and very entertaining.

            How about that pool scene, that was beautiful. I don’t happen to be good at interpretation so usually I just rely on the actual look, sound, and feel of art. The way the bubbles slowly raised from the depths of the pool made me think of an earth with gravity going outward, an interesting concept. It’s always interesting to hear what these things are actually about, because as I have stated I am not very good at artistic interpretation, ironic as I am an artist. I get to feel that ah ha! Moment of meaning at just about the end of every art piece I see once it is explained.

I’ll be honest I am running out of ideas to talk about, so let’s mention that art pice of the people carrying their burdens to who knows where. That was some sick (cool) stuff, the way the one lady walked slowly over the pages, gorgeous, but don’t ask me what it means.

Throughout this course, Leeper has mentioned that a lot of christians aren't aware of what fellow believers are up to in contemporary art. Admittedly, I fall into this category, and before today's class, I couldn't tell you a single artist's name... I always just assumed there were christians who were making good art, but never bothered to educate myself on who's who.

Today we looked at the work of Makoto Fujimura, a successful mainstream artist who is overtly christian, yet very well respected for his work. The film we watched inspired me. I was thrilled to know that he somehow pulled off being a christian in the art community of New York. I can't imagine how difficult it must've been to get to the point he's at today. It is very common that modern artists view christianity as something that confines them. If people hear of a christian artist, then they automatically make assumptions of what their art is saying. But for Makoto, his belief in God is acknowledged by others, and it's not a hindrance to the appreciation of his work. I think that that is a beautiful position for any believer to be in. He earned respect simply by producing good art, and I hope that my work will be viewed like that one day.

Makoto Fujimura

Pretty cool guy.  Amazing artist.

About a year ago (I was a senior in high school) I visited Huntington University and sat in on today's class.  I remember watching the video of Makoto painting his interpretation of the Bible, and thinking: "What? No, I'm sorry, you can't do that."  Obviously, that was a result of my experience growing up where religious drawings were, for the most part, discouraged.  Plus, having not experienced all of the Intro to DMA classes leading up to this one, I just didn't understand why Professor Leeper was in support of this practice.  Well, now as a freshman here at Huntington and having gone through these first five weeks, I can now say that I have no problem with Makoto's work ... at face value.    The second time I watched this video, I was in awe of Makoto's paintings and how they, I would say pretty accurately, portrayed sections of the Bible that struck him.  His art does seem to help illustrate and highlight aspects of Biblical readings that some people might have overlooked without these added visual aids.

But yet, Makoto's work is only his interpretation.  And I'm glad it reveals things otherwise overlooked for some folks, but for me personally, God's own Word is enough.  I am going to be so bold to say that I don't think we need art to get across God's meaning.  It's already there: written down for us, displayed through God's handiwork, and through the lives of his people.  Art can no doubt be  helpful and highlight certain things, but to claim that Makoto's paintings should be how everybody experiences the Bible is the wrong idea.  Art may enhance the Bible, but it cannot be on equal ground with the written words of the Bible because the words are God's; the pictures are fallen man's.  As I said in my last post ("Art is Interpretive"), art is interpretive.  Everybody sees it in a different way.  So, make art that expresses God, but remember: The Bible as it is, is really all we need.  

Art

Christians have been using art since before Christianity was named because art is art. As Don Hudson said in our reading Tuesday, "It is inevitable that a work of art reflects its creator and his or her era." Christ's name supposedly has this cleansing effect on anything we hang it on to. "Christian" art is art sanctified because it praises the Creator out right through a Christian's worldview, supposedly. The same goes for Christian movies, video games (yes Larryboy, I'm looking at you), as well as stories. Honestly, this is how I have viewed art for most of my life. Christian art was good and secular art was bad. Some things that had lessons were so "almost Christian" that it made them okay so long as I took a Jesus pill so the secular germs wouldn't contaminate my spirit. ... Seriously.

You think I'm kidding, dontcha?

But art is art is art is art. So long as the creator, whatever the field, takes their heart out and lobs it at their canvas (whatever the canvas actually is) and smears their inner child's dreams out for all to catch a glimpse of themselves through an otherworldly lens, we call it art. Sometimes it is happy, sometimes dark, thoughtprovoking, smart, stupid, or all of the above.

Case in point, Ink. Ink is a movie about a battle raging between the people who bring good dreams to children when they sleep and the ones who bring nightmares and death. *cough* There is one entity who is neither a Storyteller nor an Incubus, he is simply known as Ink. Ink is the spirit of a man who died and has lost his identity on the transition from one realm to the afterlife. So he drifts around looking for something to ease the pain he feels inside that is all he knows. He gets an offer to become an member of the Incubi in exchange for bringing a human child's spirit to them for sacrifice. Separating a child from themselves in their sleep puts their physical body into a coma. And so with a child taken, the Storytellers set off to save the child. Nice story that goes dark and gruesome fast. Laden with language from both antagonists and protagonists, among other things, I watched the first 15 minutes thinking: "This is not a good film, it is in no way Christ honoring." It turned out to be a great film because it is gritty, realistic, and carries the Gospel as Fairy Tale in a way I had never heard of before. Not bad for a "nasty, unholy, secular" film.

Seriously, go watch this masterpiece.

Now there are pieces of obviously Christian media that I have found to be very good at conveying a message and have had an impact on me. (Veggie Tales to Fireproof, Frank Peretti to Grace Livingston Hill) Now if only there had been something to teach about the nature of true art on a Sesame Street level. ... Nevermind.

I have been able to recognize the value of art in general as it relates to our "Neverending Story", but the deep Christian roots I have make it hard for me to not immediately tie God into my art. I know better than to try and separate the two as trying to make a "secular" work of art is just as bad as trying to make a "Christian" work of art. So I just pour my heart out to see what drips onto the paper, which is all I know or can think of to do.

 

So in closing, Christians can't not make art that reflects their Creator and shouldn't worry about it. We are to make real the dreams of the human soul and set the the imagination of a young child ablaze with the mysteries and wonder of a world that they will never understand.

Discussion Topic: The new Veggie Tales? (Insert slightly disturbed face here)

Veggie Tales is changing their characters... to this!!!!  (Lightning flashes as thunder rolls sound effects)  What do you guys think?  

A Beautiful World

After leaving class and seeing all the beautiful pieces of art it really opened my eyes and made me think about what would life really be like as a Christian or not if there was no art. I have never been someone to make art, but I love it in that way I can see how it opens up hearts and brings joy to everyone. With being a Christian if there was no art there would be no hope In the fact we couldn't have the pictures of Jesus and everyone else to show us what we have to look forward to. If there was no art there would always be an underlying doubt. That hope we get from art helps strengthen our faith by giving us symbols to go with story. It helps show all the things that you can’t see when just reading a book.

All though art is good for our faith, I think it makes life worth living. When you watch someone look at a piece of art you can see their heart light up and give them meaning to be here. If there was no art there would be nothing in this world, everything would be the same. It would be bland and boring. As I look around my room I see countless things with designs. All of this is art. Art is everywhere. It gives people the ability to express themselves as an individual. I love tattoos. Not because of the rebellion or anything like that but because of how hard it is to do and how artist can take a tattoo gun and no outline and make an amazing piece. Or how they can make a water color painting on your skin. It fascinates me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that art gives us the ability to see past the surface and it gives us the ability to hope. 

I'm Getting Really Sick of Blogging Religion Leeper!

Should the church still use art to promote the word of God? Well honestly yes. I’m not one that does enjoy Christen films or whatever music Joyful Noise plays (I went there), but at least I do get something good to look at and isn’t opening it’s mouth-hole. 

Okay to be less harsh, I’m not against people saying that they like God in whatever medium. But the problem is that they only reaffirm what the viewer that it’s targeting already knows. And those viewers are mainly Bible thumpers. I don’t really find that much enjoyment out of it, but if you do, good for you.

However with paintings and drawings, it is mostly based on interpretations and how it looks. It’s much different from a movie, TV show, or song, since those are visual forms with moving pictures and/or the use of your ears. Paintings and drawings can be a lot more abstract and can do what many others, mainly the ones I mentioned earlier, challenge your thoughts and re-evaluate what you think about a subject. But if that’s not the case, at least the painter/drawer/artist can pull off some of their skills. I mean look at the Last Supper by da Vinci or Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel. I do see the religious imagery, but they are considered classic paintings for a reason.

You know I don’t think I’m making a good case with this blog!

LEEPER!

Art within the Church! IT DOES EXIST!

Yesterday in class had me thinking.  How often do churches nowadays use artwork to spread his word?    As for my church back home I used to (when I was young enough) attend their youth ministry services.  The Youth minister there now is not only guides the Youth there and participates in church events. No, he is also a graphic designer.  He has his own Instagram and all the kids in youth group follow him. He posts flyers on Instagram reminding the kids there to show up a particular date for a particular event and the graphics are sick! Even though I can't attend anymore, my youth pastor came up with one of the coolest ideas for getting kids to attend.  It has been hard for him to get kids to come in the past.  There we're always a few kids that would show up every once in a while and then disappear and come back.  So in order to prevent things like that happening he uses his artwork to remind these kids as well as the regular attending kids to show up! I would post one of his pieces of work, however I don't think that would be appropriate, so instead enjoy this technologically advanced dinosaur gif

thinking about art...

I sit here and look at the blinking of the cursor and wonder, "what is art?". I can't really seem to put it into words. 
It's passion. It's expression. It's color, or lack thereof. It's escape. It's portrayal. It's perspective. It's symbolism. It's totally out there. It's from the deepest parts of our minds and our strongest emotions.
And after last class, I am understanding that it's also from God Himself. That art is the mystery and awe of Heaven itself. Is that not crazy cool to think about? Why are we all in this class? Because we're artists. We have this calling, we have this voice that tells us what to write in our stories and pictures in our minds that we just cannot contain. We are constantly doodling and always dreaming. All of that isn't random. It isn't just 'something weird' about us. It's God's gift to us; our way of delivering His message and His light. I can't believe I haven't thought of it this way before but I'm like super stoked!
I was never in a church that denied art in any way. Not that it particularly embraced it or praised it or anything, but I have always lived with art. Constantly drawing and daydreaming. Without art I don't even know what I would be doing. And that's cool, that's why God gave it to us. That's why I like to draw and some people don't, because we are all unique, and God gave each of us different purposes and ways to show His love back to his creation. We can argue all day about what He looks like, or whether a painting is portraying a biblical moment wrong. But that's not the point. Nothing in art is accurate to everyone. That's the beauty of it, the mystery of it, the way God intended it to be. Different people, different voices, different perspectives, right? So take some time, free your mind, and let God speak through you.

heheh i was feeling kinda preachy so i felt the meme fit nicely :)

Is it dangerous?

Coming back to my last post, horror movies are my life. It is my favorite genre and I love everything about them. Whenever I tell a Christian that I love horror movies, I can see the panic start to explode in their eyes. They look at me like I am a broken sinner and that I need to go pray in a closet for a few hours. But is it dangerous to watch horror movies? Are they really as bad as people say they are?

What if I told you horror movies can glorify God? If you go back and actually look at horror movies, a majority of them are about good triumphing over evil. The evil goes around, kills and attacks people but in the end the good wins over the evil. This reminds me of how Jesus triumphed over death and I think, that if you apply this idea to horror movies, it makes them a lot more interesting. Yea it's cool to see people get hacked up or giant monsters eating people but if you can remember that evil, in the end, gets triumphed, it makes the movie a lot more enjoyable.

Life Without Art...

I remember in class last time that there was the mention of what would Christianity would be like without the presence of art? Will it be bland? Boring? Enclosed? Well, to me, I think it would be very bland, lifeless, and nearly secluded to the world. Mainly because there wouldn't be anything to look forward to and it really wouldn't be easy to symbolize the faith like we do today.

For example, there really wouldn't be any kind of mystery in our faith. Nor creation. Nor Symbols. It would be very boring and dead in my eyes. Art is something that provides us to be able to see things that we wouldn't normally see in regular text. Like the beauty behind the tree analogy in the last times reading assignment. It was something more than a tree to the author than the carpenter who wanted to chop it down. Plus art is also the way we kind of test ourselves, how we are able to see if we can question ourselves. To be honest, I think sometimes art is just a slap in the face to those who are certain about things. All in all, art provides us to reach past our limits and find things that you couldn't normally find in regular text.

(Here are some images that I thought were pretty unique and pretty)

 

I Like Mary Too!

My church is a Christian Reformed one (a.k.a. Protestant). We don’t have big paintings of Jesus or anyone for that matter, hanging on the walls, however it is not flavorless. We have centerpieces, beautiful drapery, and some really neat stained glass to decorate our church as a loving house of God. We’re not bland, and I don’t know what the Professor was talking about when he said Protestants have a problem with Mary because I’ve never experienced that ( Dear Professor, please don’t be mad at me for quoting you on that). I can definitely see how some churches might go overboard or under board on the subject of art in church, but in my opinion, it’s all personal and kind of a petty argument to get into. As long as we all believe that Jesus is Lord of Lords and rose from the dead to save us then why are we arguing? Why are we fighting and dividing ourselves over this? In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul writes to the church in Corinth “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought”.

                            A girl named Akiane Kramarik painted this of Mary and Jesus when she was only 12!

Do I think Christians need art? Yes! I’m a Christian, I need art. Do I think all churches need art in order to serve and experience God fully? No. I love my church even though it doesn’t have beautiful paintings; I get the message through the sermon, reading God’s Holy Word, and feeling Him in the atmosphere of his worshippers. When I go to church, I go to focus on God alone, not artwork, but some people experience God through art work and that’s fine too. My only concern is again, with divisions; people focusing just on the art and not the message or vice versa. It’s just not worth arguing over. We should all be united under Jesus Christ who saved us and doing His work, not arguing over whether paintings should be hung on walls or put in storybooks or even how accurate they look. I don't care what Jesus looks like as long as I get to walk in His company one day. 

 The Church is the Bride of Christ, so lets not argue anymore

A New Hope

I don't believe in the widespread belief of Christianity because I know from experience that Christianity doesn't work for everyone. Not everyone can be happy as a Christian, and I know this because I've struggled for years to be happy about church and the Bible and a God who seems like more judgment than love. And that's why I don't care if art reveals God or not. Rather, I care that art reveals common emotions and spreads happiness. I want everyone to be happy, and if they aren't happy as a Christian, I'm not going to tell them they should be a Christian.

Do Christians need art? Yes, everybody needs art. Art is very easy to relate to, and as humans, that's what we need. We need something that understands us, whether it's a painting or a book or a song or another human being.

I enjoy doing art streams, in which people can watch me work on digital drawings and stuff like that. But my streams aren't all about the art. They provide everyone a safe gathering place and we all talk to each other and everyone's troubles seem to fall away, no matter what they're struggling with. It's a carefree, loving atmosphere, which is far more than I ever got from the Christian community. Everybody asks me, "When are you going to do another stream? They're so fun. They make me so happy. They really take my mind off of things." People who gather around a piece of art to forget about their problems... that is the greatest compliment I've ever received as an artist and probably the greatest one I ever will.

I think that is what art should be for. I don't think art should be for spreading God. I think art should be spreading happiness and hope, and some people think those things can be achieved through God and some people don't. I think art should be for bringing those things to the people who can't achieve them through God, and that includes Christians because Christians still struggle sometimes. And maybe... in that way, in providing others with hope, God is unintentionally revealed through art. I don't know. I just know that art is a beautiful way to bring people close together and provide them with a sense of belonging. Everyone needs art because everyone needs to belong. That's what I think, anyway.

On tuesday's class we viewed artwork done of Jesus and stories from the Bible, all the while discussing if christians need art. I think it's very valuable to have art to admire. I don't think it is completely necessary, but it provides for a more tasteful experience. I appreciated all the artwork we viewed- wether it was accurate or abstract- because it helped me put a mental image to what I read in the Bible. My favourite painting was by Marc Chagall:

I like how God has a green face and Eve is coloured in red. It challenges all the other artwork for being too normal. It seems like a kindergartener could've made this, and that's why it's so cool. It's edgy and I like it.

Leeper mentioned that some christians take offence to christian artwork, specifically images of Jesus being naked on the cross. Apparently it is perceived as disrespectful, but I don't think so. If christians believe that Jesus died on the cross, then they should look at it for what really happened: a brutal event where Jesus was tortured and humiliated in the worst way possible. Starring at an image of Jesus naked shouldn't cause alarm because He has no clothes on; rather, it should cause christians to pause in awe and thank Jesus for what He did for everyone.       

What do people really look like?

In Tuesday's class, we discussed art, and how different artists portray different characters in the bible. I personally am not a fan of the way many people portray Jesus, because most times he is white. Being from the middle east and Africa, the likelihood of many people in the bible being white is slim to none.

Recently, I discovered this photo shoot called "Icons of the Bible". The photographer wished to capture the true identity of people such as Simon Peter, Elijah, King Solomon and the archangel Gabriel. The photographer, James Louis believes that it is important to see one's self in the scripture. His photos do not portray nationalities completely accurately, but this set opens up a discussion and will hopefully encourage more people to get involved in the discussion. While the complete collection has not been released, there are a few images that have been.

I try to make everything I do as diverse as possible. Whether it is by culture or race, it is up to artists to ensure people are not erased, which can be hard for many media outlets. We don't need to forget a culture just because everyone else has always portrayed them a specific way.

Anime Jesus

The discussion in class about how Jesus is portrayed in art reminded me that there is a manga series that exists called "Saint Oniisan" that had some OVAs made for it also known as "Saint Young Men" in which Buddha and Jesus go on vacation together to 21st century Earth, and go through normal everyday activities while trying to hide who they are.

It is rather interesting to read and watch to see how someone who isn't Christian views Jesus.

HE'S

SO

"KAWAIII"??

Is it really okay for Jesus to be so "kawaii"...

This brings to mind the question of how you would take a perception like this. Are you offended by how he's portrayed? Or do you find it something you can find humor in? Is this material offensive or a tasteful parody?

(for those who are not familiar with manga, read right to left)

An even better question is would Jesus take offense to this? Or would he find it a humorous representation of himself? How would he feel about us enjoying it? I've grown up being taught that God has a sense of humor, but where would He draw the line? Do you think God has a sense of humor? Where do you think He draws the line?

In the manga and OVAs there are a lot of fun jokes and remarks in reference to both Buddha and Jesus' stories. 

Water into wine

Jesus walking on water

The parting of the red sea

Though it begs the question, are these jokes fun and tasteful or should the way in which they're being executed be taken as an offensive jab because they're dumbed down from their original more serious spiritual meaning? Or is it okay to make fun tasteful jokes or "dumb down" stories from the Bible? 

In Saint Oniisan Jesus has a blog, is this an offensive joke, or do you think Jesus would actually use a blog if he had come to us in this day and age? I would think Jesus would not, because I feel he's more of a personal relater and he'd rather speak to people in person than make blog posts.

(especially if those blog posts don't relate to his teachings)

Reference joke about "followers"

In Saint Oniisan Jesus is portrayed as cute and with an "innocent" air.

Do you think this is an accurate, offensive, or non-believer perception of Jesus? We have no way of knowing how Jesus acted aside from the passages, and while reading something he said or reading a way he acted can tell us one thing, it's another thing to be able to perceive how he would act if he were standing right in front of us interacting with us and the world and objects that surround us. I feel Saint Oniisan does not portray Jesus correctly. It's a fun take on him, but I'm not so sure it really connects with Jesus, who he is or what he's about.