On Violence (2): Holy Satire from the Mouths of Children?

This morning I read a story about a child who was given an art assignment: create a help-wanted poster for soldiers to fight in the Crusades. Admittedly this is an odd assignment. In response to this assignment the unnamed 7th grade student created an image of a man wearing a Jesus name tag that depicts Jesus in the place of Uncle Sam saying, "I want you to kill all infidels." The phrases “meet me in Jerusalem” and “get a free ticket to heaven” are also written at the bottom of the poster. Some parents have expressed outrage over the image.

I'm not sure what exact angle this teacher was hoping her students would take in this assignment but I'm sure she didn't bargain for the image you see below. No matter how one interprets this image, it is a disturbing image. But I think it's disturbing for all the right reasons.

I obviously do not know the young person who made this image nor do I know why he drew it. What I do know is that in my American context, this simple image calls into question and makes light of the often unspoken marriage between Christianity and militarism in America. And this is no small feat!

American political culture has often devolved into a breeding ground for xenophobia and paranoia and voices of reason and clarity are rarely heeded. We do not trust our neighbors who think differently and we are suspicious of those who worship differently than we do. Even worse, many of us have come to think of entire ethic and religious groups as inherently evil. The implication that Christians may somehow be implicated in violence and hatred toward those with whom we disagree doesn't sit well with us.


Intentionally or not, this drawing juxtaposes the image of the Christ who is known as the prince of peace with the quintessential image of American militarism. Congratulations unnamed 7th grader! You've just made a ton of Christians in American uncomfortable and for that, we salute you!