The US Marine Corps' "Toys For Tots" programme, which every year collects toys for distribution to needy families, has rejected a talking "Jesus doll".
Four thousand of the dolls were offered by one2believe, the company that makes them. They are a foot tall and quote selected phrases from The Bible at the push of a button. No, not the good stuff about stoning misbehaving kids to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) or people having genitals like a donkey (Ezekiel 23:20), but the "love thy neighbour" stuff and the like.
Bill Grein, vice president of Toys For Tots, said that the Marines don't discriminate when it comes to recipients, and "we don't know anything about their background, their religious affiliations."
Bravo. Toys For Tots is about spreading a little happiness into the lives of poor families, not about proselytising on behalf of the fundies.
Said Grein, "[w]e can't take the chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or Muslem family". Or a Buddhist family, or Wiccan, or any of the hundreds of other religions that don't follow that one diety. Or Atheist. It kinda defeats the point to get this wonderful gift from the caring guys 'n' gals of the US Marine Corps and it turns out to be Blasphemy In A Box.
But, of course, the fundies don't even understand why there's a problem.
Michael La Roe, of one2believe and their parent company, Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co., said "I believe as a churchgoing person, anyone can benefit from hearing the words of the Bible."
That would be Fundamentalist Belief Number 7: "Everybody would be a Christian, if you could just explain it to them", or possibly Number 4: "Everybody is really a Christian, they're just pretending not to be".
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