Exit 163 GSP Paramus Jesus

Paramus is NJ’s premier retail mecca. Despite having some of the most restrictive blue laws – no retail on Sundays - the Paramus Park Mall, Garden State Plaza Mall, Bergen Mall, Fashion Center Mall and The Mall at IV are all located in this town. Annual retail sales in this zip code surpass any other in the entire United States.

And between all buying and selling, a Paramus eighth-grader was sent home from school this Halloween because of his costume. Was he Slasher Freddie Kruger? No. Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th? No. Blood sucking Vampire? No. Sarah Palin? No.

He was, well, Jesus.

The school Superintendent explained the student got the boot not because of any offensive religious nature, but that the costume may have become a disturbance in class.
"If students in any form are wearing things that are bringing too much added attention that disrupts us from an educational environment, then school administrators would make that decision (to send a student home)" so said his official statement.

The honor student, who is currently studying both Christianity and Judaism, thought his costume relevant to his studies.

The comments expressed by the locals say it best:

-I am sure that I am on the same page as the school administration, the logic is this: On a day that is celebrated to ward off evil spirits, dressing as MASS MUDERING PSYCHOPATHS the likes of "Jason" "Freddy Kruger" and "Michael Myers" = good and unoffensive; dressing as someone who was MUREDERED BY THE MASSES, because of ignorance and intolerance = Bad and offensive....hmmmm

-As much as I as a Christian find it somewhat offensive to reduce Christ to a costume, why allow one type of costume and not another? At Halloween there are loads of Devil costumes around as well as witches.

-I guess being culturally sensitive stops at Christianity.
Religion aside, Jesus is an historical figure. Why can't a student dress up as him? Would Gandhi have been outlawed as well? People in this country have taken being "politically correct" way too far! Also---why must every religion be respected, EXCEPT for Christianity?

-He looked absolutely "heavenly" I really liked it.

-You can dress like the Devil but you get sent home for looking like Jesus????

And my personal favorite comment:

-Disrupting classes??? come on.. unless he was actually performing miracles...


1 Samuel 16 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Exit 151 GSP Montclair Jesus

Montclair NJ, a wonderful place to live and dine where every other home has a lawn placard for Obama-Biden.  In this ultra liberal tree-lined town, one wouldn’t expect Jesus to be a big seller on….Halloween.  Guess again. 

 A stop in the local Pharmacy on Grove Street one could find Jesus hair and beard in Grey, White and Blonde.   Take your pick.  This town does pride itself on diversity. I couldn’t figure out though why the description as a Jesus beard was only written in Spanish.  Talk about target marketing. 

 

Just when I was pleasantly surprise to find an incarnation of Jesus here (more so than in some of the local churches), a few counters away were some disturbing little Halloween statues.  Is that a little goblin trying to constrain the cross in a glass dome?   What are those skulls and why are they near a glass domed cross?  (Footnote:  it didn’t snow when I shook the globe).   I asked the sales clerk but he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “It’s Halloween, ya know.”  

Mark 15:22

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).