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July 12, 2005
Holy Golf Balls
There have always been religious knickknacks that cluttered the bookcases and sometimes the minds of the faithful, but this is the first time I've heard of a contest to determine the best of the lot. The Scottish Christian Resources Exhibition is being held at the Edinburgh's Royal Highland Centre in October. Among the events is the awarding of the McNoot award. The McNoot is apparently awarded to the creme la creme of this genre of junk.
One of the hopefuls is the Scottish supplier Holy Socks that has entered three holy golf balls. Inscriptions on the ball are as follows:
One reads: ". . . but each shall go out straight ahead", Ezekiel 46: 9; while another says: "Lift up your eyes on high and see . . . not one is missing", Isaiah 40:26.The third reads: "I have finished the course. I have kept the faith", 2 Timothy 4:7. [News at Scotsman.com]
Other entries include "preaching puppets, low-cost handbells, and a solar-powered Bible."
You can see pictures from a previous Christian Resources Exhibition in Birmingham at the Holy Sock website and from Belfast at the Christian Resources Exhibition website.
Now is this a joke or is it on the level or is it both. First, Holy Socks is a real enough company that sells religious paraphernalia. While McNoot sounds a lot like McNut, perhaps on purpose, the exhibitors intend to sell their wares to people of faith. My guess is that the aware is a little tongue in cheek but real none the less. If you are interested, here is a picture of the coveted McNoot Award.
Via Codex and Biblical Theology
By the way, Tyler Williams of Codex refers us to Colleen McDannell's Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America (Yale University Press, 1995) for a better understanding of the "Jesus Junk" phenomenon.
Posted by Duane Smith at July 12, 2005 10:10 AM | Read more on Odds and Ends |
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