Saturday, June 7, 2014

Epic fail

So Frank Weathers posted a story about a ministry that had a billboard.  No problem.  It was promoting the importance of teaching our children.  Fine.  It had a stock picture of smiling, happy children.  Sweet.  And it had a quote.  Well, see for yourself:



That's right.  A quote about children from ... Hitler!  Hitler.  It had to be photo shopped.  Right?  Please?  No!  Because a followup story tells that the Church has removed the billboard.  My favorite quote from the story:
"Herbert Hoover would have been a far better one to quote when he said, ‘Children are our most valuable resource,’” founder James Anderegg told the Ledger-Enquirer." 
You think?  I know.  If Hitler said the world orbits the sun it's still true.  But just like many things, you can find better sources.  And while I'm perplexed over the church's decision to reference Adolph, I'm reminded that no matter how we might like it otherwise, the sources we choose to quote sometimes says to others more than the quotes themselves. 

For the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.  Luke 16.8b

NOTE: I realize there could have been a proper, if not shocking, use of the quote.  Perhaps to warn against a culture aiming ungodliness at our children to seize them from the straight way.  But that doesn't appear to be what this was trying to do, given the alternate quote that Mr. Anderegg provides.  It appears that the gist of the billboard was to promote the importance of our children, and that is what makes it a tear producer on the hilarity meter. 

1 comment:

  1. Yeah I can sympathize with them. More than once I've had to give up what I perceived to be a clever thought because I couldn't figure out how to convey it pithily.

    No telling whether they intended it as "behold the enemy" or a "such a good idea, not even Hitler argued with it".

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