Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) | Dec 16, 2020 | News | 39
A Nativity scene at a Los Angeles church shows Mary standing with Black Lives Matter protesters holding signs that read “Jesus Wept” and “I Can’t Breathe,” video shows.
“We don’t just see Christmas as strictly a sentimental thing,” said Pam Bunce of Claremont United Methodist Church, The Daily Bulletin reported. “We see it as what Jesus came to do and that’s to stand with the people who are marginalized.”
The church has a history of provocative Nativity scenes. In 2019, it locked Jesus, Mary and Joseph in cages to call attention to immigration reform, KABC reported.
The display at Claremont United Methodist Church was unveiled December 6
Rev. Karen Clark Ristine said they couldn’t think of any other issue they wanted to keep under the light of the Bethlehem star than the need to address racism
The scene shows Mary with her arms in the air mirroring demonstrators, Jesus in his crib while Joseph tends to him in front of a mural of BLM protesters
A list of black men and women killed includes Emmett Till, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd; a sign above the nativity scene reads: Say their names
The church last year created a nativity scene that depicts baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Joseph as a family caged and separated the US-Mexico border
Claremont church depicts Black Lives Matter protest in Nativity scene
Claremont United Methodist Church put up a Nativity scene that shows Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in front of a wall of people wearing masks and carrying signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “I can’t breathe” and “Jesus wept,” along with Bible verses.
(Luis Sinco)
Dec. 15, 2020 5 AM PT
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According to the Bible, Jesus’ birth was a crowded affair Mary and Joseph, a menagerie of animals and some shepherd visitors. But protesters?
Claremont United Methodist Church, in keeping with its tradition of
eye-catching Nativity scenes, situated the Holy Family this year in front of a painting of masked people holding signs reading “I can’t breathe!” and “Black Lives Matter,” alongside Bible verses and other quotes.
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CLAREMONT, Calif. According to the Bible, Jesus’ birth was an eclectic affair Mary and Joseph, a menagerie of livestock, and some shepherd visitors. But protesters?
Claremont United Methodist Church is apparently known for its provoking Nativity scenes, such as the one below from 2019 advocating open borders and unchecked illegal immigration regardless of the public safety perils that are frequently the result of this practice.
“In a time in our country when refugee families seek asylum at our borders and are unwillingly separated from one another, we consider the most well-known refugee family in the world. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the Holy Family,” wrote Claremont United Methodist Church Senior Minister Karen Clark Ristine in 2019. (Facebook)