BRIGHTON’S Jubilee Library has a policy of not allowing displays of religious posters – but its shop does sell tins of Messiah Mints.
The product claims to “save your breath”, and an accompanying blurb says:
He can’t feed the 5,000 with this cute little tin of peppermints, but you’ll feel a whole lot better after your hearty banquet of fish and loaves!
This got right up youth leader Jacalyn Ogden’s nose. Ogden, according to as report in the Brighton Argus, went along to the library to put up a poster advertising a multi-faith event.
She was told she could not so as it promoted religion. Said Ogden:
It’s political correctness gone mad and I do think it’s a little hypocritical. They said they couldn’t put up my poster because it was not in their guidelines.
Jacalyn Oghan
How is it that they are allowed to sell mints which clearly contain a religious figure? It is so sad they can do that, yet a leaflet inclusive to all faiths and cultures is still deemed non-PC.
They clearly take the mickey out of Christianity.
A spokeswoman for the council said:
We’re sorry that this person was upset with the incident in the library.
In the interests of fairness, we have very clear and strict guidelines for displaying information in the library and we do not accept any material promoting a particular religious view point.
With regards to the mints, these are one of a series of tinned mints sold in the shop. The labelling is not meant to offend and this is the first time we have received negative comments about them.
When the story appeared yesterday in the Argus, the paper asked:
Do you think the Jubilee Library policy is hypocritical?
And it invited readers to give their views online. Curious as what sort of reaction this report had prompted, we visited the Argus site this evening, and were galled to find NO comments – just a note that said:
Comments are closed on this article.
How bloody strange! We think an explanation is called for.
Update: This evening’s Argus carries a a letter from a whining Christian. George Stroud writes:
I am offended by the crass commercial use of an image of Jesus on a product in the Jubilee Library gift shop. This is a direct insult to the views of Jesus himself.
Update – July 26: Thanks to a tip from Darren, we found a cached version of the article which contains the missing comments. Here it is:
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4509062.Brighton_library_in_religious_poster_and_mints_row/
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 25th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Oh, suck it!!!
July 25th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
save your breath George!
Great slogan – whoever came up with it would waltz into a job on the apprentice! LOL
BTW – George – what are Jesus' views? Considering he's fictional…..
July 26th, 2009 at 2:50 am
"How is it that they are allowed to sell mints which clearly contain a religious figure?"
So she thinks jesus is actually IN the tin!? He's in the mints? Well, maybe he got fed up whith all the publicity his mum is getting what with appearing as a tree stump, birdshit, on a griddle etc etc. She has been very busy lately and maybe jc is getting pissed off with that so he's getting his own PR in order now by appearing in a tin of mints. It's not difficult for him you know. As you know, he appears in churches across the globe several times every Sunday as a wafer thin slice of bread and his blood appears separately in a goblet at the same time. So appearing in a tin of mints in a library is a doddle.
Godless not gormless
July 26th, 2009 at 2:58 am
These guys need to chillax a little. I think Jesus would like messiah mints.
July 26th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Religious people wonder why they are avoided at social gatherings. They then demonstrate – for the billionth time – no sense of humour, or sense of proportion…
July 26th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Messiah Mints: which messiah is that, aren't there many? No mention of jesus on the front, just a picture of a bearded bloke who could be anyone. What's to offend?
July 26th, 2009 at 9:06 am
The painting obviously represents Jesus, Angela_K! Everyone knows that's what he looked like!!
July 26th, 2009 at 9:07 am
They're allowed to sell lots of humbugs, plenty of fudge, and absolutely loads of sherbet dipsticks, but unfortunately no godstoppers.
July 26th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Nah! This is the REAL face of Jesus:
http://www.eglobe1.com/index.p.....al-…
July 26th, 2009 at 10:26 am
But did you read the pages from which this portrait is taken? http://www.popularmechanics.co.....ch/… For instance, according to the writer Jesus "worked outdoors as a carpenter until he was about 30 years old." They even looked for evidence in the Turin Shroud! Sounds as if really rigorous academic research was undertaken here then!!
July 26th, 2009 at 10:45 am
"This is a direct insult to the views of Jesus himself."
If Jesus himself complains, it would certainly be a good idea to stop selling Messiah Mints. But I'm not holding my sweet-smelling breath.
Perhaps the sweets could be renamed?
It's not Messiah Mints, it's "A Very Nasty Boy" Mints.
July 26th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Godstoppers!!! Lol. Now they would be handy sweets!
July 26th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Nice one Robert. Would they be made by Minty Python?
Godless not gormless
July 26th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
BARRY!!! That CAN'T be jesus. He's…he's…he's BLACK!!!! Arrghhhh!!! NOOOOOOO!!!! Blasphemy!! You will burn in hell for this!!
Godless not gormless
July 26th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
It was "naughty boy", Robert – wake up!
July 26th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Brian's Bullseyes,perhaps! Or Weally Scwumptious Liquowice!!
July 26th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Google has a cached version of the Argus story before the comments were pulled.
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news.....library_... target=”_blank”>http://209.85.229.132/search?q.....tEJ…” target=”_blank”>http://www.theargus.co.uk/news.....library_...
July 26th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I also wondered how he could fathom that this was "a direct insult to the views of Jesus himself"! He did prohibit his followers from using dried milk powder ("Marvel not" – John 3:7), but I am not aware of any pronouncements reagarding the consumption of confectionery!!
July 26th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
To be honest, if the idiot hadn't mentioned the being offended thing I could have conceded that he had a point. Surely if religious stuff is not allowed in the library a case could be made for not allowing these mints. However once he starts with the "I am so offended" stuff I'm afraid he loses all cred.
July 26th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I think that link needs a bit of work done on it, Darren!
July 26th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
The one I posted as an update seems ok
September 15th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Interesting. I am not willing to mock Atheism. It is one more religious viewpoint among many (remember that absence of evidence is not the same thing as evidence of absence, making Atheism as much a matter of faith as my own belief system ) but it is not for me. I am a Pascal's wager sort of Christian. You may be surprised to find that I think 'Life of Brian' is hysterically funny and that I approve of 'Jerry Springer the Opera' because I've taken the trouble to look past the controversy at the actual content. Follow the story sometime and you'll find a morality play in there about not treating people in a shabby way.
September 15th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Well… we have to refer to 1st Century Judea and to the scriptures as well. In the temple in Jerusalem the only money that the priests would accept in donations was the temple's own currency. Secular moneychangers within the temple premises would provide this currency to pilgrims at disadvantageous rates. The Easter stories refer to Jesus driving these moneychangers out of the temple precinct, angered at the way they were taking commercial advantage of the pilgrims' religious faith. In fact taking corrupt advantage of peoples' religious beliefs and practices is frowned upon in Christianity. This is where my assertion with respect to Jesus' views comes from.