This is what manufactured outrage looks like.

There’s a line of parody Christmas cards from the British company Love Layla Designs that purposely mocks the traditional Christian story.

Like the one that reads “Mary just needs to admit she slept with someone else” or the one for people with birthdays in December that says “I’m sorry your December Birthday is overshadowed by a bloke that wore socks with sandals.” They’re meant to be funny. There’s a market for people who find them hilarious.

But if you read the tabloid-y Independent, you’d get the sense that there are a bunch of Christians who are infuriated by the cards. One headline says the cards “spark anger among Christian community.”

But only one person is listed as offended… and it’s possible they reached out to that person specifically for comment hoping to create a controversy.

“A lot of Christians will be deeply offended by this sort of thing,” said James Mildred, communication manager of Christian Action Research and Education “It highlights a fundamental hypocrisy that Christianity is seen as fair game to mock, disparage and insult.” Mr Mildred added that the card is the “opposite of respectful”, stating that cards of this ilk are released on an annual basis. “It it just another sad example of the kind of under-the-radar discrimination Christians around Europe are currently facing.”

That’s an admittedly dumb thing to say. It’s not “discrimination” to joke about a silly story that a bunch of ignorant people take seriously, nor is it hypocritical to mock a religion that many British people have a familiarity with. But Mildred isn’t protesting or calling on people to boycott the company. He’s a believer who lacks a sense of humor, and that’s fine. The cards aren’t meant for him.

But that’s a far cry from an angry “Christian community.” It’s just one dude who only spoke up when prompted and maybe some relatively anonymous Christians complaining on social media. There’s no serious attempt to stop the company from selling these cards. It’s just lazy reporting from people who ran with the first sound bite they got.

The company — founded by a woman who was nearly broke at the time — must be thrilled with the free publicity.

(Thanks to Paul for the link)

