Images of Jesus Christ-The Young Interpret

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Marie Fahlen, is of the view that popular culture plays a vital role in interpreting the image of Jesus in novel ways.

"The images were chosen in an attempt to reflect the contemporary breadth of interpretation, taking in both traditional images and those that could be perceived as provocative," she said about the study.

It shows-forth as to how the young, take to interpreting the nine images of Jesus Christ, on the basis of the differences in understandings : Jesus as Christ, prophet or historical personage.

The young reveal a broad spectrum of various interpretations with regards to the nine images of Jesus Christ. To illustrate, in an image, the face of Jesus Christ is blended with Alberto Korda''s famous Che Guevara image.

"Many young people perceive this image as an attempt to popularise Christianity or as a criticism of religion. It shows that people often expect a traditional image of Jesus," Fahlen said.

Expressions of popular culture often seem to reinforce this kind of traditional understanding. However, the symbolism portray new implications when Jesus is perceived as a hero or champion for good in the fight against evil.

Another example is how young people often refer to expressions in popular culture such as films and TV series, primarily films such as Mel Gibson''s "The Passion Of The Christ" (2004), but also to images in other media and to social debates concerning religion and issues of authority.

"An important conclusion is that the authoritative church interpretation is being challenged in the present day by new applications of Christian symbolism, and this is also revealed in my study," Fahlen concluded.