Buddy Christ
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Buddy Christ is a fictitious or parody religious icon in the film Dogma. "Buddy Christ" is wordplay on the invocation of the "Body of Christ" in a Catholic Mass.
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[edit] History in fiction
[edit] Creation and role
Buddy Christ is part of a campaign ("Catholicism Wow!") to revitalize the Catholic Church. Viewing the crucifix image as "wholly depressing", the Church, led by Cardinal Glick (George Carlin) decides to retire it, and creates Buddy Christ as a more uplifting image of Jesus Christ.
[edit] Appearances
- A nun (Carrie Fisher) who picks up a hitchhiking Jay and Silent Bob in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back has a Buddy Christ statue on her car dashboard (a reference to the practice of carrying medals or dashboard statues of Saint Christopher, patron saint of travel, in one's automobile).
- In the animated short Clerks: The Lost Scene, the "death cards" that Randal flicks through have numerous images that look suspiciously like Buddy Christ, as well as the angels from Dogma, Bartleby and Loki.
- Mooby the Golden Calf, a supposed "false god" or idol in Dogma, is often seen in the same pose as Buddy Christ. It is most notably featured at Mooby fast food restaurants (in Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II).
[edit] Trivia
A full-size Buddy Christ can be found in director Kevin Smith's comic book shop in Red Bank, New Jersey. Merchandise featuring the character (clothing, figurines, etc.) is sold at the store and online. Miniature Buddy Christ figurines were initially offered as an exclusive items through Wizard Magazine, but have since become commonplace pieces of merchandise in comic book shops. Indeed, Buddy Christ has become a more widespread internet phenomenon.
[edit] Controversy
In October, 2006, Iraqi Shiite residents of Baghdad’s Sadr City expressed outrage over an image of ‘Buddy Christ’ that appeared in pamphlets and posters in the area following a joint US-Iraqi operation. The posters contained the image of Buddy Christ, a forgery of a US military crest and the outline of a plan to subjugate the area. Residents protested because they believed the images were mocking Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam. [1]
[edit] See also
| Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Films |
| The View Askewniverse: Clerks | Mallrats | Chasing Amy | Dogma | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Clerks II Other: Jersey Girl | An Evening with Kevin Smith | An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder Upcoming: Red State | Untitled non-Askewniverse comedy | Clerks: Sell Out Abandoned: The Green Hornet | Superman Lives | Fletch Won |
| Comics |
| Clerks | Walt Flanagan's Dog | Chasing Dogma | Bluntman and Chronic | Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do | Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target |
| Notable characters |
| Jay and Silent Bob | Dante | Randal | Banky | Alyssa | Leonardo | Bluntman and Chronic | Mooby | Buddy Christ | Brodie | Willam | Minor characters |
| Miscellaneous |
| View Askew Productions | View Askewniverse motifs | View Askew Media | The Flying Car | Clerks: The Animated Series | Clerks: The Lost Scene | Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash | Silent Bob Speaks | Sucks Less With Kevin Smith | My Name Is Earl |
