Ok, if anyone is in doubt, for the record, I hate religion.

But even I wouldn't try to get steamed up over this!

Playmobil-unleashes-legal-action-against-toy-Bible

Or would I?

By allowing them to use a childs toy to teach the bible story, would I be encouraging them to teach children a religion?

I'm stuck between my hatred of religion and a silly attitude by the toy makers.

Has anyone got any opinions?

I think I'm in the same boat to be honest.

At the end of the day if you buy something, it is yours to do with what you will as-long as it doesn't breach any laws. But there are things outside the law that i don't quite agree with, and this is one of those things. There's something quite creepy and distasteful about it. It is a children's toy after-all, and although it was a over a decade ago i was around that age, if some bloke tried to teach me religion through lego i would just constantly be thinking "stop hogging the lego and let me build a spaceship."

If it was any another religion, do you think it would be any different?

Feel as if I have to reply to this. I know nothing about toy makers but I was brought up in France as Catholique - Now Non practigon.
No ! I do not believe in organised religions but I do believe in the feelings of destiny which I hold inside me.
You are not listening to *Big Bad Bob* here ! My beliefs are personal to me and can not even be shared, never mind being forced down somebody elses throat.

They say that what you play with as a child determines your whole outlook for life.

Is this any different to say buying an Action Man or toy soldiers? The imitation of life potential is not just tied to religious use though. How many kids have used the same figures to simulate war or aggression (I loved playing war as a kid) with their parents knowledge? In essence I agree it's wrong, it is somehow soiling childhood as a time of innocence and play by adapting toys for almost ideological gain.

Clever piece of propoganda by the priest even though I am not sure of the legalities involved.

On the flip side, it reminds me of a case a couple of years back to do with the launch of the PS3 and the game RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN. The Church of England (yes them) got irrate with the game developers over the apparent illegal use of interior shots of Manchester Cathedral for part of the game engine and the "promotion of violence". Yes that's right an institution of religion objecting to the promotion of violence. Religion being responsible for more deaths than Hitler and the Nazis made this very ironic in my view.

God wags his finger

The Jesus-on-a-cross image is funny. Because he seems to be enjoying it.

What exactly is the work of the church?

If you ever find out let me know.

Another childs toy controversy (although not religion related)

Aren't they something to do with Disney?

You could be on to something there. There've certainly been a lot of films on a religious theme.
Which reminds me of a story I heard once about John Wayne. Apparently his first speaking part in a film was as a Roman Centurion standing in a group of three below a dying Christ on the cross. Just as a sudden darkness descended he leaned on his spear & said with his now famous slow drawl " He surely was.....the Son of Gad".

Kid won't give a t*ss whether they are accurate or not.
If it's got a trigger and a barrel, it's a gun as far as a child is concerned.

At the end of the day a child's mind is an endless expanse of imagination. You give him an object without restrictions and he'll play with it how he fancies.

It's like the difference between a theme park and a playground. In a playground you have access to different kinds of toys and rides, and you are allowed to use your own imagination to figure out how to create games you enjoy. In a theme park all the rides have been created for you and are either good or bad by design. The playground clearly offers more freedom but it requires you to think and be an active participant, while the theme park has taken those responsibilities away from you and you can just go with the flow.

Thats what people aren't seeing. The action man or whatever they are calling it now is a playground, not a theme park. Just because it comes wearing camo and holding a gun, doesn't mean it's going to be played with as such.

I noticed that John Wayne, the Centurion was wearing a watch !

Erm it gets better The Old Testament According To Lego - the whole 9 yards.

And it's not over yet.....lego jesus


What was that bit about craven images?