Mickey Mouse Jesus banned in Russia

Russia had already banned “South Park” because the show’s religious characters “bore signs of extremist activity.” I guess Russian prosecutors were not a fan of Sea Man.

Now, though, a Russian court has banned Alexander Savko’s depiction of the Sermon on the Mount, with Jesus portrayed by Mickey Mouse. As with “South Park,” the drawing, which was part of an exhibit titled “Forbidden Art,” was considered “extremist.”

The Huffington Post has a little more from the court hearing:

A statement on the prosecutor’s website says, “During the court hearing, it was established that Savko’s technique of uniting the image of Jesus Christ, which is sacred for Christians, and the comical image of Mickey Mouse, which in this situation is vulgar, has turned the graphic work into a caricature of Jesus Christ. The Gospel story is therefore presented by the artist in the form of a comic, which is an extremely cynical and mocking insult to the religious beliefs and feelings of Orthodox Christian believers.”

HuffPo also got this reaction from Savko:

THE PUPROSE OF THIS PAINTING IS NOT ABUSE OF CHRIST AND NOT ABUSE OF CHRISTIANS. THIS IS DISPLAYING OF CURRENT REALITY: THE SUBSTITUTION OF HUMAN SPIRITUAL, MORAL VALUES WITH MASS-CULTURAL VALUES.