Any Excuse to Avoid a Shave: con-Jesus at Anime Boston 2011

Who would’ve known that Anime Boston 2011 would’ve been such a gold mine for posts about Christianity?  I’ve already given links to posts about con-goers celebrating Easter and Charles Dunbar’s panel.  Here is a third addition to this group of posts, focusing on a cosplayer known as con-Jesus.

The team behind Cosplay Nation, an in-the-works cosplay documentary, interviewed the frequent con-goer.  It’s an interesting piece, and what I didn’t expect was the respect the cosplayer had for Christianity.  Aside from mentioning Jesus’ “shows of force” (I don’t think any of the recorded miracles fit into this category), con-Jesus continually mentions his admiration for the faith.  We also learn about why he decided to dress this way and why he continues to.

I’ve never been to a con, much less the east-coast ones in which I assume con-Jesus attends.  Thus, I’ve never seen him.  Have you ever bumped into con-Jesus?

Twwk
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8 thoughts on “Any Excuse to Avoid a Shave: con-Jesus at Anime Boston 2011”

  1. I’ve never had the opportunity to meet Con-Jesus, unfortunately (the closest I’ve come was a kid in my highschool that looked pretty dang close to traditional depictions of Him. Needless to say, almost all 3000 students knew him as ‘Jesus’).

    But I did have the oportunity to see Sailor Bubba.

  2. I’ve seen lots of con-Jesuses, some better done than others. I know there was one at Fanime in California. It’s a sight to see, and some people see it as belittling Christianity, and others see it as bringing two worlds together that don’s usually have much in common.

    There’s a video from Anime Next (in NJ) a few years back here you can see one: http://blip.tv/dosanko-gaijin-dabesa/dosanko-gaijin-dabesa-episode-3-the-american-cosplay-world-at-animenext-2006-1028256 He shows up at 6:25.

    1. It’s quite a juxtaposition seeing someone dressed as Jesus playing with a remote controlled car.

      There’s probably a lot to be said for whichever side of the issue (word choice brain freeze – this isn’t really an “issue”), I’m sure. I think for Christians, there’s a line in how one represents Jesus or God, and cosplaying as Him walks it…and what the cosplayer does may cross it.

      Thanks for the link – fun to watch!

  3. Sorry for throwing that in there w/o preface about the r/c car toy. It never occurred to me that it would cross a line with it. By that standard, then cosplaying as Jesus in general might be a bad thing since at some point they are going to have to go to the toilet or pose in photos or talk on a cell phone. Does the r/c car possibly cross the line because it’s kind of a frivolous activity (ie not really constructive) or because of the anachronistic quality?

    Hope to see you at a convention soon, they’re loads of fun.

    1. Hehe, well obviously, Jesus playing with a remote controlled car is blasphemous. Obviously. Come on, how could you NOT let that be known beforehand? I felt like gouging my eyes out.

      Obviously, I just thought it was funny and silly. The possible “crossing the line” is cosplaying as Jesus in general. Although not at the level of Islam’s portrayal of Muhammed or the ancients Israelite’s portrayal of God, Jesus is still THE sacred figure of a religion, and cosplaying as Him will be seen by some/many as insensitive/hurtful/blasphemous.

      The more I blog, the more I feel drawn to cons. Would be cool to meet you at one someday.

  4. Just a shout out- not only have I taken pictures of this dude several years running (from a distance), I now work with him!!!

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