RADFORD, Va. -- Online cartoons depicting Jesus that satirize televangelists, the commercialization of Christmas and other issues have caused a stir among both Christian and non-Christian students and administrators at Radford University.
In his "Christ on Campus" comic strip on the Whim Internet Magazine, Christian Keesee has featured Jesus being stabbed by Santa Claus, playing poker with other religious figures, including Muhammad, and punching a heckler who referred to him as a "glorified Easter bunny."
Vice President for Student Affairs Norleen Pomerantz said in a statement that a meeting regarding how to balance free-speech rights while maintaining good taste will be held sometime next week.
The magazine is funded through student fees, but the university exercises no editorial control over it.
Keesee, a sophomore from Salem, said it's a given that some people are going to be offended when you publish a cartoon with Jesus as a main character "if it's not from the Bible or it's not from a Sunday school handout."
Making Jesus a modern human being is absurd, and that's part of the point, he said.
"I could draw Jesus and put in a Bible Scripture at the bottom with the point I'm trying to make and that wouldn't be interesting," he told the Roanoke Times.
Keesee said he was unaware of the Muhammad cartoons that have triggered deadly riots among Muslims when he started "Christ on Campus" in October. He came up with the idea while talking with his roommate.
Like the Muhammad cartoons, which were first printed in September, his strip gained attention months after first being published.
Keesee said he had no idea "Christ on Campus" would make people so upset and is a little uncomfortable with some of the anger directed at it. But he has no plans to stop drawing the strip.
Blake Fought, sports editor of Radford's student newspaper, would like to see the cartoon stopped or at least vetted by a third party before being published to keep the rancor on campus from turning ugly.
He said he understands the freedom of speech issue, but said a line needs to be drawn, especially when the media lampoons something as personal to people as religion.
"I don't like the ones about Muhammad either," he said.
One cartoon, a parody of the famous painting of dogs playing poker, is an equal opportunity offender. It shows leaders of four religious groups (Muhammad, Buddha, Jesus and Vishnu) playing poker with the devil in a battle for souls.
Brian Erskine, chairman of Radford University's College Republicans, writes a column for Whim.
While he said he would "fight tooth and nail" for Keesee's right to publish his cartoon, he describes it as crude.
"I don't understand how someone who claims to be a Christian ... could do something like this," he said.
Keesee has no problem with the criticism, but thinks people who get angry because his cartoon Jesus does things their Jesus wouldn't do are missing the larger message.
"I just want to tell them to lighten up," he said. "Most times, there's a point to it."
