Top twenty religious t shirts

Joanna writes: Holiday souvenir or groupie must-have, the slogan t-shirt is a trend that refuses to die. But in the hands of the fervently religious it's a means to evangelise to everyone they pass. Here's a list of the 20 best we've found. P.S. There are no Buddhist t-shirts in the list but Boing Boing tells us that the Dalai Lama is due to set up a celebrity t-shirt line in October so it could all change. (LIBBY ADDS - my favourite is not on the list.  It just says "Jesus is Coming. Look busy") 

Hijabman is the designer and Muslim blogger behind this bold slogan. He says his website's "a form of worship, a form of thanks to God," are his t-shirts as well?

The Muslim Baby Shop offers even the youngest believers a chance to state their faith.

The amusing "A Little Leavan" blog - which rails against but thrives on tacky Christian products - showcases this "Jesusbucks" t-shirt. You could ponder your salvation whilst stirring your latte I suppose.

Lucky Jew ("shirts for the chosen people")brings us this tee for the super hero in you

Kerusso means to "herald divine truth as a public crier; to preach the gospel" - the usual criteria for a t-shirt choice then.

Cafepress offers this classic design for Sikhs

These three come from Ilm (knowledge in Arabic) a company set up to spread a little Islam and continue the tradition of using the "t-shirt as a personal billboard".

 

 

The Jesus Is My Homeboy range has attracted a celebrity following but it promises that it isn't cashing in on a trend. It is a tribute to the time when saying "Jesus is your homeboy" saved Van Zan Frater from a gang with guns.

In parody of the above Cafepress has produced this t-shirt for the Hindu market

Totally Catholic's t-shirts were once only worn by the most pious of pilgrims who longed to live pre-Reformation (see example below).

But they have turned hip for the iPod generation with this new design.

 

 

Crazytees offers these for the fashion conscious faithful

 

And for an emblem to end all emblems T-shirt humour can do you this in a t-shirt, cap, mug, apron, mousemat or poster.

 

Comments

[Andrew Milner]

Sad, sad, sad. But good to see the return of "Faith", sandwiched appropriately between "Cartoon" and "Related Reports". Was it the five-minute argument you wanted or the full half-hour? So here's my contribution: "The bones of JC are in the Vatican".
Not convinced this is totally accurate, but never fails as a debate provoker. However, one thing is for sure, the body of JC became part of the planet, like everyone else’s. Rising from the dead followed by ascension into "Heaven" is pure fantasy. You can fool most of the people all of the time…

[riazat]

Joanna, face it, when it comes to tees Muslims do it better...

[Truthseeker]

Andrew Milner: "Rising from the dead followed by ascension into "Heaven" is pure fantasy."
You are, sir, entitled to your own opinion. However, since you are unable to factually prove your assertion, and since I am unable to factually disprove it, let's accept that we are talking here about a matter of faith and belief.
The only difference is that we each live our lives according to our different beliefs. I will continue to live, convinced (after many years of both studying, and teaching, on the subject) that Jesus of Nazareth, Whom true Christians believe was Almighty God in human flesh, "was crucified, dead, and buried (entombed). The third day (according to Jewish calculation) He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven (returned to that other dimension that is beyond our comprehension - see no less a person than Stephen Hawking for the scientific backing for a multi-dimensional universe!), and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there, He shall come to judge the living and the dead".
You may not believe that that latter event will occur either and, once again, you are fully entitled not to do so. However, if it does, you may find that it is too late to have "second thoughts"!!

[Kelley]

But Andrew, what if there's more?
What if you're wrong? What if the hope is there you've been searching for? I can tell you from experience that He's alive. He loves you. I'm not a radical zealot, not a right wing evangelist, not a self righteous bore, and I'm not not trying to press my feelings on you in some fire & brimstone message. I just don't want you to miss the greatest thing that could happen in your life. He did rise. And the legacy of love he left is around you everyday. He created you. Specifically you. And most of all, he did it with amazing love.

[Sacha Varma]

You missed out my favourite "Jesus loves you, everyone else thinks you're a C**T"

[Musab Bora]

My favourite T-Shirt, only produced once, said on the front 'Muslims do it five times a day'

And on the back said
'Pray'

[bill]

I always liked:

"Easter's off, they've found the body"

I guess you won't publish that one.

[jim]

Jesus saves, but Pele scores off the rebound

[Joanne]

my favourite only seen on a card but should be on a tee shirt: "Jesus is coming .....quick, look busy"
The God I know has a sense of humour

[Ralinda]

The most poignant t-shirt I've seen was worn by a Rwandan child in a refugee camp in Goma, Zaire. It said "Jesus is coming and he is pissed."

[Seamus]

Nerd blasphemy "Jesus saves, and makes incremental back ups"

[sweetalkinguy]

As we are straying into the realms of graffiti on posters, this is my favourite, which I saw on Lime Street station in the late 60s:

What shall we do when Christ cometh?

under which somebody had written "Move St. John to inside left".

[Ryan]

Top twenty religious t shirts according to?

Cheesy Christian shirts, we are better than that.....and He is sooooo much bigger than that!

www.rockkit.co.uk

[Geoffrey Dent]

True story: One day after the London tube bombings, a man travelled the underground in a makeshift t-shirt reading: "Don't freak, I'm a Sikh!"

[Vlad the Impala]

I just made this up "Jesus lubs you long time" or Dream ticket : AH + OBL..

[Bob Kincaid]

Bravo, Andrew! Let's hear for some all too rate common sense and rational expression.

Prove that people rot in the ground when they're dead? Sure! Go to any cemetery.

Accept "faith" as proof? Not hardly. Anyone is welcome to believe childish hogwash, but it is not incumbent upon reasonable people to pretend that the people believing the insane stuff are entitled to some sort of mollycoddling or special immunity from criticism.

Moreover, persisting in the died-and-rose-again business proves the fallacy of organized xtianity. It's not about how he died, but about how he LIVED. Most xtians still don't grasp that concept.

[Andrew Milner]

These sanctimonious Bible bashers usually end with, "I will pray for you", so I must be getting under their skin. Holier-than-thou, pompous, self-righteous, hypocritical, gullible; but there's still something about them I can't stand. They think they have all the answers. Well not in this case: You are victims of most massive deception in history. Jesus' birth was more to do with the handsome Roman soldier billeted across the street than any Holy Ghost intervention. So when your unmarried teenage daughter falls pregnant what do you do? Marry her off as quickly as possible, in this case to an older man. And what do you do when the heads of your movement are executed one after the other? Spin some fiction that one of them "rose from the dead". Have to say the "ascension into heaven" was a stroke of pure genius. Did you know the Muslims claim we are all Sons of God? But I wouldn’t recommend putting this on your resume.

[Eric J]

Gosh Bob, thanks so much for setting us straight on this. I sure am glad there are folks like you out there patrolling the net, keeping us safe from people of faith and their crazy talk. I hope you feel like you really accomplished something today.

[adrian]

Why dont you study the Bible to prove how right you are by mocking faith? May i suggest you start with the book of John, in the new testament, and read a chapter a day for a month.. but before you start , call out to God ( even if you dont believe He exists and demand that He give you confirmation that all of the Jesus thing is a hoax.
You would at least have assurance of what you condemn is just nonsense.

After all, dont you want to at least make sure that God did "not" so love that world that He gave his one and only son that whoever believed in him shall not perish but have eternal life?

Hey, its your life.. i'd be doing a little research if it was me.. just a suggestion..

[Gareth Morgan]

It seems that Andrew Milner's principle problem is actually not with Christians but conservative evangelicals who take a literalist view of the bible. What he fails to understand is that there are many Christians who recognise that Son of God was a pre-existing phrase in biblical times that included everyone but was used by Gospel writers to try to suggest that Jesus was both as other humans but something more (and almost certainly never intended to suggest that he was some sort of biological son of God). The ascension of course only occurs in Luke's gospel and is a handy linking device between the end of his gospel and the book of Acts, and despite depictions in art, the idea of ascension was largely a symbolic one. Many Christians also realise that Matthew and Luke were after a deeper meaning is suggesting a virgin birth (virgin after all being based on a mistranslation by Matthew of an Old Testament text meaning young woman) and that the resurrection doesn't necessarily mean a bodily one. Perhaps you are also guilty of taking what you know of the bible at face value rather than trying to understand its complexity and what it is really driving at.

[Kim]

Most are total blasphemy.

I am shocked with how far america has fallen. Even most of the commentors are blasphemers and liars

[Guyswines]

Many years ago Private Eye did a series of different Xmas cards - the one I realy remember is Joseph coming out & saying "It's a girl"
Enjoying these kind of remarks doesn't mean one doesn't believe.

[Stephen Einbinder]

Gareth Morgan, your ignorance of the Holy Scriptures is not suprising, since Yehoshua (Jesus) in Hebrew, acredits himself the title of Son of God numerous times John 14 for example. Also in reference to Isaiah 7:14 the virgin birth the term Heb. Betulah is in fact young maiden, which would apply to a betrothed young woman of marriagable age. Also this would require under strict Torah observance being unwed before unless widowed and a ¨VIRGIN¨.......
If you don´t want to sound hopelessly ignorant, you owe it to yourself to study yourself approved rightly dividing the word of truth, showing yourself to ´¨NOT BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL¨ Think about it thats why Joseph at first wanted to put her away thinking she had broke the sacred law, and lost her purity. Also remember a ´¨Bastard child¨ is forbidden to enter in the congregation, or the temple, but Yehoshua (Jesus) Luke 4:16 who stood up to read the Holy Scriptures was certainly not forbidden, he was openly made aware of Garth............

[Omar]

You missed out the t-shirts from IslamicDesignHouse.com - they aren't as catchy I know, but look more stylish.

[Mrs.Josephine Hyde-Hartley]

The best T-shirt I ever saw said
"PRAY HARD"