By Nicholas Bender
Several Christian churches are outraged over a new exhibit at Madame Tussaud''s wax museum in London that puts a new face on the Christmas Nativity.
The scene portrays the baby Jesus surrounded - not by the traditional wise men and shepherds - but by pop stars and celebrities.
Baby Jesus'' parents are portrayed by none other than British soccer sensation David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham, formerly Posh Spice of the Spice Girls.
The three Wise Men are depicted by George W. Bush, Tony Blair and the Duke of Edinburgh. Movie stars Samuel L. Jackson and Hugh Grant keep watch as robed shepherds along with comedian Graham Norton. A winged Kylie Minogue dangles above in all her angelic glory.
Madame Tussaud''s wax museums are found in several locations across the globe, including London, New York, Las Vegas, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. Famous for their uncannily accurate wax sculptures of celebrities and politicians, the wax museums have become a popular tourist destination.
But despite the company''s popularity, some churches have denounced the holiday exhibit as irreverent and inappropriate.
'This is worse than bad taste; it is cheap,' an official Vatican source told Reuters in Rome. 'You cannot use contemporary personalities as the central figures of the nativity ... and it becomes worse, if that were possible, if the people may be of questionable moral standing.'
Some say the display conveys celebrity worship and ridicules the Christian faith, which has become an easy target for liberal attacks.
'I think it''s a deliberate attempt to offend and belittle,' said Joseph McConkie, a BYU professor of ancient scripture. 'I''ll tell you this; if it were for some minority faith or if they were mocking Islam or mocking some non-Christian faith, there''d be an outcry like you''ve never heard before, and they would be forced to take it down.'
Father Mark Brummel, assistant editor of U.S. Catholic magazine, said he questions what motivated museum curators to develop the display.
'It''s taking things out of context, with people not even lending their names to it,' he said. 'I wonder what their intention was portraying people that way ... I don''t know.'
The Beckham''s waxen likenesses were apparently used in the nativity without their knowledge, according to Reuters.
Still, some said the modern interpretation of the Biblical account of Christ''s birth is a reflection of the mainstream influence that Christianity exerts in society today.
'Christianity in the U.S. has kind of become intertwined with pop culture,' said Steve Fuller, 25, a public relations major from Huntington Beach, Calif.
He added that he thinks the exhibit only reflects the current religious climate.
'I think it''s in poor taste,' said Heather McMurray, 24, a vocal performance major also from Huntington Beach, Calif. 'It''s pretty inappropriate. But I''m not surprised.'