In a story originally reported by FoxNews.com we discovered that a photo of The Painted Posse, a group of devout LSU fans who are also devout, Christians had been altered.  In their original photo you plainly see the small crosses painted on their bodies as a sign of their Christianity.  However, in the photo that was sent out in an email about the LSU/South Carolina game, the crosses were gone.  Airbrushed out.  Why?

School spokesman Herb Vincent told Fox News the school altered the image to prevent other students from being offended by the weekly Geaux-Mail newsletter.

"We don't want to imply we are making any religious or political statements, so we air-brushed it out," the school said in a statement. "Only one of the students, who didn't appreciate it, actually contacted us about it. So next time, we'll just choose a different photo."  

Going forward, the school plans to steer clear of photos with religious overtones when it sends out emails promoting athletics.  See the altered and unaltered photos at FoxNews.com.  Now, we read the response from this group of young Christian LSU Tiger fans on the Painted Posse Facebook page.

A Statement from the Painted Posse:
“In light of the recent airbrushing of our crosses by LSU staff members and the discussion that has followed, the Painted Posse – a group of Christian LSU students – would like to thank the public for the outpouring of support both for the group and for Christ.  Please allow us to clear up some confusion and make certain that our ideals and intentions are not misconstrued by individuals, members of the media, or the university that we love.

 

The University has reached out to our group and apologized for this incident. The following statement should be considered the last such communication from any Posse member regarding the “cross airbrushing” incident. Collectively, we thank you for your understanding. ‘We, the members of the Painted Posse, do not agree with the University’s recent decision to airbrush crosses out of the photo of some of our members. We also respect the opinions of those who do not agree with us.

 

Despite what happened, our main focus is to represent Christ. This Christ is our Savior who died on a cross to save us from sin, was raised again, and now lives in our lives. Our goal as the Painted Posse is to portray Christ through our actions while cheering on our Tigers! Our group will return to our normal seats, with our normal, painted uniforms on November 3rd, wholeheartedly supporting our Tigers. We are humbled by the many who have shown support for our beliefs, but we would encourage all fellow members of the LSU family to please switch the focus from this story and the Posse to supporting our beloved university.  We encourage anyone who would like to honor Jesus Christ to join us by wearing a cross on November 3rd. We strongly discourage the wearing of a cross as a way to protest the university or its recent decision. We desire that no further negative light would be shone upon the university that we love.

 

We acknowledge the efforts of the LSU administration and look forward to serving the university as both fans and students.  Let’s unite all Tiger supporters as we prepare for the biggest game of the year. May we, as the LSU family, support our Tigers with all the fervor of the South Carolina game and much more! Bring. On. Bama.’”

Wow!  Great response guys and if it's young people like you that we've entrusted to instill all that it is to be a true LSU football fan....We've done an incredible job!  Geaux Tigers!

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