Sack Touchdown Jesus
If you haven't already heard about the six-story "Touchdown Jesus" statue that was struck by lightning and burned down outside Solid Rock Church near Cincinnati last week, there's a good chance you don't know about my relatively small beans blog either. If you're interested, however, you can read about the flaming Jesus here. I wonder what a right-winger like Pat Robertson would've said if such an "act of God" had happened to a Harvey Milk or Barack Obama sculpture. "A message of disapproval from the heavens"?...
I read that the damned Jesus statue cost $300,000 to build in the first place — and will cost another $300,000 to rebuild, as some seem determined to do. But I wonder — even though this was a statue of Jesus, and not Harvey or Barack, what if we still decided to interpret the fire as a message of disapproval from God? If we did so, what might the message be? If you believe the Bible, you could be relatively certain God wasn't demonstrating disapproval of Jesus, who at the scene of a famous baptism was called (by a voice from the heavens) "my beloved son in whom I am well pleased" [Luke 3:22]. So what might've pissed God off?
The same Bible quotes the same Jesus as telling a rich man he could not be a follower unless he was willing to "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor" [Mark 10:21]. Jesus is quoted elsewhere as saying: "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" [Luke 12:33-34]. Coincidentally, this last passage appears in the same chapter where Jesus declared "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" [Luke 12:49]. Wish granted?...
A reasonable person would do well to doubt that the destruction of what's been called "Touchdown Jesus" (or of any statue) is or was any literal act of God. But if we pretend it was — and we pretend that it was the result of a Christian God's displeasure — I can easily imagine that what pissed God off most was that his so-called followers chose to spend $300,000 of their riches on a gaudy plastic foam Jesus statue instead of giving that money (nevermind everything they have) to the poor, as he'd advised someone else with riches to do two thousand years ago.
Now church leaders want to rebuild the statue. Giving them the benefit of a doubt, maybe they don't know any homeless, sick, or poor people they can help with that $300,000. So I'm gonna send them a list. Maybe you'll want to send one, too.
Solid Rock Church
903 North Union Road
Monroe, Ohio 45050
Phone: 513-423-7040
Email: info@solidrockchurch.org
I read that the damned Jesus statue cost $300,000 to build in the first place — and will cost another $300,000 to rebuild, as some seem determined to do. But I wonder — even though this was a statue of Jesus, and not Harvey or Barack, what if we still decided to interpret the fire as a message of disapproval from God? If we did so, what might the message be? If you believe the Bible, you could be relatively certain God wasn't demonstrating disapproval of Jesus, who at the scene of a famous baptism was called (by a voice from the heavens) "my beloved son in whom I am well pleased" [Luke 3:22]. So what might've pissed God off?
The same Bible quotes the same Jesus as telling a rich man he could not be a follower unless he was willing to "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor" [Mark 10:21]. Jesus is quoted elsewhere as saying: "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" [Luke 12:33-34]. Coincidentally, this last passage appears in the same chapter where Jesus declared "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" [Luke 12:49]. Wish granted?...
A reasonable person would do well to doubt that the destruction of what's been called "Touchdown Jesus" (or of any statue) is or was any literal act of God. But if we pretend it was — and we pretend that it was the result of a Christian God's displeasure — I can easily imagine that what pissed God off most was that his so-called followers chose to spend $300,000 of their riches on a gaudy plastic foam Jesus statue instead of giving that money (nevermind everything they have) to the poor, as he'd advised someone else with riches to do two thousand years ago.
Now church leaders want to rebuild the statue. Giving them the benefit of a doubt, maybe they don't know any homeless, sick, or poor people they can help with that $300,000. So I'm gonna send them a list. Maybe you'll want to send one, too.
Solid Rock Church
903 North Union Road
Monroe, Ohio 45050
Phone: 513-423-7040
Email: info@solidrockchurch.org
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 6/22/2010 6:00 PM 
Categories: News and Politics, Religion and Philosophy
Tags: Solid Rock Church Touchdown Jesus Fire
Categories: News and Politics, Religion and Philosophy
Tags: Solid Rock Church Touchdown Jesus Fire
actually.. that statue was just outside Monroe, Michigan off I -75 . It is just the pastor in Cincinnati who is raising the funds.. to replace it.
The statue was not in Cincinnati.
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I think you're mistaken. The church is in Monroe, Ohio, just northeast of Cincinnati.
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Let's not forget...
Deuteronomy 15:11
"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."
Or 16:22
"and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the LORD your God hates."
This is a very sad waste of funds. I bet if they drove around and saw someone begging for change on the street, they would pass right by and pretend not to notice. I have a feeling God isn't very flashy...is that a pun here?...so, to see this really awkward statue is kind of like seeing a priest with a big gold blingy chain or a red fire bird trans am. (which, by the way, my Catholic priest had such a car when I was in high school...yeah, that was totally weird)
Personally, I think the artist should be chastised as well for building the damn thing and charging so much! This isn't the Statue of Liberty he's making! As an artist, I have to say there is a limit to what I am willing to create for people and that statue is way over my limit.
I have an email to compose to a most ridiculous church...
Peace my brotha!
Stacey
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Amen, sista!
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i'm sorry but it does no good to preach reason, logic, or morals to the religious wrong. there faith lies in their wallets. and their hearts have been hardened. but their children are usually fun to party with.
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Logic, reason, morals? I seek with the light of my reason to try to find all of these in this Capitalist Democracy of freedom. We are all free to love whatever Bronze Age god we want to. And I agree with having fun. WTF
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Everybody's a critic. What an Old Testament thing for God to do.
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And I can't believe it's taken me this long to remember the commandment against making having graven images.
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I think it's the first one. I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other Gods than me. These graven images have much more to do with the exhibition of wealth by the Church than they have to do with any religious belief. People often aske me if Catholics pray to statues. No! We don't! LOL.
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Aw, you're just trying to confound them with reason. That makes them very angry. And you know what happens to those who make self-appointed Goddies. mad. BeWary.
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