Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Butter Jesus Burns

A local eyesore just a few stone's throws near my home along I-75 in Ohio is locally referred to as the 'butter Jesus', or my favorite, 'field goal Jesus.' It was roughly 65' tall.

The thing was called butter Jesus because it looked like a butter sculpture in person, although I rather thought it looked like a demented person slopped it together out of paper mache. The picture really doesn't do the ugliness justice.

Before and after:



Sadly, as one local talk show host pointed out, (Willie) The finger of God missed the Hustler store and the mosque by the highway. Damn.

The thing is ugly as sin, makes no sense proportionally (look at the cross v.s. the arms), and is inexplicably coming out of a large man-made pond in front of the Solid Rock Church.

(Don't get my husband started on those freaks. His crazy ex's parents are charter members there, so he has first-hand experience with being dragged into crazy land.)

Anyhow, we had a wicked thunderstorm last night, and a bolt of lightening struck field goal Jesus and having a metal frame wrapped in fiberglass... Let's just say he went up like a Roman candle.





I might feel bad, but as I said, the thing was ugly as sin, built by a bunch of weirdos, and really challenges the line of 'no graven images', IMO.

They say they're going to rebuild it. For $700,000... Like that money couldn't go to much better ministry purposes.

I'll just wait for the next lightening storm.

17 comments:

Jeffrey L Watts said...

Ah, yes...we pass that (or did) on our trips to Toledo.

You'll have to wave at us next time we pass.

Brooke said...

Sure! We'll have to get a cheeseburger or something! :)

Z said...

I'd heard about that but hadn't seen the picture...WHOA. What the heck kind of church is that? (and 'ex parents'?) it does look like it's carved from butter..or papier mache!
I guess God didn't much like it, either? :-)

LA Sunset said...

There are those who fail to see signs.

The Pharisees did not see them, nor were they inclined to look. However, they did seek to look the part of holy men, by standing on the street corners and praying loudly before men, so as to draw attention to themselves.

I do not know this group very well, nor would I be inclined to seek them out to know them better. But from the vantage point where I sit, it would appear that the spirits of the Pharisees are very much alive and well in this organization.

WomanHonorThyself said...

ya mean they didnt make one of Muuuhamad?..lolz

Brooke said...

I like to think that the thing was so dang ugly God finally took it out. ;)

Dave was married once before we were. I won't go into details, but it was bad. I've met the ex-in laws; they are nuts. Snarky, mean, vicious people, I'm sorry to say, and it rubbed off on their daughter.

As for Solid Rock Church, they are a "pentecostal" church that claims to be a "dynamic, cross-cultural, non-denominational place of worship."

I hate to be so harsh, but in reality and IMO, they are a televangelist-style mega-church which exists again, IMO for money raising. Hell, you can pay your tithe online; it's more convenient, you know.

Honestly, three quarters of a million dollars for an ugly, nonsensical statue? How much better could those tithe dollars be put to use? How many more people could be helped?

I'm ranting. Sorry. *:/

Brooke said...

LA: Exactly. EXACTLY!!! Hubby's ex-laws are 'associate pastors' there. The guy isn't too awful, but her... She takes the cake.

Angel: There's a big mosque just down the road...

Anonymous said...

I agree, that much money could feed a lot of people, or purchase a lot of automatic weapons.

I think we have good news, and bad news. First, the good news: Jesus is coming back. The bad news is that he's really pissed off at us for doing stupid stuff like the melted-butter Jesus.

Since I don't recall a commandment reading, "Thou Shalt Not Be Stupid," these people might slide out of trouble on judgment day.

Brooke said...

It kind of reminds me of the old Kinnison skit, "When did I say to build a water slide? Hey, Dad... I don't remember telling them to build a water slide. I've looked all through this book and I can't find it."

Paraphrased and cleaned up a bit, of course. ;)

cube said...

I saw this photo on Drudge this morning, but had no idea it was near your place. It looked like a piece of work, but not a good piece of work, if you know what I mean.

BO's OilSpillBlog said...

Heading home to PGH, I never make it that far into to Ohio to see it. Guess I never will....

Always On Watch said...

Butter Jesus?

Ugleeee!

I'd heard about the lightning strike but had no idea the statue was so, well, pagan-looking.

The finger of God missed the Hustler store and the mosque by the highway.

LOL. Too bad. Really.

Brooke said...

Cube: Yes. Every time you pass the thing you can't help but think, "What the hell possessed them to do such a thing?"

Truly, the pictures don't do the hideousness of it justice. It looked like a four-year-old made it out of rough paper mache.

Spill: Don't worry, they're going to rebuild it, because of course they are.

Sheesh.

AOW: I think it kind of hits the line of "no graven images."

Yes, it is a pity that the storm missed the other two *ahem* landmarks.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

"Butter Jesus. Idol. A graven image barely standing. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world's first bionic idol. Butter Jesus will be that idol. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster. For six million dollars, we can have Bionic Butter Jesus."

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

joke explanation for the younger'n 40

Brooke said...

Or non-nerds. Heh.

USA_Admiral said...

Damn. Bad ending for a graven image.