June 15, 2010

Lightning hit a 62-foot-high Jesus Christ at the Solid Rock Church in Ohio and burned it down.

Pics of "Touchdown Jesus" and video of the fire at the link."
As fire gorged the iconic statue, several motorists along I-75 pulled over to photograph the sight....

The sculpture stretches 40 feet wide at the base. It was made of plastic form and fiberglass over a steel frame.
Plastic foam and fiberglass... at the Solid Rock Church.
A pond surrounding the statue that used to be full of fish is now filled with remnants of the structure, made of fiber glass and foam. All the fish are either dead or dying....
No miracle for these fish. I was going to Google some relevant stuff about the miracle of the fish, but Google being what it is, a search for "miracle of the fish" turned up things like:
How Miracle Whip, Plenty of Fish Tap Lady Gaga's 'Telephone ...
Mar 13, 2010 ... At least nine different brands make appearances in Lady Gaga's nine-minute music video, "Telephone," from HP Envy to Miracle Whip and Wonder ...
adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=142794 - Cached
Ah! The world is strange, but perhaps God is trying to tell us something.

40 comments:

Original Mike said...

Everbody's a critic.

Unknown said...

... is it any wonder that the steel lightning rod (covered in plastic and fiberglass) did its job ?

its hilarious that they called it 'touchdown Jesus' !

reverence ? forget it.

Cousin Bob said...

"...perhaps God is trying to tell us something."

Yeah. Don't make statues of Jesus out of crap.

And don't make Jesus look like He's sharing a pond with Gollum, either.

KCFleming said...

Many of the facades of newer buildings are made out of the same material.

Anonymous said...

Holy Smokes!

Seems like the Lord takes that fourth commandment seriously.

An Edjamikated Redneck said...

A friend of mine attends that Church, and This morning she was a disturbed by the press the incident was getting.

There were plans to paint the statute this summer- probably with either a more neutral tone, of maybe lifelike colors (she didn't say and I didn't ask), but those plans are now on hold.

The questions this incident raises:

Did God strike down the Statute? Was it because He didn't like the new paint scheme?

Or are we reading too much into a random act of Mother Nature against the tallest object in a two mile radius with out a lightning rod?

WV: alsicre- Al Sicre? wasn't he Lawrence of Arabia's left hand man?

Original Mike said...

I've always loved Notre Dame's "Touchdown Jesus". Although lately it's been more like "Field Goal Jesus".

Fred4Pres said...

CAIR just issued a statement: "Told you so!"

GMay said...

We have a winner folks!

Methadras said...

Fred4Pres said...

CAIR just issued a statement: "Told you so!"


Fuck those moongod worshipping sub-humans.

rhhardin said...

I'd guess Jesus was insured.

Unknown said...

Holy smoke!

Opus One Media said...

I saw the thing 4-5 years ago driving to and from Cincinati from Columbus. I've also seen the prayer hands outside Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

I've also seen the great ball of twine in Minnesota somewhere.

Unknown said...

it should be 3-pointer Jesus.

Opus One Media said...

Original Mike said...
I've always loved Notre Dame's "Touchdown Jesus". Although lately it's been more like "Field Goal Jesus"."

As an MSU alum we like to think of it as the "its a miracle they scored Jesus".

Original Mike said...

"I've also seen the great ball of twine in Minnesota somewhere"

Ahh, but have you seen the Wawa Goose?

Anonymous said...

Apparently the Solid Rock Church had erected a Less-Than-Solid Rock Jesus.

Symbolic, really - because that's what happens when you theologically foreclose the possibility of God calling modern prophets and apostles.

As Browning wrote: How shall it be when none more saith "I saw"?

chuck said...

As fire gorged the iconic statue

Shouldn't that be gorged *on*?

Calypso Facto said...

"Touchdown Jesus"? You mean "Big Butter Jesus"! Now soft spread.

As my whimsy leads me.. said...

Oh, no! That's the statue that Mark Daniels calls Jesus Rising from the Swamp .

In this photo, doing the Ohio State OH-IO cheer.

Toy

DADvocate said...

Calypso beat me to it. I'm sure comedian Haywood Banks is heart broken.

As my whimsy leads me.. said...

Here is Mark Daniel's post on the statue.

I saw it once on I-75. I had about the same reaction as he did.

Toy

Scott M said...

Haywood Banks, of "Big Butter Jesus" fame, said that they needed a couple of to-scale feet on the other side of the highway to make it look like he was taking a bath.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Plastic Jesus

Mitch H. said...

God hates improperly-grounded fiberglass statues?

William said...

Jesus scored, but God did not cover the spread.

D. B. Light said...

The real "Touchdown Jesus" is on the Notre Dame campus.

Calypso Facto said...

Feet would be too funny, Scott! But how about a new lightning rod?!?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Plastic Jesus

** deleted the other post because THIS was the song I wanted to post.

With all this lightening stuff, I am beginning to wonder if God doesn't have a really warped sense of humour.

Opus One Media said...

@Original Mike

by gosh yes I've been to Wawa and have seen the goose! Took the Algoma Central once too. And if you have been into Lochalsh and Goudreau....

Unknown said...

Ann Althouse said...

The world is strange, but perhaps God is trying to tell us something.

He usually is, but, in our vanity and arrogance, we're too stupid to know it.

traditionalguy said...

Perhaps it is not an image of Jesus that God wants worshippers to worship in spirit and in truth.

Paddy O said...

Reminds me a bit of Daniel 2 and 3.

The fish, no doubt, represent the Poor or some such thing.

Methadras said...

This ain't got nothin' on MC 900 Foot Jesus.

save_the_rustbelt said...

I drove past good old Touchdown just a few days before the big strike.

I always give the statue a nod, just in case.

Maybe I jinxed it.

AST said...

Matthew 24:24

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

He didn't mention plastic foam and fiberglass because no one would have known what he was talking about.

Darcy said...

Oh, that's a shame. I've driven by that statue many times and thought it was quite beautiful.

Quaestor said...
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Quaestor said...

The Solid Rock Church is probably one of those independent Baptist congregations that follow the tithing tradition - ten percent of the pre-tax gross income. That's pre-tax since God has first claim on your dough, not Caesar, though God doesn't seem to mind getting all the little pictures of the Caesars in His collection plate in apparent violation of the Fourth.

If you're a graduate of one of those diploma mill divinity schools there's nothing brighter for your future than a Bible-based, full gospel, full tithing church. Get a couple of hundred solidly middle class two-income families into your congregation and that successful law partner lifestyle can be yours, and without the debt. and mostly tax-free, and with more free time to improve your golf game. Build that into a mega-church and we're talking Hollywood style, baby.

Of course you must spend some of the loot on things the parishioners can see and touch or else they might get antsy and join another church. And there are ways to make even those necessary expenditures pay. You just need to study the careers of other God-called evangelists like Jim Bakker, Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, Benny Hinn, Salvatore Giangana, Joseph "Crazy Joey" Gallo ..

Quaestor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.