I’m surprised some religious nut hasn’t come out and said that he saw the face of Jesus, or that of his “mother,” the Virgin Mary, in the flames. This is the kind of story that lends itself to that kind of stupid commentary.
If I lived in or near Monroe, Ohio, which thankfully I don’t, and was a devout Christian, which thankfully I’m not, I would start to worry about what kind of a message the almighty God is sending the people of this community by permitting lightning to strike such a meaningful and symbolic landmark. After all, isn’t God supposedly all-knowing and all-powerful? If he is, this would mean that he knew lightning would strike the statue and further that he allowed it to happen. With these “facts” on hand, I wouldn’t be too sure that re-building the statue is a smart idea.
By the way folks, it really isn’t my intention to be so grossly hypocritical or to make so much fun of Christianity and religions in general. It’s just that it is so easy to pick on these Christian evangelical knuckleheads (as well as believers of all other faiths) that I just can’t help myself. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
MONROE, Ohio – A six-story statue of Jesus Christ was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, leaving only a blackened steel skeleton and pieces of foam that were scooped up by curious onlookers Tuesday.
The “King of Kings” statue, one of southwest Ohio’s most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.
The lightning strike set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m. Monday, Monroe police dispatchers said.
The sculpture, about 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown. It was made of plastic foam and fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remained Tuesday.
The nickname is the same used for a famous mural of the resurrected Jesus that overlooks the Notre Dame football stadium.
The fire spread from the statue to an adjacent amphitheater but was confined to the attic area, and no one was injured, police Chief Mark Neu said.
Estimated damage from the fire was set at $700,000 — $300,000 for the statue and $400,000 for the amphitheater, Fire Capt. Richard Mascarella said Tuesday.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was at the scene Tuesday to prevent traffic jams and potential accidents from motorists stopping along the highway to take photographs.
Some people were scooping up pieces of the statue’s foam from the nearby pond to take home with them, said church co-pastor Darlene Bishop.
“This meant a lot to a lot of people,” she said.
Keith Lewis, of nearby Middletown, arrived at the church around 7 a.m. Tuesday to photograph the remains for his wife. Lewis said he had viewed the statue as both an oddity and an inspiration.
Cassie Browning, a church member from Dayton, said she was driving home when she saw smoke and noticed the statue was missing.
Travelers on I-75 often were startled to come upon the huge statue by the roadside, but many said America needs more symbols like it. So many people stopped at the church campus that church officials had to build a walkway to accommodate them.
Bishop said the statue will be rebuilt.
“It will be back, but this time we are going to try for something fireproof,” she said.
The 4,000-member, nondenominational church was founded by Bishop and her husband, former horse trader Lawrence Bishop.
Lawrence Bishop said in 2004 he was trying to help people, not impress them, with the statue. He said his wife proposed the Jesus figure as a beacon of hope and salvation.
