Tales of Interest, Episode II...

Time for another episode of "Tales of Interest"...

I just couldn't resist blogging about this one because I just find everything quite humorous.

So last night, there were some pretty bad thunderstorms in the Cincinnati area. And from the looks of the weather channel, there are some even more severe storms on the way this evening. Gotta love this ultra-humid June Ohio weather!

Anyways, so someone mentioned to me this morning at work that our beloved "Touchdown Jesus" statue was damaged in the storm last night. How damaged? Let's just say that it got struck by lightning and completely burnt to the ground. Seriously.

So for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, the "Touchdown Jesus" statue had become a sort of landmark in the Cincinnati area. The statue lied out in front of Solid Rock Church near Monroe, on I-75, just north of town. And it had become well-known simply as "Touchdown Jesus" amongst the locals because it showed Christ in a posture with both arms raised to the sky as if to signal a touchdown.

Well, apparently, this Jesus was not fireproof! According to eyewitnesses, the statue burnt to the ground in only minutes. I couldn't believe it, so I had to look it up in the news for myself.

Check out the story here:
News Story Link

I came up with a few funny headlines of my own:
- "Act of God Destroys Jesus"
- "Jesus Fired From Solid Rock Church"
- "Next Week's Sermon: Ashes to Ashes"
- "Torchdown Jesus" (from Fark.com)

And just imagine the possibilities for future stories! My personal favorite: Wouldn't it be totally awesome if the statue magically re-appeared after 3 days? That would be the coolest thing ever I think.

The headline for that one?
- "Jesus Statue Destroyed, Expected to Rise Again in 3 Days"


Now, I'm not making fun of Jesus by any means, nor am I making fun of Solid Rock Church for their statue. But I do find this whole thing quite humorous, mainly because of the comments that folks made in response to the burning.

Here are some of the comments I find humorous:

“It meant so much to so many people,” Browning said. “The statue can be destroyed and gone, but Jesus can’t be.”

“God struck God, I like the irony. Jesus struck Jesus,” said Dawn Smith, 25, of Hamilton.

“It sent goosebumps through my whole body because I am a believer,” said Levi Walsh, 29. “Of all the things that could have been struck, I just think that that would be protected. ... It’s something that’s not supposed to happen, Jesus burning,” he said. “I had to see it with my own eyes.”

“I can’t believe Jesus was struck,” said his brother, who noted the giant Hustler Hollywood sign for the adult store across the street was untouched. “It’s the last thing I expected to happen.”


Again, I don't mean any disrespect to the church and most definitely not to Jesus. But seriously people, IT WAS A STATUE! Get over it. We can rebuild it. Sometimes I think that people have come to value their symbols of Jesus more than Jesus Himself. Besides, I think that Jesus has a great sense of humor and I think that even He would chuckle at this one.

Speaking of rebuilding, they are planning on rebuilding it. So, not to worry. Soon enough, "Touchdown Jesus" will be a part of the Cincinnati skyline again.

Tales of Interest: You've read it! You can't un-read it!