Update: The Touchdown Jesus conflagration happened back in June, 2010.
This weekend, its replacement was christened. Welcome “Hug Me Jesus” to the world, folks. Which is a much better nickname than “Big Butter Jesus,” which was an alternate name for “Touchdown Jesus,” which isn’t related at all to “Sweet Baby Jesus.”
Got it? Good. Praise be. (AP)
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Down goes Jesus. Down goes Jesus.
The famed ‘Touchdown Jesus’ statue in Monroe, OH, burned to the ground recently after apparently being struck by lightning.
The 62-foot tall statue of Jesus, which had stood in front of the Solid Rock Church, was apparently not protected against acts of god or nature. And to think, it just got a facelift with 60 gallons of fresh white paint this spring.
The original artist has some interest in helping the church design a new statue, but the pastor at Solid Rock says that any replacement probably won’t resemble the original 62-foot football Jesus.
This article appears in Sep 26 – Oct 2, 2012.
Ah yes, Touchdown Jesus was a fixture on many pictures that featured people spelling out “OHIO” with their arms. I mean, what was the thought process for the artist on the whole touchdown thing anyways? They didn’t even have football in biblical times!