Posted inOpinion

“Hug Me Jesus” Resurrected, But What Does it Mean?

In Monroe, Ohio at Solid Rock Church there was a giant statue of Jesus with arms wide open toward Interstate-75. That was until 2010, in what some could consider divine comedy, the statue was struck by lighting and promptly burst into flames, leaving nothing but it’s skeletal remains behind. Although safely situated in New York, and San Francisco now, I can look back and laugh at the absurdity of these giant sculptures, there is a real seriousness around them. As the election debates increasingly circle around issues of religious dogma, mostly surrounding women’s and queer rights, these statues are not to be ignored or laughed off.