Posted on 06/15/2010 5:36:10 AM PDT by DouglasKC
Solid Rock Church Jesus monument struck by lightning
By Tiffany Y. Latta and Lauren Pack, Staff Writers
Updated 8:28 AM Tuesday, June 15, 2010
MONROE — Charred remnants remained this morning, June 15, of the large Jesus statue iconic to Interstate 75 that was destroyed following an apparent lightning strike during a thunderstorm late Monday night.
Those at the scene this morning as the fog lifted around I-75 also described smoke damage to the Lawrence Bishop Music Theater located east of the statue. The theater also suffered fire damage, according to officials.
No firefighters were on scene this morning as the smell of smoke surrounded the area of the statue’s charred frame and the pond in front of it appeared murky, witnesses said.
No one was injured in the blaze and fire officials said they expect to have a damage estimate later this morning.
Keith Lewis of Middletown showed up at the church just after 7 a.m. with a camera in hand to take some shots of the remains. His wife, Stephanie, sent him.
“It has been a landmark in this area for a long time,” Lewis said. “She said she wanted picture of what was left.”
A guitarist, Lewis said he has learned to play comedian Heywood Banks’ song about the statue, “Big Butter Jesus,” and has also had his picture taking in front with his hands in the air.
Was the statue an oddity or inspiration to Lewis?
“Really a little of both,” he said, noting he doesn’t believe the nicknames were meant with any disrespect. “Kind of do hope they rebuild it.”
Earlier this morning and late Monday night, motorists were stopped along the highway and along Union Road in Monroe to watch the 62-foot King of Kings statue burn. The fire was reported at 11:15 p.m. Monday, June 14. Within minutes, all that was left was the steel frame of the statue at Solid Rock Church, 904 N. Union Road.
Church member Cassie Browning, 27, of Dayton, said she was driving north on I-75 on her way back from Tennessee when she and her family saw smoke and noticed the statue missing. “It meant so much to so many people,” Browning said. “The statue can be destroyed and gone, but Jesus can’t be.”
When crews arrived, Monroe Fire Chief Mark Neu said the statue was fully engulfed and the fire had spread to the attic area of the church’s adjacent amphitheater. There were no injuries, said Neu, who spoke just before 2:30 a.m. to media at the scene. It was a “hot fire,” he said, which made it more difficult to battle, but it was extinguished within about an hour.
In the late evening and early morning hours, social media sites such as Facebook fueled interest and onlookers: the curious, the incredulous and still others who just wanted to poke a little fun at the situation.
“God struck God, I like the irony. Jesus struck Jesus,” said Dawn Smith, 25, of Hamilton, who was among those standing outside the vehicles along Union Road. “I had to see it. What else are you going to do on a Monday night?”
Since its completion in 2004, the statue, which appeared to come out of a pond in front of the nondenominational megachurch, was known by multiple nicknames, including “Touchdown Jesus” because the arms and hands were raised upward. It also was known as “Big Butter Jesus” after comedian Heywood Banks referred to it as such and created a song about the statue, which he performed on radio’s popular “The Bob and Tom Show.”
The statue was constructed of wood and styrofoam over a steel framework that was anchored in concrete and covered with a fiberglass mat and resin exterior, according to the church. It was slated to undergo renovations this summer.
Also gathered along Union Road were Franklin twins and storm chasers Levi and Seth Walsh, who said they were out in the thunderstorm when they heard about the fire through a Facebook update.
“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.”
Whether jostled by the incident, or ready to call out zingers, all agreed the statue is what makes that stretch of I-75 in front of the church special.
“It’s a landmark, so it’s going to make the drive different,” said Josh Bartram, 18, of Middletown.
Because the fire was sparked by lightning, Neu said there will be no further investigation.
Also lost in the fire was audio equipment stored in the attic that Neu said was to be used for a Fourth of July event at the church. No damage estimate will be available until 10 a.m. today, said Neu, who added that church leaders indicated to him they planned to replace and rebuild all that was lost in the fire.
Crews responded from Monroe, Middletown, Liberty Twp., Deerfield Twp. and Trenton, according to dispatchers.
You know what happened to the serpent that Moses built don’t you?
Images used as an aid to worship, as inspiration, must never become objects of worship. There is a difference.
I'm not sure that's the intent (or the extent) of the commandment:
Exo 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
Exo 20:5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Taken by itself it could seem to be only a prohibition against worshipping the image itself. But in the larger context it's a different story:
Deu 4:13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.
Deu 4:14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.
Deu 4:15 "Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
Deu 4:16 lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female,
Deu 4:17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,
Deu 4:18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth.
Now from verses 15 and 16 it would seem clear that an image of a man who is supposed to represent God on earth is something that God does not want. And sure people don't claim to worship a statue on the side of the road...but that statue MAY or MAY not represent the true earthly image of Jesus Christ. Suppose it's a spitting image of Judas? I think that's partly the reason for the commandment.
How often do you think they do become so? More importantly, why do we need aids to worship?
The big question is this: will their "pastor" finally get the message, OBEY GOD and His Word and put a stop to their idolatry or will he foolishly persist in perpetuating the "church's" sin?
It never fails to amaze me how very many otherwise intelligent FReepers can’t even begin to grasp that not-so-subtle difference.
and the icon is still standing!!!!!!
ZOT!
Yeah, they rebuild it every time it gets hit. Amazing.
You just don’t know how to follow orders, do you?
Deu 4:15 "Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,"Careful heed" is an admonishment to be careful not to allow images to become idols, not an outright commandment outlawing images that inspire reverence or awe.Deu 4:16 lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female,
And sure people don't claim to worship a statue on the side of the road...but that statue MAY or MAY not represent the true earthly image of Jesus Christ. Suppose it's a spitting image of Judas? I think that's partly the reason for the commandment.So what if a statue is the spitting image of Judas? The statue has no power to affect the supplicant's intent, meaning, or earnestness. It is merely an instrument assisting in the effort to keep one's mind on the Lord while in prayer. The statue itself has no power to affect anything.
Finally, why would God issue a commandment, and then order Moses to disobey Him when He instructed Moses to place graven angels on the Ark? His command applies to use of the images, not merely having images.
Heck he hit Martha Stewart 3 times and she’s still around.
>>You just don’t know how to follow orders, do you?<<
Sure do. But I get my orders in the context in which they are written.
I have no problem with decoys or pictures of my Grandmother. Sorry you do.
Maintenance work needs to be conducted periodically due to the strong winds and rain to which the statue is exposed.
Oops, sorry. I thought you meant Noah’s.
No. I’m not your judge. You won’t smart mouth Him when the time comes.
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