The news buzz recently turned away from the BP Gulf oil disaster for a few moments to note the fiery demise of “Touchdown Jesus”, a 62 foot high statue of Jesus formerly residing along the baptismal pond at the Rock of Rock Church near Cincinnati.

The statue, a partial bust from the waist up, portends to show Jesus triumphant from the cross, raising his hands up towards the heavens (not unlike the way that a football referee signals a touchdown). Unfortunately, this Jesus was not built for the ages. The statue was built up with plastic foam and fiberglass surrounding a steel frame. It was hit by lightening a few nights ago and caught fire, leaving nothing but charred metal remaining.

The “blue state” liberal/agnostic types who don’t have much regard for “red state” spiritual expressions such as Touchdown Jesus are obviously having a good time snickering about this incident (thus NPR’s rapt attention to the matter; Gail Collins of the NY Times had to note that a porno bookstore nearby went unscathed).

I myself see it in a spiritual context, one that does indeed relates to the Bible. The Ten Commandments (subject of many similar statues out there in the heartland) contains an injunction against graven images; i.e “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.”

Well OK, Touchdown Jesus was more sprayed than carved, but the overall intent and effect was the same. The most fundamental Christian groups seem to ignore this commandment even though it is up near the top, only exceeded by the injunction to “have no other Gods before me”. Perhaps this incident was God’s little way of saying that the Second Commandment is to be taken seriously after all. Perhaps we think we know God a whole lot better than we should. Many Christians think that we know exactly what God intended in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and that we can accurately reflect it in scriptures and church teachings, along with our metal and plastic statues.

Perhaps this was God’s way of expressing something like the late, great Ray Charles was trying to say in his old classic song “You Don’t Know Me”. I personally think that the Buddhists have the better approach, with their quiet presumption that we humans cannot capture and bottle the essence of God. Just sit quietly as much as you can and come to know yourself. If you can be truly true to yourself, then perhaps you can approach ultimate truth, including whatever God did or did not intend in sharing the beauty of this creation with us.

But please do allow me one snicker, in my un-Budha-like fashion. Touchdown Jesus can’t help but remind me of a great song by country band Sawyer Brown, called “Eight Hundred Pound Jesus”. All about a guy who buys this big statue of Jesus at a garage sale . . .

I hope that the DJ’s out there on the southern and mid-western radio waves are giving that one some extra air play right now! I love the refrain: “He’s a Bigger Man Than You or Me”.