# Touchdown Jesus Statue in Cincinnati Replaced
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [September 21, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438 "2012-09-21T21:44:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/1 "2012-09-21T21:44:27Z")
Touchdown Jesus, or Big Butter Jesus, was a statue here in the Cincinnati area at the Solid Rock Church in Monroe. It was destroyed by lightning in 2010, much to the bemusement and delight of people like me that thought the $300,000 plaster statue was a huge waste of money, and an eyesore.
Story here (with pics!): [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-06-15-touchdown-jesus-fire\_N.htm](http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-06-15-touchdown-jesus-fire_N.htm)
Well, now due to the miracle of insurance, Solid Rock Church has erected a replacement statue. Story and pics here: [Giant Statue Replacing 'Touchdown Jesus' Completed in Ohio | Church & Ministries News](http://www.christianpost.com/news/giant-statue-replacing-touchdown-jesus-completed-in-ohio-81965/)
> **[Christian Nightmares](https://christiannightmares.tumblr.com/post/31940197971/touchdown-jesus-statue-finally-replaced-by-hug)**
>
> 'Touchdown Jesus' statue finally replaced by 'Hug Me Jesus' statue in Ohio (To read the story, click image or here; For a related post, click here...
They are nicknaming him “Hug Me Jesus”, but I think “Five Dollar Foot Long Jesus” is better.
Craziness. These Christians could have done a lot of good for people in need with that money instead of erecting a stupid giant statue.
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### Author:  [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/2 "2012-09-21T22:05:48Z")
I remember seeing that thing when doing business trip drives from Dayton airport to Cincinnati.
I always thought of it as crying out “Oh God, why have you forsaken me in this middle-of-nowhere Ohio pond!”.
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### Author:  [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/3 "2012-09-21T22:40:53Z")
I like one of the other nicknames, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Jesus.”
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/4 "2012-09-21T23:10:44Z")
Oh no! I was just in Fairfield, the north of Cincinnati, in the second week of August. That would have been a good side trip. I’d seen the original back before it burned.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/5 "2012-09-22T01:15:26Z")
Heywood Banks did a song about that statue.
They used to play it on Bob and Tom. Way more than you’d ever want to hear it.
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### Author:  [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/6 "2012-09-22T01:33:15Z")
Wait - they had a 62-foot plaster statue in Texas and didn’t have Protection from Lightning?
(i.e., a lightning rod)
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/7 "2012-09-22T01:57:26Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#):
>
> Wait - they had a 62-foot plaster statue in Texas and didn’t have Protection from Lightning?
>
> (i.e., a lightning rod)
No, they had a 62-foot plaster statue in \*\*\*Ohio \*\*\*and didn’t have Protection from Lightning. Completely different.
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### Author:  [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/8 "2012-09-22T02:33:44Z")
FWIW, I like the new _That Fish Was This Big_ Jesus better than the old _Throw Me A Rope I’m Sinking In Quicksand_ Jesus, even though I must acknowledge the old one was a bolder statement.
And anyway… there’s only One True Touchdown Jesus and he’s at South Bend:p
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### Author:  [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/9 "2012-09-22T03:07:28Z")
Perhaps he should be called Metrosexual Jesus for that closely trimmed beard and the amount of “product” keeping his hair in place (must be Wen brand).
How about CareBear Jesus for the way he appears to be approaching you like a used-car salesman. “Hey my friend, I have just what you are looking for.”
I don’t desire to be mean to Christianity as a whole but this particular display makes me think the members of this church are worshipping an idol and not Jesus.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/10 "2012-09-22T03:24:55Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#):
>
> No, they had a 62-foot plaster statue in \*\*\*Ohio \*\*\*and didn’t have Protection from Lightning. Completely different.
Sure they did. They had faith (and insurance).
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/11 "2012-09-22T03:29:27Z")
But wasn’t being struck by lightning an Act of God? 🙂
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### Author:  [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/12 "2012-09-22T13:33:56Z")
I saw Touchdown Jesus every time I visited my daughter in Dayton. When it burned to the ground, I had to laugh. I’m not laughing any more. I mean, God was so mortified that he sent a lightning bolt to destroy the thing, and they STILL didn’t get the message. Now that it’s been resurrected, I assume an earthquake is eminent, and I’m 15 miles away from the epicenter.
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/13 "2012-09-22T13:43:18Z")
Why is Jesus wearing a sweatshirt?
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/14 "2012-09-22T14:21:59Z")
Yeah, when you build a religious statue and it burns to ash after being struck by lightning, maybe you should take that as a sign.
How _does_ plaster burn, anyway? It calls to mind the Old Testament story of God lighting the altar fire even though it was nothing but soggy wood.
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### Author:  [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/15 "2012-09-24T00:36:07Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> Craziness. These Christians could have done a lot of good for people in need with that money instead of erecting a stupid giant statue.
Could they have or did the insurance payout require they replace the statue?
A lot of these mega-churches DO a lot of good for people, have food pantries, recovery groups, etc. That’s how they get so mega.
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/touchdown-jesus-statue-in-cincinnati-replaced/635438/16 "2012-09-24T01:03:58Z")
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> But wasn’t being struck by lightning an Act of God? 🙂
He destroyed His Son once before, didn’t He?
Maybe He’s slumming, and just working on statues now…