The landmark six storey tall statue outside the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio was struck by lightning and destroyed in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The ‘King of King’s statue which was built in 2004 showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus by locals because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signalling a touchdown in American Football.
Cassie Browning, a church member lamented the destruction of such a recognizable landmark, "It meant so much to so many people," she said.
Officials from the 4000 strong non-denominational church which built the statues said that many had told them that America needed more symbols like it. In fact, so many stopped at the church campus to look at the statue that a walkway had to be built to accommodate them.
Darlene Bishop, co-pastor of Solid Rock Church, says she's hugely relieved that the lightning hit Jesus and not the home for at-risk women next door.
"I told them, 'It looks like Jesus took a hit for you last night,' " she says.
The Washington Post describes that religious statues like that of Christ the Redeemer, the 130 foot Jesus statue that stands over Rio de Janeiro were often struck by lightning bolts. Other religious figures were not exempt, however, because the Notre Dame de Chicago's Virgin Mary burst into flames from her perch atop the church's dome in 1978. A bolt that once struck St. Joan of Arc's statue in New Orleans sliced her brandished staff in half.
However, no one is reading into these lightning incidents as ‘acts of God.’ Religious structures, including church steeples, are often struck simply because they are often the highest point in a given area.
As for the incineration of Touchdown Jesus, Pastor Bishop isn't reading into it at all.
"Honey," she says, "it's just some fiberglass."
Pastor Bishop did stress that the statue would be rebuilt by the church.
"It will be back, but this time we are going to try for something fireproof," she said.
(To read the full article, please go to http://washingtonpost.com)