I admit that I was never a really devoted Catholic during the time that I identified myself as a Catholic. But I did learn the tenets of the faith and found a place in my heart for Jesus's teachings, which were about love and acceptance and taking care of one another (I had a seriously hippy priest, can you tell?). Maybe because my mind tends not to go into the gutter when contemplating the sacrifice of Jesus's crucifixion--and the symbolic weighty acceptance of the blame for all our sins--I just saw this as "mighty Jesus with six pack abs" rather than "Jesus with an enormous and exposed member". I, apparently, am in the minority:
Churchgoers are outraged over a crucifix in a Catholic church they say shows Jesus with exposed genitalia.
Janet Jaime is the artist who designed the crucifix hanging in St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. She was unavailable for comment, but her husband said critics are misinterpreting a common religious icon.
"This isn't just a subjective drawing. This is a historical icon of the church,” said Reggie Jaime, husband of Janet Jaime, an Oklahoma City iconographer commissioned by the church to design the crucifix. “I can't help what you see in things, or she sees in things, or anyone.”
The church's pastor, Father Phillip Seeton, referred questions Wednesday to the Oklahoma City Archdiocese.
Monsignor Edward Weisenburger said he has no problems with the crucifix and referred specific questions back to Seeton.
Critics of the crucifix take issue with what appears to be a large penis covering the abdominal area.
The crucifix is about 10 feet tall and hangs above the church's altar. It is unclear how long it has been there.
Molly Jenkins said she attended a funeral at the church recently and immediately noticed the crucifix.
“I was appalled at the sexualization of Christ,” said Jenkins, who is not Catholic.
Actually, I find it more than a little appalling that in an age where the church points fingers at everyone other than themselves over inappropriate sexual behavior towards children, adults are working themselves into a tizzy over a work of art that reflects where their brains are more than the work itself.
