Chocolate Jesus

UPDATE: The showing was called off.

An artist is going to be showing a chocolate sculpture of the crucified Jesus next week (by the way, Jesus is completely naked in the sculpture). The title of the exposition? "My Sweet Lord."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CHOCOLATE_JESUS?SITE=CAACS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

The 6-foot sculpture by Cosimo Cavallaro was to debut Monday evening, four days before Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The final day of the exhibit at the Lab Gallery inside Manhattan's Roger Smith Hotel was planned for Easter Sunday.

I went to artist Cosimo Cavallo's Web site, which lists the sculpture's creation as 2005 with the title "I did it daddy." It's evident that Cavallo, while very talented, has little respect for Christianity.

Of course, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League had a response to it, calling it hate speech and urging people to boycott New York City's Roger Smith Hotel, which is planning on showing the exhibit. He also had this to say:

"As I’ve said many times before, Lent is the season for non-believers to sow seeds of doubt about Jesus. . . . All those involved are lucky that angry Christians don’t react the way extremist Muslims do when they’re offended—otherwise they may have more than their heads cut off."

He has a point about nonbelievers trying to mock and discredit Christianity every year around Easter (see the "Jesus Tomb" for recent examples), and I agree with boycotting. However, his veiled threats are unsettling. Christians have a right to be indignant about this, but the way to do that is expressing your ire with your words and money (as many have already done by writing and calling the hotel).

Maybe you should think twice before buying a chocolate cross for Easter.

You can view press releases from the Catholic League here:
http://www.catholicleague.org/07press_releases/quarter_1/070329_naked_jesus.htm
http://www.catholicleague.org/07press_releases/quarter_1/070329_artist_wants.htm