Christ on a Cracker?

"You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Leviticus 20:4 NRSV

The above is the second amendment (fine, commandment; I've thought it interesting that there are ten commandments and ten amendments in the Bill of Rights, and that perhaps gun rights activists should consider the juxtaposition of that which they cite) which according to the book of Exodus was spoken directly from G-d to one patriarch, Moses. It is an idea which is kept by all three Abrahamic faiths to one degree or another;* it is a tenet of Judaism, for example, that the name of G-d not appear in print, which is why one sees YHWH rather than the spelled out version, and also why one sees a hyphen in place of the 'o'. I have not been very good about that in the past, but I think it's a good point and will try to improve in the future. In Islam, one does not illustrate G-d or the Prophet, and I think not any of the patriarchs (this, btw, includes Jesus of Nazareth).

Anyway, so this commandment is not only in the top ten, it's number two. It's way above coveting your neighbour's ass. It therefore absolutely astounds me when I see the proliferation of Jesus and/or Mary, daughter of Anna (aka the Madre de Dios) on everything from culverts to sandwiches to freakin' CHEETOS.

The ones who really get me are the ones who sell the sandwich on eBay or something. "It meant so much to me; I cried when I saw it," et cetera. Really? I did not quite cry when Amber gave me my engagement ring, and I'm still somehow able to stop myself selling it on eBay, so what gives?

This all ties in, to me, with stuff like the Creation Museum. It's all meant to act as some kind of hackneyed proof of the existence and presence of G-d. Why? Really, why? Is it because having faith in something you can't see is so damned difficult? That's why the Israelites created the Golden Calf. Is it really that hard? Is it that hard to have faith?

Maybe it is. It is for me, sometimes.

So, if it's that hard to have faith in something unseen, then why not just own up to it? Why is it necessary to 'see' the image of Christ, Mary, or even the name of Al-lah (true and recent) in one's lunch? If it is so hard to have faith in the idea of an omniscient being creating the universe, then why believe it? Why try to prove it?

"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the world of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

I am really quite tired of hearing, usually from people who oppose basic human rights, that All They Need Is The Word Of G-d. And, oh look! We have extrabiblical proof of creationism AND Jesus appeared to me upon a Milk Dud. You are clearly going to Hell, homo. I have proof!

Why with the need for proof? When Thomas asked for proof that Jesus had resurrected His bad Self, Jesus made fun of him. In fact, Jesus really took it out of whomever ever asked him stupid questions like Is He the Son of G-d instead of paying attention to whatever He was saying.

I have a lot more to say about this subject, including why Christian rock concerts are irritating, why "Christian cuss words" need abolition, why things like Golgotha Fun Park make my blood boil with the passion of ten thousand fiery angry suns, but for now, I will leave with this: if it is a boost to one's faith to see the alleged image of Christ in snack food, one might consider reexamining the reasons for one's faith.


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*and, by the way, is something which should be RESPECTED by non-believers, and yes, I am speaking to those jackasses who decided to make fun of terrorists by drawing cartoons of the Prophet, and to those jackasses who defended them who are the same jackasses who would absolutely bust an artery if something parodying Christ showed up in the paper. Mutual respect, bitches.