I don't understand why the catholics are so angry about this; his choices of media (cheese, ham, and now chocolate) are extremely non-kosher and should have the Jews up in arms. Can a shellfish Moses be far away?

No, who can argue with Catholic bashing. They're such easy targets and it never fails to whip up a round of cheap laughter amongst the slightly inebriated.

So now that the exhibit is called off, can we eat it?

The body of Christ is gonna make me diabetic.

Dude, I don't have the faintest idea what you think Islam has to do with this story.

Digby explicitly compares Christians to Muslims in his post that you linked.

However, I screwed up: Since I did not read the Digby post at first, I assumed Bill Donohue made the statue, instead of leading the protests against it.

Now that would be funny.

I'm trying to figure out how you came up with that misreading... are you making a funny that I'm missing? Or had you not heard of Donohue before? How did you read just enough of Digby's post to catch the Christians-to-Muslims comparison -- which is midway down the page and is in reference to a point of Donohue's -- without getting who Donohue is?

(1) I hadn't heard of Donohue before. Apostropher's post was about a guy who made a chocolate Jesus, so I assumed that was Donohue.

(2) Therefore, I read the quote from Digby to mean "Unless the Church denounces Donohue (for making the chocolate Jesus), it obviously approves of giant chocolate Jesuses — in a satire of how Muslim leaders are often called upon to denounce terrorism committed in the name of Islam.

(3) Then, when Apostropher wondered where I got the Islam angle, I skimmed the Digby post it to make sure it mentioned Islam, as I figured it must.

(4) Then I read the Digby post completely, and I learned who Bill Donohue was.

My bad.

I left out the fact that I managed to overlook Apostropher naming the actual artist, Cosimo Cavallaro, in his post.

In my defense, I drove 12 hours across Japan last night and am typing this on half an hour of sleep.

A savory savior

The comparison with Islam, for those who didn't follow, is that there were a lot of people in the West (including a lot of Fundamentalist Christians) who got all up in Muslim's faces about their intolerance regarding the depiction of their prophet in the medium of the cartoon. Now, we have some of these same people who were telling Muslims to 'grow up' now taking great umbrage at the portrayal of *their* prophet in the medium of chocolate.

Now, we have some of these same people who were telling Muslims to 'grow up' now taking great umbrage at the portrayal of *their* prophet in the medium of chocolate.

Looks like they've gotten their just desserts.

Would it have mattered to Donohue if the guy had used white chocolate???

What would be good non-chocolate materials for sculpting an edible Jesus? Seems to me chopped liver would be really good, and nice for dipping crackers in, but the crucifix could not stand up. An ice sculpture of Christ on the cross would be pretty cool, though ephemeral.

This same artist does a bunch of work with cheese. Why not make a Cheddar Cheesus? At the reception, you could then serve Christ on a cracker.

I apologize for the cheesiness.

and for that.

What about dry ice? Then he can be sublimated.

Endorsed by Celebrity Lounge Singing Sensation Richard Cheese

I want that on my tombstone.

Jello is obviously the divinest medium.

The most appropriate material for sculpting a Jesus statue is, obviously, rendered pig fat. Christians are always singing about how Christ is lard.

Okay, I now not only read the Digby post, but I also watched the Crooks & Liars video of Cavallaro debating Donohue on TV. Thoughts:

(1) It seems like Cavallaro intended viewers to eat, not just look at, the chocolate Jesus. Granted, there's the whole belief that you eat Jesus when you eat those little wafers in church, but still, I can see how a devout Christian would see as disrespectful an exhibit where people are encouraged to snack on Christ for dessert, destroying the statue of him in the process. Cavallaro is being disingenuous by seeming not to understand how anyone could take offense.

(2) Even so, Donohue is a complete asshole. He brags to Cavallaro that "You stuck up your middle finger at the Church, and we broke it off, didn't we, pal?" Is that what true Christianity is about? Breaking people's fingers?

At one point Cavallaro asks where Donohue would like him to put the statue, and Donohue says, a garbage dump. Cavallaro unfortunately missed the obvious rejoinder, "You want me to throw Jesus in the garbage?" He won the debate, IMHO, but he could have done even better.

Donohue is a complete asshole

Well yeah. And that's the point, really. Check his Wikipedia entry for plenty more episodes like that. He's a lunatic, and the kind of lunatic any sane Catholic should be horrified to be associated with.

I think what Donohue was really afraid of, but didn't come right out and specifically mention, is that people would simulate hetero and/or homosexual acts involving licking and sucking various parts of the chocolate Jesus in the process of eating it. And frankly, I can see how your run-of-the-mill Catholic would have a problem with watching a gay guy give chocolate Jesus a blowjob.

Which is still no excuse to be a jerk about the whole thing, though. Donohue might have actually won the debate and made Cavallaro look like the bad guy, if he had focused on specifics like this calmly and in a way that engendered sympathy for the feelings of Catholics. Instead, he opted for raging assholery and kindergarten name-calling.

I especially liked this comment:

"Digg User cuts off own fingers after misusing apostrophe."

And is it just me, or does Cavallaro kind of look like Saddam Hussein (post-capture pre-trial) in that photo?

32: Totally.

You mean it's totally just me, or that Cavallaro totally kind of looks like Saddam?

The latter.

No, apo, it was Jacob with the latter. Jesus is known for his cross.

29: Today's edition of unintentional Republican hilarity is brought to you by Gaijin Biker.

What's so hilarious about saying that you might win more people to your side by presenting yourself in a sympathetic manner, rather than as a jerk?

As a follow up to posts #6 and #7, there is an elephant in the room that Gaijiin Biker danced around but did not express:

When the Chocolate Jesus upset some fundamentalist Catholics, they used their economic power and their freedom of speech to get what they wanted; but generally did not make overt threats of violence and destruction. When the Moh cartoon controversy hit....as a direct result of Theo Van Goegh's murder for producing movie/ "Submission"...(sidestory); Islamic fundamentalists marched in many cities threatening murder and actally executed a catholic nun.

To suggest that the MSM did not run this story as a comparison of the two fundamentalist groups is thick with denial. For us to ignore that the teachings of the religion's leaders have something to do with the response of it's followers is also thick with denial. to even talk about that is TABOO in some circles. personal attacks and censorship have been applied liberally.

The fact that we have a section of us - an American sub culture - that choses to ignore the elephant in the room is what disturbs real fair minded conservatives the most. This thinking evokes a hypocitical double standard where the Christian/White/Male/Majority is held to a different standard than others in society.

If a Christian white male had made a post like #2 about anyone other than Christians he/she would have been torn apart by many readers offended. not one offended readern here. not one.

We will not be truly "free" or "liberal" when we tolerate this hypocrasy.

not one offended readern here. not one.

Yeah, but I go out of my way to offend readers. It's just that it's gotten old hat and they're all inured to it now.

MUSLIMS SUCK AND WEAR DIAPERS ON THEIR HEADS! ATHEISTS ARE SMUG KNOW-IT-ALL ASSHOLES! JEWS EAT CHRISTIAN BABIES! BUDDHA WAS A LAZY, FAT FUCKER! JESUS CAN'T EAT M&Ms BECAUSE OF THE HOLES IN HIS HANDS!

See what I mean?

but generally did not make overt threats of violence and destruction

There were death threats, actually.

#40 is not just athy, s/he's the athiest!

Well technically, Dr. Slack, Jesus first turns M&Ms into Skittles and then He eats them.

Also, one time, he fed a crowd of five-thousand with only five small bags of Reese's Pieces and two Twix.

And, you may have noticed, for some reason, strike-through doesn't work at The Apostropher. The Management has been notified but so far all our prayers have gone unanswered.

This lack of strikethrough at The Apostropher is what disturbs fair minded liberals the most.

Also, one time, he fed a crowd of five-thousand with only five small bags of Reese's Pieces and two Twix.

I'm so calling Jesus next time I go to the movies.

46: It bothers me too but I think to get it, I'll need to upgrade my version of Movable Type and I'm afraid to touch it while it's still working. Maybe there's a plug-in somewhere I could find...

43: Not until he arm-wrestles 'Smasher for it, he's not!

M/tch, you were in a dream I had last night.

M/tch, you were in a dream I had last night.

So that's why I woke up feeling so cheap and used this morning!

Was I bitching about the lack of strikethrough in your dream?

Maybe there's a plug-in somewhere I could find...

Is that a euphemism for "talking to Becks"?

But seriously, I'm just ribbing you about the strikethrough. It would be nice to have sometimes, but don't go to any trouble over it.