One of the attractions along the interstate, here in Ohio, is “Touchdown Jesus”. Not to be irreverent, Touchdown Jesus is a giant statue of Jesus, rising up out of the water after being baptized. He is called Touchdown Jesus because both of his arms are stretched straight above his head as if he was signally for a touchdown.

This statue is located in front of a church and is situated in the middle of a artificial pond. I am sure that the church had good intentions when it built the statue. They probable wanted to attract the attention of people on the interstate. Well, they did, but I am not sure that it is for the right reasons.

Touchdown Jesus is now one of the travelers roadside attractions. It falls into the same category as Wall Drugs and the Diesel Fried Chicken sign. It is a place where people say, “I saw a picture of that in a magazine.”

And what were the people of the church thinking when they decided to erect this statue? Did they think that they were going to attract people to their church? Or were they just trying to make a statement to the world? Who knows? At least they attracted the attention of the NFL. Maybe the idea was that they watch football after their Sunday services and so the church is a place to be, much like a sports bar.

Well, anyway, so far the Bengal’s haven’t adopted it as their mascot.