My Sweet Lord,
by Cosimo Cavallaro

NEW YORK — The Easter season unveiling of a milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ, dubbed “My Sweet Lord” by its creator, left a sour taste Thursday in the mouths of a Catholic group infuriated by the anatomically correct confection.

“This is one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever,” said Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League. “It’s not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing — to choose Holy Week is astounding.”

Nude Chocolate Jesus Angers Catholic League – Family:

I tend to wonder on what basis this piece is considered “one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever” is it the timing, the media or the fact that the piece is entirely nude?

I cannot see that the timing or the medium is really that offensive. the medium surely can be no worse than Piss Christ and the timing seems quite appropriate to me. Chocolate is quite traditional this time of year, not just as celebratory food but as one of the most popular things to give up for lent. Without speaking for the artist in any way, I look at this piece and see a comment on the change of focus in easter. This period is one of the holiest in the christian calendar, but the focus seems to have shifted, even more than Christmas, to chocolate and bunnies. The practice of lent has dropped off and seems very incongruous with all the brightly packaged chocolate and sweet things.

Is the nudity the issue? I think it may be. I believe that the concept of Jesus being a fully functional male is distasteful to a culture that equates nudity with sex and impurity. there is evidence to support a history of nude crucifixion and the later additions of loincloths to religious iconography as mores changed. I frequently fail to understand how the depiction of the human body is wrong, whether religious or otherwise. In fact, I maintain that the nude body should be celebrated more, whether celebrating it for it’s incredible functionality, or the belief it is fashioned in God’s image. To me, a nude crucifixion makes sense. The bible states that God sent Jesus to earth as a human being to die to atone for humanities sins. the concept of a nude Jesus emphasizes that to me. A nude Jesus proves his humanity, but it also lends a pathos to the subject, a depiction of the weakness of the human flesh and the triumph of the spirit.

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