Skyjumpers Fly by the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janiero

http://sykose.com/2014/02/27/daring-wingsuit-fly-by-of-the-christ-the-redeemer-statue-in-rio-de-janeiro/

Unusual Christian Places: The Statue of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in Macau

This statue in Macau is of the Buddhist “Mercy Goddess,” Guanyin.   Not actually a goddess, she is a bodhisattva, one who has attained enlightenment but has vowed to seek the enlightenment of all sentient beings.  Many also associate this bodhisattva with the Virgin Mary. ???  The answer lies in the history of Macau and the resultant mixing of cultures and religions.

Jorge Alvares landed in China in 1513, and by 1535 trade between Portugal and China was established.   The site of Macau eventually became a Portuguese colony, administered to various degrees by Portugal from 1557 to 1999, when the rental agreement with China expired.  During this period, Roman Catholicism became a strong presence in the area, which also includes followers of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and smaller native faiths.

http://www.placesandfoods.com/2013/05/guan-yin-statue-of-macau.html

http://www.tripomatic.com/China/Macau-Special-Administrative-Region/Macau/Guan-Yin-Statue/

http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/kuan-yin-of-macau-city.html

Guanyin (short for Guanshiyin, “Observing the Cries of the World”) is an immortal bodhisattva, She is rarely represented as male.  She has vowed to never rest until she has freed all sentient beings from the cycle of reincarnation.  Because of her infinite compassion, she is sometimes depicted as holding a child.

There are several streams of Buddhism, some being very strict, austere, and individually oriented.  The less strict version, Mahayana (”Greater Vehicle”) encourages everyone to become a bodhisattva (“enlightenment being”) and to work for the eventual enlightenment of every sentient being in the universe by the idea of “merit transference.”  The idea is that “merit” earned by the enlightened bodhisattva can be transferred to less advanced beings to aid in their advancement.  This Mahayana Buddhist doctrine may possibly have developed in response to  contact with Christianity.

During the Edo (Tokugawa Shogunate) Period (1603-1867) in Japan, Christianity was totally banned and was declared to be punishable by death. Christians were forced to go “underground.”  Many venerated Jesus and the Virgin Mary by disguising them as statues of Kannon (another name for Guanyin) holding a child.  Statues such as this are known as Maria Kannon.  There was often a cross hidden in an inconspicuous location on the statue. Note the similarities of the face in the image in the following link with the face of Guanyin on the statue in Macau.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/audio-east-meets-west-virgin-and-child-ivory-carving/

An image of a Maria Kannon from Wikipedia used under the GNU Free Documentation License.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maria_Kannon.jpg

What They Think of Us: Using an Image of Jesus in Secular Advertising

Some people see nothing wrong with using the image of Jesus in a commercial advertisement.  This politically charged image concerns the often close ties between the United States and Brazil.  The ties at times have been so close that they are “in bed together.”

This is an advertisement image for an airline.  Apparently, the airline has stated that the advertisement is a fake.

Look at This!

Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, displacing at least 600,000 people and killing upwards of 3200 people.  The death toll continues to rise as rescue and recovery efforts continue.  Supplies of food and water are only now beginning to reach many of the victims.   The people need our prayers and support.

In the midst of the death and destruction there are, of course, acts of heroism and nobility, and there is one thing which stands out as truly amazing.  I am a rather concrete, historically based, and non-superstitious Christian.  Images of Jesus on food, or in the shape assumed by a Cheeto, or in a stain on a door, I find to be ridiculous.  I am skeptical of religious relics, signs, and supposed miracles.  I do not deny their existence, I merely realize that we cannot base our faith on them. 

Look at this. 

Unusual Christian Places: Christ of the Abyss

(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.)

The Christ of the Abyss statue is in about 25 feet of water near Dry Rocks, about six miles east-northeast of Key Largo, Florida,  in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
It is a copy of "Il Cristo Degli Abssi," (1954) located in the Mediterranean Sea near Genoa, Italy. The original statue was cast by Guido Galletti.  The copy was placed in the waters off Key Largo in 1965.  It is a popular scuba diving site.

Touchdown Jesus

I read the news reports on the destruction of Touchdown Jesus and immediately thought of Notre Dame University football. This isn't that Touchdown Jesus. The Notre Dame one is a mural visible from Notre Dame Football Stadium in which Jesus has upraised arms. The "legend" is that Jesus cheers every touchdown by the football team.

The destroyed statue is actually the "King of Kings," a 62 foot tall upper torso of Jesus with His arms upraised to Heaven. The locally popular name comes from the fact that the positioning of His arms is the same as that of a football referee signalling a touchdown by a football team.

The plastic foam and fiberglass statue was built over a steel frame and placed on an island at the head of the baptismal pond of the Solid Rock Church, a 4000 member non-denominational congregation in Monroe, Ohio. The statue was struck by lightning on 14 June 2010 and erupted into flames down to its base. To see a picture of the former statue go to http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9786