Lots of people are linking to this
floating Baby Jesus head that squeaks plaintively, occasionally moans 'WHY', and constantly demands 'WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?' One look at the URL told me that it was a spoof, because it's part of the
Objective: Christian Ministries (O:CM) site, probably the most elaborate anti-fundamentalist parody site on the internet. But apparently not everyone is aware of O:CM, so they're getting creeped out thinking the floating Baby Jesus head is supposed to be taken seriously.
O:CM has been around for a while. I first became aware of it in
mid-2003, but it's older than that. I think it's a spinoff of
Landover Baptist Church (note the many links to Landover Baptist on the O:CM site). For a while back in 2003 O:CM was frequently changing servers and domain names. In fact, for a brief time it conned its way onto an actual Christian webhosting service (which gave it a veneer of authenticity), but then got booted off that service once the Christian webhost realized what O:CM was. A
Boing Boing reader notes that O:CM is registered to IdeaFlood, a company owned by Brian Shuster, a porn website operator who also owns a patent on pop-up ads.
Comments
http://jesussave.us/
you get an ad for free hosting from Web 1000, and if you follow the sign up form to here:
http://www.web1000.com/index2.cgi?stage=2
you can see jesussave.us listed among many possible root domains that you can personalize.
Also, you can do a Google site search:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Ajesussave.us
and see that there's a number of other *.jesusave.us sites out there.
There's no reason to believe that IdeaFlood or Brian Shuster are involved in O:CM's creation. Most likely O:MC chose that host since they are unlikly to get booted off a host that also hosts porn. Plus the URL is kind of funny :D
A given demagogue can present Jesus in whatever form best fits his message. Jesus can be a fiery, angry rebel, complete with rippling muscles, kicking over the tables of money-changers in the temple, IF the demagogue wants to present an intimidating, righteous Jesus.
Or he can be a meek, passive victim of unjust authorities, dripping blood from his forehead and wrists and looking at you with big sad puppy-dog eyes, if the demagogue wishes to appeal to one's sympathy.
He can even be reduced to a cute, shiny little baby if the demagogue wants to shame or embarrass you. (When you tell a lie, Baby Jesus cries!) After all, who could argue with a cute little angelic baby? All he wants to do is wuv you! (Which is the kind of sentiment the above satire is mocking so cleverly.)
They can even switch Jesus' race around, making him a beautiful white man with long flowing brown hair who resembles a Northern European OR a Semitic middle-eastern man of humble countenance OR they can even make him African, depending on which image the demagogue thinks might appeal to you most. (Just like Santa!)
Well, Jesus IS supposed to be divine. Apparently he pulls the same kind of shapeshifting trickery as Odin, Coyote, Zeus, and other wily magical gods of yore. But you wouldn't think hidebound fundamentalists would want to open that can of worms, would you? Yet they do. Fascinating....
judgement day! :coolgrin: