You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above...

On November 27, 2010, we saw “ICE!” at the Gaylord Resort in National Harbor, Maryland (a series of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" themed ice sculptures created by sculpturers from Harbin, China).

After seeing a number of colorful Dr. Seuss ice carvings, the display ends with several Nativity scenes carved in ice. I was left scratching my head at the ice carvings depicting the birth of Jesus.

Setting aside the whole messiahship debate, the Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th controversy, and even the whole historical Jesus conundrum, I was astonished that there wasn’t a Christian fundamentalist outpouring of protest against ice carvings of the Son of God as well as his mother and step-father.

Let’s see, where does this rank among God's Top Ten? Oh, that's right, #2:

You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.

This Commandment is so important that God feels compelled to place it second, just after He tells us that He's our God and that we can't have any others "before" Him (What about after Him? Well, that a different story all together).

In any event, certainly an image carved in ice of the Son of God flies in the face of specific guidanbce that, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above.” Perhaps I’m missing something but I can’t help but wonder what part of the prohibition “You shall not,” is ambiguous or confusing? I don’t see a footnote clarifying that you shall not make a carving unless of course you're doing it while celebrating Christmas. Unless of course the management at the Gaylord Resort believe that the prohibition against graven images simply does not apply because the Son of God or mother and step-father are not in Heaven (but I really don’t wanna go down that road). But wait, the 2nd Commandment also instructs not to make a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is “in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

So where is the outpouring of protests?

Nothing in the 10 Commandments about gays, but clear denunciation of graven images, and yet the Westboro Baptist Church as well as tens of thousands of fundamentalists are willfully ignoring God’s Top 10 list? Sin Incarnate my friends, Sin incarnate I say. Have fun in Hell brothers, have fun in in hell.




P.S., Stay warm 'cause lord knows how you're keepin' it real!