“I decree the spirit of conviction on this intersection… This statue proves that Jesus Christ is Lord over America, he is Lord over Tennessee, he is Lord over Memphis.”
--Apostle Alton R. Williams, pastor of World Overcomers megachurch, speaking on July 4 at the unveiling of his ‘Statue of Liberation Through Christ,' a monstrous mockery of The Statue of Liberty.
“Oh my God. I'm back. I'm home. All the time, it was … You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!”
--Astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston), in the final scene of Planet Of the Apes, upon seeing a broken Lady Liberty on the beach.
Here's the megachurch, here's the megasteeple, open the megadoors and see the megalomaniac.
Welcome to Crazyland! It used to be known as Memphis, Tennessee, the place where Elvis was Lord, but thanks to Alton R. Williams, that nice city on the edge of the Mississippi is now a disgrace. You know that something's amiss in the heartland when even the folks at Graceland are whispering, “Tacky.”
On July 4, Williams, pastor the World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church in Memphis unveiled and blessed his ‘Statue of Liberation Through Christ,' and in doing so turned his mega-empire into a theme park for lost souls and the politically disabled.
“A good crowd gathered on the church grounds for free hamburgers and grape soda, carnival rides, a barbecue cook-off and entertainment,” The New York Times reported. “Children ate sno-cones, and a small army of volunteers and members of the staff darted around on bicycles and golf carts … But the main event was the unveiling, preceded by speeches, prayers and consecrations.”
Joy? Rapture? Uh, no. Think of it as an amusement park without the fun. You know, Coney Island on ‘Bring Your Dead Puppy Day.'
Williams, a man I can't resist calling “Bright Eyes” out of respect for Planet Of the Apes screenwriters, has created a mockery of the Statue of Liberty that amounts to a $260,000 middle-finger salute to our Constitution and every decent Christian who respects it. The statue, he says, “depicts and combines Christianity with patriotism to showcase the origins of God's design for America.”
God's design for America? Ah, I love the smell of arrogance in the morning!
At the intersection leading to his megachurch--an eyesore of a complex with a school, bowling alley, billiards room, gym, pool, roller-skating rink, bookstore and 12,000 members--his statue stands 72 feet tall. Made of foam, fiberglass and steel, the “Lord's Lady” holds not a torch in her right hand but a huge gold cross that, according to Bright Eyes, “represents America exalting Christ and recognizing that He alone is the way to God and the source of true liberation in all areas of life.”
In the crook of her left arm she cradles two stone tablets that represent the Ten Commandments, and, like Lady Liberty, the Lord's Lady wears a spiked crown. But on her crown the word ‘Jehovah' is engraved and the seven spikes that jut from it represent “God's benefits for man when he receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,” not the seven continents or seven seas, and certainly not the seven dwarfs, who, it's long been rumored, are gay and Jewish.
As if commenting on her victimization, Bright Eyes' Statue sheds a lone tear. She weeps not because she's been raped by a madman, but, according to her abuser, “for our nation's self-destruction as the protective hand of God is removed.”
And finally, the broken chain that encircles her left ankle and hangs over the pedestal (which “holds the tomb of Christ,” natch) symbolizes freedom from any and all bondage. “It is God's desire to see mankind liberated in every area of life,” Bright Eyes believes.
Well, almost every area.
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