Blasphemy: It's in the Eye of the Beholder Essay

A while back, I received an email from a strongly right-leaning friend. It announced that the US Post Office will be issuing one-dollar coins. This is something that other countries have – a coin for the amount of currency closely equivalent to the buying power of the US dollar. However, our country has tried and failed to sell the public on such a coin.

This email tried to sink the latest effort.

Why were the conservatives trying to maim this effort?

It is because the coin will not be minted with the words “In God we trust” on it.

Oh, good grief!

I considered replying to the sender to inquire when was the last time he read the US Constitution?

Particularly the First Amendment and its establishment clause?

However, he was a friend and as I noted, a passionate right-winged conservative type. Therefore, I know a photo I recently viewed might REALLY drive him into a frenzy.

The photo is entitled “Blasphemy. A ticket to Hell has never been funnier.”

What, you imagine, could possibly be contained in this photo?

We usually think of blasphemy as profane words, not photographs. But, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The setting of the photograph is obviously an art museum.

There are 3 creative-minded men standing to the right of a painting.

As you look at the photo, the painting takes up the left half and the three men occupy the right half.

If you have been to a wedding reception in the last 40 years, you most likely had a chance to see guests dancing.

An old reliable “get ’em out on the floor” song for weddings was the Village People’s song “YMCA.”

In the refrains, the group repeatedly sings the letters “Y-M-C-A.”

Tradition requires the happy silly dancing crowd to move their arms to make the shapes of each letter.

It’s pretty standard behavior in my neck of the woods.

So, in this blasphemous photo, the men hold their arms to form the letters M, C, and A, in the correct order.

What’s missing?

The Y, of course!

The missing Y is supplied by the painting.

The painting is huge and of a sole figure whose arms are indeed stretched out and above the level of his head. Although his arms aren’t as high as the typical dance-floor letter-makers, in the context of being with the three men, one easily knows he is the “Y.”

Have you guessed who the he is?

It is Christ. But it gets worse.

It is Christ hanging on the cross, his weakness and body weight obviously dragging his body down, while his hands are affixed and immovable.

One must admit, this forms the capital letter Y.

The image we are discussing has copyrights reserved, so I cannot include it in this article. However, if you search with quotation marks “Blasphemy. a ticket to Hell has never been funnier” you will find it.

It sounds potentially hideous, doesn’t it?

But, I laughed out loud when I saw it.

And I’ve laughed at it many times since.

This started me on my own reflection: would God get the joke? Would the Infinite Goodness laugh?

I can imagine many reasons not to.

If I saw a photo of one of my sons being crucified and others were doing the YMCA, I would not be the least bit amused.

However, this Holy Trinity being is someone bigger, wiser, and gooder (yes – “gooder”) than I.

I think that the Deity might be slightly tickled. Or pleased. Pleased that the Jesus person lived with these weirdo humans and they are making a connection to him.

That they are not feeling that the God-son is unapproachable, untouchable, unhuman.

The Christian Bible contains the words, “Jesus wept.”

I fully believe that at many times in his life, Jesus also laughed.

Belly-laughed.

Belly-laughed until his stomach hurt and tears rolled down his cheeks. So, can he be the “Y” in YMCA or is that blasphemy?