Arsonist sets Jesus statue on fire

[The Northerner]

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Tuan Pham says he was just looking for a peaceful place to put his catholic-based prayer garden. He had a 7 foot Jesus statue custom made in his native Vietnam. He put it in his backyard, overlooking the Mississippi River and the St. Paul skyline.

Pham says he woke up on Sunday morning to a wall of flames around his statue. "Right now I'm thinking and praying very hard," he said a few hours later. Family members say someone took wood from Pham's pile and placed it at the base of the statue before lighting it on fire. "You can see evidence on the ground, there's an aerosol can," Pham's son-in-law Dao Phan said.

It may have burned for awhile; Pham's daughter took pictures of her father trying to knock down the flames. Fire investigators were going over the garden a few hours later. If they find evidence of arson, they are expected pass the case on to police.

"It pains me, it's very upsetting. This means a lot to him. This is where he finds joy and where he spends a lot of his time," Phan said about his retired father-in-law.

Read more: http://www.kare11.com/news/article/918755/391/Someone-set-fire-to-Jesus-statue-on-St-Paul-skyline

[Ian David]

1. This is not cool. People should not burn other peoples' property in their own yards..

That includes idols to all-powerful deities that apparently can't protect themselves from fire.

[Chris_Texas]

2. HEHEHE!!!

[HERVEPA]

8. Well, I think it's funny.

[Angry Dragon]

15. .............

:thumbsdown:

[roguevalley]

32. examine your conscience and if this was done by an atheist, probably

was, what does it say about atheists? If you generalize and enjoy prodding Christians as a group then what does this say about atheists as a group? Do I now say all atheists suck and gloat about this too?

[HERVEPA]

37. It says we don't like people shoving religion in our faces.

[Goblinmonger]

38. "Probably was"

How in the name of Jebus can you make that statement? Take a look at the SCOTUS cases against prayer in school and tell me how many were filed by atheists? (hint: the major ones were all one Christian sect bitching about the other).

This was an arsonist. If I were to guess, I would have to say it was someone that doesn't like Hmong people or a crazy bastard (or both). But, hey, you just go right on with your broad brush of atheists.

[Shining Jack]

5. That's not funny.

I'm not religious at all BTW.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Yes it is.

[Shining Jack]

21. Lol!

[Warren DeMontague]

22. I think we established that when "Touchdown Jesus" was struck by lightning.

Proving that our blessed lady of the sacred Chao truly doeth have a sense of humor.

[Brother Buzz]

24. It was kinda cool when God torched Big Butter Jesus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mf2u9VWAhMOr you OK with God torching

Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord.

[Ian David]

25. Yes, THAT was cool because GOD did it...

[Voice for Peace]

30. ahahaha that's a masterpiece

[roguevalley]

31. its not funny. no matter what you feel about religion, this is not funny.

tell me ... if he had burned a cross in the yard would you be laughing? Probably did with statues like this being half the time depicted that way. A peaceful man had his place vandalized by a fucking idiot and its funny? Nice.

[Ian David]

35. I'm not laughing. It was a very bad thing to do and it was wrong. n/t

[Shining Jack]

3. WTF?

Does not compute. Too weird.

[Ian David]

6. Obviously, the way this thing was placed, it wasn't just for his own personal use and comfort.

He placed Giant Jesus where it could be seen far and wide by others, whether they liked it or not.

And as much of a douchebag move as this is, I would still defend this guy's right to be a douchebag on his own, personal property.

[Shining Jack]

9. "I would still defend this guy's right to be a douchebag on his own, personal property."

I agree.

[Arugula Latte]

18. Reminds me of that song "Your Own Personal Douchebag Jesus" by Depeche Mode.

;)

[MellowDem]

4. Time for Christians to start beheading random UN people... nt

[roguevalley]

33. if that's what you think than sad.

[Renew Deal]

7. There are some sick and cruel people in this world.

The video asks if this is a hate crime. Of course it is.

[caty]

10. First, that was wrong on

so many levels. Second, why do people feel the need to advertise their beliefs? As offensive as the criminal act is, it is also offensive to have to look at that statue every time you look out your window. The criminal act out weighs the other though. Wrong!

[Ian David]

11. I would have just drawn a Hitler mustache on it.

But with black chalk, that would wash-off.


Okay, I wouldn't really have done that.

Although a clown wig and nose would have been funny.

[hedgehog]

16. So build a fence if you don't like the view!

Edit - it's not clear whether the statue was on private property, but I'd still be more concerned about herbicides from other peoples' lawns than whatever they have on display!

Edit #2: If there is an ordinance in place designed to preserve a natural view of this section of the Mississippi, then perhaps the statue needs to go. The local zoning board seems to have made this its ruling.

[Bake]

20. Would a garden gnome be less offensive?

It was on the man's own property. It's a statue of a presumably not unattractive person. What's so offensive about that? What if it were a statue of Aristotle? Ben Franklin? Ozzie Osbourne?

Perhaps a little "lighten up" would be in order.

Bake

[bullwinkle428]

12. Yawn. Fundies have been setting Jesus' words on fire for years.

[Renew Deal]

13. So you support vandalism?

And bigotry? Or is it just hypocrisy?

[mr blur]

14. Well, it's a start (nt)

[roguevalley]

34. damaging peaceful people is 'a start'. He loved to sit there and you

find this good? Jeez.

[geardaddy]

17. There was a story last week on this statue having to be moved.

http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/119373389.html

Home Local St. Paul
No bluff: Jesus needs to find new home
Article by: ROCHELLE OLSON , Star Tribune Updated: April 7, 2011 - 12:04 AM
St. Paul homeowner Tuan Pham lost his bid for a variance to allow the statue to remain at bluff's edge.



Jesus is said to have walked on water, but according to the St. Paul City Council he can't stand at the edge of a Mississippi River bluff.

On a 5-2 vote, the council Wednesday rejected Tuan Pham's request for a zoning variance to keep his back-yard statue of Jesus in the current spot high up on the West Side bluffs.

Pham, 76 and a retired Frogtown grocer, erected the 7-foot Jesus on a 10-foot base at his home on the 200 block of Isabel Avenue, placing it closer to the edge of the bluff than city rules permit.

"Give me the gift of hope for the future," Pham pleaded with the council before the evening vote. No one spoke against the variance and Mike "Sammy" Samuelson spoke of how Pham was a "pioneer" in the revitalization of University Avenue. He said Pham's statue, "is more of a garden; I'd liken it to a gnome, it's a big gnome."

Pham's Jesus is a replica of the Christ of Vung Tua, a 105-foot monument in Vietnam. Pham emigrated from Vietnam in 1980.

Council Members Dan Bostrom and Pat Harris argued that Pham be allowed to keep the statue in its spot, saying it didn't violate zoning laws because it is a garden, not a "development."

But Council President Kathy Lantry and Council Member Dave Thune said the ordinance is clear that in Mississippi River Corridor, a 40-foot setback from the bluff edge is required for any "material change in the use" of the land.

[Viking12]

27. I wouldn't be surprised to find out he set the fire himself.

Wouldn't be the first time a person tried to create their own martyrdom....

[geardaddy]

36. That's why it seemed a little fishy to me.

[Warren DeMontague]

23. Wrong.

I hope he's able to get it replaced, and they catch who did it.

[Vinnie From Indy]

26. Holy Smokes

Burning other folks stuff is lame.

Cheers!

[luvspeas]

28. Stories like this drive me crazy...

There is so much more going on here that has nothing to do with JEEEEZZZZZZZUUUSSSSS! The guy put up an illegal bunch of stuff too close to the riverbank, then asked for a variance after the fact and was denied, probably because it was after the fact. Then people got upset about his illegal "prayer garden" or eyesore. Someone did the wrong thing by harassing this guy by setting a fire under a marble statue (NOT setting JEEEZZZZZZZZUUUUUUSSSSSS!!!! on fire).

I think his actions were overbearing and self-righteous from the get-go. Considering his previous behaviour, I would not put it past the guy to have set the fire himself to attract sympathy and attention. This story is hardly about JJJJJJEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZUUUUUUUUUSSSSSS!!!!!

[Blue_Tires]

29. I clicked in wondering how marble could burn...

OK, so someone didn't set the statue on fire, they set up a wood pile in front and set that on fire...

Probably punk kid pranksters from across the street or something...