What Do Christians in Southwest Missouri Do with Millions of Dollars? It is Not Used to Feed the Poor, heal the sick, ease suffering, or care for children and the elderly

Branson Missouri, home to what many call a “Music Mecca” is also the site where Evangelical Fundamentalist Christians wish to build the largest cross in the world on an Ozark Mountain.  Developers expect the construction of the cross to cost $5 million dollars, enough to help many people suffering in this economy and give aid to the sick and elderly.  However, the world's largest cross will still go to the one in St. Augustine, Florida, which also does nothing.

The vision started as a 7 foot cross and now the plan is to build a 200 foot cross on top Bear Mountain near the intersection of highway 160 and 65 by 2013.  Thus, they are not only destroying nature, but also wasting money that does nothing to contribute to helping society better people’s lives, as they spread propaganda.

So far, they raised $410,000 for the $5 million project, which will need a 45-degree road up the mountain, killing beautiful trees, disrupting wildlife habitat, and more, just to get construction materials to the top of the mountain and rival landmarks such as the St. Louis arch, Christ in Rio de Janeiro, and the Golden Gate Bridge.  All of this, of course, for the “glory of God” and create a free attraction for families to encounter Christ.  They would do better helping people encounter “Christ” by feeding the poor and helping families in this economy.  Obama has done more in that direction than the Religious Reich who build objects that do absolutely nothing.

“I know St. Louis has the Gateway Arch and San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge, and those are all fantastic monuments, but they’re all secular monuments," he said. "This will be the first monument to the spirit of man and there’s a reason why it’s being built in the heartland of the nation. It’s absolutely in the right place at the right time and it’s going to have ten times the spirituality as any one of those monuments.”

“It’s going to be a family-friendly, free admission venue where people can have an encounter with Jesus Christ,” he said. “But we’re getting ready to move forward on this pretty quickly here and I’m sure at some point somebody will come and try to step in the way.”

Yes, especially since it does nothing except damage “people’s” homes and create an eyesore that will remind humans, who care about those “people”, who destroyed those homes, without caring one little bit about the beauty of the mountain home.  There goes the Missouri Black Bears, already endangered, as well as any rare wolves left in the state, and these same Christians probably want to give blastocysts “personhood rights”.  My late grandfather, a Christian, was good enough not to kill one when we went for a walk in the Ozark woods, many years ago.  He called the pristine beauty of the Ozarks, “God’s Country” for years before he died in 1989 and his atheist brother, who lived next door, but died a few years before he did, was in awe of the numinous beauty of the Ozarks.

At least the Golden Gate Bridge does something.  It connects to land areas, so people do not have to swim.  The Arch adds beauty to a concrete jungle, but unfortunately mirrors the sun, causing temporary blindness for anyone who looks at it.  Additionally, neither one were meant to force people into a religion that potentially does more harm than good and in this case, this cross does more harm than good.

However, it would seem today’s Evangelical Fundamentalist are more determined to create “Babylon”, making “Images of the Cross” that does nothing but destroy the beauty of the Ozarks, in competition with Cristo Redentor en Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as they race to build the largest and tallest religious structure in the world, at the expense of humans.

Their website proclaims this nature-destroying eyesore will be the largest cross in the world, as though it will make their deity so happy and proud.  Their purpose, believing the United State’s economy exploded, to save families from divorce and single parent homes, save 100 million “unchurched” people, and stopping moral decay.  The answer, in their opinion, is to build this 200-foot monstrosity of an eyesore and destroy the beauty of the Ozarks, as well as remaining wildlife n the area.  They do not care that feeding the poor, caring for the sick and the elderly, caring for children, or anything else that deals with caring for others humans could do more than a silly old cross that does nothing except create an eyesore, destroy nature, and rival “Cristo Redentor”, the St. Louis Arch, and the Golden Gate Bridge.  They do not care about anything more than imposing their beliefs on others, thinking they are doing good in the name of some human created deity.

Hypocrites. That is what they are, hypocrites, who probably have not read their own damn book. It also reminds me of Ghandi, who said Christians are so unlike Christ.

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

These same Christians probably have not read their Bible or they are focused on “spreading the word”, which I do not recall reading in their Christ storybook that they were suppose to build icons.  Yet they talk about following the “Ten Commandments”.  I seem to remember a command that said not to make such things.  They do not even follow what they try to force on everyone else and spend money on things that do not help anyone.

Their cross does nothing to help others, the environment, or even other animals.  It does not educate anyone about how to live healthy lives.  It does not stop pain and suffering, hunger, homelessness, or unemployment.  It does not do anything, except destroy.

Goodbye pristine and awesomely beautiful Ozark Mountains and the wildlife that that lives within it, because, thanks to crazy Christians, who do not care about anything except a silly old demiurge, created by humans, and a “golden cow”, also created by humans, it will be destroyed.  It makes me wonder if there will be any natural beauty left in the world for my grandchildren to see or if such Christians will destroy it all, as they neglect the poor, the suffering, the sick, the elderly, the children…

If these Christians want to raise money to help other humans, then I could get behind them on that, but this eyesore that destroys the environment and kills other animals is a waste of money and time, even if they do believe the poor will always be with us.

“An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An atheist believes that deed must be done instead of prayer said. An atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanished, war eliminated.” ~ Madalyn Murray O'Hair

“Religion has caused more misery to all of mankind in every stage of human history than any other single idea.”  ~ Madalyn Murray O'Hair

A humanist believes we should strive to alleviate pain, suffering, and poverty, as well as bettering ourselves and humankind, by helping those in need, which O'Hair said.  We do this by avoiding housemaid’s knees and doing something useful with our time, energy, knowledge, and resources.

I do hope environmentalists and wildlife conservationists, as well as people who rather see the millions of dollars raised go to help others, stop these people.  Whom am I kidding though?  These people do not Give a Damn for anyone, not in Africa, in the United States, or anywhere else in the world.  All they care about is a “Tower of Babylon” that does nothing, except destroys and becomes an eyesore. 

Mriana

Mriana is a humanist and the author of "A Source of Misery". She has two grown sons and raises cats. She enjoys writing, reading, science, philosophy, psychology, and other subjects. Mriana is also an animal lover, who cares for their welfare as living beings, who are part of the earth. She is a huge Star Trek fan in a little body.

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