Super March for Jesus

SuperJesusMarch_photo by Oscar Sosa, courtesy of NYTimes.com, originally uploaded by mylilpip.

I finally saw the movie Ray last night. While the acting was great, the film was your standard musician's biopic. Great genius comes up from nothing to become a huge success while being a womanizer and drug addict.

There was a small scene in the movie that stood out to me. I believe it was meant to be a brief flash of the kind of person Ray Charles was behind the scenes. The scene takes place in a small room in New York City. Ray is listening to gospel music and reading the bible when Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic records offers him a recording contract. Upon Mr. Ertegun's arrival, Ray loses his temper because he is "at church." I loved that moment. Here is this guy all alone in his tiny apartment having church, feeding his own spiritual needs in a way that seems appropriate to him.

Now on the other end of the spectrum is the Super March for Jesus held yesterday in Jacksonville in honor of the upcoming Super Bowl. Here we have a complete spectacle devoid of any real spiritual significance but loaded with political muscle and outright tasteless showiness. Ronald McDonald would be a more suitable center for this parade than the christ. Ask yourself Jacksonville, FL: Would Jesus really march in this parade?