9.19.2005

The Holy Ghos't

This billboard greets commuters on our local freeway:

You can't read all of it as you drive by. You get about to "Heavenly Father" and you're by it. Apparently, these 'boards were put up by a Detroit-area businessman frustrated that he can't break through the lock the auto industry has on local commerce. At first, this makes one think of the "God Speaks" series, the white-on-black messages that God sent down to our billboards with messages like: "Don't make me come down there. -God"

But the God Speaks series was obviously meant to make us laugh, then maybe think for a second. And you could read them in three seconds. This guy asks God to "forgive us our sin of being dependent on the Auto Industry..." Hang on. [checks biblegateway.com]. Nope, no "auto industry" commandments that I know of.

OK, I get his point. And having the ability to drop $5,000 (a guess, probably low) on some pretty ugly billboards that you have to park to read is pretty cool.
But here's the thing:

IN JESUS NAME

In Jesus we trust, yes. In Jesus I find Peace, sure. "In Jesus name" is missing something. Something simple, something that people who will take checks for $5,000 should probably take a second to fix. Don't you think?

6 comments:

Bridget Samuels said...

This concerned citizen also seems to suffer from Random Capitalization Syndrome.

Eric "Babe" Morse said...

Thank You! I'd thought of Mentioning It, but had Forgotten.

Anonymous said...

Oh, see, those aren't random capitals - they're Platonic Capitals.

Also, this guy's business can't be going too badly if he has the money to spend on billboards like this.

Mostly, this billboard totally screws me up politically. At first, I assumed it was made by right-wing religious conservatives, what with the overt appeal to God and Jesus and all. But then, I realized the person was actually upset about being dependent on the auto industry, and I thought maybe liberals created it in their crusade to remake our fuel economy. My political frames are just all whack. Or maybe it's just a Michigan thing?

ACoolKid said...

Admittedly.
Being out of whack is definitely a Michigan thing.
-acoolkid

ACoolKid said...

And speaking of Michigan and Capitals.
I think Lansing is quite the result of random capitalization.

Anonymous said...

I was going to point that out, too, polyglot. And, hey, I'm reading Locke right now. That ain't Nothin'.