I really, really hope this is the final chapter, anyway. But I’m not going to promise myself anything.

Here are two more items I have recently acquired for what is definitely now a “collection” of strange Jesus stuff.

Bill brought me this lamp, which apparently was in his ninety-year-old mother’s posession and that’s why it’s no longer functional, unfortunately.

As you can see, this lamp is composed of a large, shiny seashell embedded vertically in plaster in a black dish. The seashell forms a backdrop for a cheap gold crucifix that overlooks fake coral in two neon colours. The seashell in the foreground conceals a light-bulb, or at least what used to be a light-bulb. I believe the idea is for the light from the bulb to reflect off the inside of the smaller shell and onto the plastic crucifix.

Lest you think this was an ill-advised Women’s Ministries craft, let me note that a stamp on the bottom bears testament to the fact that this item originated at “The World Famous Ye Old Curiosity Shoppe” in Seattle, USA, which has existed since some point in the 19th century (the last two numbers in the date are blurry). There’s still a price tag, too, that reads “$4.50.”

But the more interesting of Saturday’s acquisitions is this one, purchased by Robin on my behalf for $2. Apparently the woman who sold it to her had less-than-adequate English-language skills, so I’ll forgive her not negotiating a lower price.

Surrounded by a tarnished base metal frame is a holographic image of Jesus at prayer, with two cowering disciples looking on. Above the image is a small but working lamp that illuminates the scene. It even came with a light bulb.

As I said, I hope this will be the final installment in this series of posts documenting my acquisition of strange religious items. What began as a whimsical journey has now become slightly depressing. I’m not sure why. Is it perhaps a sense of disillusionment resulting from vestigal attachment to the conventions of Christianity and its iconograpy? Is it that I feel bad that fossil fuels were expended in the creation of these absolutely unneccessary objects of no redeeming aesthetic value?

Maybe it’s just that I don’t have room for more crap.

But I can’t help it if people just keep bringing me stuff! I never should have made my illicit desire so public.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 25th, 2006 at 7:55 pm and is filed under jesus, kitsch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.