My teenage cousin has found God. I found him/her too, he/she’s sitting on the top of the list of the World’s Worst Human Inventions. Sorry, no offense…I gotta tell an atheist joke, it’s a requirement for all non-believers. You know, a relative liking Jesus isn’t so terrible. Why? Because you can take them to the Cathedral Buffet in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Apparently Christian Evangelist Ernest Angley (does that mean the angels like him better?), who rocks a cool hairpiece and crazy colored neckwear (see photo), is the owner of this fine eating establishment. I’m not familiar with his work, but apparently he’s been asking people to touch their TV screens and be “HEE-yulled” since the 1970s.
After shoving endless plates full of Salisbury Steak, Green Beans and Jello into one’s mouth at the buffet, visitors are treated to tours of Ernie’s Grace Cathedral (home to a 32-ton cross!) as well as the television studio where he broadcasts his sermons and healings. But that’s not it. Inside the restaurant’s basement is a Life of Christ display, thirteen miniature dioramas of Bible stories, in other words a Jesus Wax Museum. If you follow this blog, then you know I love anything made of wax. And this is the best kind – It’s God-approved! Except the figures are not made of wax, they’re sculpted in clay, re-cast in plastic, then hand-carved in great detail. All the figures were created by artist Paul Cunningham, who took about a year to create each scene. A total of 30 were made (the other seventeen are in Eureka Springs, Arkansas) before Cunningham died in 1985. “I have no other desire than to portray the life of Christ,” he said, and obviously he meant it. The dude worked for thirty freakin’ years making clay statues. Considering my young cousin has a new boyfriend every few months, I’ll have to see if her commitment to Jesus lasts as long as Paul’s. Well, I kinda hope it does. Because I really want to take her to this place.
If you’re looking for MORE religion, please read about my visit to the Billy Graham Museum. And if you can’t get enough of Rev. Angeley, this blog is interesting. God Bless!
