When a religion is believed to have become the target of mockery, it is never taken lightly. However, when anything is done representing Christianity, the Christian church often misinterprets it and blows it way out of proportion.

Artist Cosimo Cavallaro made a sculpture completely out of chocolate of a naked Jesus Christ figure titled “My Sweet Lord.” According to a March 31 CNN article, Cavallaro, a Christian himself, made the sculpture to get closer to his religion.

The Catholic Church didn’t entirely agree that his sculpture was the best way to do that. The sculpture was scheduled to go on display in the Roger Smith Hotel in New York a week before Easter, when thousands of threatening and angry e-mails and phone calls came in. The hotel manager decided to no longer display the sculpture in fear of the hotel’s own safety.

This isn’t the first time the church has forced the halt of another so-called Christian mockery. One of Madonna’s music videos was banned from NBC due to complaints from the Christian community. Also, in 1999, a painting of the Virgin Mary with a splash of elephant excrement angered the Christian Church and caused controversy. These are just a few of the so-called mockeries that disappear quickly as soon as any Christian complaints are made.

It took Christians only a few days to get the chocolate Jesus Christ sculpture taken off display. For years, the mascot of the University of Illinois, Chief Illiniwek, was viewed as demeaning to American-Indians, yet only recently has the university removed the mascot.

Obviously, American-Indians are too few in number to quickly cause the removal of a mascot, especially when compared to the majority population of Christians. Numbers should not keep Americans from realizing the difference between obvious mockery and misinterpretation.

Muslims have also been a target of religious mockery with continuous display. According to a BBC article published Feb. 9, 2006, twelve cartoons including an image of Muhammad were published in a Danish newspaper, despite Muslim beliefs banning the portrayal of Muhammad’s image. Many Muslim groups caused riots and destruction, yet some media outlets, including our own, continued to publish the cartoons.

Clearly, the continuous and wrongful display of another religion is more demeaning than a chocolate Jesus Christ made by a Catholic himself. The Christian religion has always had a big influence in America simply because it is the religion practiced by a majority. This influence, however, should not infringe on the First Amendment.

There’s a fine line between religious mockery and different religious interpretation. There are many within the Christian Church, however, who see no line. Artists and even political leaders have allowed the Christian Church to challenge the First Amendment for non-offensive reasons too many times. In America, it is a matter of how many people speak up – and more need take a stand for the First Amendment.