Public Art Spider-Man Statue Confused for Devil Horns, Sparks Christian Outrage

Outrage from the American religious right knows no bounds, and the latest example involves the most innocent of targets: Spider-Man.

A public sculpture at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Lincoln, NE that depicts Spider-Man indulging in his trademark gesture of shooting spiderwebs from his hands is the latest object of scorn, as one local woman found it so offensive she contacted the city’s mayor to demand action. In an email to Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, the woman called the sculpture anti-Christian, demonic, completely inappropriate for showcase near a family attraction and said that it constitutes a “hate crime against the church.” “It is a sculpture of two hands open, painted Red & Black, and formed into Devil Horns,” she said.

The sculpture, of course, is not anti-religious, but one of 50 such installations scattered across the city in the “Serving Hands Lincoln” (get it?) public art initiative. Several artists were commissioned for the project, which will see all of the sculptures auctioned off in October with two-thirds of the proceeds going to benefit Campus Life (irony of all ironies: a religious organization!) and one-third going to the artist. Artist Ian Anthony Laing is responsible for this particular rendition of Spidey.

Thankfully the city is taking no action to remove the sculpture. Also thankfully we all get to laugh at the absurdity of the whole situation.

Thanks to MS contributor Skaylatonwitch for sending this in!

[via The Lincoln Journal Star]