"My Christ is a Hottie"

In thinking about the implications of Jesus Day, I was reminded of the painting "Christ Bearing the Cross" at the Gardner Museum in Boston, which may be the sexiest Christ ever painted. When I visited the museum with a friend last year, we were both struck by his prettiness, more Orlando Bloom than Jim Caviezel (or, for my friend, almost a dead ringer for one of her former boyfriends). Who wouldn't want to spend eternity with this Stud?

I pondered at the time whether it would be blasphemous to put this image (which was either painted by Bellini or someone influenced by him) on tee-shirts, with the slogan "My Christ is a Hottie" underneath. They could be distributed at spring break gatherings for the teen chastity set, and probably sold for great profit at Urban Outfitters. Once distributed, they would become an effective recruitment tool. Sex sells, so why shouldn't religion benefit from its marketing potential as well?