“Your own personal Jesus! Someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares!â€?

It was plastered all over the news and morning papers. Nobody quite knew if they were an elaborate joke masterminded by an anti-religious group, or if it originated from the Church itself in an attempt to bring religion back to the masses. No group was coming forward to claim it, but somehow everyone knew about it, from the papers to the Sunday school groups.

Crowds teemed around storefronts, outraged old ladies, bemused teenagers, and incredulous window shopping soccer moms alike. All stood buzzing about, waiting for the unveiling of this scandalous figure, going on sale for $49.99 at a retailer near you.

I wondered what their motivation was, as they pushed their way into the stores, looking for their own “Personal Jesusâ€?. Was it the need to be a part of the hype; a Cabbage Patch Doll for a new generation? Or was it something more, a desperate cry to find faith in a world that has none?

And they say you can’t buy salvation.