Is this really the right time to erect a 105ft statue of Jesus on mountainside in war-torn Syria?

Statue appeared in an area where Christians are being persecuted
Has stood for three weeks without being vandalized on destroyed
Backers of the project say erecting statue is 'what Jesus would do'

Exodus 20:4 comes to mind. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

The height of the bronze statue is 39 m together with the plinth, which is taller than the statue of the Christ in Rio de Janeiro (38 m). One can see the sculpture from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. (Public Radio of Armenia)

A new statue of Jesus Christ was erected on top of a Syrian mountain this week. The statue is taller than the Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Interfax reported:

A sculpture ensemble depicting Jesus Christ called ‘I have come to save the world’ has been erected on top of a 2,000-meter high mountain in Syria.

The statue has been placed on a historic pilgrim route from Constantinople to Jerusalem, at the Cherubim Monastery in the community of Saidnaya at an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, the Moscow Spiritual Academy, which supported this peacekeeping project, said in a statement.

“The ensemble with the blessing Christ in its center, seen from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel, is designed to bring peace, mutual understanding, and hope for common salvation to a region engulfed in the flames of war,” it said.

The warring parties suspended hostilities and were watching the statue’s installation, which took three days, it said.

The monument was installed on October 14, when some Christian churches celebrate the feast of the Intercession of the Theotokos, and on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Workers preparing to install a statue of Jesus on Mount Sednaya, Syria which arrived in two pieces

Syrian Christians believe that the second advent of Christ will happen on the mountain, on the route that pilgrims took from Jerusalem to Constantinople.

Backers say it is there simply because 'Jesus would have done it.'

The main armed groups in the area halted fire while organizers set up the statue which was assembled from two pieces.

Divine inspiration: Christians in Syria believe that the second coming of Jesus will happen at the site

Smaller statues of Adam and Eve stand close to the work which was inspired by Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue.

The project, called I Have Come to Save the World, is run by the London-based St Paul and St George Foundation and was financed by private donors from across the globe.

The plans were started in 2005, but were hit by many set backs including the deaths of key backers and the 2011 uprising against president Assad.

Fighters held their fire as the statue was put up. It has been paid for by backers from across the globe

And for as long as it is there, the statue will offer some support to the region's besieged Christians.

Sunni Muslims dominate the revolt, and jihadists make up some of the strongest fighting groups.

Other Muslim groups along with the 10-percent Christian minority have stood largely with Assad's government, or remained neutral.

Churches have been vandalised, priests abducted and last month the extremists overran Maaloula, a Christian-majority town so old that some of its people still speak a language from Jesus' time.

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