This erection has church officials hot and bothered.
A spokesman for an Illinois Christian Science church that looks like a penis when viewed from above has come out of the woodwork to decry the building's newfound Internet fame.
"We didn’t design it to be seen from above," Scott Shepherd told SaukValley.com last week. Local architect John McLane, who did not design the church, told the site he believes it's "a little bit of a stretch" to claim that the aerial view of the structure looks like a penis. We'll let you decide for yourself:
The church, which is located in the town of Dixon (indeed), was designed by an architect who McLane guesses "probably" designed it that way by accident, according to SaukValley.com. Shepherd noted that the shape makes sense for the needs of the church because it allows for ample natural light as well as space for a sanctuary.
In any case, the church has maintained a great sense of humor about the whole thing, posting a Facebook message late last month stating, "Fig leaf coming soon."
The church's slogan is "Rising up."
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Scott Shepherd said it was "a little bit of a stretch" to say the building looked like a penis, and that the architect "probably" designed it that way by accident. Both of these statements were made by Illinois architect John McLane. McLane is not the architect who designed the Dixon Christian Science church.