"The Apotheosis of Washington"

Does anyone else find this to be disgusting? From both a secular and a theological point of view, it seems hard to argue that it's not at least a little bit revolting. How did the theists of the time let something like this happen?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apotheosis_of_Washington

What exactly were they supposed to do to stop it? The capital has stuff like this all over. Government is not secular, government has its own religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_(Greenough)

I don't think it is "disgusting."  It is the US government's attempt to imitate the Romans.  Lincoln is sitting at his monument posed like Jupiter and Jefferson is in a mock Roman Rotunda...

If you look at the paiting you'll notice that Mercury is actually giving Robert Morris coins..