Stand Back! Let Prayer Take Care Of This!

[cleanhippie]

https://twitter.com/Letha_Hughes/status/548543713992269824/photo/1

[Rob H.]

1. Grumpy Cat agrees!

[trotsky]

2. LMFAO

That is way too funny.

[Hoppy]

3. Dear Grumpy Cat,

No tuna for you today.

Signed,
God

[onager]

4. Christian Churches vs. the Lightning Rod

Probably old news to denizens of this group, but I got a kick out of this really Sophisticated Theology.

Relying on passages from the Bible, Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, et. al., Xian churches fought the installation of lightning rods for years after they were invented.

Christian churches tried to ward off the damaging effects of storms and lightning by prayers, the consecrating of church bells, sprinkling of holy water, and the burning of witches.

Lengthy rites were said for the consecrating of bells, and priests prayed that their sound might "temper the destruction of hail and cyclones and the force of tempests and lightning..."

Unfortunately, all these efforts were to no avail. The priest ought to have prayed for the bell ringer who was frequently electrocuted while ringing the blessed bells. The church tower, usually the highest structure in the village, was normally the building most often struck by lightning, while the brothels and gambling houses next door were left untouched.

Peter Ahlwardts, the author of "Reasonable and Theological Considerations About Thunder and Lightning," accordingly advised his readers to seek refuge from storms anywhere except in or around a church. Hadn't lighting struck only the churches ringing bells during the terrific storm in lower Brittany on Good Friday of 1718?

http://www.miltontimmons.com/ChruchesVsLightningRod.html

And also:

Lightning rods were a logical development; they protected buildings wherever they were installed. Unfortunately, to install a "heretical rod" was to admit that centuries of theological teachings were false.

Churches were reluctant to use them. Seventeen years after Franklin's experiment, lightning struck the unprotected Church of San Nazaro, near Venice. This ignited 200,000 pounds of powder which had been stored there for safe keeping. The explosion wiped out one sixth of the city of Brescia and killed 3,000 people. Lightning rods soon appeared on spires across Italy.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/past_mor4.htm

[RussBLib]

5. ok, ok, prayer does NOT work!

I mean, how many times do they have to experience it before actually LEARNING something?!

[deucemagnet]

6. They're still working on it.

I think they probably figured out that putting a lightning rod in a giant fiberglass Jesus is bad.

[Rob H.]

7. That's Big Butter Jesus!

[deucemagnet]

8. I was working in Ohio just before it burned down.

I drove by it a few times before the fire (it was right by the interstate). It was exactly as hideous in real-life. I really wanted to see the metal-framed "terminator Jesus" before the tore it down, but I missed that.

Pray all you want, but Mother Nature hates tacky.

[Rob H.]

10. "terminator Jesus" LOL

It would've been hilarious (well, to me, anyway) if it had burned and this was inside:



"I'm a friend of Sarah Connah. I vas told that she is heeyuh."

[rexcat]

14. I live about 10 miles from the church...

they replaced the burned down "Touchdown" Jesus with the "Five Dollar Footlong" Jesus (local name) or the "hug me" Jesus (per website below). The new and improved Jesus has a lightening rod on his head.

Link to pictures: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/35588

[deucemagnet]

16. I love the picture of the statue with the Trader's World sign.

Solid Rock Church really brings the comedy, intentional or not.

[rexcat]

17. The chruch leadership is also riddled with scandal...

The husband and wife who run/control the church also own or have controlling interest in the horse farm across the interstate from the church. The farm has been for sale for some time but is mired in family infighting and legal issues.

The family is a good christian family such as you will see in SW Ohio. As an aside John Boehner leaves down the interstate (~ 5 miles) from the church in West Chester, OH just off of the I75/Tylersville exit. The church is in Warren County and is as red as you will ever see.

[LiberalAndProud]

11. Yeah, but Touchdown Jesus was a Pastafarian and I have photos to prove it.

[deucemagnet]

15. Blech!

I spent two years in southwestern Ohio and never developed a taste for Cincinnati chili.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. Christianity: Fighting science since the First Century.

Heretical Rods!

[JDDavis]

12. One has to wonder after witnessing 2 days straight of

mindless approval of strawman arguments against atheists in that "other place".

Do they actually use their brains for anything or just pat each other on the back when one speaks out against atheism and science and all that non-religion jazz? So their religion is so important to them that even a few who claim to be atheists join-in on the praise of strawman accusatory threads directed at "atheists on DU". Like we all are so horrible because we all must be the same as the worst of us, who never ever posted what that thread claimed we posted.

Got to love people who take faith above evidence. Then there's the master logician over there contradicting himself and managing to show his gift for stating a logical argument has well passed any "sell-by" date, (in other words, it stinks!) Love how he demands that those who make no claim on the existence of a deity must must must provide evidence to make no claim, but those who assert the existence of the supernatural are somehow not subject to the principles of logic and rationality because, well, it's supernatural, so therefor not subject to human examination under the rules of logic or science or whatever rational people might be prone to question.

[JDDavis]

13. It's in God's hands now! or

God did it.

Whatever you prefer.


Must have been some devilish stuff going on in that church. I say.

Glad that God got rid of it. Aren't you?