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Jimmy_Reynolds
New Member
USA
47 Posts |
 Posted - 07/03/2003 : 18:26:00
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I'll let this one speak for itself: http://www.local6.com/news/2310988/detail.html
quote:
Bolt Hits Steeple, Travels Through Guest Evangelist's Microphone
FOREST, Ohio -- Damage to a church in Forest, Ohio, is estimated at $20,000 after a preacher asked God for a sign.
A member of the First Baptist Church said a guest evangelist was preaching repentance and seeking a sign from God when lightning struck the steeple.
Ronnie Cheney called the incident "awesome, just awesome!"
Cheney said the lightning traveled through the microphone, blew out the sound system and enveloped the preacher, who wasn't hurt.
Afterward, services resumed for about 20 minutes until the congregation realized the church was on fire. The building was evacuated. (emphasis added)
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 07/03/2003 : 18:49:22 [Permalink]
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Yes, I caught that one. God set the church on fire, to the tune of 20 grand damage, and the congregation just loved it.
But could it be that they failed to understand the message? Was God sending an expensive sign to the preacher telling him to shut the fuck up?
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Jimmy_Reynolds
New Member
USA
47 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2003 : 19:07:03 [Permalink]
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It's a shame, though not at all unusual, that an infidel like me apparently knows the Bible better than this professional thumper does:
quote:
Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. (Deut. 6:16, KJV)
quote:
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Matt 4:7, KJV)
Seriously, one might speculate that the original prohibition against tempting God was an effort by the Hebrew priests/prophets/shamans to keep their claims from being publicly tested, a pretty good indication that they knew the game even if others didn't.
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| Edited by - Jimmy_Reynolds on 07/03/2003 19:12:25 |
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ktesibios
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2003 : 23:14:00 [Permalink]
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Why, oh why, did a poor innocent PA system have to be sacrificed so some dingbat could try to make a point?
There ain't no justice.  |
"The Republican agenda is to turn the United States into a third-world shithole." -P.Z.Myers |
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Doomar
SFN Regular
USA
714 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 06:04:27 [Permalink]
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"a sign from God"
In the book of Acts there are many signs and wonders recorded. A similar sign to the lightning strike on the church (at least fire was involved) was when the building the believers were meeting in appeared to be on fire, but wasn't. Not unlike the burning bush sign to Moses in Exodus where the bush was not consumed. Something wonderful and amazing was happening in both instances, God was giving something good to men. However, in the church lightning strike, the fire was real and consuming. Most signs that gave God's approval brought about healing, hope, grace. Then there was the sign that showed his disproval. Elijah called down fire from heaven twice and it consumed two different groups of soldiers. These soldiers didn't have a good attitude! Another place in Moses time, fire came down and consumed about 200 men. They were all rebels. The question one must ask is how was this incident similar to those? The preacher wasn't hurt, but the church was burning. Was it a message that was different for the preacher and the church? Was it even a sign from God? In the book of Job, Satan sent fire from heaven to consume some of Job's animals. In the New Testament times, the signs and wonders that occurred were: miraculous healings of sick people, demons cast out, and the like. Today we have preachers who "knock" people over and claim it is a sign from God, but where are the real signs and wonders of healings and demons being cast out. Have these things just stopped happening, or are the preachers and people just without faith? I think the latter among the knock down drag out preachers. |
Mark 10:27 (NKJV) 27But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
www.pastorsb.com.htm |
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ConsequentAtheist
SFN Regular
641 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 07:00:24 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Doomar
In the New Testament times, the signs and wonders that occurred were: miraculous healings of sick people, demons cast out, and the like.
Absolutely true. Furthermore, every religion had them in abundance.
In "The Making of Late Antiquity", Peter Brown writes:quote:
..., we have to make the considerable imaginative leap of entering a world where religion was taken absolutely for granted and belief in the supernatural occassioned far less excitement than we might at first sight suppose. Mediterranean men shared their world with invisible beings, largely more powerful than themselves, to whom the had to relate."
Magic and miracles were everywhere. Doomar would have quite at home.  |
For the philosophical naturalist, the rejection of supernaturalism is a case of "death by a thousand cuts." -- Barbara Forrest, Ph.D. |
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Doomar
SFN Regular
USA
714 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 16:00:02 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by ConsequentAtheist
[quote]Originally posted by Doomar
In the New Testament times, the signs and wonders that occurred were: miraculous healings of sick people, demons cast out, and the like.
Absolutely true. Furthermore, every religion had them in abundance.
The man who was born blind made a statement to the unbelieving Pharisees, who actually heard the evidence of his blindness but refused to believe Jesus had any thing to do with it. THe man said, "Since the beginning of the world has anyone heard of one born blind receiving their sight?" Evidently, such a phenomenom was not at all common as you suppose.
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Mark 10:27 (NKJV) 27But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
www.pastorsb.com.htm |
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