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The Hazards of Belief

  • 07-06-2006 5:52pm
    #1
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,386 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    Anybody think it's worth stickying a cautionary thread? This sad story just in today:

    http://today.reuters.com/news/ArticleNews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-06-05T133715Z_01_L05642927_RTRUKOC_0_US-UKRAINE-LION.xml
    KIEV (Reuters) - A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday.

    "The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said. "A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."

    The incident, Sunday evening when the zoo was packed with visitors, was the first of its kind at the attraction. Lions and tigers are kept in an "animal island" protected by thick concrete blocks.


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Comments

  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    maybe I'm just cruel, but when I heard about that the day before yesterday I laughed quite heartily.


    in the worlds of bill hicks, he was a moron.. now he's dead. Good. I don't think we lost a cure for cancer here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    "If he exists"...hmm. Sounds more like the perils of agnosticism?

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,346 ✭✭✭Rev Hellfire


    You see thats just typical of you robindch this disproves nothing.

    Rather if the mans faith in god had been stronger than the lions faith in Apedemek he would have been safe.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    I guess we all know what is going to win the Darwin Award next next :D

    I would imagine this poor man had serious mental health problems, because he got himself into the situation in the first place. But of course there are plenty of examples of religious people believing God will save them in situations they didn't get themselves into, such as being trapped in a fire or Earthquake.

    I suppose the lesson here is God won't save you, even if you believe he exists.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    I saw that story on Fortean times not long ago. I found it hilarious.


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  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,553 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    robindch wrote:
    Anybody think it's worth stickying a cautionary thread?
    Although it could be fun to have a thread with stories of the misfortunes exceptionally delusional people, I'm not sure stickying it promotes the best message for us? "Come join the A/A forum, but first read the charter and hilarious stories of how believers stupidly put their faith in a god". ;)

    Open to debate though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,346 ✭✭✭Rev Hellfire


    Maybe you're looking at this wrong. This could be a sticky in which suggestions for ways people could actively and verifiably test their faith in a god could be put forward.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Playboy


    Very tragic event. Unfortunately people with mental illness such as schizophrenia suffer from God delusions which would make them attempt something like this. Very sad indeed.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,188 ✭✭✭growler


    Maybe you're looking at this wrong. This could be a sticky in which suggestions for ways people could actively and verifiably test their faith in a god could be put forward.

    Wouldn't that be better suited to the Christianity / Islam forums though ?

    One has to admire his decision to test his faith in a lion's den, very biblical of him.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,737 ✭✭✭Asiaprod


    Maybe you're looking at this wrong. This could be a sticky in which suggestions for ways people could actively and verifiably test their faith in a god could be put forward.

    If I might feel better as,

    A sticky in which people have actively tried to validate faith in their god.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 23,216 ✭✭✭✭monkeyfudge


    It sounds like it was a surprisingly clean kill though... that's got to be worth something?


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,856 ✭✭✭Valmont


    Scofflaw wrote:
    "If he exists"...hmm. Sounds more like the perils of agnosticism?

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


    this forum seriously just cracks me up every time I'm on,lol


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,553 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    robindch wrote:
    Look what I found - thankfully a shortened version that leaves the rest to the imagination...

    http://www.infidelguy.com/modules.php?name=Video&op=view&video_id=6


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,484 ✭✭✭✭Stephen


    At least he's not going to be polluting the gene pool any more.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Playboy


    Stephen wrote:
    At least he's not going to be polluting the gene pool any more.

    Jesus the guy was obviously mentally ill. Would you say that about a person who died of cancer? No wonder we have a bad name as a community when people on this board think tragedies are funny.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    Playboy wrote:
    Jesus the guy was obviously mentally ill. Would you say that about a person who died of cancer? No wonder we have a bad name as a community when people on this board think tragedies are funny.
    Obviously you don't approve of the Darwin Awards :p

    And some times we have laugh at a tragedy as the only way to help everyone deal with such senselessness ....









    ... of course other times we laugh because its just so funny!

    BTW this is similar to a incent in Taiwan in 2004
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6396422
    A man leaped into a lion’s den at the Taipei Zoo on Wednesday to try to convert the king of beasts to Christianity, but was bitten in the leg for his efforts.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,553 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    Playboy wrote:
    No wonder we have a bad name as a community when people on this board think tragedies are funny.
    Who says we have a bad name? I want their name, numbers and IP addresses now.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    atheists are a community now?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Playboy


    ye a community of smart asses who get to together to pat each other on the back about how intelligent they are in comparison to theists and laugh at the misfortune of the mentally ill.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,484 ✭✭✭✭Stephen


    So you think it would have been a good idea for this guy to reproduce then?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Playboy


    Why dont you go tell every child of a mentally ill parent that their life is worthless and the world would be a better place without them. Who are you to judge what kind of a child this guy would have?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,386 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    > Why dont you go tell every child of a mentally ill parent that their life
    > is worthless and the world would be a better place without them.


    Calm down. The poster was referring (as Wicknight pointed out), to the Darwin Awards:

    http://www.darwinawards.com/

    And no, from the new report, the guy wasn't obviously mentally unbalanced, at least no more than the average religious believer who thinks that their god or gods will protect them from whatever happens by.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Playboy


    robindch wrote:
    Calm down. The poster was referring (as Wicknight pointed out), to the Darwin Awards:

    http://www.darwinawards.com/

    I dont really care who was refering to what. A man died in tragic circumstances. I find it hard to believe that people on here find that an amusing topic. Or maybe it's as Wicknight said and ye are only laughing in order to deal with the senselessness :confused:
    robindch wrote:
    And no, from the new report, the guy wasn't obviously mentally unbalanced, at least no more than the average religious believer who thinks that their god or gods will protect them from whatever happens by.

    Are you serious? You are telling me that the guy was no more mentally unbalanced than the average religious believer. I dont think it takes a genius to figure out that the guy had serious mental health issues otherwise there wouldnt be very many religious people left as they would all have had commited suicide to test their faith.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,737 ✭✭✭Asiaprod


    Playboy wrote:
    I dont really care who was refering to what. A man died in tragic circumstances. I find it hard to believe that people on here find that an amusing topic.
    Playboy, really, calm down. You are reading from an emotional perspective way to much into the reactions here to this story. Use your intellect, not your emotion. Robindch did not say what you think he said. Argue logically.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,346 ✭✭✭Rev Hellfire


    I think Schadenfreude is perfectly normal behaviour and one common to most right thinking individuals.

    I strongly dislike the idea that somehow the disabled (or any other group) are untouchables who can not be laughed at. Some things are just simply just funny, Personally I dont see how this takes away from those with disablities and I suspect few others would.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25 HealingBlight


    KIEV (Reuters) - A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday.
    You know, I'm tempted to go, well.... good riddance, but, I wont say..... good riddance, even though I do want to say.... good riddance.
    "The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said.
    This infact is true. :) Ever hear the saying "Nothing fails lie prayer"?
    BTW, I do recall that somewhere in the biblethat if you have faith you can ingest the strogest of poisions and be bitten by snakes with no ill effect as long as you have faith.... so I guess thats what might of triggered it.
    "A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."
    This is infact, natural selection, nature is harsh from a human standpoint.
    The incident, Sunday evening when the zoo was packed with visitors, was the first of its kind at the attraction. Lions and tigers are kept in an "animal island" protected by thick concrete blocks.
    So it was his own god damn fault for being so stupid, and this is the kind of blind faith being encouraged by religion, however when put into action, it soon becomes apparent how stupid he is.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,313 ✭✭✭bus77


    There's something in the new testament about this type of thing.

    Think it was one of Satans tests for Jesus. Goes something like.... "If you are the son of God, go up to that cliff and jump off. God will surely send the angels to catch you.'' The reply from Jesus... "Don't test God"


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Playboy


    Asiaprod wrote:
    Playboy, really, calm down. You are reading from an emotional perspective way to much into the reactions here to this story. Use your intellect, not your emotion. Robindch did not say what you think he said. Argue logically.

    eh I'm completley calm and logical? Someone made a comment about how that it was a good thing that this guy was removed from the gene pool and i responded. Other people on this board have more or less laughed at what happened without one person expressing any sympathy. My logic goes like this Asiaprod. The guy obviously had issues and he didnt commit suicide becuase he was just 'stupid' like most people on here seem to think. This tragedy has nothing to do with any religion or what any religion teaches contrary to what Healingblight thinks. From what I can gather this forum exists so atheists can come together to massage each others ego's in relation to how smart and logical they are and laugh at the so called stupidity of people with religious belief. Imo the attitudes of most of the people on this board represent all of the negative stereotypes people have about atheists which other atheists are spending a lot of energy trying to get rid of.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14 perfidiousmonk


    There's something in the new testament about this type of thing.
    Bus 77 is quite right. When Jesus went out into the Desert to fast for 40 dayts and nights, the Devil tempted and tormented him, and the culmination of this was that he tested his faith in a number of ways.
    In an attempt to force him to prove his faith he took him to hte top of the highest known building, and told him to jump, saying that, as the son of god, the angels of heaven vwould surely save him, proving his claim.
    Jesus turned him down, saying something along the lines of God helps those who help themselves, and do not rely on his good will.
    That would certainly apply to this man's (the recently deceased Lion teaser and pleaser), for if he truly he had faith in Gods will he would have had no need to test it so.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 443 ✭✭Fallen Seraph


    Playboy wrote:
    The guy obviously had issues and he didnt commit suicide becuase he was just 'stupid' like most people on here seem to think. This tragedy has nothing to do with any religion or what any religion teaches contrary to what Healingblight thinks.


    The guy did obviously have issues, but there is nothing in any of the information that has been furnished to suggest that the issues were anything other than an over zealous belief in his god. To say that this tragedy has nothing to do with religion is quite a baseless statement.


This discussion has been closed.
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