The Hazards of Belief

Popinjay

Scofflaw wrote: »

And another one from the church recipe book.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Well there's no way I'd eat that. Using a microwave to cook meat is just uncivilised.

pH

Untreated diabetes kills girl

Parents choose prayer instead of medical care

The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, were unaware their daughter's recent illness was caused by diabetic ketoacidosis, Vergin said. Although the family has no ties to a specific church or religion, he said, they prayed for her and then attributed her death to them apparently not having enough faith.

"It is our understanding that instead of seeking medical help, they chose to pray over her and their faith would heal her," Vergin said.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080326/WDH0101/803260643/1981

Dades

pH wrote: »

"It is our understanding that instead of seeking medical help, they chose to pray over her and their faith would heal her," Vergin said.

Reminds me of a quote I read today:

"You know when you close your eyes and wish for something really hard? God is the one who ignores you".

adamd164

This one's a beaut: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24068619/

Suspicions were roused after a 16-year-old girl phoned police to say she'd been beaten and raped by her 50-year-old "husband".

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

well, there's romney out of the race for VP

Dades

adamd164's "Mormon fundie sect raided" thread merged with the Hazards of Belief thread.

Have finally stickied this one too!

Dades

Another Jehovah's Witness case.

Ms Justice Laffoy ftw.

limerick_woody

http://richarddawkins.net/article,2524,n,n

i nearly fell off my chair...surely only the monumentally ignorant could consider this to be rational behaviour by adults - or members of a religous group of course...

kram_araman

Thats just crazy....

Zombrex

That is nuts ... and very dangerous, not just if the person misses the blanket, but in a fall like that the brain hits the front or the back of the skill at the speed the child is falling, so even if the body is stopped by the blanket the poor babies brain slams into the skill at high speed.

Zillah

"There has been no recorded evidence of any physical disability to the infant..."

Well, apparently people who had this done to them then went off to throw their own children off a fifty foot roof top. That would imply that perhaps there's some variety of mental disability...

Galvasean

limerick_woody wrote: »

http://richarddawkins.net/article,2524,n,n

i nearly fell off my chair...surely only the monumentally ignorant could consider this to be rational behaviour by adults - or members of a religous group of course...

Are you sure thats not just a hoax? Seems too mad to believe!

Scofflaw

Definitely Darwin Award material, if not a hoax.

cordially,
Scofflaw

nozzferrahhtoo

Lovely story from the US. California may have been good with the new gay rights bill that went through the courts, but this story from California (Mojave) shows it isnt all good. Hated is one of those "Hazards of Belief"

The Ford car company is taking a new advertising method by telling some of its customers to shut up. Actual quote from company:

But did you know that 86% of Americans say they believe in God? Since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians, who believe in God, we at Keiffe & Sons Ford wonder why we don't tell the other 14% to sit down and shut up. I guess maybe I just offended 14% of the people who are listening to this message. Well, if that is the case then I say that's tough, this is America folks, it's called free speech. None of us at Keiffe & Sons Ford are afraid to speak out. Keiffe & Sons Ford on Sierra Highway in Mojave and Rosamond, if we don't see you today, by the grace of God, we'll be here tomorrow.

Galvasean

What an odd thing to say.. What context was it in?
Surely its bad business to come out and berate a substantial percentage of consumers for no apparent reason.

nozzferrahhtoo

Galvasean wrote: »

What an odd thing to say.. What context was it in?
Surely its bad business to come out and berate a substantial percentage of consumers for no apparent reason.

Thats the entire context I posted. Its a transcript word for word of a radio advertisement the company in question is using.

A man wiser and older than me had the same reaction as you the first time he heard of it. As did I. But he then realised that It is probably effective and doing well for them. The dealership is in a conservative part of California, and likely has <14% of the group they are offending.

On top of this one thing we know a lot about religions and is undebiable is that it fosters a strong "in-group mentality". So the dominant Christian audience will be heartened and feel good about this advertisement which in the business sense is a benefit that outweighs the <14% of insulted people.

All in all, in a sick and awful way, the ad is a wonderful PR move when you tot up the balance sheet of those offended to those who will love it.

Galvasean

I suppose so. But i couldn't see an advert like that working over here. It just seems daft that a company would try sell cars by assaulting a minority. But the again, it is America.

Dades

Galvasean wrote: »

It just seems daft that a company would try sell cars by assaulting a minority.

Not when it's the most hated minority of course!

I doubt they'd get away with telling Muslims to 'shut up', if they chose to diss a different minority to inveigle themselves into community.

Galvasean

Yeah, atheists arent too likely to burn down embassies.

"You insulted our... we'll get back to you on that"

PDN

More the hazards of unbelief in this case, but it raised a smile.

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- A man and a woman have been charged by police in Italy after they were found having sex in a confessional.

The Catholic World News reported that a young man and woman were taken into custody by police in Cesena following a telephone complaint from a man attending morning Mass in the city's cathedral.

The two individuals in question -- a 31-year-old laborer and a 32-year-old teacher -- defended their conduct saying: "We are atheists and for us, having sex in church is like doing it any other place."

However, Bishop Antonio Lanfranchi of Cesena-Sarsina took a different view saying that the couple's behavior was blasphemous and offensive, showing "a complete lack of respect" for the sacred and for their Catholic neighbors.

He added that a special Mass, or Mass of Reparation, to restore the cathedral's purity would follow. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/04/cathedral.sex/index.html

Any of you atheists thinking of coming to my church and doing this - don't bother. Our ushers might throw a bucket of cold water over you.

iUseVi

PDN wrote: »

More the hazards of unbelief in this case, but it raised a smile.



Any of you atheists thinking of coming to my church and doing this - don't bother. Our ushers might throw a bucket of cold water over you.

Foiled again. Oh well, we'll just go back to good old baby eating.

humanji

article wrote:

The two individuals in question -- a 31-year-old laborer and a 32-year-old teacher -- defended their conduct saying: "We are atheists and for us, having sex in church is like doing it any other place."

But wouldn't they have been more comfortable doing it somewhere else?

Dades

PDN wrote: »

Any of you atheists thinking of coming to my church and doing this - don't bother. Our ushers might throw a bucket of cold water over you.

Holy water... it burns!

humanji wrote: »

But wouldn't they have been more comfortable doing it somewhere else?

The alter might have been a bit public.

robindch

PDN wrote: »

Any of you atheists thinking of coming to my church and doing this - don't bother.

I'm sure there are plenty of posters who'd love to come to your church without having to baptize it!

But your reluctance to say exactly where your church is does suggest a most un-PDN-like reticence upon your part. Are you really that scared that a few atheists will show up to hear god's word?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

actually a church would be a great place to watch porn, fantastic acoustics

CerebralCortex

PDN wrote: »

More the hazards of unbelief in this case, but it raised a smile.



Any of you atheists thinking of coming to my church and doing this - don't bother. Our ushers might throw a bucket of cold water over you.

Technically all you could do is turn the other cheek.

pH

robindch wrote: »

But your reluctance to say exactly where your church is does suggest a most un-PDN-like reticence upon your part. Are you really that scared that a few atheists will show up to hear god's word?

Oh I think PDN has dropped enough hints ....

robindch

pH wrote: »

I think PDN has dropped enough hints

Must have been out of town when he did. I stand corrected!

iUseVi

pH wrote: »

Oh I think PDN has dropped enough hints ....

Been there!! Bet I've seen PDN.

Dades

Ahem.

I haven't been there myself, but I'm going to assume talking about PDN's church is off-topic in the Hazards of Belief thread...