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Is god laughing?

Anti-vaccine megachurch hit with measles epidemic, now offering free
vaccinations

An outbreak of the measles at Kenneth Copeland's Texas megachurch has
gotten some attention because (1) measles is something children are
generally vaccinated for, these days and (2) Kenneth Copeland is, of
course, an anti-vaccine crackpot. In what seems to be yet another
bitterly ironic attempt by God to teach noisy religious fundamentalists
what-for, the church has thus become the epicenter of a small but
worrisome outbreak that has so far infected ten and resulted in the
Department of State Health Services issuing an alert spanning North Texas.

That has megachurch pastors doing a bit of fancy dancin', with Pastor
Terri Pearson (Copeland's daughter) walking back their leader's
anti-vaccination stance to explain to the congregation that no, God does
not really want your children to contract a potentially dangerous
disease that vaccinations have all but licked because duh.

"There are a lot of people that think the Bible -- we talk about
walking by faith -- it leaves out things such as, I don't know, people
just get strange. But when you read the Old Testament, you find that it
is full of precautionary measures, and it is full of the law.

Why did the Jewish people, why did they not die out during the
plague? Because the Bible told them how to be clean, told them how to
disinfect, told them there was something contagious. And the interesting
thing of it, it wasn't a medical doctor per se who took care of those
things, it was the priesthood…."

See there? Even back in the before-times, people were smart enough to
know that if you could do a very simple thing in order to Not Die, you
probably ought to do that thing and not just trust that all of God's
various plagues and viruses had built-in piety detectors that would run
away when they got a taste of the likes of religious you.

Helpfully, the church now states that it was an unclean outsider that
brought this evil into their midst, which is a bit of a cop-out:

Eagle Mountain International Church, about 50 miles northwest of
Dallas, released a statement Tuesday that said a visitor attended a
service who had been overseas and was exposed to measles.

“Therefore the congregation, staff at Kenneth Copeland Ministries
and the daycare center on the property were exposed through that
contact,” the statement said.

Which is, of course, how epidemics work. Somebody goes somewhere and
brings back a something that none of the other somebodies have an
immunity to, infecting them all and allowing the something to spread
ever-further. By vaccinating yourself and your children, you are not
only making sure your family does not get the disease in question, you
are also making sure that your family is not a disease-riddled pus
vector oozing easily preventable plague onto all the other people in
your community, causing you to be scorned as an "outsider" and the state
department of health to issue up bulletins specifically naming you and
your community as the disease-riddled pus vectors in question and
warning your fellow human beings to wash their hands a lot if they have
to come in contact with you.

And that, children, is why the church run by an anti-vaccination crank
is now holding free vaccination clinics in apparent contradiction to the
beliefs of said crank. Curiously, there doesn't seem to be any word from
Copeland himself; barring other evidence we can only assume that the
rest of the church leadership locked him in a nice, sturdy cupboard for
a while?

http://tinyurl.com/mcs9ybl

- - -

Well, I hope everyone who contracted the measles gets over it
successfully, and maybe some of the churchgoers will get over their
religious crackpot-itis.

Is god laughing?

On 8/27/2013 9:00 AM, F.O.A.D. wrote:
Anti-vaccine megachurch hit with measles epidemic, now offering free
vaccinations

An outbreak of the measles at Kenneth Copeland's Texas megachurch has
gotten some attention because (1) measles is something children are
generally vaccinated for, these days and (2) Kenneth Copeland is, of
course, an anti-vaccine crackpot. In what seems to be yet another
bitterly ironic attempt by God to teach noisy religious fundamentalists
what-for, the church has thus become the epicenter of a small but
worrisome outbreak that has so far infected ten and resulted in the
Department of State Health Services issuing an alert spanning North Texas.

That has megachurch pastors doing a bit of fancy dancin', with Pastor
Terri Pearson (Copeland's daughter) walking back their leader's
anti-vaccination stance to explain to the congregation that no, God does
not really want your children to contract a potentially dangerous
disease that vaccinations have all but licked because duh.

"There are a lot of people that think the Bible -- we talk about
walking by faith -- it leaves out things such as, I don't know, people
just get strange. But when you read the Old Testament, you find that it
is full of precautionary measures, and it is full of the law.

Why did the Jewish people, why did they not die out during the
plague? Because the Bible told them how to be clean, told them how to
disinfect, told them there was something contagious. And the interesting
thing of it, it wasn't a medical doctor per se who took care of those
things, it was the priesthood…."

See there? Even back in the before-times, people were smart enough to
know that if you could do a very simple thing in order to Not Die, you
probably ought to do that thing and not just trust that all of God's
various plagues and viruses had built-in piety detectors that would run
away when they got a taste of the likes of religious you.

Helpfully, the church now states that it was an unclean outsider that
brought this evil into their midst, which is a bit of a cop-out:

Eagle Mountain International Church, about 50 miles northwest of
Dallas, released a statement Tuesday that said a visitor attended a
service who had been overseas and was exposed to measles.

“Therefore the congregation, staff at Kenneth Copeland Ministries
and the daycare center on the property were exposed through that
contact,” the statement said.

Which is, of course, how epidemics work. Somebody goes somewhere and
brings back a something that none of the other somebodies have an
immunity to, infecting them all and allowing the something to spread
ever-further. By vaccinating yourself and your children, you are not
only making sure your family does not get the disease in question, you
are also making sure that your family is not a disease-riddled pus
vector oozing easily preventable plague onto all the other people in
your community, causing you to be scorned as an "outsider" and the state
department of health to issue up bulletins specifically naming you and
your community as the disease-riddled pus vectors in question and
warning your fellow human beings to wash their hands a lot if they have
to come in contact with you.

And that, children, is why the church run by an anti-vaccination crank
is now holding free vaccination clinics in apparent contradiction to the
beliefs of said crank. Curiously, there doesn't seem to be any word from
Copeland himself; barring other evidence we can only assume that the
rest of the church leadership locked him in a nice, sturdy cupboard for
a while?

http://tinyurl.com/mcs9ybl

- - -

Well, I hope everyone who contracted the measles gets over it
successfully, and maybe some of the churchgoers will get over their
religious crackpot-itis.

How about posting just a link. No one trusts your cut-paste-edit garbage.

Is god laughing?

On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 8:00:38 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:

"Is god laughing?"

Which one?

Is god laughing?

Tim wrote:
On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 8:00:38 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:

"Is god laughing?"

Which one?

All of them.

Is god laughing?

Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

Is god laughing?

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 18:40:35 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

===

Harry was concerned about the possibility of having all the gods
ticked off at the same time.

Is god laughing?

On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 10:08:26 PM UTC-5, Wayne. B wrote:
On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 18:40:35 -0700 (PDT), Tim

wrote:

Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

===

Harry was concerned about the possibility of having all the gods

ticked off at the same time.

Yeah, for someone who claims there is no God or gods, he sure mentions them a lot.

Is god laughing?

On 8/27/13 9:40 PM, Tim wrote:
Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?

Is god laughing?

On 8/28/2013 6:23 AM, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/27/13 9:40 PM, Tim wrote:
Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?

Do your own research. I thought you were a god expert. Guess not.

Is god laughing?

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 5:23:30 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/27/13 9:40 PM, Tim wrote:

Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?

Cuban cigars have a looser twist than that statement, Harry.

Is god laughing?

On 8/28/13 8:50 AM, Tim wrote:
On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 5:23:30 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/27/13 9:40 PM, Tim wrote:

Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?

Cuban cigars have a looser twist than that statement, Harry.

The concept of what god is has changed, if not evolved, over thousands
of years, from celestial bodies to pieces of wood to rocks to statues to
some sort of unseen fatherly being and so on. But the idea of a god
still requires belief in the supernatural. I've not seen or read of
anything that proves the existence of the supernatural.

Like Ivan Karamazov, my disbelief in a supreme being "creator" is at
least partially based on the fact that innocent children suffer.

Is god laughing?

On 8/28/2013 10:46 AM, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/28/13 8:50 AM, Tim wrote:
On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 5:23:30 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/27/13 9:40 PM, Tim wrote:

Then why didn't you ask something like "Are all the gods laughing?"

Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?

Cuban cigars have a looser twist than that statement, Harry.

The concept of what god is has changed, if not evolved, over thousands
of years, from celestial bodies to pieces of wood to rocks to statues to
some sort of unseen fatherly being and so on. But the idea of a god
still requires belief in the supernatural. I've not seen or read of
anything that proves the existence of the supernatural.

Like Ivan Karamazov, my disbelief in a supreme being "creator" is at
least partially based on the fact that innocent children suffer.

Kids would suffer less if you'd pay your taxes and help feed them.

Is god laughing?

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 9:46:49 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:

The concept of what god is has changed, if not evolved, over thousands

of years, from celestial bodies to pieces of wood to rocks to statues to

some sort of unseen fatherly being and so on. But the idea of a god

still requires belief in the supernatural. I've not seen or read of

anything that proves the existence of the supernatural.

Like Ivan Karamazov, my disbelief in a supreme being "creator" is at

least partially based on the fact that innocent children suffer.

If you *know* all that, then why would you ask a question like-

"Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?"

That is, unless maybe you really don't have a clue...

Is god laughing?

Tim wrote:
On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 9:46:49 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:

The concept of what god is has changed, if not evolved, over thousands

of years, from celestial bodies to pieces of wood to rocks to statues to

some sort of unseen fatherly being and so on. But the idea of a god

still requires belief in the supernatural. I've not seen or read of

anything that proves the existence of the supernatural.

Like Ivan Karamazov, my disbelief in a supreme being "creator" is at

least partially based on the fact that innocent children suffer.

If you *know* all that, then why would you ask a question like-

"Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?"

That is, unless maybe you really don't have a clue...

Rhetorical question.

Is god laughing?

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 6:40:19 PM UTC-5, F. O. A. D. wrote:

Rhetorical question.

But, why?

Is god laughing?

On 8/28/13 8:15 PM, Tim wrote:
On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 6:40:19 PM UTC-5, F. O. A. D. wrote:

Rhetorical question.

But, why?

Why what?

Is god laughing?

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 7:18:30 PM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/28/13 8:15 PM, Tim wrote:

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 6:40:19 PM UTC-5, F. O. A. D. wrote:

Rhetorical question.

But, why?

Why what?

Make rhetorical questions?

Is god laughing?

On 8/28/13 7:37 PM, Tim wrote:
On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 9:46:49 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:

The concept of what god is has changed, if not evolved, over thousands

of years, from celestial bodies to pieces of wood to rocks to statues to

some sort of unseen fatherly being and so on. But the idea of a god

still requires belief in the supernatural. I've not seen or read of

anything that proves the existence of the supernatural.

Like Ivan Karamazov, my disbelief in a supreme being "creator" is at

least partially based on the fact that innocent children suffer.

If you *know* all that, then why would you ask a question like-

"Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?"

That is, unless maybe you really don't have a clue...

A clue about what? My posit is that all the "god entities" man has
created in his mind over the thousands of years he has been walking on
earth are the same. They just look different.

Aside from the "art" aspect, what is the difference between the god in
Michelangelo's fresco in the Cappella Sistina and, say, the Egyptian sun
god, Ra? They're both depictions of entities man created to make himself
feel better about himself and to try to understand what he was, at that
time, incapable of understanding from a scientific point of view.

And, of course, like Ivan Karamazov, I wonder why, if there is a god,
why that entity lets innocent children suffer.

Is god laughing?

On Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:47:03 -0700 (PDT), Tim wrote:

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 7:18:30 PM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/28/13 8:15 PM, Tim wrote:

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 6:40:19 PM UTC-5, F. O. A. D. wrote:

Rhetorical question.

But, why?

Why what?

Make rhetorical questions?

To get attention.

Narcissistic behavior? (That was rhetorical.)

John (Gun Nut) H.
--

Hope you're having a great day!

Is god laughing?

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013 07:21:46 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

On 8/28/13 7:37 PM, Tim wrote:
On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 9:46:49 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:

The concept of what god is has changed, if not evolved, over thousands

of years, from celestial bodies to pieces of wood to rocks to statues to

some sort of unseen fatherly being and so on. But the idea of a god

still requires belief in the supernatural. I've not seen or read of

anything that proves the existence of the supernatural.

Like Ivan Karamazov, my disbelief in a supreme being "creator" is at

least partially based on the fact that innocent children suffer.

If you *know* all that, then why would you ask a question like-

"Aren't they all the same guy, gal, rock, piece of wood, statue?"

That is, unless maybe you really don't have a clue...

A clue about what? My posit is that all the "god entities" man has
created in his mind over the thousands of years he has been walking on
earth are the same. They just look different.

Aside from the "art" aspect, what is the difference between the god in
Michelangelo's fresco in the Cappella Sistina and, say, the Egyptian sun
god, Ra? They're both depictions of entities man created to make himself
feel better about himself and to try to understand what he was, at that
time, incapable of understanding from a scientific point of view.

And, of course, like Ivan Karamazov, I wonder why, if there is a god,
why that entity lets innocent children suffer.

The choice would be to prevent the suffering by stopping those who make them suffer. This would put
a lot of abortionists out of business along with a few dictators, et al.

John (Gun Nut) H.
--

Hope you're having a great day!