Colombian volcano erupting; villagers sacrifice image of Virgin Mary.

[Radio_Lady]

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.geo.tv/main_files/world.aspx?id=95651

Heard on cable news that the villagers had a site where they were gathering candles and other religious icons; then they decided to climb to the top of the volcano and throw a statue of the Virgin Mary into the flaming magma.

Boy, those people are either completely stupid or religious to a huge fault! I just can't imagine this at all...

And what about that deceased nun who predicted that New Orleans would be safe through prayer at a certain location? Wonder how that's working for her now.....?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. I can

and magical thinking is what happens when you don't have science. If the fundies round these parts gat away with what they want, we will be using magical thiniing to explain quakes too... you see it was because we have not been good believers and god decided to punsih us. So lets take out the image of (insert saint here) and parade it in the street... throughout huamn history we have engaged in this thinking.

[tocqueville]

3. with the difference that fundies would throw liberal virgins...

in the volcano... or gays...

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. hmm no if you threw the liberal virgin

or the gay that would not be pleaisng to that god... for it would have to be him smiting them through hail and thunder...

;-)

[tocqueville]

9. the volcano is not the god but the execution method

besides God loves human sacifices... even send angels to Abraham...

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Reemmber God acutally staid the hand of Abraham and

offered a ram instead, the first statement against Moloch and human sacrifice.

[daleo]

19. Yeah, but things were never the same between Issac and Abe after that

An old line by novelist Mordechi Richler.

[MrMonk]

18. Sacrificing a virgin to the volcano gods?

[RagingInMiami]

2. This is a poor town in a very remote part of the country

Religion is all they have.

[EFerrari]

5. Exactly. And when I'm desperate, I pray to St. Jude.

It can't hurt.

[Radio_Lady]

7. Well, in this season of merry making, I can only tell my grandkids...

there are two big myths to Christianity --

The first one is that Santa Claus comes down a chimney to give good little boys and girls their presents -- and the second one is that Mary gave birth to a son fathered by God. Sorry, but I just don't buy it.

I did give money to Danny Thomas and his efforts with St. Jude. That couldn't hurt.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. And personally I don't question the

religiousn believes of others... but that is just me.

I undertand what is going on in colombia though, very well... and truth be told it has far more to do with Native cultures and the mixture with Catholicism, than anything else.

[EFerrari]

10. I think you're probably right about that. Europeans think of the

landscape as furniture, not as a companion, let alone an agent.

Hmm, on edit, that could still be the cranberry relish talking.

[Theduckno2]

12. What bothers me.

There must be infirmed, elderly and infants in that town that need to be cared for or moved to safer areas and yet some able bodied citizens evidently scrambled up the volcano to toss in a statue.

I'd feel the same way if they held a prayer service in hopes of keeping flood waters from rising. I say skip the service and keep filling sandbags!

[EFerrari]

13. I assure you that that culture does a much better job of caring

for the children, the elderly and the infirm than we do.

And, maybe the time of the "service" is used to prepare for what will follow. :(

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Oh one of little faith, the priest will give a harrowing speech

of what is to come for God has been angered and that it is time to run for higher ground.

As much as this may bother you, the culture engages in quite a bit of magical thinking but... when they have time they are able to take care of each other very well thank you.

[EFerrari]

17. They engage in magical thinking? We vote on Diebold machines.

lol

[Bozita]

4. Tom Monaghan's gonna explode when he learns of this

Ave Maria, anybody?

I remember a mudslide in Latin America where thousands of homes were buried.

Monaghan responded by rebuilding the damaged cathedral.

[tocqueville]

11. it worked

"but there have been no early reports of damage or
casualties.

The eruption continued for about a half hour, according to Marta an official from Colombia's Institute of Geology and Mines."

[EFerrari]

14. Somebody get this to the DNC.

:)

[Spinzonner]

20. Isn't throwing virgins into volcanoes

rather a pagan ritual.

[SpiralHawk]

21. Burning pagans at the stake is a Christian ritual

to about the same extent, as long as you are in the mood for tarring with a broad brush.