Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Forget the Tigers and Bears....

The age-old battle between lions and Christians received another entry Sunday evening, in a place people probably didn't expect it. As it turns out, a man at the Kiev zoo decided that he would put his faith where his mouth was, declared, "God will save me, if he exists", and lowered himself by rope into an enclosure full of lions. He then removed his shoes, approached the big cats, and was promptly mauled by a lioness, who quickly severed the man's carotid artery. Of course, this was at a time where there was a large number of visitor's to the zoo, so, undoubtedly, a decent number of impressionable people must have witnessed this act.

Does this proof the lack of existence for the big G? I really don't think so. I think this does prove that perhaps entering into a dangerous environment armed only with faith may not be the best course of action.

It also makes me wonder if this could be a precursor. Will we see someone tickling a bear, swearing that the Lord will not only protect them, but make the bear laugh? Will someone get bitten by a dozen copperheads, and throw their faith into the concept that Jesus is the only antivenin they need? And what about playing a game of live-action "Frogger" across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hoping that God will cause the cars barreling down towards you to swerve ever so slightly past you, leaving you unscathed and somehow not disturbing the delicate airflow that keeps them from flipping over?

This is not proof of a lack of God's existence. This is proof that, when putting yourself into a situation where survival is questionable, maybe you'd be better served by putting your faith in a rifle.

After all, God doesn't have a long track record of saving those too stupid to save themselves.

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