Homebuilders Encase Bible In Every House's Foundation

[truthpusher]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money/4813463/detail.html?rss=den&psp=money

Homebuilders Encase Bible In Every House's Foundation
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POSTED: 7:49 am MDT August 5, 2005
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MAGNOLIA, Texas -- Some Texas homeowners are literally standing on the promises of God.

That's because every home built by Possibility Custom Homes has a Bible encased in its concrete foundation.

James Wallace said he and co-owner Andy Eckert believed that if they built their company on a godly foundation, then God would bless it.

Building homes with a Bible in the foundation isn't something they advertise, but they don't hide it either. Wallace said they explain to buyers why they do it and so far haven't run into any opposition. But if someone were opposed, he said they wouldn't do it.

Eckert said, "We don't force our beliefs on anybody."

Link: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money/4813463/detail.html?rss=den&psp=money

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Would be kinda funny if it resulted in some actionable defect :)

[MADem]

5. Great minds.....!!

The void left by the slowly deteriorating book sealed in the concrete causes stress fractures, eventually resulting in a collapsing foundation...

[Book Lover]

9. It'll take a *long* time for that to happen

Bible paper usually has low acid content; it would probably take hundreds of years for the paper to deteriorate into dust. The wood frame will rot first.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. Yeah..I was thinking more like airpockets or water trapped in the

foundation as a result

[Book Lover]

32. Good point - books do

have a certain amount of moisture absorbed from the atmosphere. I don't think bible paper could hold a great deal, being so thin. Definetly a question for the Bookarts listserv...

[FreedomAngel82]

51. With my Bible

it has tears in it. I have a Bible I use all the time and one part of the Bible in the back tore.

[Kingshakabobo]

18. It will immediately cause a weak spot though...........

It will immediately cause a weak spot though depending on its placement and size of the bible. Hopefully, they aren't using some Gutenberg sized bible. I'm surprised the building inspector lets them get away with it. Of course, he/she could be a fundie whack job as well.

[Book Lover]

30. I dont't know anything about home construction

So I'll take your word for it :-) Is the weak spot derived from the fact that the book is less dense than the concrete?

[Kingshakabobo]

38. Yes. Think of the small lines that we place in concrete driveways and....

Think of the small lines called "control joints" that we place in concrete driveways and sidewalks to encourage cracking at pre-selected points. It doesn't take much to disrupt the integrity of concrete. That's why we pay so much attention to removing air-pockets and pouring too "wet" of a mixture in critical structures such as foundations and footings.

[XemaSab]

45. What about lime percolation

up into the pages of the book?

[TankLV]

20. That's not far off the mark, actually.

The entire foundation rests on the integrity of the WHOLE construction.

Any void, weather caused by air or mud or some crap in a so-called bible, could be cause for concern - especially depending where it is placed.

Only speaking as an architect now. Just a professional expert who does this sort of thing 24/7/365 for the past 30 years.

[Connie_Corleone]

2. What if a tornado destroys the house??

[phantom power]

3. God will be very displeased.

Bibles are for spreading His word. Right? Encasing them in concrete is wasting good bibles.

I think it's funny how primitive people are. That's like believing in sympathetic magic.

[okieinpain]

6. that's what I thought, and I'm pretty primitive. I've never put anything

on top of the bible.

[phusion]

27. Well, of course...

Most of Christianity is glorified sympathetic magic.

I take it you've read some James Frazer? :)

[Straight Shooter]

4. I think I'll put a rabbit's foot in the foundation of my next home.

One talisman is as good as another. :eyes:

[MrModerate]

7. Coming from an atheist perspective . . .

This is a bit odd, but basically benign.

[Book Lover]

8. Talk about book worship

That is pretty fucking funny. I'd be livid if they did this to my home without telling me, tough - I think that's fundamentally dishonest.

on edit: OK, I didn't read the whole thing - they say they tell the homeowner about it first. Still, these people sure wouldn't get my business in any event, if they came at me with this.

[arcane1]

10. a magic charm, talismen, idol, etc?

and silly me, I thought the bible was for READING!! :eyes:

[Ian David]

36. That's why my entire house is papered with pages from "Catcher in the Rye"

And tinfoil...

[AlCzervik]

11. Tis a tad whacky but i guess if they inform the buyer it's probably legal

i wonder what they'd say if you asked for a copy of the Quran, Torah, or Wiccan book put in.

[me b zola]

22. I had a similar thought

What if a company was encasing a satanic book in people's foundations.

Do you think the fundies would think this was okay?


Ya know, if they wanna sing hymns or whatever as they build a home, fine. But for someone to permanently add something to MY property without my permission I would have a huge problem with that company.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. What a great way to keep a community segregated.

Automatic filtering of undesirables. I experienced this when I called the Master's Academy in Orlando. I got the message recorder and it talked about an upcoming Oliver North picnic. I guess they figured that undesirable lefties won't bother to call back.

[4_Legs_Good]

13. Thou shalt not worship any graven images anyone?

Anyone????

I'm sure that's just where God would want his sacred word - buried under a foot of concrete.

:eyes:

david

[frankly_fedup2]

14. Oh no. Bush hears about this and we're going to have another

amendment added to the Constitution.

So, I guess this contractor figures that this will give him a better chance to get into Heaven.

Wonder if he charges the homeowners for the Bibles?

[4_Legs_Good]

15. Building a home on a "Godly foundation" would mean

Habitat for Humanity was building it. Building it with a book encased in concrete means nothing short of a waste of paper.

david

[TankLV]

17. "they don't force their beliefs on anyone". OK - dig it out the the

fucking foundation, you shit heads!

But they can't do that, so the customer is stuck with their bible - and is FORCED to live with it.

Who gives a fuck what these hypocrites and psychotic freaks SAY - it's what they DO that counts!

They run roughshod over everyone and then scream "victum" when they discover that not everyone likes it.

Idiots. Dangerous Idiots.

[htuttle]

19. Traditionally, aren't they supposed to slaughter a goat, too?

Or sacrifice a red heifer or something?

[Sgent]

21. Funny thing

A lot of Jews (all observent ones) inscribe the she'ma (a prayer) on thier doors and gateposts as commanded by G-d. Many also use muzzot attached to frames containing a scroll w/the she'ma.

Never heard of anyone burying it the foundation though.

[gkhouston]

40. yes, we bought our house from a Jewish family (the original owners)

and a small muzzot was left behind on the front doorframe. We took it down when the house was painted, but put it back afterwards. Silly, I guess, since we're not Jewish, but it seemed like part of the house and appropriate to retain something of the first family that had taken such good care of it and made it a home.

[Zhade]

23. I'm suddenly reminded of every bad horror movie...

"Built on an INDIAN BURIAL GROUND!" (which is kind of a racist explanation for the evil in those movies, IMHO).

[triguy46]

24. No biblical basis....

for a biblical foundation. The book is not an icon to be worshipped, any more than the ten commandments. The fundies jump right over the "Thou shalt not worship a graven image", which a bible fetish is. There is so much made up religion out there, and very little of it is Christian as it claims.

[triguy46]

28. My rant continues

If you espouse to be a new testament Christian, then by definition you deny all the things that the fundies wrap themselves up in. For instance, God stopped blessing nations in the old testament. If you believe in Christ, only those who accept him are blessed. So to say "We are a Christian nation" is illogical and contradictory. it could only be so if ALL the nation went through the process of evangelical salvation. Not likely.

The idea that a bible buried in concrete will "bless" a family is ludicrous. Blessings follow faith, not joists and shingles, not corian countertops, not trophy homes. This is about a personal relationship, you can't do it for anyone else, you can't force it on anyone, you can't "catch it" by being close to it and you sure can't get it by buying a house with a Bible in the foundation.

[0007]

25. Why don't these morons start building round houses?

That way the devil couldn't get anyone in a corner.

Texans never cease to bewilder or astonish me.

[AlCzervik]

26. OMG---lol!

[triguy46]

29. You can bury a Bible in all the foundations...

here in the tornado belt, but when the winds come whistling down the plains, you'd better have a storm shelter. Bible or not, that sucker is gonna get blown down.

Which raises the question, what about putting bibles in mobile mansions? (i.e. trailers).

[Dr Fate]

31. How are you supposed to READ it ?

Folks, there is a difference between thumping the book and living by it.

[Beetwasher]

33. I Like The Good Luck Charm In My Foundation Better: Jimmy Hoffa

His corpse protects against all sorts of things like tiger attacks and alien invasion...so far so good!

[AlCzervik]

42. I've had good luck with my Whitey Bulger corner stone, and they think he's

run off to some far flung island, ha!

[beyurslf]

34. So if the home is destroyed by fire or weather, does that mean the people

living there were just sinning?

I'd love to see stats 10 years from now to see if those homes have fewer accidents and fewer problems with the families who reside in them.

[Ian David]

35. The Jewish Mezuzah- same principle, but much more practical

Mezuzah

On the doorposts of traditional Jewish homes (and many not-so-traditional homes!), you will find a small case like the one pictured at left. This case is commonly known as a mezuzah (Heb.: doorpost), because it is placed upon the doorposts of the house. The mezuzah is not, as some suppose, a good-luck charm, nor does it have any connection with the lamb's blood placed on the doorposts in Egypt. Rather, it is a constant reminder of G-d's presence and G-d's mitzvot.

The mitzvah to place mezuzot on the doorposts of our houses is derived from Deut. 6:4-9, a passage commonly known as the Shema (Hear, from the first word of the passage). In that passage, G-d commands us to keep His words constantly in our minds and in our hearts, by (among other things) writing them on the doorposts of our house. The words of the Shema are written on a tiny scroll of parchment, along with the words of a companion passage, Deut. 11:13-21. On the back of the scroll, a name of G-d is written. The scroll is then rolled up placed in the case, so that the first letter of the Name (the letter Shin) is visible (or, more commonly, the letter Shin is written on the outside of the case).

The scroll must be handwritten in a special style of writing and must be placed in the case to fulfill the mitzvah. It is commonplace for gift shops to sell cases without scrolls, or with mechanically printed scrolls, because a proper scroll costs more than even an elaborately decorated case ($30-$50 for a valid scroll is quite reasonable). According to traditional authorities, mechanically printed scrolls do not fulfill the mitzvah of the mezuzah, nor does an empty case.

The case and scroll are then nailed or affixed to the right side doorpost on an angle, with a small ceremony called Chanukkat Ha-Bayit (dedication of the house - yes, this is the same word as Chanukkah, the holiday celebrating the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt against Greece). A brief blessing is recited. See the text of the blessing at Affixing the Mezuzah.

Why is the mezuzah affixed at an angle? The rabbis could not decide whether it should be placed horizontally or vertically, so they compromised!

Every time you pass through a door with a mezuzah on it, you touch the mezuzah and then kiss the fingers that touched it, expressing love and respect for G-d and his mitzvot and reminding yourself of the mitzvot contained within them.

It is proper to remove a mezuzah when you move, and in fact, it is usually recommended. If you leave it in place, the subsequent owner may treat it with disrespect, and this is a grave sin. I have seen many mezuzot in apartment complexes that have been painted over by subsequent owners, and it breaks my heart every time I see that sort of disrespect to an object of religious significance.

For more information about mezuzot or to purchase valid scrolls for a mezuzah online, visit the S.T.A.M. website.

More:
http://www.jewfaq.org/signs.htm



On a personal note, when I was a kid, I was frightened by a vampire movie. I asked my dad if I could have a crucifix for my room to keep vampires away. He patiently told me that the Mezuzah on the door would do that.

[booksenkatz]

37. When the Xian homeowner goes to sell the home later on

shouldn't he be required to reveal to a potential buyer that there is a stack of paper in part of the foundation, where one would normally find solid concrete? As a potential buyer, I'd certainly want to know.

[xxqqqzme]

39. so is this included in the disclosure clause

when the house is sold in the future? I mean if U have a non-christian family buying the house, don't they have a right 2 know?

[Brooklyn Michael]

41. I've been waiting to use this emoticon......

And I can't think of a better story....:tinfoilhat:

[TrogL]

43. Heresy

Graven image

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

44. Is this the Cracker version of "Feng Shui"?

I work in a Chinese law firm and they take the juxtaposition of such things as desks, chairs, bookcases, etc. on the inside and trees, shrubs, driveways, walkways etc. on the outside very seriously. Personally I don't get it, but if it sets people's minds at ease in believing it chases away bad spirits or encourages good vibes who am I to speak against it? I'm sure the people with whom I work think I'm pretty insane for some of my own quirks.

[pointblank]

46. This is akin

to putting a textbook under your pillow when you sleep so you will learn by osmosis.

I'm telling you, these peeps are mentally ill.

[Bill McBlueState]

47. woo, magic will save my house! n/t

[elehhhhna]

48. Uh oh. Termites LOVE paper...

Here in TX we have a saying: If they have Jesus on the front door, something ugly's going on out back.

[jmowreader]

49. The Bible in the foundation isn't what worries me

It's where they brag up R-13 wall insulation and R-35 attic insulation as great, humongous, wonderful features. R-13 walls/R-19 floor/R-30 attic are minimums set by all three of the model code systems in use today, and it's really recommended to do R-13 in the cavities/R-7 sheathing on the walls, R-30 in the floor and R-49 in the attic.

Also, they brag on 18-inch ceramic tiles as an upgraded, deluxe thing. 18-inch tiles cost no more per square foot than do 12-inch tiles. They are used, strangely enough, to save you money because they lay quicker than 12-inch tiles do.

And I notice that they are mum on the siding they use. If they were using the good stuff (fiber-cement), they'd tell you. I bet it's hardboard.

They call code-minimum insulation superlative and brag about the luxury of something that's saving them money. Forget the Bible in the foundation, folks. Worry about the minimal houses they're throwing up.

[FreedomAngel82]

50. Oh yes

If you don't want a Bible you don't get a home.

[Coventina]

52. I just love Christians that practice witchcraft

It makes my heart smile.

They're so cute! Goddess bless their little hearts.