Australian preacher blames abortion for deadly fire

[Christa]

Think Pat Robertson et al are uniquely American? Think again. Here's an item in the Sydney Morning Herald about the leader of a fringe church in Australia:

The Pentecostal church's leader, Pastor Danny Nalliah, claimed he had a dream about raging fires on October 21 last year and that he woke with "a flash from the Spirit of God: that His conditional protection has been removed from the nation of Australia, in particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb". <...>

Pastor Nalliah said he was helping to co-ordinate fire relief, including providing trucks to distribute clothes and food and giving his own blood, but he said he must tell "the truth".

Asked by the Herald if he did not believe most Australians would regard his remarks as being in appallingly bad taste, he said today: "I must tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear."

He said it was no use "molly-coddling" Australians.

Asked if he believed in a God who would take vengeance by killing so many people indiscriminately - even those who opposed abortion, Mr Nalliah referred to 2 Chronicles 7:14 to vouch for his assertion that God could withdraw his protection from a nation.

"The Bible is very clear," he said. "If you walk out of God's protection and turn your back on Him, you are an open target for the devil to destroy."

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/02/10/australian_preacher_blames_abortion_for_deadly_fire

[Hoopla Phil]

1. What a nut!

[BOSSHOG]

2. Must be a good gig making a living reading works of fiction

[Bill McBlueState]

3. Is Australia

one of those countries where people get asked for evidence of the claims they make?

[JuniperLea]

4. Too bad God doesn't do the lightening bolt thing anymore...

These idiots who say stupid things in the name of God need some attending to!

[hyphenate]

5. I give up

completely and totally. I give up--people are so fucking stupid that sometimes I'm afraid to admit that some of them are part of the same species as I am.

But wait--isn't that what they want me to think?

[Duer 157099]

6. How Long O Lord, How Long?

Must we suffer these fools?? How long??

oye!

[Deep13]

7. This is an old tactic.

If the priestly class doesn't get what it wants, it threatens people with divine wrath or points to natural disaster that do occur.

I don't suppose Rev. Einstein here thought to blame global warming.

[Political Tiger]

8. I wonder if when God told him this

is God had an Australian accent...or, for that matter, when God speaks to Pat Robertson does God have an American accent?

[dustbunnie]

9. God really needs to stop micro-managing so much.

Or at least, learn effective communication skills.

Setting fires and talking to individuals through their dreams is not a great way to get your message across. He needs to advertise with a couple of well-placed internet banners. Or nationwide ad campaigns. Cloud messages? And why does he always talk to middle-aged men? You'd think he'd at least appear in the dreams of a couple of women if he was truly serious about this abortion thing.

[Stevenmarc]

10. What a dill

[KamaAina]

11. Well, that explains the Super Bowl

god wanted the Cardinals (and fundie QB Kurt Warner) to win, of course, but he/she/it was too busy pyroing out on Australia to pay attention to that last-minute Steelers drive.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[Warpy]

12. Of course he does

and is hoping to pay for his new Lexus out of the mileage he gets out of preaching hate.

[treestar]

13. Somewhat unfair of God

Why aren't there fires in all the other countries that allow abortions? Why is God picking on the Aussies?

[derby378]

14. "Who built the pyramids? ELVIS! Who build Stonehenge? ELVIS!"

PS - Elvis needs boats.

[kestrel91316]

15. Wrong, wrong, wrong - it wasn't abortion, it was the gays. Oh, wait,

maybe this time it was the witches........or the feminists.........or the freethinkers.........or the scientists.............or the Demonrats........

BURN THEM ALLLLLLLL, I SAY!!!!!!!

[Barack_America]

16. Um, Australia has reported that many of these fires were deliberately set.

Was that the work of your people, Mr. Nalliah? Perhaps on God's orders?

Asshole.

[distantearlywarning]

17. I guess America isn't the only place where stupid people live.