August 29, 2003 — Queens parents are livid that Catholic church officials flip-flopped by deciding to keep a cell-phone antenna on the roof of their parochial school.
Parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn are generating about $700,000 a year in revenues by renting space on school buildings and other facilities to cell phone companies.
The pastor of St. Helen’s School in Howard Beach announced several weeks ago that he wanted the cell tower taken down after hearing complaints from parents. The cell tower belongs to AT&T, which rents the space.
Monsignor Joseph Pfeiffer said although the cell antenna was deemed safe, he agreed to have it taken down “rather than divide the good people of our parish.”
But church officials then changed their minds and decided to keep the antenna following a meeting held last week with parents, AT&T and a health scientist.
Monsignor Michael Dempsey said the presence of the antenna poses no health risks because any electromagnetic emissions go into the atmosphere, not into the building. He said information provided at the meeting satisfied some concerns.
[Full Story]
Maybe we can utilize the junk science fears of people into something useful. If we started the rumor that heterodox teaching and text books were a radiation danger and could cause death you know people would be out picketing and doing everything they could to keep such things away from both themselves and their children. They would be writing their congressman and sending letters to the Bishop to keep their children away from this threat.
Now I am not in favor of lying to people, yet it is true that heterodox teaching is a radiation danger and can cause death. Not teaching the truth of the faith can lead to spiritual death and the fires of hell are a form of radiation.
Back in June of this year I posted on a story where the Church’s 125 foot Cross also doubled as a Cell tower.
