Kathy Shaidle’s responses crack me up.
300 Muslims crushed to death by other Muslims in Mecca
In related news, Lourdes reports its 53,655th stampede-free day.
Our pilgrimages guaranteed safer
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"It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it." GKC
7 comments
Great comment!
That’s 300, not 100, in the URL. The correct URL is here.
Unfortunately the death count went up since she originally posted.
I heard a bit on Marketplace recently about how US travel agencies are making $$$$ organizing Haj travel. http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2004/12/23/PM200412233.html
Something that was almost a throwaway mention was that many pilgrims do nothing to avoid death and danger, because anyone who dies doing the Haj is supposed to be guaranteed direct entry to the Muslim paradise….
on another note, slate explains the hazards of the haj here http://www.slate.com/id/2078497/
It’s interesting that the activity that inspired such frenzied stampeding was a ritual purported to remove sins. I only wish that there’d be more of a crowd at the confessional. I guess you can tell who really believes in what they profess..
It’s easy to throw stones at a pillar, but it takes true penitence to enter the confessional. “Bless me father, for I have sinned..”
Yes, but this is an entirely different matter than going to confession. Let’s not confuse the sacraments with primitive religious compulsions, shall we?
I remember hearing it–maybe Weigel?
And the fact remains that peacefully going to confession, with self-examination and an appeal to the peaceful love of Christ is an entirely different matter than getting into a mob scene to throw rocks at a pillar which represents the devil while stepping all over each other til some people die.
Don’t get mad at me. I’m just pointing out the obvious.