9.20.2006

Afterlife as Urban Legend?

You know that someone is huge when shortly after their unexpected death, urban legends begin popping up on this lovely thing we call the internet.

After reading a lovely "inspirational" email forwarded to me (and about 80 other people it looks like) from a friend of mine that is apparently very concerned about the state of my soul, I just read at snopes.com that there is now a rumor running around that Steve Irwin became "born-again" shortly before his unexpected death (read the excerpt from the email I received below, then check the whole story
here).

Yes, we now have confirmation of Steve Irwin's decision for Christ.

I want to inform Creation Ministries International, that Steve Irwin became a born again Christian two and a half weeks ago at the Kings Church AOG Buderim, Queensland Australia, going forward publicly before the congregation to ask Christ to become his Lord and Saviour.

Many of us will now spend eternity with him. I am sure Terri is comforted as a Christian in the fact that she will be with Jesus and also Steve again for eternity. Steve declared the day before he died that he was the happiest he had ever been in his whole life.


Apparently the evangelists will do anything that they can to spread their "word" -- including little white lies about a guy who, at least with the 18 and under set that I know, was a huge hero.

Upon reading the article, it does look like he was a member of a church, but it certainly doesn't seem to be that he went through this conversion recently, certainly not days before the accident.

I'm not sure of all the facts, but it sort of stinks that this sad event seems to be being misused, even if it's well-intentioned in the minds of the people who are passing this lie along unintenionally. (how else can I use a form of the word intention?)

Personally, I don't care what anyone's religion is, at least not until they start trying to cram it down my throat. But using someone's death to further a religious belief system (no matter what the flavor), that's just gross. Almost as gross as hitting that forward button and sending items you haven't checked out to everyone in your address book...
 

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