God is Busy

[pam]

I've had this sent to me via email a couple of times. I have no idea if the story is really true but I still love it.

GOD Is Busy

A United States Marine was taking some college courses between assignments. He had completed 20 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, GOD if you are real then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min. The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pindrop.

Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting. It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.

The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What in the world is the matter with you? 'Why did you do that?'

The Marine calmly replied, 'GOD was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So He sent me.'

The classroom erupted in cheers!

Edited May 11, 2009 by pam

[TeancumsSword]

I hope that it is true!

[Aesa]

Good ol' brainwashed soldiers. They're unfortunately the most abused by the establishment.

[DigitalShadow]

1. I doubt this is true, it's just another urban legend / email forward that has been around for ages.

2. That is a stupid thing for a professor to do, and no professor other than the caricature of a professor in this joke would do such a thing. I've never met an "avowed atheist" and apparently they threw in the ACLU part to further establish him as the villain to conservatives.

3. The marine should be arrested for assault. Was he on a mission from God, or just a jerk? How can you tell? Backing up commands from what you believe to be God with violence is usually frowned on. At least we don't usually take too kindly to it when it happens to us in the form of terrorism.

[HiJolly]

1984, Arizona State University, summer school, Business Law class in the College of Business.

The professor informed us that anyone willing to die for their country was an idiot and a fool. He said a lot more on the topic as well on that occasion. He only did it once.

I got very upset but I had learned by this time (I was a Junior undergrad) to keep quiet.

Upset my stomach something fierce, though.

HiJolly

[Islander]

This is what is wrong with college education in the US, in my opinion. There are tons of closeted socialists teaching, all of them with tenured tracks, publishing garbage disguised as research and cutting edge social policy findings.

None of them would be alive in the third world, none of them had ever the courage and integrity to go and defend their own nation and none of them are willing to put thei rmoney where their mouth is and go live somewhere where the much trumpeted change is needed.

The sad part is that we can not even fire them!!

[HEthePrimate]

I've had this sent to me via email a couple of times. I have no idea if the story is really true but I still love it.

GOD Is Busy

A United States Marine was taking some college courses between assignments. He had completed 20 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, GOD if you are real then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min. The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pindrop.

Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting. It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.

The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What in the world is the matter with you? 'Why did you do that?'

The Marine calmly replied, 'GOD was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So He sent me.'

The classroom erupted in cheers!

What a stupid story. I mean ok, the professor was acting stupidly, but does that give the Marine the right to commit assault on him? That would seem to fly in the face of his military training, anyway. And yes, that IS in fact one of the things our troops are protecting, our right to express ourselves, even if what we say is stupid. Finally, what does being a member of the ACLU have to do with anything?

I rather doubt the story is true.

HEP

[HEthePrimate]

Good ol' brainwashed soldiers. They're unfortunately the most abused by the establishment.

I think the notion that all our soldiers are conservative nationalists is a myth perpetuated by the Right Wing to make people think that the only people who are patriotic, and willing to put their lives on the line for it, are conservatives. I suspect there are a substantial number of patriotic liberals among the troops, too. (I have liberal friends who have served or are currently serving.)

HEP

[skippy740]

i've had this sent to me via email a couple of times. I have no idea if the story is really true but i still love it.

god is busy

a united states marine was taking some college courses between assignments. He had completed 20 missions in iraq and afghanistan.

one of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the aclu. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, god if you are real then i want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min. The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pindrop.

ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'here i am god, i'm still waiting. It got down to the last couple of minutes when the marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.

the marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the marine and asked, 'what in the world is the matter with you? 'why did you do that?'

the marine calmly replied, 'god was too busy today protecting america's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So he sent me.'

the classroom erupted in cheers!

semper fi!

[Dravin]

Its a cathartic joke, a release valve of sorts, one in which you indulge in fantasizing of doing something you know you shouldn't and is by all accounts wrong to do. For instance jokes about screwing over your boss (or company), somebody who thinks doctors are quacks having to go to an ER and running into the doctor he attacked earlier and being refused because he wouldn't want to offend his principles, the shark lawyer getting mugged (or a loved one) the client who he got of on a technicality (Poor Uncle Ben), the religious bigot/loudmouth who is hoisted on his on petard, punching a pacifist to show violence can accomplish things and so on an so on

So it lets people blow off steam in a safe and semi-satisfying way. Punching people who trash your deeply held beliefs is wrong but I imagine its quite satisfying, or at least appears that way when the ire is raised as opposed to the morally right thing, namely not punching them and not angrily confronting them.

For the record had that actually happened the professor should have been laughed at and the soldier arrested but I wouldn't read that much into the joke.

[Moksha]

I remember another story where the Marine got back to the base, was immediately apprehended by the NCIS. While in custody, Agent Gibbs slapped him repeatedly on the back of his head. The Marine was sentenced to two weeks in the stockade. The University expelled the Marine and his credits were canceled. Later on, God slipped him a note through the detention doors reading, "I can fight my own battles Marine".

[StallionMcBeastly]

This is what is wrong with college education in the US, in my opinion. There are tons of closeted socialists teaching, all of them with tenured tracks, publishing garbage disguised as research and cutting edge social policy findings.

None of them would be alive in the third world, none of them had ever the courage and integrity to go and defend their own nation and none of them are willing to put thei rmoney where their mouth is and go live somewhere where the much trumpeted change is needed.

The sad part is that we can not even fire them!!

Truer words have never been spoken.

I can't STAND my flaming in your face liberal socialist teachers that infest my college campus.

Don't get me started....

[Guest Godless]

I think the notion that all our soldiers are conservative nationalists is a myth perpetuated by the Right Wing to make people think that the only people who are patriotic, and willing to put their lives on the line for it, are conservatives. I suspect there are a substantial number of patriotic liberals among the troops, too. (I have liberal friends who have served or are currently serving.)

Very, very true. I am a socialist (and an atheist!!! ) and a two-time veteran of OIF. I love my country and its citizens and I would gladly die for them. It's the government I have issues with. And yes, there are plenty of other patriotic liberals serving in the military.

None of them would be alive in the third world, none of them had ever the courage and integrity to go and defend their own nation and none of them are willing to put thei rmoney where their mouth is and go live somewhere where the much trumpeted change is needed.

Howard Zinn is a WWII vet. While your generalizations are mostly true, there are always exceptions.

Edited May 12, 2009 by Godless

[Aesa]

I think the notion that all our soldiers are conservative nationalists is a myth perpetuated by the Right Wing to make people think that the only people who are patriotic, and willing to put their lives on the line for it, are conservatives. I suspect there are a substantial number of patriotic liberals among the troops, too. (I have liberal friends who have served or are currently serving.)

HEP

I never said that the people who become soldiers are conservative nationalists. Most of them aren't anyway, I mean if you support the traditional republican party ideology of the present day then you're as much a conservative as the average liberal democrat because they're both exactly the same party - just that there's a different logo.

A true conservative would only be willing to die for their country if it's on their own soil, and an invasive foreign policy would be frowned upon. So would the use of a fiat currency, monopolies, etc,.

It's not about Conservative vs. Liberal. It's Tyranny vs. Freedom. And both of the major political parties (except for a few good congressman like Kucinich (spelling?) and Ron Paul) are as tyrannical as can be. All about big government, cradle to grave.

I'm against people dying for their country because it's almost always a form of manipulation.

If war were real, then all of the corporations that presently make huge profits off it would be conscripted AS A CORPORATION (symbolically one person under law) and only make the same money as a soldier. Or 100% of the profits would be donated to charity. If something like that happens, then the war is real otherwise it is just big business. And that is why you'll never see a corporation picketing governments and being anti-war.

Not only that - people are raised to unquestioningly support their country, for the most part. This is where soldiers are easy to obtain because most people feel like they have a duty to unquestioningly support (which is what most 'patriots' do today) the system. And then again, if you don't support the system they've always got the good pay and other benefits that come with being a soldier (for most, anyway) to try and pull you or I in.

Or they could use propaganda as was done in WWI in Australia, telling the soldiers they were going on "...the holiday and trip of a lifetime." Now that is despicable.

Unfortunately today we take our kids and say "What's the greatest country in the world?" The kid has absolutely no idea, because they aren't aware of such notions. We step in and say "This country. This is the greatest country in the world! And God is on OUR side!"

Now WHO ON EARTH has the right to say which side God is on? I mean, He is said to have created this universe right? Shouldn't he be on the side of humanity?

And that's the patriotism I would support. People declaring allegiance to the Earth, and all the people on it.

You wouldn't have war, if we had that. (And no, that doesn't mean there couldn't be any America or Australia, just that there'd be a higher respect for ALL the earth).

I also have a "liberal" friend (I don't mean that in the traditional sense - I mean a person who pretty much thinks the same way as I have described above he and I both advocate this system) who is serving, and cannot wait to get out because he's been woken up to the whole illusion that we're 'fighting for our freedom' and all that sort of thing. Unfortunately military men and women are some of the most abused people by our establishment, and so many of them don't see it at all because of this sad 'patriotic duty' - an excellent example is testing of vaccines, and other things on them.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Aesa

[Hemidakota]

I've had this sent to me via email a couple of times. I have no idea if the story is really true but I still love it.

GOD Is Busy

A United States Marine was taking some college courses between assignments. He had completed 20 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, GOD if you are real then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min. The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pindrop.

Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting. It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.

The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What in the world is the matter with you? 'Why did you do that?'

The Marine calmly replied, 'GOD was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So He sent me.'

The classroom erupted in cheers!

Working with the Marines, they do not have a problem in standing up and doing the right. Brainwash? Stupidity is the term for those untrained fools of the world who would say this.

[DigitalShadow]

Working with the Marines, they do not have a problem in standing up and doing the right.

So, assaulting a professor you disagree with is "standing up and doing the right?" Interesting morality you have.

[Islander]

Well, Burr did shoot Hamilton over what may have been just rumors of insult all why being the Vice President of the US.

Yesterday's traitors and persecuted, accused of sedition against their ruler and government are today's heroes. I just love American history.

[DigitalShadow]

Well, Burr did shoot Hamilton over what may have been just rumors of insult all why being the Vice President of the US.

That was a duel though where they both agree that one of them is going to die. If Burr just walked up and shot the guy there would have been major consequences.

[Islander]

That was a duel though where they both agree that one of them is going to die. If Burr just walked up and shot the guy there would have been major consequences.

Yes, I know. The point was that people have done less than apparently reasonably things when driven by an ideal. It is not justification but an observation. Soldiers do not debate politics or ideology. They have a unit and a mission and they will die to protect and accomplish, respectively. They do not ponder upon orders, observe political correctness vocabulary or behavior at times. Once their mind is set in an objective and they make a commitment they keep it and act accordingly. So, although the story may be fictitious it is very credible, in my estimation.

But, if you've never been a soldier I do not expect you to understand.

[DigitalShadow]

Yes, I know. The point was that people have done less than apparently reasonably things when driven by an ideal. It is not justification but an observation. Soldiers do not debate politics or ideology. They have a unit and a mission and they will die to protect and accomplish, respectively. They do not ponder upon orders, observe political correctness vocabulary or behavior at times. Once their mind is set in an objective and they make a commitment they keep it and act accordingly. So, although the story may be fictitious it is very credible, in my estimation.

But, if you've never been a soldier I do not expect you to understand.

And if the marine perceived God telling him to kill the professor do you think he would have acted the same? Would he have been justified in your opinion? Despite what you may think, I completely understand soldiers acting on commands from superiors without a second thought, but acting from a voice in their head that they think is God is what scares me and is highly questionable in my opinion.

[Islander]

And if the marine perceived God telling him to kill the professor do you think he would have acted the same? Would he have been justified in your opinion? Despite what you may think, I completely understand soldiers acting on commands from superiors without a second thought, but acting from a voice in their head that they think is God is what scares me and is highly questionable in my opinion.

You do like to argue, do you?

Read my post. I said that it is NOT justification. That the story is likely fictitious but credible because the situation offered a challenge to what the soldier thought was his core belief/ideal and that since the professor was expecting "punishment" to be dispensed (he was actually asking to be stroke down by God) it made no difference where the punishment came from.

The story goes that the soldier punched him. Now you want to take the already fictitious to a morbid extreme of somebody killing somebody....well be my guest.

[DigitalShadow]

You do like to argue, do you?

Read my post. I said that it is NOT justification. That the story is likely fictitious but credible because the situation offered a challenge to what the soldier thought was his core belief/ideal and that since the professor was expecting "punishment" to be dispensed (he was actually asking to be stroke down by God) it made no difference where the punishment came from.

The story goes that the soldier punched him. Now you want to take the already fictitious to a morbid extreme of somebody killing somebody....well be my guest.

I don't like to argue, and I apologize. I've just been annoyed about other things today and read too much in to what you were saying. I see what you were talking about now and I was wrong.

I am still disappointed at how many people here (not you) do think he was justified and apologize for mistakenly putting you in to that category even though you explicitly said you weren't justifying it.

[Maxel]

I am somewhat interested in the idea that the soldier supposedly heard the voice of God in his head. My initial thought was that the soldier was acting on principle, not command.

That being said, I prefer the Dropped Chalk story as it doesn't include violence. However, it doesn't deal with the military.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Maxel

[DigitalShadow]

I am somewhat interested in the idea that the soldier supposedly heard the voice of God in his head. My initial thought was that the soldier was acting on principle, not command.

It was unclear to me, I originally had the same thought, but when he said "so he sent me" at the end it implies that God had some communication with him, otherwise it would have been something like "so I acted in his place." I don't know, either way it's a stupid joke and I find the actions of the "professor" far less plausible than those of the marine (which aren't much more plausible), and I seriously doubt applause would ensue after the incident as well.

[Maxel]

It was unclear to me, I originally had the same thought, but when he said "so he sent me" at the end it implies that God had some communication with him, otherwise it would have been something like "so I acted in his place."

Ah; I can see that. It didn't jump out as anything significant to me but- then again- this is an urban legend we're talking about...