Posted on 08/11/2003 4:27:16 PM PDT by scripter
A homosexual webcasting radio station claims its facility was struck by lightning, frying critical phone equipment, and that an anti-"gay" activist's prayers are responsible for the hit.
Washington, D.C.-based Outlet Radio Network, a commercial webcaster, says the blow came on Saturday. The lightning strike caused the cancellation of a two-hour call-in show Sunday because guests and callers could not reach the hosts by phone, the station said.
"We were shocked," Outlet Radio principle partner and talk-show host Christian Grantham said in a statement. "Just as we were about to start the show, we noticed a key piece of equipment had been fried by the lightning strike."
The station claims the lightning strike came just weeks after it had Maggie Phelps on as a guest, saying Phelps had prayed God would "strike the station."
Phelps is the oldest daughter of Baptist minister Fred Phelps, who presides over the website GodHatesFags.com and is pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan.
Phelps told WorldNetDaily she "didn't do any praying" when she appeared as a guest on the station May 25, but that she did warn "those two little guys" – hosts Grantham and Vince Oropesa.
The activist said she routinely warns homosexuals that God eventually will punish wrongdoing.
"You flip off God month and month, year after year, and he's going to deal with you," she said.
Phelps says she hasn't prayed specifically for God to strike the station, partly because the webcasters "would be way down on my list" of homosexuals who have influence on the culture. She said the hosts now should be asking why God sent the lightning.
Grantham explained to WND that the incident was a "10-15 minute summer storm" that also passed over his home, which is near the station. He says the lightning took out a piece of gear called a "hybrid" that handles incoming calls to his show.
Regarding Phelps' interview on the station, Grantham said the conversation became heated and the activist said something like: "I hope God shuts you up good!"
Grantham says Phelps mentioned lightning in her statement, but did not literally pray at that moment.
When asked if he would be replacing the fried equipment, Grantham said, "God-willing. … It's under warranty." He hopes to be back on the air with the call-in show on Sunday.
In its statement, the Outlet Radio Network compares the incident to Pat Robertson's recent "prayer offensive" regarding the Supreme Court. The television minister is praying for resignations among the older members of the court who voted to strike down Texas' sodomy law in Lawrence v. Texas.
"If our recent lightning strike is any indication, the Supreme Court Justices might want to ground themselves," said Oropesa, principle partner and co-host of the "Christian and Vince Show." "While I'm spreading the jinx, maybe God can curse us with equal marriage rights."
The homosexual radio station says all programming is running normally except the "Christian and Vince Show," which relies on the zapped phone equipment.
As somebody else asked... who sponsored it? :-) Seriously, God only knows.
You betcha. ;-)
I just have to wonder whether or not these journalists read what is coming out of their word processors.
Anyway, we got a good laugh out of that one, and more than once as we shared it with others. After we stopped laughing we corrected our 2-year-old... If you ask him God's name he'll respond: "Yahweh."
That's what happens when Outlets are used for wicked purposes.
-ccm
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