by Gopher 22 Replies latest social current
On Sunday in Florida, a flash of lightning came out of the clear blue sky and injured a door-to-door book seller.
Paul Harvey, on his radio news program, said it was a Jehovah's Witness. However, the denomination is not mentioned in this account from Channel 4 in Miami.
http://cbs4.com/local/local_story_189151333.html
Religious Book Seller Struck By Lightning
( CBS4) HIALEAH A man making a trip from Puerto Rico to South Florida to raise money for his religious education remains hospitalized Monday after he was struck down by a bolt of lightning which flew from clear blue sky on Sunday. He was selling religious materials when he was hit.
Hailu Kidane Marian was working with members of his religious group, selling religious materials door-to-door in a Northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood, when the bolt from the blue struck him down.
"I heard a boom, and I looked and the guy jumped back, and he just laid there, stiff," said witness Maria Martinez.
Paramedics say Marian was not breathing and his heart was not beating when they arrived, but they were able to revive him and rushed him to Jackson Memorial hospital, where he was in critical condition Sunday night.
Members of his religious group waited outside the hospital throughout the night for word of his condition.
"He's unconscious, he's in a coma," said Francisco Perez, leader of the Puerto Rico-based group. "It's difficult what happened, you know, but what can we do? Things happen in life, but we still believe in God."
This is the second incident in as many months of someone being struck down by lightning from a clear sky in South Florida.
Last month David Canales, a gardener who worked in the Pinecrest area, was killed when lightning apparently struck him from a rainless sky. Two co-workers standing nearby were unhurt.
CBS4 Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said 'dry lightning', which can strike even when the sky is clear, can be very dangerous because victims are not expecting it and don't prepare as they might with a storm threatening.
Measurement of lightning strikes in the area Sunday showed only a few bolts compared to the last few days, making Marian especially unlucky to be struck by one of them.
Nobody else was injured when the bolt flew from the sky.
Somehow this just does not sound like a JW. For one thing, they do not sell their books. Also, it says he was selling them to pay for his religious education, which JW's do not pay for their religious education. Well, they do in that they invest time and dollars into gas for the ministry, money for conventions, and all those donations, but nothing like a tuition up front or whatever they were referring to in this story. Also, the guy from his church said they still believed in God. A JW would have taken the opportunity to expound on Jehovah.
Dry lightning is a very dangerous thing. My oldest brother was killed at the age of 26 in 1968 by dry lightning.
To raise money for his religious education. Does'nt fit the MO of a witness.
I agree that Paul Harvey must have been in error. If this individual were a JW, I believe the news account would have said so, because JW's are quite well known.
Also I just noticed it says this group was "Puerto Rico based", which we know is not true of the JW's.
Mimimimi, sorry to hear that this same tragedy happened in your family.
He may not have been a jw but most people do believe jw's are at their door trying to sell them something (the mags). They can call it a 'donation' all they want, they are still just peddling magazines.
Well, I was talking about the donations JW's make at the Kingdom Hall. I think most JW's do not ask for a donation at the door, too embarrassing. I sure never did. I just put a set amount in the contribution box each month for the worldwide work, as well as a set amount for local needs.
I heard a news report here Sunday on the radio that the struck Bible seller was a Jehovah's Witness.
That sounds like a waaaayyy MAJOR HINT to me.
Somehow this just does not sound like a JW. For one thing, they do not ...
One thing I learned was that in any news report where I had personal knowledge,
the news report generally gets details wrong, sometimes many of them.
This sounds like the reporter went out of his way to not identify the religion.
That might be because of the letter and comments on how "God was smiting
the JW because of their doctrine."
doesn't sound like a j.w. i think people may have added their 2 cents since he was selling books. anyone selling books door to door are automatically labeled a witness. raising money for his education sounds more like scientology or some other cult.
