Lioness in zoo kills man who invoked God
Mon Jun 5, 8:31 AM ET
KIEV (Reuters) - A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday.
"The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said.
"A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."
The incident, Sunday evening when the zoo was packed with visitors, was the first of its kind at the attraction. Lions and tigers are kept in an "animal island" protected by thick concrete blocks.
2 comments:
But was it faith to say, "if he exists"?
Quite right. For a truly scientific test, we'd need a willing sample of true believers (although this uncomfortably brings to mind images of the colosseum, willing participants notwithstanding). A control group of skeptics would also be helpful, but how you're going to get a nonbeliever in there with the beasties is a conundrum. Maybe that Croc Hunter guy is an agnostic or something, although too much previous experience with dangerous animals could skew the results...
In seriousness, I noted the 'if he exists' phrase, but couldn't pass up the (admittedly) flippant post. Maybe I'll dig up some studies on faith, prayer etc, to give the reader a bit more on which to chew. Thanks for keeping me honest (and giving me an excuse for more research).
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