How come every time???

[LightHorseman]

OK, if you hadn't heard, Michael Jackson died the other day. Now, what ever your feelings about the man, or your feeling about his death... why is it that every time someone with any level of public recognition dies, like clockwork, claims like this -> http://www.christianforums.com/t7380327/ pop up?

Every single notable death that has occured in the time I have been active here has been accompanied by one of these "a friend of a friend of mine totally went to a church where the pastor like, fully said they came to Christ just before they died!" claims. Now, I know that gossip and urban legend practically built the internet, and that unverified claims are its bread and butter (how many spiders have YOU swallowed while asleep?) but come on... isn't "thou shalt not bear false witness" one of the biggies? Just how low does someone have to be to think that any person's death is suitable material for them to co-opt into propaganda for their particular denomination?

Thoughts? Other outrageous examples? Steve Irwin was a good one.

 

[Tenka]

Other outrageous examples?

Charles Darwin, and people believe it still.

 

[LightHorseman]

Charles Darwin, and people believe it still.

Indeed. Although he didn't have that mnany contemporary internet threads started about his comming to Christ after his death.

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

I guess the need to affirm your own beliefs by claiming that someone FAMOUS shared them is greater than the need for discretion or common decency.
Scientology supposedly has a special branch geared towards ensnaring celebrities for exactly that reason. In America, religion is a flourishing business, advertising included.

And yes, according to the Bible, Jesus evicted the money-lenders from the temple, even though their purpose was merely to keep "corrupt" roman money out of the temple premises by providing a local currency in exchange.