Page 1 - Good News July 2008 paper
P. 1

Atheistic Editor Dared God



                                                                             To Send Earthquake



                                                                     t  was  Christmas  Eve  in  1908,   animals  quartered  in  the  town  and  the  outlying
                                                                     but  the  citizens  of  Messina,   districts.
                                                                  IItaly,  were  not  planning  the    Dogs and donkeys began dashing about in frantic
                                                                  traditional  observances  of  the    but  aimless  distress,  howling  and  braying,  eyes
                                                                  birth of Christ, because they were   distended in wild and staring terror. Horses, mules
                                                                  an atheistic community.              and oxen neighed, bawled and trembled in every
                                                                  In its Christmas issue on the 21st,   limb, pointing their ears forward, and rolling their
                                                                  the town newspaper, Il Telefono,     glaring eyes.
                                                                  blatantly  irreligious  in  tone,  had   Geese, pigeons and other domestic fowls fluttered
                                                                  published an ugly parody defying     wildly  in  fright.  Even  wild  birds  flew  screaming
                                                                  God  and  daring  Him  to  make      through the air in obvious alarm. Fishes in the sea
                                                                  Himself  known  by  sending  an      rose  to  the  surface  and  floated  there,  alive,  but
                                                                  earthquake.                          inert. They were caught in large numbers. The wind
                                                                  Now,  on  the  very  eve  of  Christ-                  Continued on p. 8
                                                                  mas, the city council, in the same
                                                                  disparaging  mood,  passed  a
                                                                  series of shockingly disrespectful
                                                                  and  irreverent  resolutions  flou-
                                                                  ting God. In effect, the resolutions
                                                                  mocked  God  on  behalf  of  the
                                                                  entire community.
                                                                  No  sooner  had  the  defamatory
                                                                  actions of the town council been
                                                                  accepted  by  the  unprotesting
                                                                  people  than  distress  and  panic
                                                                  seemed  to  enter  into  all  the
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