Uh...does everyone know about the Cross in Space?

[nodehopper]

http://www.arthurblessitt.com/crossinspace/index.html

I am sorry, I had to share. I am rarely at a loss for words, but this did it.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

1. Oh. My. God.

This makes me rethink my position on the weaponization of space. Perhaps someone ought to have the capability of shooting that fucking thing down!!

[nodehopper]

I don't know how you would aim. It's like only two inches in size.

But it passes over EVERY SQUARE INCH of the earth...

[Taylor Mason Powell]

14. That just gives me the willies.

The idea of that thing flying over my head just creeps me the hell out. I say shoot it down!! I'm sure someone can figure out a way despite its small size.

But I have to wonder, how long does it take something that small to cover every square inch of the Earth? Gotta be thousands of years...

[nodehopper]

21. that's all right...they are on messianic time. it's God o'clock.

Quarter to the Rapture.

[TrustingDog]

16. Holy Feezuks...

isn't there an end time prophesy where every nation on earth is exposed to christianity before the big toilet flush? Never did buy that, but This Thing actually does it, doesn't it.

somebody splash some cold water on my face.

[aquart]

12. How big is it? Because the proportion is not healthy.

[nodehopper]

22. it's only like 2 inches

[aquart]

38. Looks bigger in the picture.

[hiphopnation]

114. "Oh My God"

Pun intended?

LOL!

[Taylor Mason Powell]

141. Ha.

Shoulda said, "Oh. Their. God."
:-)

[tjwash]

2. The people who made the site up aren't...

...gonna be waiting for a comet to pick them up are they?

[Taylor Mason Powell]

3. We should be so lucky!

(n/t)

[nodehopper]

10. hey, you are a fellow lj-er

very cool.
mine is at
livejournal.com/users/anthrochica

[Taylor Mason Powell]

15. Cool! I'm a VERY NEW lj-er.

I'll friend you!

I have so few friends.
:-)

[nodehopper]

23. cool, welcome. you should also

join the guerillanews and sos_america communities, good resources for news.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

34. Thanks for the tip!

Although the last thing I need now is more resources for news! I can barely keep up with the resources I already have! ;-)

[nodehopper]

24. I meant

sos_usa

[Sugarbleus]

18. ROFL!!! almost forgot about those peeps... eom

[doni_georgia]

144. The book of Revelation isn't happening in their time frame, so they

are giving God a bit of help. These people are crazy.

[merh]

4. I'm like you, I am at a loss of words. (n/t)

[TrustingDog]

5. I'm afraid to look....

[merh]

17. There are an awful lot of peculiar people in this world. An AWFUL LOT!

[msmcghee]

71. Peculiar people?

If me and my friends and my God, placing our totems on the hill above you - can control you and your friends and your weak God with your totems, groveling in the shadows - then we win - you lose.

Oldest story in the books.

[merh]

105. Yeah, you are right, I think the "good book" is full of these

stories and warns against the behavior, I may be wrong, but that has always been the impression I have gotten.

[Doug Decker]

6. It's only 2 inches...

doesn't really live up to the graphic.

:hi:

[jobycom]

8. Isn't that always the case? nt/

[nodehopper]

11. touche

[Wonk]

9. Beat me to it. I was about to post that.

http://www.arthurblessitt.com/crossinspace/news.html

[jobycom]

7. Willie... It looks like a giant... Johnson!, Check out the great big

Dick Cheney had something to do with this!

Well, it's what I thought of. The other image I had was the thing crashing to earth and smiting its creator, kind of like in the Big Lebowsky... Sorry, my pointless religious symbolism valve tends to flutter loosely.

[TrustingDog]

13. what the hell is this about?

launch date mid june?
come on... is it UP there, really?

nah....

[nodehopper]

26. I think it is...

it could be going over your head AS WE TYPE

[Cheswick2.0]

70. It could be the reason the truth is starting to break on all these

stories we have been screaming about for years. I it's possible think we all owe this guy a big thank you.

[TreasonousBastard]

19. Yeah, well...

everyone should have a hobby.

I can't for the life of me see what the point of this is, but I think it's really harmless.

[taxidriver]

30. i geuss clinton's penis got boring?

[tridim]

20. Call me when they try to project a cross on the moon

God is laughing at them too.

[Tellurian]

25. Geebus, the guy looks like Bush!

[nodehopper]

27. you're right! same end of the gene pool...

[Tellurian]

33. notice the odious "thumbs UP"? nt

[Sugarbleus]

28. I haven't checked the link yet but Arthur Blessit, isn't he

the dude that started criss crossing the country, yea, the world dragging a huge cross around several years back?????

In terms of shooting it down, how about that homemade space plane guy who just shot off his vehicle in southern calif? Maybe he'd be willing to go do it-----------it would be cheaper, by his estimates, way cheaper to fly to space than what NASA can put together, than sending one of our gazillion $$$ pieces of weaponry (LOL):think:

[nodehopper]

29. YES! and the space cross is made from the wood from the cross

he hauled around the world

[stopbush]

31. What happens when it runs into the human excrement that's been

jettisoned from space missions over the years?

[Gruenemann]

110. not only that, but did you see

what the highly ionized oxygen atoms in space did to NASA's long-term research satellite? That wood will be totaly gassified in short order!

[Sugarbleus]

32. Yep, he's the same guy I thought of first...

I just sent him an email. Not nasty, just inquiring....want to see what his intention is and how he thinks he can do such a thing. I want to see if he replies and if this is for real. :)

[nodehopper]

37. wow, please let me know if/what he writes back

[Sugarbleus]

41. I surely will............

Frankly, I do take the time to write to conservative orgs now and then. I usually refrain from outright attacks, rather I ask "pointed" questions to see what their answers might be. If they answer then I get the chance to challenge their point of view or get additional information. :D

[parasim]

35. Everybody here from Amsterdam, perhaps?

or New York City? By the looks of this thread's comments, I'd say we're a bit hostile to this guy. and rightly so, since the idea of a cross orbiting the earth is one f'd up notion.

however... all that aside, I was intrigued about this guy Blessit as I perused his site and putting the cross in the sky aside for a moment, check this out, the guy has walked 35 some odd thousand miles carrying that freakin' cross! 33 years, over 300 countries!

For the curious, he's got a section of his site called, appropriately enough, "Interesting Facts":

http://www.blessitt.com/interest.html

examples:

Most angry toward the cross - Amsterdam, Holland and Tetouan, Morocco
Coldest city (reception) to the cross - New York, USA; Montreal, Canada and Sydney, Australia
Most apt country to be arrested in - USA
Most apt city to be arrested in - Hollywood, CA
Worst food - Squid in ink in Spain, monkey leg in Africa, Rat Soup in Belize and Pork Soup for breakfast in USSR
Best food - Freshwater shrimp in El Salvador and fresh salmon in Finland
A few memorable scares - Firing squad in Nicaragua: stoning and beating in Morocco; Civil Guardia attack in Spain; LAPD choking, Hollywood, California; pistol attack, Orlando, Florda; "to burn the cross," Birdseye, Indiana; man broke the cross, Nigeria
Worst jail - Concord, New Hampshire
Friendliest Armies - Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Army

Fascinating stuff!


on edit: f'in typos!

[nodehopper]

39. Well, I'm here in NYC...dunno about others <shrug>

[smirkymonkey]

115. LAPD Choking?

The visual is too funny! This guy belongs in a mental hospital.

[TheWizardOfMudd]

36. That's about the dumbest fucking thing I have ever seen!

I'm laughing my ass off!!!!!!!!!!

[TryingToWarnYou]

40. What if the cross hits the shuttle?

Its just debris really...

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

42. This guy claims he is the one that "saved" Bush

although Bush credits Billy Graham. He has a loooooong, boring story about it with a patriotic design.

http://www.blessitt.com/bush.html

Maybe he could send Bush to space too.

[doni_georgia]

145. According to "The Faith of George W. Bush"

Blessitt prayed with Bush in 1984 when his oil business was failing. Bush later went to a Bible study in Midland, and then talked to Billy Graham in Maine in 1985, this is when he says he really became "born again." Blessitt was a Hollywood street preacher who in 1969 "heard" from God that he was to take up a 12 foot cross and carry it around the world.

[thebobartist]

43. That shit's dangerous

Especially if it's that small. Space debris + Space Shuttle = bad news.

[blueblitzkrieg]

44. Hold me.

I'm frightened.

[Solly Mack]

45. The cross will be attached to a converted ICBM

Interesting Facts and Figures about the Cross


9. "There the cross will be attached to the launch vehicle, a converted Russian Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. This equipment made for war is now being used for peaceful purposes. This is thrilling."

http://www.arthurblessitt.com/crossinspace/info.html

[Junkdrawer]

51. It's done by the same people that will launch your ashes...

Somewhere in Kazakhstan, there's a space engineer telling his wife "Good news honey, we eat again tonight!"

[xxqqqzme]

46. god has conversed w/ yet another person

"The glory of the coming of the Lord is at Hand"
God to Arthur Blessitt

so...that's
1. squatter; 2. robertson; 3. bigmomma babs;

any other self proclaiming receivers? These people creep me out!

[Cronus Protagonist]

47. I think they need to answer God's Questionnaire

He's been asking for input lately in a customer appreciation drive...

http://cronus.com/god

:)

[soup]

57. fookin' hilarious, Cronus.

Nicely done! Think I hurt myself laughing...

"When beseeched, doesn't stay beseeched"
"your uncle Chester"
"like organ music"

[KC]

48. I haven't

read the site yet, but just how are they planning to do this and who will actually lauch the cross out into space?

KC

[democracy eh]

56. how are they going to do it?

equally weird

http://www.celestis.com

"Celestis makes possible a new choice in truly unforgettable memorial services. Cremated remains can be launched into space; to orbit around the Earth; to fly to the Moon; or to travel into deep space. Celestis is the world leader in providing these unique space memorial services."

it is not even 9 AM and I am already thoroughly weirded out today.

[Swamp Rat]

49. "Paging Mel Brooks... Paging Mel Brooks..."

We can have holy wars in space now.

Jews in space vs. Muslims in space vs. Mormons in space, etc.

Religious space debris will be all that's left.

Insects will take over in the end. Good for them.

[yankeedem]

50. Gee, all the money they spent

Would feed a lot of hungry children. Jesus wouldn't want that though, would he?

[devinsgram]

52. Boy, these fundies never let me down

by giving me a good laugh every morning.

[doni_georgia]

53. Is this why they scrampled the GPS system?

http://www.wral.com/news/3400765/detail.html

[Hubert Flottz]

54. Well for heaven's snakes!

Only last night I heard the Good Reverend Pat Robinson on my TV, condemning the Muslims for wanting to force their religion on every nation! Pat said we should have put out a hit on Saddam instead of starting a war in Iraq! Then he flip flops and condemns the Muslims for murdering people!

Then there's reverend Moon:

More than a dozen lawmakers attended a congressional reception this year honoring the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in which Moon declared himself the Messiah and said his teachings have helped Hitler and Stalin be "reborn as new persons."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61932-2004Jun22.html

[soup]

59. What a comforting thought -

his teachings have helped Hitler and Stalin be "reborn as new persons." :crazy:

[Hubert Flottz]

60. I wonder which one the Shrub is?

Prolly both!

[Cheswick2.0]

55. This is funny

I don't think it anything to get all upset about. It just strikes me as funny.

[Hubert Flottz]

58. YES BUT,

Have you ever seriously thought about declaring yourself the Messiah?

Tune in again tomorrow, for 'Bizarro World'.............

[whistle]

61. Facts from the web site about the cross in space project....

Interesting Facts and Figures about the Cross

The 2 inch cross was cut from the 12 foot cross Arthur Blessitt has been carrying around the world.

The cross is made from 'clear heart Redwood'.

Arthur Blessitt will continue to carry that same cross as he and his wife Denise go on to remote island groups around the world.

The cross is about 2 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide. The complete Holy Bible is on thin Microform and will also be launched with the cross.

The project is a ministry of the Arthur Blessitt Evangelistic Association.

The company that is doing the launch is: "Celestis"
Their website is at: http://www.celestis.com/
They are just the wonderful and helpful people. God bless them all.

Arthur and Denise Blessitt and Renny Severance prepared the 2 inch cross.

The cross and Bible will be transported to Kazakhstan in the former USSR.

There the cross will be attached to the launch vehicle, a converted Russian Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. This equipment made for war is now being used for peaceful purposes. This is thrilling.

The launch date window is Mid April 2004.
For the latest launch information please check at:

http://www.celestis.com/next-launch.html

The Cross in Space Satellite will be in a sun-synchronous, polar orbit at an altitude of 470 miles (757km) high. With the sun-synchronous orbit(which crosses the equator at 98 degrees), the satellite will be in contact points in about twelve hour increments. This means that we will know where the satellite is at say noon and midnight or at six am and six pm. As of yet, we are not sure what the time of day for contact will be. We will let you know that after launch. You will be able to know the exact time it is passing over your part of the earth!

A Polar orbit is a particular type of Orbit. A satellite in polar orbit travels a north-south direction, rather than the more common east-west direction. Polar orbits are useful for viewing the planet's surface. As a satellite orbits in a north-south direction, Earth spins beneath it in an east-west direction. As a result, a satellite in polar orbit can eventually scan the entire surface. Its like pealing an orange in one piece. Around and around, one strip at a time, and finally you've got it all. For this reason, satellites that monitor the global environment, like remote sensing satellites and certain weather satellites, are almost always in polar orbit. No other orbit gives such thorough coverage of Earth.
More information at 'The Satellite Site'
This means that in time the cross will pass over 'the entire' earth! Every inch of it! I leave it to you to ponder the Prophetic and Biblical significance of this! For the first time the Cross and the Bible will pass directly over all the earth! All Glory to God. This is awesome and glorious. I pray that is Cross and Bible in the sky will be like a welcome banner for the return of Jesus.


The Cross in Space satellite will go around the earth about every one and one half hours.

It will be listed and tracked at: http://www.celestis.com/ViewEarth.html

The Cross in Space will be too small to be seen by unaided human vision on the earth surface.

The Cross in Space Satellite is expected to be in space for 156 years!

Dotti Ham is my assistant on this project. Helping co-ordinate everything. She also is handling the press and meeting and all arrangements. Sally Hobbs is the webmaster and creator of this internet site. Joshua Blessitt my son is also assisting in this project and will travel with me when we do the special viewing of the cross and is handling overseas contacts. Rev. Ricky Hobbs is assisting us in many ways on this project.

[mcar]

62. Well....

what will they think of next? I guess it's better for him to be spending money on this than on sending xtians to the middle east to convert all them heathens.

[vetwife]

63. There is not one bit of scripture for this ! Hypocrites !

If God wanted a cross up there..God was capable of puting it up there...Didn't need a bunch of wrong thinking mortals to do so !
Mockery ! Sheer Mockery and Blashephmy !

[Baltimoreboy]

64. God is capable of doing anything

That doesn't mean we don't have to get out of bed each morning.

As for the cross, it seems an innocent expression of faith. I fail to understand why so many are bothered by it.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

66. well, because it is pointless.

why does it matter if there is a cross in space? do you think this money could be spent a little more altruistically?

[Baltimoreboy]

67. Isn't it their choice?

I mean, I could cancel my cable and cable Internet, sell my car and live in a box and donate all the funds to charity. But I won't. Some of my own money will go to things I want to do.

This cross apparently falls into that category for others.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

72. sure it is there choice

but in my humble opinio i beleive it is a waste of money that could be used a little more wisely if they want to do something in the name of their religion.

[Baltimoreboy]

74. It is getting attention for their religion

And I am sure that is one of their goals.

However, if you want to attack them for how they spend their money, it seems only fair to subject you to the same examination.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

78. please attack me then, i am not the one spending loads of money

on something that has no functional value other than publicity. is chrstianity about publicity or being like jesus?

[Baltimoreboy]

79. We are supposed to tell others about our religion

This gentleman is doing just that.

I have no wish to attack you. You no doubt spend frivolously on movies, clothes, cars, knickknacks, eating out, drinking, etc. This man spends on spreading the word of god.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

80. so he spreads the word of god by putting a two inch cross into space?

yeah right, seriously. unless you read a story about it you don't even know it is there. but hey i guess he knows what god wants better than i do.

[Baltimoreboy]

88. You read the story

So did I.

It is working.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

94. thank god!

i never would have heard about christianity if it wasn't for this guy putting a cross into space!

Thanks to "Cross In Space" i will now work to raise money to put even more crosses in space!

[Baltimoreboy]

97. Have at it

Conversions happen all the time.

[FlaGranny]

86. This all reminds me

of the guy in my area who sky writes two or three times a week, a combination of smiley faces and "Jesus Loves You." A big waste. I have a suspicion the fellow just likes to fly. Of course, he is free to do it, if he can afford it. But, he could feed poor families, and demonstrate "Jesus loves you" in a more personal way. Many Christians might be pleased by these sky writings, but the purpose they serve is personal to the one doing it - making them feel righteous. That's a very big turn-off to many. If you want to do something good, you should do it for its own sake and quietly. God and Jesus + Advertising techniques just don't seem "kosher."

[Baltimoreboy]

90. He might do those things as well

But he feels compelled to spread the word.

Not my job to say he is wrong. He is free to do so.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

101. "We are supposed to tell others about our religion"...

Well, maybe some of us don't want to hear it.

That is the problem with so many of the religious sects -- they fail to take into account that many of us want to be free from their religious views.

I've lived with 20+ years of dealing with folks "spreading the word of God" and, frankly, I am over it.

I wish those folks would respect that.

[Baltimoreboy]

103. I think that falls under the category of too bad

You have every right to not listen. Freedom of speech means I can say things like Bush is an asshole and nobody can stop me. The same goes for religious speech.

[DrWeird]

116. Aren't you people supposed to be helping the poor?

How many mouths can those thousands of dollars feed, instead of throwing it away on a promotional gimmick that: 1) Nobody will ever actually be able to see, and 2) basically amounts to idol worship.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

117. Exactly....

The religious people I have been most profoundly effected by have been folks who have been out doing Christ's work instead of talking about how I have to accept him as my personal savior.

And they never once felt the need to tell me their religious views or the need for me to follow them, instead, they led by example. And I respect them doubly for it.

[Baltimoreboy]

120. You seem to think you have a right to tell people how to spend their money

I don't.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

122. do you think jesus has the right to tell people how to spend their money?

"You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

"Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (Luke 12:15)

[Baltimoreboy]

124. If people wish to live by a book -- any book -- that is their choice

Or, more likely, they will live by it in part.

[DrWeird]

125. So you're saying you like to pick and choose...

which parts of Christ's teachings are best suited for your modern lifestyle?

Let me guess, pro death penalty?

[Baltimoreboy]

126. Of course i pick and choose

i don't know anyone who follows their beliefs every single second. Such a person would be a saint.

[Forkboy]

127. Muddleoftheroad lives!

[SheepyMcSheepster]

130. i was wondering

i hadn't seen him post in a while, did he leave?

[Swamp Rat]

133. Tombstoned

I wished I was a member of DU that day just so I could gloat and say something sarcastic. I remember he had Dr. King as an avatar, which irritated me to no end.

[Swamp Rat]

131. Fee fi fo fum

Ha ha! Forkboy, are you Peter Faulk?

[Swamp Rat]

134. Considering everyone on Earth already knows...

What not launch the cross into deep space?

[Oilwellian]

77. Oh, you must have missed this part

"Then the Sign of the Son of Man will appear in the Sky!
Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory"
Jesus
(Matthew 24:30)

"And I, if I am lifted up from the Earth will draw all unto Me"
Jesus
(John 12:32)

"Like a Faithful Witness in the Sky"
David
(Psalms 89:37)

"Now see my witness in the Sky!"
Job
(Job 16:19)

"The glory of the coming of the Lord is at Hand"
God to Arthur Blessitt

[TNOE]

107. He/She Universe Did

It is such a shame Christians so misunderstand the Bible....

VELA THE BOW

THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT


INCLUDEPICTURE \d "Bow%20compr.jpg


In the great cloud of Eta Carina appeared also the constellation Vela. A perfect bow about to send forth its arrow. The scripture reminded us that when we saw that bow it would be a sign of God about to fulfill the covenant he made with the earth.

Genesis 9:13-16 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

That statement in Genesis is one that we really have to take seriously if indeed we are of a mind to consider anything beyond the rantings of politicians and pastors .

What it says in so many words is that God has a covenant with the earth. In other words it is God,or those of the invisible higher light who will not stand by and allow the kings of the earth to destroy or damage the earth with their violent weapons. That covenant now must be considered seriously by all of us because the bow has been seen.

From This Fascinating Website:
http://www.hiddenmeanings.com

[SheepyMcSheepster]

65. what a crock.

maybe they should spend that money on something at actually makes a difference. why the hell does it matter if a cross is orbiting the earth?

[mcar]

68. Exactly

except they never spend their money on something that would actually help people, as Jesus espoused. They spend their money on raising more money via their TV shows, books, etc., and on trying to force other people to do what they say (prayer in schools, for example).

[Cheswick2.0]

69. what a crock

Maybe you should worry about what you are spending your money on and stop judging other people.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

73. i am not the one who claims to be christian.

and im not sending trash into orbit around our planet. do you think jesus would pay to have crosses put in space or do you think he would encourage the use of the money to feed the hungry?

[Baltimoreboy]

75. So crosses are now trash?

That was pretty overt.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

76. you can interpret that however you like.

but what i mean is it is unnecessary debris in orbit around are planet. but you know what they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. I came by and threw stuff in your yard, would you consider it trash?

there is already loads of trash orbit, this just adds to it, i am not saying the cross is trash. maybe i should pay to have some other torture devies put into orbit?

[Baltimoreboy]

81. A two-inch cross

Is not exactly littering the whole of outer space.

A two-inch cross is not a torture device. It is a religious symbol. Sorry it bothers you so much. You must hate walking down the street and seeing people wear them.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

82. i don't care what people where around their neck or believe.

and indeed, i concede that is not that big of deal to have a 2 inch cross in orbit, however i hold firm to the notion that this is a goofy idea and really doesn't amount to a hill of beans, great way to spend money.

i get tired of the self righteous who take their followers/contributors money and spend on lavish and unneeded things when so many in the world are with out. again, do you think jesus wants crosses in space or those less fortunate taken care of?

[Baltimoreboy]

91. Jesus doesn't confide in me

I'd guess he'd want people cared for AND for his followers to spread the gospel.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

93. which do you think is more important?

spreading the gospel or caring for individuals?

[Baltimoreboy]

95. I think it's not my choice

This was HIS money after all. Given the chance, I would reorder the spending priorities of most people and organizations, as they would do to me if they got the same chance.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

96. the question was intended to stand on its own

forget the cross in space guy, what do you think is more beneficial to your cause as a christian, helping people in need or spreading the news of the gospel?

[Baltimoreboy]

98. The question doesn't stand on its own

It separates out the issue from the world we all live in. That world seldom offers either/or choices. It is obviously possible to do both and still spend money on CDs and other fun stuff.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

102. yes it does stand, you are avoiding it.

in this situation for example, we have a man who could spend loads of money putting a cross into space that serves no other purpose than to create publicity for his religion at best, this man could have easily spent this money on doing something that will actually benefit people on this planet, he chose not to, do you agree with his decision to spend gobs of money on something that does little to impact peoples lives?

is it better to focus on making sure everyone knows about christianity or to focus on helping people so that they may know that christianity is about hope and helping?

[Baltimoreboy]

104. You keep assuming it is a zero sum game

It isn't. You can spend for both.

You are implying that every time we make any spending decision we should instead just forget it and give the money to a cause that might be more worthy. That's nuts.

Forget that movie honey, I'm giving all of our extra money to the poor. No cookies kids, we are only eating subsistence foods now. The rest of the money goes to starving kids in Asia.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

106. no, i am not talking about your "fun" money

i am asking you if you had money already set aside for christian purposes, would you focus on using it to actually help people or to shoot things into space that no one will ever see?

[muriel_volestrangler]

112. How do we know how much money is involved?

At 2 inches (5cm) long, the cross proably weighs the same as Celestis' 7g "symbolic portion of ashes" which is their regular space business venture. They charge $5,300 for this; but in fact estimates of the cost of putting something in low earth orbit on the web are in the range of $10,000 - $20,000 per kilogram. We'll take the larger estimate (this is a polar orbit, requiring a little more energy than an equatorial one, since you don't get the benefit of the earth's spin); that puts the real cost of attaching 7g of wood to a Celestis satellite at $140!

So:
(a) we see what an incredible markup Celestis seems to get
(b) it all depends on whether Celestis has charged market rates to this guy. They may just reckon it's worth the publicity, and do it at a reduced rate, or for free. If the latter, in theory they could have sent up another container of ashes, charged the full rate, and then donated the money to charity. But that argument goes for any business venture. If there's no waiting list for the service, then the cost is whatever the Russians (though Celestis' website doesn't mention using them, strangely) charge for an extra 7g - closer to the $140, I'd think.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

113. true, we don't know how much

i am betting it was more than $140.00 though. i would assume it is closer to the cost of putting "symoblic portion of ashes" into orbit. i would be delighted to learn that this guy spent less than $200.00 to put this cross into space.

[Baltimoreboy]

121. It might even be free

It might have been given to them as a charitable contribution.

[Nihil]

143. Wrong

There seem to be an awful lot of people on this planet who forget one
important thing about Jesus ... HE WASN'T A CHRISTIAN, HE WAS JEWISH.

He would view this idolatry, this boastful waste of resources as being
every bit as bad as the deeds of the self-serving Pharisees of his time.
This would be blasphemy.

> I'd guess he'd want people cared for ...

Yes. No question about that.

> AND for his followers to spread the gospel.

No fucking way.

The gospel didn't exist then. The gospels that most people are familiar
with were hacked up several centuries later. The law (pentateuch) and
the testament of the prophets were not referred to as "gospel" at that
time.

He would not have wanted to be worshipped at all, much less by the
current crop of hypocrits that purport to be "doing his work".

Finally, the use of a cross as a symbol was a later addition.
Maybe the rich prayer boy with a cross fetish should have sent up
a wooden fish instead?

Nihil

[LuminousX]

100. Can't Wait Until this 2 inch piece of wood is the cause of ISS damage

[Az]

128. Um a two inch cross in orbit is moving pretty fast

Figure around 17,000 miles per hour. It hits something its going through. Be it a satelite or an astronaut. Space debris is a real problem in orbit.

[noonwitch]

83. I think their money might have been better spent feeding the poor

I know Jesus rebuked the disciples for critizing a woman who didn't sell her expensive ointments for fundraising, but instead used them to make Jesus feel better after a long day, but a cross in space serves no useful purpose except to proclaim christian superiority over every one else, simply because some lunatic has enough money to make his insane vision come true.

[vetwife]

99. I agree with that post ! And I am a christian ..cross up there is nuts

Faith is in one's heart not orbiting the earth !
that whole thing is confuse the dim wits more than they are by the fundie right !

[GreenPartyVoter]

84. Oh

Good grief!

Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/liberalchristians.htm

[NoPasaran]

85. With an orbital period of 1.5 hours, how high up is it?

And how long before the orbit of this piece of space junk decays and it burns up on re-entry?

Sorry, I'm at work and don't have my slide rule handy.

[Tellurian]

87. Another fraud..he looks like Bush, even to the "Thumbs UP" routine..

[Kitsune]

89. Jesus christ, haven't these people read PlanetES?

That shit's going to be a serious problem in 70 years!

[LuminousX]

92. 2 inch cross in space...

I'm sure there are larger objects up there that are already configured into the shape of the cross. At first I was afraid with was going to be like a laser projected cross on the moon or something.

[Rob H.]

108. You may be kidding, but...

I had a boss several years ago who wondered aloud, "Hey, I wonder how much it would cost to project our company's logo on the moon." He was serious! I responded (jokingly, otherwise it could've gotten me fired), "Y'know, sometimes you're just a British accent and a Persian cat away from being a James Bond villain."

[TeeYiYi]

111. Great line . . .

re: "Y'know, sometimes you're just a British accent and a Persian cat away from being a James Bond villain."

. . . and welcome to DU Rob H.

Regarding this floating cross in space thingey, I don't really care how people spend their money. My concern is that this brings up questions as to who owns space. How long before there are others with excess cash to burn who will want to float their logos in space for all to see. I think the technology already exists to project images into space via laser. Personally, I don't want 'my' sky to start looking like a trashy billboard. So, if 'floating cross guy' can do it . . . who's to stop others from doing it too? What a mess.

TYY

[Delano]

109. STUUUUUUUUUUUPID!

:puke:

[Forkboy]

118. Morans

[TexasSissy]

119. This doesn't look "for real' to me. Someone's wish.

Doesn't say HOW it's going to go into space, WHO is going to launch it, what the cross will be made of, if someone is going to be carrying it on his/her body, or any details. Sounds like a hoax, or someone is merely going to stick a cross in his pocket.

Doesn't matter to me. People, for all I know, have been carrying their own personal religious items on them since we first started going into space.

[muriel_volestrangler]

123. Actually it says all of that

you have to click the links to other pages on the web site (and in fact someone already copied them to this thread, if you look above).

The company handling this is Celestis, which normally sends peoples' ashes into space; the Blessitt web site says the Russians will launch it (though Celestis seems to normally launch from the USA); the cross is made from the wooden cross Blessitt carried round the world. It says it is expected to be in space for 156 years, so there's no person involved.

[giant_robot]

129. LOL!!!

This is the funniest f***ing thing since the bobblehead Jesus.



http://store3.yimg.com/I/bobbleheadworldstore_1771_526177

[stavka]

132. Isn't Hitler's brain in space? I thought that is why the V-2 was developed

[Canuckistanian]

135. I want pictures of it flaming on re-entry

An object in orbit with no orbital correction jets is bound to come crashing down to earth in a matter of months, depending on the orbital height.
Stupid waste of valuable space resources.

[Caution]

136. These morons apparently have never heard of the Northern Cross

if you are a freaking whacked out follower of Christianity i would think that rather than blasting a 2 inch piece of wood into space which will self-destruct inside of about a day that you might rather point to an actual constellation:

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/constellations/cygnus.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

138. Since its usual name is Cygnus

they may well not have heard of it. But since it's not visible from the far south of Earth, it doesn't really fit their purpose, does it? Who's a moron?

[Caution]

140. Since you are familiar with cygnus

you are also probably aware that there are literally thousands of "crosses" visible in the night sky from pretty much anywhere in the world. perhaps the sarcasm that was dripping throughout my post over the absurdity of the effort expended to send a 2 inch hunk of wood into space which will disintegrate within days if not hours anyways escaped you.

Not to mention that pretty much the only way to escape seeing crosses anywhere on earth at any given time is to close your eyes. They occur naturally pretty much everywhere and where they don't naturally occur, they can be seen in normal everyday engineering everywhere too.

Maybe someone should tell these idiots to take any money spent on this endeavour or barring cost any time spent on the endeavour and actually spend it doing Christian things like volunteering, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and infirm might have been a better idea than this total, utter, moronic, egotist stupidity

[Az]

139. I actually had someone argue this as proof of god

in a debate once. The simple statistical improbability of a cross not appearing in the countless stars seemed to escape their ability to reason.

[VOX]

137. Arthur Blessitt also claims to have led The Chimp to Jesus...

Which seems far eerier than a 2" cross in space...
http://www.blessitt.com/bush.html
April 3, 1984 Midland, Texas
To God be the Glory!
From my diary (Arthur Blessitt) dated April 3, 1984.
“A good and powerful day. Led Vice President Bush’s son to Jesus today. George Bush Jr.! This is great! Glory to God.”
<snip>
Mr. George W. Bush, a Midland oilman listened to the radio broadcast and asked one of his friends “Can you arrange for me to meet Arthur Blessitt and talk to him about Jesus?”

That friend told a friend of mine, Mr. Jim Sale, “George Bush wants to meet Arthur Blessitt and talk to him about Jesus.”
<snip>

[0007]

142. This has gotta to be the trademark of superstition