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Archae

(46,337 posts) Sun Feb 22, 2015, 03:33 PM Feb 2015

"Priest who saw God as a woman" story is fake.

Why am I not surprised?

Hoax Alert: Father O’Neal, Who Has Met God and Thinks She’s a Woman, Is Made Up (Just Like God Herself)

February 22, 2015 by Terry Firma 35 Comments

Not that I’m impossible to fool, but this is certainly a bit rich (all typos and grammatical errors in the original):

A Catholic priest from Massachussetts was officially dead for more than 48 minutes before medics were able to miraculously re-start his heart. During that time, Father John Micheal O’neal claims he went to heaven and met God, which he describes as a warm and comforting motherly figure.

That story, in various iterations, has been popping up in my news feed all day. Even apart from the matter of God’s gender, on which I offer no thoughts, and the matter of religious near-death experiences, which I addressed here, there’s no truth to the article. It is a hoax, a falsehood that was (probably) designed to attract cheap clicks. There is no 71-year-old Father John Michael O’Neal in Massachusetts whose heart failure required hospitalization, and who met God during a 48-minute detour through heaven.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/02/22/hoax-alert-father-oneal-who-has-met-god-and-thinks-shes-a-woman-is-made-up-just-like-god-herself/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=friendlyatheist_022215UTC050211_daily&utm_content=&spMailingID=48079675&spUserID=MTE4MTY1MzAzMTE5S0&spJobID=622725066&spReportId=NjIyNzI1MDY2S0

6 replies

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Highlight:

"Priest who saw God as a woman" story is fake. (Original Post) Archae Feb 2015 OP

Oh, man! This is a real disapointment. stone space Feb 2015 #1

The no Duh story of the year. trumad Feb 2015 #2

What?!? There was a photo of some guy and everything! LiberalAndProud Feb 2015 #3

What a relief. We can now safely go back to calling Him Him. leveymg Feb 2015 #4

it's gotta be real, i read it on the intertubes... spanone Feb 2015 #5

We would have to prove conclusively that there is a god pennylane100 Feb 2015 #6

stone space

(6,498 posts)

1. Oh, man! This is a real disapointment.

Reply to Archae (Original post)

Sun Feb 22, 2015, 03:40 PM

Feb 2015

This militant atheist was really looking forward to watching the story unfold.

I mean, I was rooting for the old guy.

The declarations of the cleric caused quite a stir in the catholic clergy of the archdiocese over the last few days, causing the Archbishop to summon a press conference to try and calm the rumors. Despite the disapproval of his superiors, Father O’neal says that he will continue dedicating his life to God and spread the word of the “Holy Mother”.

“I wish to continue preaching” says the elderly cleric. “I would like to share my new knowledge of the Mother, the Son and the Holy Ghost with all catholics and even all Christians. God is great and almighty despite being a woman…”

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has not confirmed however, if they will allow Father O’neal to resume his preaching in his former parish in South Boston.

The Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, made a public statement this morning stating that Father O’neal suffered hallucinations linked to a near-death experience and that God clearly isn’t a female.

trumad

(41,692 posts)

2. The no Duh story of the year.

Reply to Archae (Original post)

Sun Feb 22, 2015, 03:42 PM

Feb 2015

LiberalAndProud

(12,799 posts)

3. What?!? There was a photo of some guy and everything!

Reply to Archae (Original post)

Sun Feb 22, 2015, 03:49 PM

Feb 2015

I was only half taken in by the story. On the salient points, I was certain that no priest had actually come face to face with the mother god, nor had a man actually died for 48 minutes. The fact that there was no cleric actually claiming those things, and that wasn't a photograph of him totally escaped me.

Now that I'm forced to be more skeptical, should I be concerned that this rebuttal might be the made up story? Hmmm?[font color="gray"](<-- kidding)[/font]