The Cross In Space

[Temporal Renegade]

I'm not sure if this was posted before; if so, my apologies.

Seems a man called Arthur Blessitt carried a full-sized cross literally around the world, and now wants to send a smaller one into space. Why? Well, in his own words from the site:

"The cross will be over You personally! The Cross will be over every Nation on earth! Over Afghanistan! Saudi Arabia! Jerusalem! America! The cross in Space Satellite will be in a Polar orbit from pole to pole. As the earth turns it will pass over every inch of the earth like peeling an apple. The cross will circle the earth every one and a half hours. After launch we can tell you on our site when it will be over you and your nation. We have carried the cross in Every nation. Now we will, God willing have it flying above Every nation! We wave the cross in the face of Satan and proclaim that Jesus is Lord over All the Earth. All glory to God."

Oh boy...I can't wait.....
http://www.blessitt.com/crossinspace/index.html

[thatguywhojuggles]

These guys have nothing better to do with their money? I should email them and ask them if they want to pay my financial aid debt.

[steve s]

The night sky is filled with stars, and a star is the symbol of Judaism so I can conclude that the Jews are right.

No, wait. The crescent moon is the symbol of Islam and I often see a crescent moon in the sky so the muslims must be right.

No, wait. There's a big W in the sky (Cassiopeia) so the Wiccans must be right. Or maybe Woden is the lord over the earth.

It's all so confusing.

Steve S.

[Zep]

The Southern Cross, or Crux Australis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux), has been there all the time. Tell the guy to keep his space-junk on Earth - there's enough up there in orbit as it is.

[Temporal Renegade]

Nice to know this guy has the means to launch ANYTHING into space; besides, unless it's in a satellite, wouldn't it just burn up on re-entry?

[Furi]

I hope the satellite will be doing something else as well, mapping for example. otherwise what waste of resources/money can't he find anything better to waste money on than pointless symbolism.

Oh wait he's a fan boy pontless symbolism is all there is,

ETA, just read the celestis service page, It looks like it is a tiny part of the payload of a scheduled launch Phew. I suppose he has made a lot more out of the publicity than the USD 1300 cost,

[Temporal Renegade]

I hope the satellite will be doing something else as well, mapping for example. otherwise what waste of resources/money can't he find anything better to waste money on than pointless symbolism.

Oh wait he's a fan boy pontless symbolism is all there is,

ETA, just read the celestis service page, It looks like it is a tiny part of the payload of a scheduled launch Phew. I suppose he has made a lot more out of the publicity than the USD 1300 cost,

Now, what's more important: mapping land and looking for possible weather troubles, or putting a representation of torturous death-turned religious symbol (representing one specific religion) in orbit around the world?

[Furi]

Now, what's more important: mapping land and looking for possible weather troubles, or putting a representation of torturous death-turned religious symbol (representing one specific religion) in orbit around the world?

*Waves hand frantically :j1:
Oooh OOhh Ooohh Pick me Pick Me

[Temporal Renegade]

*Waves hand frantically :j1:
Oooh OOhh Ooohh Pick me Pick Me

Umm... let's see.....well, OK. Furi!

[Furi]

YAY...

The Religious symbol thingy is um the right answer. 'cause that way we don't need to worry about weather and famines and stuff an that 'cause jeebus will be with us an all, and most of that stuff only happens to non-believers anyway or those that deserve it,

*smiling furiously sits down and experiences a minor godgasm

brb need a smoke

[Temporal Renegade]

YAY...

The Religious symbol thingy is um the right answer. 'cause that way we don't need to worry about weather and famines and stuff an that 'cause jeebus will be with us an all, and most of that stuff only happens to non-believers anyway or those that deserve it,

*smiling furiously sits down and experiences a minor godgasm

brb need a smoke

:D

[m_huber]

Nice to know this guy has the means to launch ANYTHING into space; besides, unless it's in a satellite, wouldn't it just burn up on re-entry?

Yes. Wouldn't that be great? Burning crosses at 80,000 feet.

[Temporal Renegade]

Yes. Wouldn't that be great? Burning crosses at 80,000 feet.

Unless...that's what he's *trying* to do...

[triadboy]

The Mission: To put a 2 inch cross in space to orbit around the world.

2 inch cross?! How will they get it up in space...Saturn V rocket?

[Temporal Renegade]

2 inch cross?! How will they get it up in space...Saturn V rocket?

Well, that's a whole lotta faith he's trying to raise...

[DRBUZZ0]

Nice to know this guy has the means to launch ANYTHING into space; besides, unless it's in a satellite, wouldn't it just burn up on re-entry?

If it orbits the earth it is, by definition, a satellite. Any satellite will eventually burn up when it reenters due to atmospheric drag, if it's in a low earth orbit. If it's high enough though it could stay around for millenia or more because there's nothing to stop it from continuing to orbit.

I guess you can launch anything into space if you fork over the cash to a commercial launch company or to the russian space agency or something. This just seems to be an especially useless payload. Considering that one could equally easily launch something like a small research satellite or an imaging satellite or something, it seems pretty silly.

Anyways, is this really the first orbiting cross? A cross is pretty damn simple. I think anything with a lowercast letter t on it might quality, as long as it didn't have a little tail on the bottom.

Here's a geostationary mobile communications satellite. Looks like it may have beaten them:

http://depletedcranium.com/g1_satellite_2.gif

[Temporal Renegade]

AAHH!! The logic and science! It burns!!!!

[Jekyll]

Seems a man called Arthur Blessitt carried a full-sized cross literally around the world, and now wants to send a smaller one into space. Why? Well, in his own words from the site:

"The cross will be over You personally! The Cross will be over every Nation on earth! Over Afghanistan! Saudi Arabia! Jerusalem! America! The cross in Space Satellite will be in a Polar orbit from pole to pole. As the earth turns it will pass over every inch of the earth like peeling an apple. The cross will circle the earth every one and a half hours. After launch we can tell you on our site when it will be over you and your nation. We have carried the cross in Every nation. Now we will, God willing have it flying above Every nation! We wave the cross in the face of Satan and proclaim that Jesus is Lord over All the Earth. All glory to God."

And by cross he means penis.

[Achán hiNidráne]

Right. He's going to put one more piece of potentially dangerous space junk (to satellites and manned craft that is) for the sake of his supersticions.

People like him should be lobotomized, sterilized, heavily medicated, put in a straight jacket, and shoved in a rubber room to drool away the rest of their lives.

[Temporal Renegade]

Right. He's going to put one more piece of potentially dangerous space junk (to satellites and manned craft that is) for the sake of his supersticions.

People like him should be lobotomized, sterilized, heavily medicated, put in a straight jacket, and shoved in a rubber room to drool away the rest of their lives.

Or, launched into space along with their junk. I'm sure the Power of Christ will protect them...

[Beerina]

Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer goes on the space shuttle. The pilot and co-pilot are running through a pre-flight checklist:

"Children's letters to God?"

"Check!"

[Darth Rotor]

People like him should be lobotomized, sterilized, heavily medicated, put in a straight jacket, and shoved in a rubber room to drool away the rest of their lives.
As should people who harbor such sentiments.

Good for the goose, good for the gander. :p

DR

[Nogbad]

Good grief is the rather unlikely named Blessit still on the go? I recall him from the 70s along with his entourage of happy clappies. That is a name from the past.

[DRBUZZ0]

Right. He's going to put one more piece of potentially dangerous space junk (to satellites and manned craft that is) for the sake of his supersticions.

People like him should be lobotomized, sterilized, heavily medicated, put in a straight jacket, and shoved in a rubber room to drool away the rest of their lives.

Funny. I read that comment and then I turned on the TV later that day and the South Park about atheists being at war and bastardly was on. It made me think of the comment.

I tend to think that these sort of beliefs are fair game for laughing at, but not really what Mark is proposing.

[Achán hiNidráne]

As should people who harbor such sentiments.

Good for the goose, good for the gander. :p

DR

I dare you to try, Christer.

[alfaniner]

I would be surprised if one of the space shuttle or station crew, or any previous astronaut, hasn't already carried one up around his/her neck.

[TX50]

I would be surprised if one of the space shuttle or station crew, or any previous astronaut, hasn't already carried one up around his/her neck.

I'm sure of that too. I do know that one of the first acts performed on the
moon was a Catholic "holy communion". Buzz Aldrin brought along a
miniature "communion" kit with a little chalice and wine and other requisites.
No explicit mention of a cross on that occasion though. He'd wanted to
broadcast it but a complaint by Madalyn Murray O'Hare (sp?) after Apollo 8
had broadcast readings from "Genesis" put paid to that idea.

[Temporal Renegade]

Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer goes on the space shuttle. The pilot and co-pilot are running through a pre-flight checklist:

"Children's letters to God?"

"Check!"

:D

[godless dave]

Don't the Christians have some commandment prohibiting the worship of graven images?

[DRBUZZ0]

Don't the Christians have some commandment prohibiting the worship of graven images?

Yes, well. that's... ahem... a rather strange thing there. Um they do, as they inherited it from the jews but they don't seem to be that much of a stickler for it. They cut you a lot of slack for worshiping relics and images as long as it's some sort of indirect worship of god. Or something...

Anyways, they don't really talk about that one much. Seems to be a technicality. Also the whole thing of nut cutting one's sideburns. And not eating pork... they decided that was only for before the massiah and now it's okay. And being circumcises... no longer required. Of course, being gay is still a big no no as "man shall not lie with man" and they spend a lot of time on that one and the adultry one. Also spilling sperm. But the worship of images? No... they kinda turn a blind eye to that one. Along with having your wife stay in a special shed while she's menstrating. Well... most don't pay attention to that one. I think a few do.

[Meadmaker]

Don't the Christians have some commandment prohibiting the worship of graven images?


Only the Protestants.

(Look it up if you don't understand this, but the section in Deuteronomy and/or Exodus that has "the ten commandments" doesn't have a list labelled 1-10. It has quite a few more sentences. Catholics, Protestants, and Jews all break it out differently to get to 10. Only in the Protestant version does "Thou shalt make no graven images" get its own number.)

[rsaavedra]

Now we will, God willing have it flying above Every nation! We wave the cross in the face of Satan and proclaim that Jesus is Lord over All the Earth. All glory to God."

Hmm, let's see, isn't an upside-down cross allegedly a satanic symbol? That little satellite cross better orient itself properly all along its orbit with respect to all humans viewing it from the surface of the earth... ;)

PS. A fish is also a Christinity symbol. Hopefully noone will get any perverted ideas sending poor fish into orbit.

[kmortis]

PS. A fish is also a Christinity symbol. Hopefully noone will get any perverted ideas sending poor fish into orbit.

SHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! You'll upset Piscivore!

Nogbad, I'm with you. I thought that the Crazy World of Arthur Blessit would have burnt itself out by now.

I also thought that the therapy I had to do to recover from all the TBN I watched to SEE Blessit would have taken....

[Kopji]

The site's animation of a cross orbiting the Earth is priceless.

The thing I really hate most is that with sites like these it makes weeding out the hoaxes very difficult. When the serious subject matter is sillier than a hoax it's pretty tough on us.

[godless dave]

Only the Protestants.

(Look it up if you don't understand this, but the section in Deuteronomy and/or Exodus that has "the ten commandments" doesn't have a list labelled 1-10. It has quite a few more sentences. Catholics, Protestants, and Jews all break it out differently to get to 10. Only in the Protestant version does "Thou shalt make no graven images" get its own number.)

I knew there were different versions of the 10 Commandments (and that most "Christian" Americans are only familiar with the Charlton Heston version), but I didn't know the Catholic version didn't include the prohibition against graven images. Thanks!

[Father Dagon]

Did Arthur Blessitt really carry the cross around the world in every nation? And when is it supposed to be launched? Spring 2007 (http://www.blessitt.com/crossinspace/info.html) or 2006 (http://www.blessitt.com/crossinspace/info.html)?The cross will be over You personally! The Cross will be over every Nation on earth! Over Afghanistan! Saudi Arabia! Jerusalem!More like Jewrusalem, amirite?

[Halcyon Dayz]

I knew there were different versions of the 10 Commandments (and that most "Christian" Americans are only familiar with the Charlton Heston version), but I didn't know the Catholic version didn't include the prohibition against graven images. Thanks!


Actualy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments) it does, but the phrase Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol is coupled to the preceding phrase Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Which leaves lots of room for interpretation.

So you can't have golden calves but you can have a crucifix. Which is definitely a graven image.

In the Byzantine Empire in the early Middle Ages there were two periods during which iconoclasm was official policy.
In both cases as a response to military defeats, interpreted by the emperor as punishments from god over the 'graven images' issue.
It led to strong resistance and sometime violence.
Ironically in both cases iconodulism was restored by women, emperor Irene and empress-regent Theodora, who were both later glorified as saints by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

(Byzantine history is fascinating. :D)

[Soapy Sam]

Arthur Blessit! Gosh, that takes me back. He came to Scotland with his cross when I was in High School in the early 1970s. As I recall, it was more half size than full size- and it was on wheels. I don't think he carried it very far.

He had quite the effect on various religious types at my school. I recall wondering if "Blessit" was his real name.

[Tanstaafl]

Only the Protestants.

(Look it up if you don't understand this, but the section in Deuteronomy and/or Exodus that has "the ten commandments" doesn't have a list labelled 1-10. It has quite a few more sentences. Catholics, Protestants, and Jews all break it out differently to get to 10. Only in the Protestant version does "Thou shalt make no graven images" get its own number.)


Sooo... if it doesn't get its own number, you don't have to follow it?

Seems to me it's still a commandment even if it's not (by itself) one of the ten commandments.

[kmortis]

Sooo... if it doesn't get its own number, you don't have to follow it?

Seems to me it's still a commandment even if it's not (by itself) one of the ten commandments.

Well, there are 217 laws listed in Leviticus. Take your pick.