Gaubage
November 26, 2003 | 2 Comments
Anecdotal evidence of “miracles” is frequently offered as proof of God’s existence. And so a concerned reader once tried to convert blogger Eliza of Fembat with an amazing tale of God’s intervention after she made a passing reference to her atheism in a post about marriage. He provided her with a book excerpt recounting the story of Ken Gaub, a burnt-out traveling missionary who, while on the road neary Dayton, Ohio one day in the 1970’s, prayed for a sign to give him strength to continue his work. Moments later, after dropping his family off at a randomly-selected pizza parlor, he strolled over to a Dairy Queen and heard a pay phone ringing at an adjacent service station. Answering it, he heard the long distance operator announce a person-to-person call to Ken Gaub.
The caller was a depressed woman who had seen him on television and knew he could help her if only she could talk to him. She prayed, and the numbers to the pay phone entered her head just as she was finishing a suicide note. So apparently God doesn’t always object to tests.
Gaub’s story appears, with minor variations, in numerous sites on the internet (Google “Ken Gaub” + “Dayton” for a representative listing). Most sites leave out the reference to the decade of the alleged miracle, apparently to preserve its freshness. Interestingly, however, there’s one site that leaves out the story altogether.
The website of Ken Gaub Ministries.
Gaub boasts there of many other honors he’s received: a 1990 Medal of Merit in 1990 from President George Bush; a 1991 J. Edgar Hoover Gold Medal award for distinguished public service; a 1992 Vice Presidential “Certificate of Commendation” from Vice President Dan Quayle; and a presidential award from former President Ronald Reagan. So modesty doesn’t seem to be a factor in the omission. Why leave out the most direct evidence of your Heavenly Connection — a phone call arranged by God?
Gaub does a hawk a book on the site — “God’s Got Your Number” — which presumably includes his encounter with divinity. But until you’ve shelled out your $10 to get it, you won’t know just how special he is. I’m assuming he’s concerned with first impressions: why scare off customers with a hint that you might be insane, or, more probably a big, fat, fucking liar?
November 26th, 2003 @ 1:17 pm
Gaubage
The Raving Atheist has posted an entry about an email I recently received about my religious stance, entitled Gaubage. Anecdotal evidence of
November 26th, 2003 @ 4:02 pm
i agree, whata fucking liar. But it got me thinking, why doesn’t the raving atheist fund his blog with sales from his new book on anecdotal miricle stories. I’m sure he’s heard enough to fill a book and think how sweet it would be if christians payed for his bandwith. Of coarse there have to be a little espionage as to the author’s true feelings, but that’s what epilogues are for. “why i love jesus” By Ravi. A. Theist.