God is being held hostage!

[Wezil]

Villagers confine turtle, proclaiming it God
By REUTERS


BHUBANESWAR, India, Nov. 10 (Reuters Life!) - Hundreds of poor Hindu villagers in eastern India have refused to hand over a rare turtle to authorities, saying it is an incarnation of God, officials said on Tuesday.

Villagers chanting hymns and carrying garlands, bowls of rice and fruits are pouring in from remote villages to a temple in Kendrapara, a coastal district in eastern Orissa state.

Policemen have struggled to control the gathering and have failed to persuade the villagers to give up the sea turtle.

“We have asked the villagers to hand it over as it is illegal to confine a turtle, but they are refusing,” said P.K. Behera, a senior government wildlife official.

The turtle is protected in India and anyone found keeping one without permission can be jailed for a year or more and fined.

But adamant villagers have refused to give up the reptile, saying the turtle bears holy symbols on its back and is an incarnation of Lord Jagannath, a popular Hindu deity.

“Lord Jagannath has visited our village in the form of a turtle. We will not allow anybody to take the turtle away,” said Ramesh Mishra, a priest of the temple.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2009/11/10/11696751-reuters.html

Someone should organise a rescue mission.

[DinoDoc]

Misleading thread title!

[Wezil]

Why? Do you think he is staying willingly? Enjoying the fruit and rice?

[loinburger]

I have no reason to believe that the turtle is even aware that he is being held captive and/or being worshiped. He's probably just enjoying the food.

[DaShi]

Here's a religion with a real physical representation of god, and Ben continues to believe that christianity hookey.

[Wezil]

I have no reason to believe that the turtle is even aware that he is being held captive and/or being worshiped. He's probably just enjoying the food.

I admit my knowledge of god like sea turtles is limited but wouldn't you expect a sea turtle to return to the sea at some point?

[ZEE]

bastards.

[MrFun]

I think I threw away a napkin one time that was actually God.

[Wezil]

I've been looking for a picture of God Turtle but I don't think they have cameras in that part of the world.

[loinburger]

The cameras in that part of the world steal your soul so they're used sparingly.

[Wezil]

Maybe God Turtle forbids His picture being taken.

[rah]

Or any representation of him.

[BlackCat]

Well, maybe one of my fellow countrymen could make a drawing

[Wezil]

You'll have angry Hindus on your ass.

[David Floyd]

Villagers chanting hymns and carrying garlands, bowls of rice and fruits are pouring in from remote villages to a temple in Kendrapara, a coastal district in eastern Orissa state.

And people wonder why there are millions of starving people in India

Those same people try to make me feel guilty for not doing anything "to help"

Maybe the starvation has to do with a)this kind of idiocy, and b)the kind of idiocy that precludes starving people from eating cows

Oh well, less stupid people in the world this way, I guess....