pastor electrocuted during baptism

[MnFats]

without any comment:


WACO, Texas -- A pastor performing a baptism was electrocuted inside his church Sunday morning after grabbing a microphone while partially submerged, a church employee said.
The Rev. Kyle Lake, 33, was standing in water up to his shoulder in a baptismal at University Baptist Church when he was electrocuted, said Jamie Dudley, a church business administrator and wife of another pastor there.
Doctors in the congregation performed chest compressions, she said. Lake was taken by ambulance to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, where nursing supervisor Pat Mahl said he was pronounced dead.
The woman Lake was baptizing was not injured, Dudley said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Pastor_Electrocuted.html

[goodboy]

1. "I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy SHIIIIIIIIT!"

[Montauk6]

2. This is NOT funny....

:rofl:

[pfitz59]

3. This is SOOOOOOOO funny!

God called him home!

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

12. that is soooo SAD !-the poor man - EVEN sadder that you think it's funny

nothing funny about electrocution--sorry

[LostinVA]

29. It's not funny.... but it's so stupid

Grabbing a mike while partially submerged in water.... God... major Darwin Award fodder.

[MnFats]

11. yes, I agree. that's why I posted it wo/comment. But...

...I do think Rev. Lake has seized the lead for the 2005 Darwin Awards. But, yes, it's tragic that people, presumably kids, had to witness that.

[merwin]

15. I'm trying so hard not to laugh, but it's irony at it's finest.

[okieinpain]

25. think 6 feet under........ it is pretty hilarious. I'm pretty sure

he thought so once he got to the pearly gates.

[jobycom]

4. I'd make one of the obvious jokes but that's just far too tragic.

That poor congregation had to witness it. Very sad.

[Journeyman]

5. At least no one intelligent was hurt . . .

The Reverand was standing in water up to his shoulders . . . when he (grabbed a microphone and) was electrocuted . . .

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. Join us now in celebration

To each child a generation....

[Vektor]

7. Umm. Geez. I'm not really sure this is funny.

Maybe in an ironic sort of way, but I can't really laugh because someone got electrocuted. :shrug:

Edited to add: I know, I know, I'm a TOTAL buzzkill... :-)

[muse]

22. I agree with you, Vektor!

Whatcha doin' posting on the Texas thread? Never know where I'll find you . . .

muse

[LiberalFighter]

8. I guess they don't have any members that are electricians

or they would had warned the pastor.

Must had been one of those plugged in type microphones.

[struggle4progress]

19. When I was a kid, we all learned in elementary school to keep ..

.. away from electrical devices when wet or when standing in water.

I bet none of my friends would even have touched a light switch with a damp hand.

[longship]

9. God does funny things all the time.

I remember a play on PBS in the 70's called "Steam Bath" where everybody who died ended up in a steam bath with a Puerto Rican attendent. As it turns out the attendent is god. Occasionally he pulls out a machine and starts having people die in the most bizarre and humorous ways. The play starred Bill Bixby as one of the guys in the steam bath.

I've always thought that if there is a god, he must have a sense of humor. Of course, as an atheist, I don't worry too much about it.

[pinto]

14. That was a great play....n/t

[okieinpain]

26. funny

[johnfunk]

10. It's evolution in action!

When I was a child, even I knew enough to never never NEVER touch anything made of metal hooked into wall current if you're standing in water. Doing such a thing has a way of removing teh less-than-intelligent from the gene pool (not to mention the baptismal font).

[BlueIris]

13. Yikes.

It sounds like it was an accident. The kind of thing that could happen to anyone. I can't believe I'm actually reading posts from members of the "kill the stupid" portion of our allegedly progressive community on THIS board. Disgusting.

[TexasBushwhacker]

37. I would imagine he believed in "intelligent design"

but then again .....

[jazzjunkysue]

16. I think in Texas they call that shock and awe?

Oh, come on. Like you're not laughing outloud.

After all, god did it, right? It's all part of the intelligent design. They guy had something he absolutely had to say, and it wasn't, "somebody get me a towel."

:eyes:

[jazzjunkysue]

17. This smut deserves to be sent all the way back to the Texas thread where i

it belongs.

Wonder if the line for the baptisms will be shorter tomorrow?

Why do they make it so easy?

[Zorro]

18. This is a tragic accident

It's easy to take a cheap shot at the pastor's expense, but I googled his name and learned a little bit more about him.

You might find it enlightening to do the same thing. Whether a believer or not, it looks to me like he was dedicated to making a difference in this world. And I can respect that.

May he rest in peace. My condolences to his family.

[struggle4progress]

20. It IS tragic .But local news described it as a "freak accident" ..

.. which I find disturbing, because this was entirely preventable.

Local Pastor Dies In Freak Baptism Accident

Rev. Kyle Lake, the pastor of Waco’s University Baptist Church, died Sunday morning in a freak accident during a baptism as his congregation looked on in horror ...

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/1931747.html

[bmbmd]

33. Says the microphone

fell into the baptistry. Sounds accidental.

[struggle4progress]

34. Other accounts say he was electrocuted ..

.. when he grabbed the microphone. The consistent combination is that he grabbed the mike and then dropped it in the water, perhaps because he got a shock from it. But I suppose it is also possible that he was happily holding the mike and it slipped from his hand. That wouldn't change my view that "freak accident" is inappropriate.

Tragic? Yes. Accident? Yes, in the sense that it was unintended. Freak? No, it was entirely foreseeable and suggests a negligent attitude.

Any way I parse it, the death seems to have been preventable. Nobody with any safety sense would allow an electrical device close enough to fall in. Nobody with any safety sense would grab a mike while immersed. And certainly nobody with half a brain and ordinary human decency would hand a mike to an immersed person.

[superconnected]

21. He was only 33, that is very sad.

[brentspeak]

23. A few unbelievably shameless posters on this thread

A man is dead due to a freak accident. But some people in this thread (hardly representative of the average Democrat), in their zeal to laugh and point a finger at anything linked to Christianity, find is humorous that a pastor died in such a manner. Funny. Ha.Ha. Congrats - you've just announced yourselves as unofficial members of the Lunatic Fringe.

[WatchWhatISay]

27. Surprises me that DUers would be so crass

The man had three children. I'm not religious at all, and a LOT of things the fundies do really seems WRONG to me. But he was someones father, someones son, someones husband, etc. And we have no reason to believe that he ever did anything harmful to anyone.

Some of us need a lesson in tolerance. Hate to see us act like those we despise.

[jazzjunkysue]

30. "Give me the microphone! Now!"

It's the need to be heard, here, that makes it funny. I mean, like the guydoesn't already have their attention? He's in a tub of water with some stranger, but he's afraid everyone might not hear him?

Remember, these are people who want to run your life, including your uterus. When they tell me they're more deserving than I am because they subscribe to these wierd rituals, well, that kinda leaves them open to a little humor.

[Nihil]

28. This was NOT a "freak accident", it was blatant stupidity.

Up to your shoulders in water and requesting a mains-powered electrical
device is no way a "freak accident", it is just plain stupid.

It wouldn't matter if the guy was a Catholic, Protestant, Moslem or
Atheist - it is still plain stupid.

The world has a way of dealing with terminal stupidity, whether you
choose to pray or not.

Definitely a Darwin Award nomination but I hope that his death will
save others from repeating his dumb actions.

[truthisfreedom]

24. people, do yourselves a favor. buy wireless microphones for any outdoor or

wet situation, whether it's your church or boy scout troop. it's worth the extra money... they can save a life. there's even versions that are only about $50... they're very easy to use. you put a battery in the mic and turn it on, and the old mic cord connects to a little base station backstage, which you have to power up with a wall-wart or batteries. that's it. no cords to trip over, and nobody dies.

here's a model that i found with google (using froogle i found it at $38! that's cheaper than a regular wired mic!)

nady dkw-1

any situation where you might be using a mic in weather makes these things ABSOLUTELY necessary. electric guitars are another hazard... outdoor concerts have killed many unsuspecting musicians! ground-fault interrupt (GFI) outlets should always be used with outdoor amplification gear, and if you don't have one handy, use a ground-fault interrupt power strip... they're available now. these things can generally detect if someone is being electrocuted and will shut down the power instantly. they're required in bathrooms and garages in most cities in the US now. they're also found on blow-dryer and curling-iron cords because they are located near bath tubs and toilets and sinks.

[momisold]

31. Of course this was preventable

but have you never done something without thinking? Like being preoccupied and stepping out in front of a bus? or putting your uncovered hands on a pan that has just come out of the oven? or walked off from something boiling on the stove and the item burning?

This man had probably baptized hundreds of people in his lifetime, and he wasn't electrocuted on all the other baptisms. It was a simple, fatal mistake, and to criticize him or call him stupid is very inhumane.

I wish I was as perfect as all of you.

[Bouncy Ball]

41. I wish you were, too.

But to stand shoulder deep in water, then grab a microphone powered by electricity is something most people over say, oh seven years old would have better sense than to do.

Burning your hand on the stove is not the same as standing shoulder deep in water and thinking "hhmmm, think I'll grab this microphone!"

Geez. I mean, I'm sorry for his family, but my God. Critical thinking skills are GOOD.

[johncoby2]

32. Why was he up to his shoulders in the water?

What the hell were they doing?

Whats wrong with dumping a cup of water on your head?

[momisold]

35. Some believe in total immersion

as was shown in the Bible.

[Lisa0825]

36. Even then, the pastor is usually in up to his waist...

the person getting baptised either kneels forward or is let to drop backwards as the pastor holds him/her steady. Pastors are not usually in up to their shoulders.

[jazzjunkysue]

38. Apparently, it's not enough to just drink the cool aid...

[madamheidi84]

39. this isn't really funny to me either.

I'm a baptist and was baptized in elementary school, so someone being killed during a religous ritual such as this isn't really chuckle worthy to moi. I just feel bad for this guy's family.

I loathe fundies with the fire of a 1,000 suns, but stories of people who just happen to be christian dying horrible deaths doesn't produce within me any sort of glee or satisfaction. If the story comes out that this guy was the webmaster for the "God Hates Fags" website or something like that then I may let loose a ha or two.

[chalky]

40. Judging by the books on the reading list of UBC Waco

(http://www.ubcwaco.org/2004/ubc_HOLDER2.html) I would say that Kyle Lake had an interesting and progressive ministry.

Some of the books include:Velvet Elvis--"Bell wants to offer 'a fresh take on Jesus'—a riff that begins with the assertion that Jesus wanted to 'call people to live in tune with reality' and that he 'had no use for religion.' Bell invites seekers into a Christianity that has room for doubts (his church recently hosted an evening where doubters were invited to ask their hardest, most challenging questions). He mocks literalists whose faith seems to depend on a six-day creation, and one of his favorite people is a woman who turned up repeatedly at his church, only to tell him that she totally disagreed with his teachings."

A New Kind of Christian-- "....Here he has adopted the fictional tale of an earnest, very conservative pastor who has become so burned out in his church life that he is planning to quit the pastorate. Instead, he makes friends with his daughter's science teacher, who leads him to an enthusiastic embracing of postmodernism as applied to the Christian message. In this fictional conversation, McLaren describes this process as a journey of Holy Spirit-guided faith "through the winds and currents of change." His conservative pastor character comes to accept the Bible as a premodern text that presents its message in story and does not have to conform to our modern expectations."

and Traveling Mercies, by Anne Lamott--"Anne Lamott admits that she's 'ever so slightly more anxious than the average hypochondriac.' When faced with a small, irregular mole and a family history of skin cancer, however, she remembers her faith in God and enjoys some peace--despite behaving 'a little more like Nathan Lane in The Birdcage than I would have hoped.'"

(Although I must admit that I give a thumbs up to any ministry that has Anne Lamott on the recommended reading list.)

It seems to me that Kyle Lake may have made a stupid mistake, but he wasn't a stupid man.

We lost one of the good guys in this accident.


eta link & comment -- also loved the note on a screwed up file on the podcast page -- "Apologies, this file got screwed up (by Satan)." Hee. Gotta love Christians who have a sense of humor.