where did the idea that if you blaspheme, you might get struck by God with lightning come from? did it ever happen in the Bible, or do you think it could be a modern adaptation of “fire from heaven”?
Wasn’t there a story in News of the Weird of a guy who went up on the roof of his house during a thunderstorm and dared God to hit him and he was struck by lightning? I can’t find it right now.
ooh, what’s the address for new of the weird? i went to their website once. i was pretty interesting, but i forgot the address.
Several years ago, an old friend of mine clambered up on top of the chimney of my house. There was a thunderstorm going on, and he stood up there with a beer and a toy M-16, railing at the storm. “Come and get me, God!,” he roared. “I got violence in one hand and alcohol in the other! You can’t touch me!” A bolt of lightning split a big tree about 50 yards away. The police came and said the neighbors were complaining about the hollering. Dave came down off the roof. Though he has gone through some mighty hard times since then, he is still alive and working in my home town.
I’m not making this up, folks. I was there. I refuse to guess what theological lesson this might hold for us, if any.
Didn’t Zeus use lightning bolts as punishment? And Thor was the god of Thunder, from which in infer he might have also had the ability to toss the odd lightning bolt around.
Anyway, I guess I’m saying that I suspect it goes back pretty far.
The odd lightning bolt, eh?
From a theological standpoint I’d have to say no matter where this notion came from it’s just plain silly. It would imply that the only reason you shouldn’t do something is because you will be punished. I’d go further, but I’m in the wrong place.
Not exactly lightning, but I believe that God did “smite” me once. I was running an internet radio show and going off on a long & passionate anti-Christian rant (triggered by nasty letter I got from Keith Green Ministries for posting his lyrics on my website) and once I was done, the power went out. Coincidence? Naah…like Morpheus, I see Providence. 
There’s several instances in the Bible about God smiting the puny mortals who displease him, but I can’t recall any that specifically involve lightning. I do know that some Catholic sects forbid placing lightning rods on your house…
Wouldn’t it have made more sense to cut the power before the broadcast? It seems that some deity was keeping the power going until the impotant message had been preached.
God never strikes anyone with lightning in the Bible. That whole biz comes from Greek mythology and Zeus. In my experience, the Almighty Dude is generally more subtle than that. (Altho you never know; you won’t find me standing on the roof during a thunderstorm yelling “God sucks!” 
)
You call flattening a city with molten sulphur and turning a woman into a cruet set subtle?
Which Catholic “sects” would this be? I am very interested in seeing a cite for this.
Note that I said “generally more subtle” 
Of course, those people who do manage to incite God to anger tend to be Really, Really Fucked ™
As to the OP, I think it actually comes from Greek myth, where Zeus fought with lightening bolts forged by the cyclops.
There’s a great story about the famous drag queen Bert Savoy—too great to be true, sadly. He actually was killed by lightning in 1923, while walking on Jones Beach with friends. The story goes, he heard a rumbling storm approaching and said, “Mmm-mm! Ain’t Miss God kickin’ up somethin’ fierce!” and was promptly struck dead.
You know, I’ve heard stories about people spraying coffee/Pepsi/herbal tea all over their monitors when they read something incredibly funny, but it’s never happened to me. Until now.
[still chuckling]
Father Divine was a “cult” leader of the '30s who claimed to be god, and who led an interracial congregation that often lived communally (and celibately). The neighbors complained about one of their households and took them to court. The judge found for the neighbors, and Father Divine was effectively banished from New York.
The judge died of a heart attack a few months later. “Well,” said Father Divine, “I hated to do it.”
That’s a great story twickster. I wonder where old Father Devine is now.
Zeus is known to let loose a few bolts but Jupiter (Roman equavlant of Greek Zeus) is the one who usually use lightining to strike down mortals.
Some years back in my neighbor-neighborhood (the one next to mine) a guy reportedly got in a fight with his parents about God and said “There is as much chance of there being a God as there is me being hit by lightening!” and sure enough, he was hit by lightening after he left the house. He got a little zap on his head and was fine, and was a believer after that.