# Incredibly stupid quote of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 6, 2016, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795 "2016-11-06T08:50:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/1 "2016-11-06T08:50:03Z")
Todd Kohlhepp just confessed to killing 7 people and burying their bodies on his property. The local sheriff was baffled until a woman was found chained up in a storage container, which broke open the case. The [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/suspect-accused-of-holding-woman-captive-called-a-devil/2016/11/05/8ca7c0fe-a3bc-11e6-8864-6f892cad0865_story.html) said: > [@](#): > > Todd Kohlhepp accepted responsibility for an unsolved 13-year-old massacre one day before the 13th anniversary of the deaths that stumped authorities, said Sheriff Chuck Wright, first elected a year after the murders. > > Kohlhepp, 45, confessed to the deaths of the owner, service manager, mechanic and bookkeeper of Superbike Motorsports, a motorcycle shop in Chesnee, in Spartanburg County. > > “God answered our prayers. If it wasn’t for Him answering our prayers and Todd talking to us, I don’t know that we’d ever solve that case,” Wright said. _God answered our prayers._ What kind of God permits killing 7 people but is praised for revealing the killer (13 years later)? That’s a god we should have nothing but contempt for, but the Sheriff worships Him. See you in church next Sunday, Chuck. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/2 "2016-11-06T09:00:47Z")
Belief in prayer is roughly analogous to keeping your spouse’s desiccated corpse in your house and rubbing it periodically, hoping it will come back to life and grant you wishes. It is clearly insane, but there’s no talking the insane person out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/3 "2016-11-06T09:14:12Z")
It’s so nice to be insane, No one asks you to explain… – Alan O’Day ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/4 "2016-11-06T09:19:28Z")
It’s so nice to be insane, No one asks you to explain… – Alan O’Day ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/5 "2016-11-06T09:22:57Z")
God is a busy guy – he’s got the whole universe to deal with, and not a lot of help. You take what you can get, I guess. He may not have been watching when those seven people were killed, but then again, the same day he saved 28 zxilytes in the Epsilon Cassiopeiae system when their Illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator malfunctioned. Can’t be everywhere at once. It’s the same reason hurricanes sometimes head directly for conservatives instead of the gays they’re intended for. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/6 "2016-11-06T09:28:14Z")
Sorry about the dupe post. According to [isitdownrightnow.com](http://isitdownrightnow.com), the Dope was down for a few minutes and I kept getting server errors. Let’s see if this post will work. > [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s the same reason hurricanes sometimes head directly for conservatives instead of the gays they’re intended for. I thought that gays _caused_ them. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/7 "2016-11-06T10:51:41Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I thought that gays _caused_ them. No, we’re just the targets. Get your facts straight. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/8 "2016-11-06T10:52:17Z")
So obviously this guy who had a woman chained up in a shipping container for two months is a serial killer, right? But what … you know what, never mind, I can’t think about this. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/9 "2016-11-06T15:45:19Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > _God answered our prayers._ What kind of God permits killing 7 people but is praised for revealing the killer (13 years later)? That’s a god we should have nothing but contempt for, but the Sheriff worships Him. See you in church next Sunday, Chuck. I’m an atheist. I find this an uncharitable view of human psychology. Language is full of metaphors and anthropomorphism. You most likely engage in similar magical thinking, just with different euphemisms, such as saying “thank goodness,” or considering yourself lucky at one point or another. If you want to mock bad religious ideas I’d think there are better targets out there. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/10 "2016-11-06T17:27:08Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > I’m an atheist. I find this an uncharitable view of human psychology. Language is full of metaphors and anthropomorphism. You most likely engage in similar magical thinking, just with different euphemisms, such as saying “thank goodness,” or considering yourself lucky at one point or another. If you want to mock bad religious ideas I’d think there are better targets out there. So if you lost a child or spouse to cancer, you’d say, “God answers our prayers” and everyone would know that this was just a metaphor? What would you say if you won the lottery – “God is a cruel bastard”? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/11 "2016-11-06T17:46:40Z")
I’m never entirely sure I understand Tom Waits lyrics, but this one seems appropriate. “God’s Away On Business”. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/W9mhsW5aWJM/hqdefault.jpg "Tom Waits - "God's Away On Business"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9mhsW5aWJM) When I was a kid, I asked god to make my brother sober again. And only 35 years later, god answered my prayer. Of course, now my brother is dying a slow and painful death as cancer eats his face from the inside out. Maybe I should have asked god to make him quit smoking instead. God’s not a mind reader after all. Oh, no, I know! We’re still dealing with the Old Testament god, and the cancer is punishment for my brother’s sins. That makes sense now. Whew! For a minute there I started to doubt my faith. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/12 "2016-11-06T19:22:01Z")
So, it is your belief that the Sheriff (and his neighbors) literally made prayers unto their God that they would be able to solve that case? Perhaps on their knees by their bed with their hands folded, just before going to bed? Or, perhaps the phrase, “God answered our prayers” is a just a figure of speech used to mean “What we were all hoping for has finally happened”. I’m with **marshmallow**. If you want to poke fun at people for their beliefs, go ahead, but this is pretty lame. Kind of like getting upset at someone saying “God bless you” when you sneeze. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/13 "2016-11-06T19:35:28Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > No, we’re just the targets. Get your facts straight. So you’re conceding that straight facts are better? The family values people will all over this muddled gay propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/14 "2016-11-06T19:40:53Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > I’m an atheist. I find this an uncharitable view of human psychology. Language is full of metaphors and anthropomorphism. You most likely engage in similar magical thinking, just with different euphemisms, such as saying “thank goodness,” or considering yourself lucky at one point or another. If you want to mock bad religious ideas I’d think there are better targets out there. Meh, this sounds similar to the criticism of Dawkins’ book that people are too sophisticated to believe in _that_ kind of god, so it’s all attacking a straw man. The majority or mainstream Christians believe in the literal power of prayer. At the fringe, some believe in it so deeply that they withhold life-saving medical treatment from their children. It’s not a metaphor for most Christians, and it deserves ridicule until it becomes one. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/15 "2016-11-06T19:42:56Z")
Apropos of this, Sam Harris on Dubya: > [@](#): > > The president of the United States has claimed, on more than one occasion, to be in dialogue with God. If he said that he was talking to God through his hairdryer, this would precipitate a national emergency. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim more ridiculous or offensive. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/16 "2016-11-06T20:08:12Z")
**Riemann** , you seem to be a worthwhile addition to the board. Welcome. What, you didn’t know there was a one-year tryout period? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/17 "2016-11-06T20:22:44Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > **Can’t be everywhere at once**. It’s the same reason hurricanes sometimes head directly for conservatives instead of the gays they’re intended for. (Bolding mine.) No, you can’t be everywhere at once. Unless you’re omnipresent or something. But who would expect that out of a mere god? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/18 "2016-11-06T20:32:27Z")
God has to be in the bathtub once in a while, doesn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/19 "2016-11-06T20:40:41Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > **Riemann** , you seem to be a worthwhile addition to the board. Welcome. > > What, you didn’t know there was a one-year tryout period? I lurked for several years, mainly reading interesting GQ stuff, before I finally decided to join, so I don’t feel like a newcomer. Eventually, somebody was so wrong on the internet that I had no alternative but to de-lurk. I forget my first post, now, so it can’t have been so important. In any event, I don’t regret it - there aren’t too many places with civilized ROE on the interwebs. It’s worrying to look back at zombies and see the number of seemingly sane and calm posters who somehow got banned. So my ambition is simply to accept the challenge of remaining unbanned for the next decade. Seriously, I think it would be a positive process for me to learn when to back off from unproductive and frustrating conversations - which I’m certainly not naturally good at. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795/20 "2016-11-06T20:44:05Z")
My trigger was somebody being wrong about The Simpsons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-stupid-quote-of-the-day/770795.md?page=2)