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Can You Beat This as the Stupidest Xtian Belief Ever?

In the Book of revelations there is a verse that speaks about the Mark of the Beast (traditionally 666) eventually being emblazoned on humans by Satan. Here's the verse:

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16,17 (KJV)
If you Google "Revelation 13:16 UPC" or "Rev 13:116 Barcode" you will see thousands of sites that will swear that UPC codes, the bar codes that track inventory and sales for virtually every product on the planet, is the work of Satan. Those that don't credit it directly to satan see them as being tools that Satan will use and a precursor to his arrival now that UPC codes have been so widely accepted.

This isn't a new delusion. It's been going around for years. But what's amazing is how a new technology that has vastly improved inventory management and product identification, a benefit to business and consumer alike, has been given some supernatural ominous meaning by the theistically deluded.

I have to rate this as the stupidest Xtian belief ever. Have you a better one?

Tags: barcode, beast, mark, of, revelation, the, upc

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Permalink Reply by Dave Rogers on August 19, 2009 at 4:06pm

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.J...o....h.....n..3..:..1.....6

Sorry hump, bad attempt at religious Bar Code humor...

With so many freakin' crazy beliefs it's hard to rate them, but this one's up there.

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Permalink Reply by dromedaryhump on August 19, 2009 at 4:45pm

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Permalink Reply by Goz on August 20, 2009 at 4:05pm

Yeah it is. I heard about this years ago..They never cease to amaze me.

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Permalink Reply by Projectile Vomit on August 24, 2009 at 10:07pm

I've heard that about barcodes, social security numbers and credit card numbers.

Maybe when the Duggars (sp?) have their six hundred and sixty sixth child, the bowels of satan will burst forth in a torrent of poo, which will signify the end of times (as well as the necessity for a superduper absorbent polytuple-ply toilet paper).

Y'know, proper sleep would probably prevent me from posting replies such as this.

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Permalink Reply by Libertino816 on August 25, 2009 at 12:23am

Stupidity is infinite ....

Some time b/t 1993 and 1998 some nut was arrested ( almost ) in front of my Mothers house Near Duluth MN. I am not sure what lead to the 125 MPH chase up the Hwy but I remember extremely vividly the police putting this man ( I am guessing in his early 30s) in the back of a squad car. The whole time shouting "IT'S BAR CODES, IT'S BAR CODES, BAR CODES ARE WITCHCRAFT!"

Two things... first Wiccans (Witches) are nature loving pantheists and I doubt very much that they use bar-codes for any thing in their religion.

And second alto I found this funny in a way. I also understood that the man was scared.

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Permalink Reply by Miisa on August 25, 2009 at 12:55am

So, shouldn't some groups be lobbying for something like SSN/credit info tattoos on everyone in order to bring forth the end times?

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Permalink Reply by Libertino816 on August 25, 2009 at 2:57am

Yes and No... Christians... OK SOME Christians think that memorization is like having it on your forehead... I was in a restaurant where a man who believed this was harassing the waitress telling her "it's the sing of the beast" (note that he said sing of not mark of) "you should get rid of it."

Or that holding a Credit or SSN card in you had is the same as on you hand... Taking that logic my house key could be a sign of the beast... Then with my house that would explain a lot...

Most of the Christians who I know or knew who believe that the bar-codes, credit card numbers, SSNs, and RFID chips (computer chips) are a sign of, a sign of the end times

Take a search on YouTube for 'mark of the beast chip' and you will come up with people who think that a RFID chip in the hand is the same as on the hand. Christians seem to be good at changing the words to fit when it's in their favor.

One woman I know said that it is so because there is a computer in Europe that has the name "THE BEAST" and that is proof. A serial number ( ya I know and you know people used serial number long b/f computers ) or even more so a bar-code is something that a computer uses, b/c it does not have to be the name or 666. By the way one of the 6's has to be up-side-down too (but not a 9). I did point out to her that her son named his car "The Beast" too....

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Permalink Reply by AcesLucky on August 25, 2009 at 5:50am

Living in the belly of a big fish.

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Permalink Reply by Frank Haislip on August 25, 2009 at 6:04am

How about, "George W. Bush chosen by God..."

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Permalink Reply by Libertino816 on August 25, 2009 at 10:53am

I think your on to something. I use to hear that one all the time.

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Permalink Reply by Mihai on August 25, 2009 at 6:47am

Virgin birth maybe?

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Permalink Reply by Wiley Coyote on August 25, 2009 at 8:07am

Yeah, the stupidest xtian belief I can think of is that some omnipotent being who created everything, came down to Earth and raped a girl (his daughter if we're all his children) so she could give birth to him so that he could be nailed to a hunk of wood to save us all from his own wrath. I'd be more astonished to hear about one of their beliefs that isn't stupid.