Denyoz Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 This was one cool moment in my life: Father Gaston Hurtubise fell on his face and died on stage while preaching about the love of Jesus. I was right there sitting in the fifth row with my parents. It happened on June 26, 1992, at the Ottawa Civic Centre, Canada, during a Charismatic Congress. I'll never forget what was going on in my mind just before he collapsed. I was thinking: "Oh God this guy is so boring. This is a charismatic congress, where is his charisma? Look at him with his Jesus costume, who does he think he is? Why do they even allow people like this to go on stage, now I have to listen to his crap for the next two hours. I wish he would just go away." Then he falls on his face and dies. I thought I had just killed him with my thoughts! It was so weird, I looked around me and wondered if maybe everyone in the auditorium had been wishing the same thing and all these negative vibes focused on him had caused his heart to stop beating. I thought this was a message that God didn't like boring catholic priests and that he preferred spirit-filled evangelists. The event was caught on video. Here is the original French (long) version: http://fr.gloria.tv/?media=120064 Here is the short version with English subtitles. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NcfTCBu2D4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I thought I had just killed him with my thoughts! It was so weird, I looked around me and wondered if maybe everyone in the auditorium had been wishing the same thing and all these negative vibes focused on him had caused his heart to stop beating. Oh no! How bizarre is that! So I guess the congregation thought God had taken him home at an opportune moment? So bizarre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene39 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Wow! That would suck to see that happen. I guess he died doing what he enjoyed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted February 25, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted February 25, 2012 In the context, it's odd that anyone there would try to subvert God's obvious will by using CPR. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denyoz Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 For a Christian it's quite bizzare to see this because you have to try to make sense of it and somehow make it fit inside God's perfect plan. Most of the people who witnessed it were saying: "Did you notice what his last words were..." and then they would quote him, as if a person's last words are somehow special or something, I don't know. Some were quoting Bible verses such as "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" meaning that you never know when God will come and get you, so you should be prepared. What immediately followed was a disappointment to me, because I was expecting some kind of sermon about Satan (or God) killing catholic priests, but instead, they asked all the priests in the congregation to come up on the stage, and then all the children to come and lay their hands on them, so that we could pray for them. They said "God is showing us that he wants us to pray for priests" and I was like "What? God wants those priests dead, can't you see?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConureDelSol Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 As someone with EMT training, those people who rushed to his side did COMPLETELY THE WRONG THING. You'd think for something that huge, they'd have medics standing by...they always had them at large-scale events like that I went to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted February 26, 2012 Moderator Share Posted February 26, 2012 That was a bit spooky to see someone die in front of you. Must have been the lords time, for the ole' guy to walk the streets of gold...... I once was cutting as man's hair and he had a huge heart attack right in my chair!! Had to call an ambulance! He is still alive today and blames me for giving him a bad haircut!! Lol.. It just wasn't his time yet? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToonForever Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Forgive me - I think that's horrific. I find nothing funny in it at all. It's a human life. He may have been deluded, but it was still the only life he had, and life, in the end, is all we have. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurari Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Forgive me - I think that's horrific. I find nothing funny in it at all. It's a human life. He may have been deluded, but it was till the only life he had, and life, in the end, is all we have. Agreed. This is really sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owen652 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 cool moment? seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ireckinso Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I once was cutting as man's hair and he had a huge heart attack right in my chair!! Had to call an ambulance! He is still alive today and blames me for giving him a bad haircut!! Lol.. It just wasn't his time yet? And that is why God didn't want him in heaven. He doesn't want people with crappy haircuts!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ireckinso Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Forgive me - I think that's horrific. I find nothing funny in it at all. It's a human life. He may have been deluded, but it was still the only life he had, and life, in the end, is all we have. I think it is more the irony that is funny, I wouldn't say his death was just the situation. Its also creepy that they had children come up and lay hands on priests to pray for them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Death happens to everyone, of course, and it is just unusual, to say the least, to see it on stage or in a public setting. Probably the best one can say is that apparently it was very quick, and the man was doing what he had dedicated his life to doing and found most meaningful (hopefully) - preaching. Its rather strange that death being such a universal and inevitable event that I have managed to live over 50 years without ever seeing a person die or a dead body. I am sure it is partly because our culture hides it as much as possible. We live in a strange time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denyoz Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 cool moment? seriously? I admit, "cool" might not be the best choice of word to describe this moment, but it's difficult to find a word that does. I'm sorry if it sounds disrespectful. I meant it in the sense that "Here is something you don't see very often." Also, you have to remember that nobody knew that he was actually dead at that moment, most of us thought that he had probably just fainted. The ambulance came and got him, and we only learned the next day that he was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital. That's when reality set in, but we didn't have the video. I found this video last year. So imagine my surprise when I saw it. I thought to myself: "Wow, this is cool!" The fact that I found the video 19 years later, watched it and relived the moment and remembered what went on in my mind. Would it have been better to post this in the Humor and Satire forum? I didn't think so, although if you look at the definition of the word "satire" (A literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change), that's exactly what it is. But due to the horrific way he died, I couldn't do that because what happened to him and his family is very sad. Nevertheless, this is the Ex-Christian website. And here you have a man who dedicated his life to Jesus. He sacrificed his sex life and financial life. He is a Christian and he is trying to convince others that God exists and loves us tenderly more than we can ever imagine. He also says that we humans have closed hearts and refuse to accept God's love. Then he falls on his face and dies in an undignifying manner while his loving all-powerful Father watches and does nothing while us humans run to try to save his life. Now isn't this exactly the purpose of this website, to try to show to Christians the irony of their faith? So yeah, I'm afraid to say that in this context, this video is probably the coolest thing ever. I'm sorry if it offends anybody, don't blame me, blame the reality of life. Peace, joy, freedom and prosperity of all. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentLoner Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Definitely an interesting experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Ironic would be a better term I think. But then I like to read the Darwin Awards. Talk about some funny and sometimes ironic deaths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephie Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Wow. I've heard stories about this happening but haven't actually seen it....not that I'd really want to but still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephie Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Ironic would be a better term I think. But then I like to read the Darwin Awards. Talk about some funny and sometimes ironic deaths. The Darwin awards are hilarious and ironic....the ones that get me are those that put a gun in their pants.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 When i was real young living in Florida, in the 1960s, my cousin and I saw a news lady shoot herself in the head on live television. I think the priest dying in church would be more traumatizing to those in assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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