p.s. i am disgusted with the ABC treatment of this tragic story !

Already posted here.

While this is a tragic story and I am praying for Rush's recovery, I must say something. Two weeks ago when Rush flailed headlong into Falwell and Robertson's comments about the WTC, I believe he commited his "cardinal sin." He began to discuss theology on his program.

Now as we all know, Rush is no theologian. He confessess a belief in God (though I seriously doubt if He knows the God as reveled in Jesus Christ.) He stated unequivocally, that God had nothing whatsoever to do with what happened in New York that day. He even went on to make some light and airy comments about God.

After hearing his ranting, I turned the radio off and told my wife that I would not be surprised if this didn't mark the demise of Rush's program. I am not a prophet, neither am I a son of a prophet, but I do know that you cannot blaspheme God and get away with it. I will be watching this closely.

I am wearing my "flame ratardant" clothing, so flame away.

Why what is ABC saying...not that they have any credibility, but always good to know what the enemy thinks!

Limbaugh confessed that his increasingly frequent absences over the summer had nothing to do with golf outings, as his audience was usually told, but instead were trips to the doctor.

Then he lied. Why?

BUMP.

See, we didn't know Rush was having health problems last week when he took off four days. He has been taking off so frequently that everyone just assumed he was on another golf outing. I was very sorry to hear about his hearing problem and pray that it can be medically addressed when he goes for another doctor's visit on Wednesday. In the meantime, Rush usually offers excellent substitute hosts. One of the substitutes, Dr. Walter Williams, is even more entertaining than Rush, but could Walter sustain a program in the long haul? That has been Rush's strength -- day in and day out in the political trenches.

BECAUSE HE WASN'T ABOUT TO PANDER FOR SYMPATHY, AND IF HE HAD BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, SO BE IT. IF YOU REALLY UNDERSTOOD THE WAY LIMBAUGH THINKS, YOU WOULDN'T ASK WHY.

Well, like WTC itself, I'm not so sure his deafness is a punishment from God. Bad things happen to sound Christians as well. And some very horrible "Christians" like televangelists seem to sail along. But your observation on the shallowness of his ideas of God is typical. It reminds me of how O'Reilly describes himself as a Catholic. Very shallow. When they say something about Christianity, you get the impression their knowledge of God and the Bible is very theoretical or based on hearsay. I don't think you could ever get either one of them to actually quote a Bible verse. They would be too embarassed. This reminds me of a lot of what I would call quietly atheist conservatives. They don't really believe themselves but seek to limit any religious dialog to the notion of a God which is far far away and unceasingly benevolent. They think that God is kind of like Santa Claus.

Explain Rush's hearing loss starting in May in regardes to his comments about Falwell, Robertson, and God just weeks ago.

Through this whole thing, I keep thinking about how Rush was always quick to ridicule Janet Reno's Parkinson's Disease by playing "Shake, Rattle, and Roll." While I take no joy in Rush's ailment, it seems that karma is alive and well in the universe.

Rush always described himself as a Chrstian and stated numerous times that his political beliefs come from his Christian beliefs. He just didn't want his show to be a forum for various theoogies.

If you read his firstbook, you would know his belief concerning abortion came directly from his belief in God.

No one would have been tempted to make fun of Janet Reno's physical condition if had not been so obvious that she had no business continuing in office as Attorney General. When she would come out on the 11th hour of the 29th day of a 30-day extension of the deadline on investigating Chinagate, and announce that she hadn't yet been able to find any relevant evidence and needed ANOTHER 30-day delay, who could resist the thought that she was a total incompetent, a puppet being manipulated by clinton and the real powers in the Justice Department?

re:
"...I keep thinking about how Rush was always quick to ridicule
 Janet Reno's Parkinson's Disease by playing "Shake, Rattle, and Roll......"

You said more in that one sentence, than you imagine. Profound!

(Yet, the religious intolerant still don't understand)

Well, that explains the change in voice.

No one would have been tempted to make fun of Janet Reno's physical condition if had not been so obvious that she had no business continuing in office as Attorney General. When she would come out on the 11th hour of the 29th day of a 30-day extension of the deadline on investigating Chinagate, and announce that she hadn't yet been able to find any relevant evidence and needed ANOTHER 30-day delay, who could resist the thought that she was a total incompetent, a puppet being manipulated by clinton and the real powers in the Justice Department?

That speaks of politics, not her physical ability to continue in her job. Even if it were widely believed she was physically unable to continue, a la Strom Thurmond, staying on the job would be a purely medical decision made by her, her doctor, and her employer. Do you honestly think John Ashcroft would get the same treatment from Rush? In any case, ridiculing someone for their physical condition is small-minded and hate-mongering.

re:
"..I don't think you could ever get either one of them to actually
quote a Bible verse. They would be too embarassed. This reminds me
of a lot of what I would call quietly atheist conservatives......"

To assume people are atheists (not believing in a God), because
they do not subscribe to the notion that your version (or any version)
of a "bible" has any validity, is a bit intolerant to other's faiths, isn't it?

We just suffered massive deaths and destruction at the hands of a
very religious intolerant group; we are at war with those religious
intolerants. Throughout history, the most bitter wars were fought over
religious control, by religious intolerants... Jesus attempted to teach
there was one God, not one bible.

Whenever I wonder who the real Christians are, I only have to look to
those that demean other's beliefs, to see those that aren't.

 

 

I was shocked and saddened by the news of Rush's impending deafness.
Aside from his great and lasting contributions to conservativism over the past 13 years, Rush has been a special source of both information and entertainment for me.

I find the concept that bad things are always attributable to God rather ironic. No one knows the mind of God and where Rush is concerned, speculation regarding his affliction being somehow connected to disagreeing with Falwell is simply absurd.

Rush Limbaugh has been spectacularly successful and is a multi-millionaire as well as famous and admired by millions. Did not God bless Rush all these years? One comment that claimed God was not 'responsible' for the WTC/Pentagon attacks and he's afflicted with a disabling physical problem? Maybe - maybe not, but I believe that making that judgement is a lot like Job's friends making the same claim against him.

Satan has power in this world, too. I have no idea of Rush's spiritual life; I believe he's a nominal Christian but I don't see him as devout; however, I have no way to know his heart and can only hope that this affliction brings him closer to Christ and that through our prayers and his and the power of Christ, he may be healed. Pointing fingers and declaring judgements from God smacks of fanaticism and does no one any good, especially Christians.

I'm a cochlear implant surgeon at the University of South Florida (otology/neurotology). I doubt Rush's hearing loss is due to using Vicodin (mentioned on another thread). Many people go deaf and there is no evidence that it is Karma or God's Vengeance, etc. It is far more likely that he suffers from an autoimmune hearing loss, in which the body's immune system attacks the inner ear (similar to rheumatoid arthritis, where the body's immune system attacks the cartilage in a joint).

Because it doesn't sound like his hearing loss is responding to therapy (mind you, I'm going by his statement and have no access to his medical records), it could also be a genetic hearing loss. Cochlear implant surgery is extremely successful but we generally hold off until we are quite convinced that we can't preserve whatever residual hearing a patient still has.

"I am not a prophet, neither am I a son of a prophet, but I do know that you cannot blaspheme God and get away with it."

Whether this was a kind of judgment or not we cannot say with any certainty. It is, however, a possibility. In fact, I still can't help but compare the bombings of the World Trade Center to God's judgment on those who built the Tower of Babel. I'm not saying it was a divine punishment, but no one can really be sure that it wasn't.