Only the mind of the religious...

So I was reading the my local newspaper today, the London Free Press, which has been in a state of orgasmic news ecstasy since the kidnapping and murder of Tori Stafford. Before I go any further, I just want to say that in any other newspaper I've read, this case has been now reduced to a shocking news brief, not the front page material almost every single day for almost a month now (and continuing). I feel absolutely terrible about what happened, but something inside me is screaming 'leave them alone!' now. The daily timelines, the videos, the fact that the LFP has an entire web directory devoted to the case is just getting creepy. I don't want to hear any more gruesome details.

*phew*

Now that that's off my chest, I can tell you what I was going to talk about. So here I was, hypocritically reading yet another article in today's paper (I am as guilty as anyone else), and the first few paragraphs of the article made my jaw hit the floor. Here, read it for yourselves:

WOODSTOCK -- Two strangers, a man and woman, walk up to the front porch of Tara McDonald's house, one carrying a large box.

This is the 23-volume set of the teachings of Kabbalah, the man says, launching into a conversation about the religion.

McDonald asks polite questions and allows herself to be hugged.

Oddly, after about 15 minutes of a conversation on the porch -- amidst the floral arrangements, teddy bears, purple butterflies, 'Tori come home' signs and other mementoes for Tori Stafford, the man asks McDonald.

"What's your name?"

It doesn't phase her.

A few minutes later, the man suggests that to find spiritual awareness, McDonald think of something she loves and give it up.

That begs the harsh question a reporter would like to ask: Isn't giving up her daughter enough?

But McDonald calmly thinks about it for awhile, offers a few suggestions, thanks the pair and walks inside.

WHAT?? What the hell did I just read? After showing up on the grieving family's doorstep with a box of religious bullshit, insulting the mother by not even having the decency to remember her name, this man actually has the GALL to tell her that she should consider giving up something she loves to in order to find 'spiritual awareness'. There is only one image that can truly describe my complete flabbergastedness:



ONLY the mind of a religious person could EVER believe that what transpired in the paragraph above is in any way helpful. I'm not sure how I feel about Tara McDonald, but after enduring episodes like that, and it seems like that was in no way an isolated incident, I have to say that her restraint is truly impressive.

I hope she put those 23 volumes straight into the trash. Unbelievable.