African pastor eaten by crocodile, during baptism???

Buzzy.ph

I was listening to a sermon online today.

Pastor Courson stated the recent story of an African Pastor being eaten alive by a crocodile while performing a baptism.

Friendly Atheist June 5 2018

Every few months, it seems, we hear another story about an African pastor doing something religious in a large lake… only to drown himself, drown the person getting baptized, or get eaten by a crocodile. Today’s story, from Ethiopia, involves a crocodile. 

Quoting BBC

Docho Eshete was conducting the ceremony for about 80 people on Sunday morning at Lake Abaya in Arba Minch town’s Merkeb Tabya district. Residents and police told BBC Amharic a crocodile leapt from the water during the baptism and attacked him. Pastor Docho died after being bitten on his legs, back and hands. 

As I write this, there are multiple news outlets talking about the same story… but keep a few things in mind since we’re all trying to be good skeptics here: Every article cites the same BBC report I quoted above. Whenever a story cites a single source, with very little first-hand reporting, you should question it.

Cited

Look at who’s writing about it. I don’t care who they’re citing. If the British tabloids and FOX News are the most likely places you’re hearing about this story, it’s bound to be a hoax.

BBC June 5 2018

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Crocodile kills Ethiopian pastor during lake baptism 

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'He baptised the first person and he passed on to another one. All of a sudden, a crocodile jumped out of the lake and grabbed the pastor," local resident Ketema Kairo told the BBC.
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Is the story true or not? Either way, another bizarre Christianity related story from Africa...

Is a PhD in Theology/Philosophy of Religion, otherwise useless?

Northern Canada

It seems to me many observers reason a PhD in Religious Studies, Biblical Studies, Theology, Philosophy of Religion provides the Doctor a narrow field of expertise, perhaps unrelatable and useless for many. In some cases I reason there is truth to that assumption.

I agree with what was mentioned by some fellow students and professors when I began my academic journey in the 1990's. That being that good reasoning ability should be a result of academic study.

In Christ, a Christian taking a PhD in Religious Studies, Biblical Studies, Theology, Philosophy of Religion should be both spiritually enlightened by God the Holy Spirit, within the Trinity and simultaneously have good to excellent reasoning skills. There should exist knowledge and wisdom, and an approach to knowledge and wisdom, at least in general terms, significantly beyond the scope of the PhD.