Hands of God Email

This message, which features a picture apparently depicting the hands of God in the clouds, has been circulating since 2004.

The original version of the message claimed that the photograph was taken after Hurricane Charley hit the US state of Florida in 2004.

However, the photograph has clearly been altered to include the “hands” in the clouds. Moreover, the image was circulating around the Internet well before Hurricane Charley occurred. And, in later versions, the image is associated with other storms or disasters, including 2004’s Asian tsunami and 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

Who created the original picture and in what context it first appeared is difficult to determine. However, a number of visitors have pointed out the similarity between this image and a well-known pornographic image that was featured on Goatse.cx.

It has been suggested that the image was created as a “tribute” to Goatse and, indeed, the image is featured on the Tribute to Goatse.cx website. The original Goatse.cx website is no longer online, but extensive information about Goatse is available via an article on Wikipedia.