How's this for a scoop?
We've learned that the Babylon Bee, the fake religion news website, has purchased Religion News Service and will merge the two media organizations.
"For several years, it's been difficult to tell where the snark ends and the real news begins at RNS, so we decided this partnership would be a match made in heaven," a high-ranking source said, speaking on condition that no one accuse left-leaning RNS of believing in a literal "heaven."
I kid. I kid.
But hey, RNS asked for it by poking fun at your friendly GetReligionistas. More on that in a moment.
First, though, if you're not familiar with the Babylon Bee, it really is a bastion of fake religion news excellence.
Veteran religion writer Bob Smietana wrote a neat feature about it for the Washington Post last week:
What would the Onion look like if it were written for the godly?
How about these headlines?
“Mountain Climber Recovering After Decision to Let Go and Let God”
“Worship Leader Caught in Infinite Loop Between Bridge and Chorus”
“Local Family Attending Church on Easter Just in Case God Is Real”
At the Babylon Bee, the news is always fake but the stories are often true.
The satire site, which began in early March, features witty headlines that poke fun at the foibles of churchgoers.
The site is the brainchild of Adam Ford, 32, a Detroit dad who quit his day job a year and a half ago to produce Web content.
His first project was Adam4d.com, a Web comic supported by small group of donors and a few ads. He’s aiming bigger with the Babylon Bee, which he said attracted more than 1 million visitors in its first three weeks.