AN LGT ACR CREW WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING WHILE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE SAFE PASSAGE AROUND WX.

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WE DEPARTED RWY 22 AT BOS -- WERE INITIALLY ASSIGNED A SOUTHEASTERLY HDG -- OUR WX RADAR WAS PAINTING CONTOURING CELLS FROM OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS TO OUR 3 O'CLOCK POS. WE WERE ASSIGNED AN EASTERLY HDG BY ATC. REQUESTED A FURTHER TURN TO THE N FOR WX AVOIDANCE. REQUEST SEEMED TO BE IGNORED BY ATC REPEATEDLY AS HE INSISTED ON A SOUTHEASTERLY HDG. AFTER OUR REPEATED OBJECTIONS TO HIS SOUTHEASTERLY HDG; HE INFORMED US HIS RADAR WAS NOT PAINTING ANY SIGNIFICANT WX IN OUR VICINITY. AS HE (CTLR) WAS XMITTING; WE WERE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. WE WERE ALREADY IN MODERATE TO HVY RAIN AS WE SKIRTED THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE WX DEPICTED ON OUR RADAR. UNDERSTAND WE WERE CONFLICTING WITH INBOUND TFC BUT OBVIOUSLY OUR SITUATION DICTATED A RTING OTHER THAN THE NORMAL DEP RTING. TFC DEPARTING BOS BEHIND US WERE FOLLOWING SIMILAR RTE FOR WX AVOIDANCE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 218255: 'OUR RADAR SHOWS YOU 3 MI FROM ANY LEVEL 3 STORMS AND 4 MI FROM ANY LEVEL 4 STORMS.' WE WERE IN HVY RAIN AT THE TIME AND JUST AS HE FINISHED GIVING US 'HIS WX RPT;' WE TOOK A LIGHTNING STRIKE. I GAVE HIM MY OPINION OF WHAT HE COULD DO WITH HIS RADAR. ATC MUST REALIZE OUR RADAR IS DESIGNED FOR 'WX' INFO ONLY AND IS; THEREFORE; MUCH MORE ACCURATE THAN HIS. OUR RELUCTANCE TO ACCEPT HIS VECTORS WAS BASED ON SAFETY AND COMFORT TO OUR PAX -- NOT TO CAUSE HIM PROBLEMS.