“Oh, he gave me special instructions back of the pulpit Christmas Eve. He got to howlin' ‘Repent! Repent!’ and I got to moanin' ‘Save me! Save me!’ and the first thing I know he rammed the fear of God into me so fast I never heard my old man's footsteps!” — Lulu Bains in “Elmer Gantry” (favorite movie quote of my late father)
And here is the real problem. The indoctrination conditioning the rubes to accept more and more ridiculous nonsense, to accept more and more authoritarian control, and the level of obedience demanded of slaves.
Yeees! Between the US school system’s indoctrination and brainwashing techniques, and the fundamentalist qstian indoctrination and brainwashing techniques, vast numbers of Muricans are highly disadvantaged by not being taught that asking questions is GOOD. That challenging authority is GOOD. That disputing the information those in power feed students and congregations is GOOD .
Further Thought: Most bible printings I've handled have paper with hard edges, frequently gilded. Those edges don't yield much, and I can see eating them doing damage to the esophagus as they go down.
I’m going to post that video I posted a few days ago about how the religious learn that their regular human emotions are actually god to lay the context for the rest of my comment.
The reason the preacher said to turn up the volume on the music and had the congregation chanting was to incite and emotional response in the kid’s brain, which will then be mischaracterized as God entering his heart. He was chosen to embarrass him, he was asked to do something embarrassing and difficult to do while still looking cool to throw him off balance, then the sounds and lights and attention on him were intentionally manipulated to cause an emotional reaction. A softer version of this is how they convince entire congregations to come back every week and how they have built their pyramid scheme. And this is also how the MLMs build their pyramid schemes, they definitely take tips from church, it’s also why so many are created by wealthy, powerful religious figures (Amway for example). The singing, the rituals, kneeling and sitting and hand movements and even incense or other scents are all purposefully designed to manipulate emotions.
With this kid I wonder if he was starting to pull away from the church, found more interest in sports or other activities and that’s why he was singled out. It might just backfire just because they really do expect him to eat all that paper. He might try to do it for a while, but eventually, and sooner than later, he will drop it and the shine will wear off of the ritual he just endured.
Also, eating paper isn’t all that benign. The ink and the binding and all kinds of stuff on the bible can be dangerous to ingest. Which might be part of the intent of the preacher, there may be certain chemicals that damage the brain, kind of like milliners who (used to) go crazy because of the chemicals they used without ppe.
I've been watching 60 Minutes practically since it came on the air. Its thorough, incisive reporting and no-nonsense interviews should, in my opinion, be required watching for anyone who really cares to know what's going on, with our nation, never mind the excellent pieces on performers and people of interest. What Bari Weiss is doing with that organization is frankly CRIMINAL, and I thank and applaud Scott Pelley for going to the mat for 60 Minutes and all who contribute to that show.
Well they're not going to get thousands of fox viewers with fox light – but I worry that as it's a political/vanity project they won't care how much they make or don't make.
I hate to say it, but Bilton may find himself on the business end of a mass departure from 60 Minutes offices if he dicks with their format and content.
I hope that's not necessary, but it may become necessary.
I wonder if Bilton and Weiss have considered the fact that, now that Scott Pelley is out, he is INDEPENDENT Meaning that he answers to No One except himself. Also meaning that he's free to report on what he wants to report on, including Bilton and Weiss.
And I'll bet neither of them ever thought of that!
Let's EAT the bible, eh? I wonder how Ezekiel 23:20 tastes!
Does this mean that if I eat my Resnick and Halliday Physics book that I get to learn about kinematic physics and special relativity. WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "It doesn't work that way?!?" If it worked for the bible, it should work for Maxwell's Equations!
To think: I could just tear out the pages of the Beethoven, Op. 31 No. 3 piano sonata that I’m working on, put them in a blender with some water, give them a quick buzz on the purée setting, and drink my way to being able to say I know that sonata!
My guess is that the second and fourth movements, which are DIFFICULT to play, are going sound pretty lousy if I do that.
Plus the fact that the Schnabel edition I use cost $60 in 1973 dollars, and I don’t really want to rip pages out of it.
I know what you mean. There was a time when I could SORT OF play Gershwin's 3rd Prelude, but MAN that thing is a BEAR. My problem now is that I was away from the keyboard for too long and my hands "went away" on me.
And at my age, getting them back where they were is not bloody likely, damnit!
Boy, howdy I hear that! I lost the ability to play for 13 years due to arthritis as an after affect of chemotherapy, and I had to work like the devil to get my hands back in shape so I could perform again!
A teenager? A grown man telling him to eat a potentially toxic (in more ways than one) printed page from a book that has been who-knows-where? But it's 'church' and the man is a 'pastor' so it's all just fine. In the United States. In 2026. Where's the asteroid? We're not worthy of continuing when this is not considered insane.
Thanks for this "reminder of how religious leaders can convince gullible people to do damn near anything in the name of God." Tragically, they have. I'm kinda glad this charlatan didn't ask the kid to strap on an explosive vest or crash a plane into a building full of people.
That could be down the road a ways, but IT COULD BE. Frankly, this could be seen as a grooming exercise, one step down the road to who-knows-what kind of behavior. The following excerpt from the movie, Spotlight, illustrates what could be going on:
Troubleshooter, this is a graphic and heartbreaking example of the abject evil that is done by so many leaders of religion. Thanks for the reminder. I know that most of the men who sat across the desk from me in church interviews when I was a young farmgirl probably didn't have such motives. I'm also of the opinion that some of them did. Fortunately, I was not as vulnerable as some. As such I escaped with only the scars that come from a harmful, deeply ingrained belief system. I am nearly 70 now,
I don't see this as grooming. He probably picks a different audience member every stage show.
However it IS a very good example of the power of 'normative social influence' (i.e. the bandwagon desire). I used to see the same thing at midnight Rocky Horror shows - they pick some newbie out of the crowd, and because of the crowd and lights and center of attention, they do things they would never normally do.
Been attending midnight Rocky Horror Picture Shows since 1982 and have never seen a RHPS virgin made to do anything humiliating or dangerous. Never. Not once.
Every time you think Christians can't possibly get any crazier, something like this happens and you learn all over again that this particular barrel just ain't got no bottom.
𝑆𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡! 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑎! 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑎! 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑎! 𝑆𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡!
These words voiced by a preacher aren't usually referring to bible pages.
“Oh, he gave me special instructions back of the pulpit Christmas Eve. He got to howlin' ‘Repent! Repent!’ and I got to moanin' ‘Save me! Save me!’ and the first thing I know he rammed the fear of God into me so fast I never heard my old man's footsteps!” — Lulu Bains in “Elmer Gantry” (favorite movie quote of my late father)
And she won the Academy Award for that role. Way before the "Partridge Family"
Nope. But something very dirty, instead.
If it comes out dirty, you need to see a doctor. 😱
You, sir, have a dirty mind. God selects his leaders for their holiness. They are only looking to instill holeyness in others.
More like they are seeking to fill the holes of others.
The younger the better, this guy seems a little old for that kind of religious ecstasy.
As in, "Holy SHIT! I can't believe he just said that!", perhaps?
Perhaps.
And often it's a priest, not a pastor.
Despite all the "Pastor Fuzz" jokes that "almost teenage" boys once thought were funny (and back when I was myself almost a teenage boy.)
The sacrament of fellatio ✝🤣
Makes perfect sense. I once ate a chapter of The Lord of the Rings and became a wizard! Unfortunately, it did not pass.
🤣😂
Still in there? Damn!
😂🤣😂🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑚 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦.
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑡. 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐹𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦.
And here is the real problem. The indoctrination conditioning the rubes to accept more and more ridiculous nonsense, to accept more and more authoritarian control, and the level of obedience demanded of slaves.
Indoctrination is one hell of a drug.
It's a test, to see just how GULLIBLE the rubes are. In THIS case? Pretty damned gullible.
Sounds like what trump is doing to this country
Yeees! Between the US school system’s indoctrination and brainwashing techniques, and the fundamentalist qstian indoctrination and brainwashing techniques, vast numbers of Muricans are highly disadvantaged by not being taught that asking questions is GOOD. That challenging authority is GOOD. That disputing the information those in power feed students and congregations is GOOD .
Christians are always shoving their religion and other things down people's throats.
#christiansaregroomers
At-sa what I say. :)
Further Thought: Most bible printings I've handled have paper with hard edges, frequently gilded. Those edges don't yield much, and I can see eating them doing damage to the esophagus as they go down.
Stupid, stupid, STUPID.
And a severe case of constipation.
Which brings us to https://www.facebook.com/50shadesoffun1/videos/so-many-interviews-to-choose-from-parky-with-miss-cupid-stunt/330193219341059/
Miss Cupid Stunt, widely recognized as a cunning linguist and devotee of Reverend Spooner.
ALLLLLLLLLLL Righty, then! 🤪
I’m going to post that video I posted a few days ago about how the religious learn that their regular human emotions are actually god to lay the context for the rest of my comment.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18k4KDWG2F/?mibextid=wwXIfr
The reason the preacher said to turn up the volume on the music and had the congregation chanting was to incite and emotional response in the kid’s brain, which will then be mischaracterized as God entering his heart. He was chosen to embarrass him, he was asked to do something embarrassing and difficult to do while still looking cool to throw him off balance, then the sounds and lights and attention on him were intentionally manipulated to cause an emotional reaction. A softer version of this is how they convince entire congregations to come back every week and how they have built their pyramid scheme. And this is also how the MLMs build their pyramid schemes, they definitely take tips from church, it’s also why so many are created by wealthy, powerful religious figures (Amway for example). The singing, the rituals, kneeling and sitting and hand movements and even incense or other scents are all purposefully designed to manipulate emotions.
With this kid I wonder if he was starting to pull away from the church, found more interest in sports or other activities and that’s why he was singled out. It might just backfire just because they really do expect him to eat all that paper. He might try to do it for a while, but eventually, and sooner than later, he will drop it and the shine will wear off of the ritual he just endured.
Also, eating paper isn’t all that benign. The ink and the binding and all kinds of stuff on the bible can be dangerous to ingest. Which might be part of the intent of the preacher, there may be certain chemicals that damage the brain, kind of like milliners who (used to) go crazy because of the chemicals they used without ppe.
Waste of a perfectly cromulent rolling paper.
We used the testaments handed out in boot camp.
Boot camp? 1970 for me. Anyway. We used the Star & Stripes. ☠
That's what happened to them at my college.
"The power of God’s coming on ya!"
Eewww.
There IS a gospel song called "Come Jesus Come."
Eck! All over my Sunday best!
🤣
https://d1e9ycqe323hkh.cloudfront.net/items/155130249728.jpg
OT - Scott Pelley Accuses CBS News Boss of ‘Murdering’ ‘60 Minutes’
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/business/media/cbs-60-minutes-scott-pelley-nick-bilton.html?unlocked_article_code=1.m1A.vp2L.WcGdaw6Rah2d&smid=url-share
I've been watching 60 Minutes practically since it came on the air. Its thorough, incisive reporting and no-nonsense interviews should, in my opinion, be required watching for anyone who really cares to know what's going on, with our nation, never mind the excellent pieces on performers and people of interest. What Bari Weiss is doing with that organization is frankly CRIMINAL, and I thank and applaud Scott Pelley for going to the mat for 60 Minutes and all who contribute to that show.
I believe Bari Weiss's job is to ruin "60 Minutes" so they can take it off the air since it is unfair to the Mango Maggot.
That seems to be the game plan. Still, somehow I doubt that Scott Pelley, Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim, et al, will play along willingly.
Well they're not going to get thousands of fox viewers with fox light – but I worry that as it's a political/vanity project they won't care how much they make or don't make.
I hate to say it, but Bilton may find himself on the business end of a mass departure from 60 Minutes offices if he dicks with their format and content.
I hope that's not necessary, but it may become necessary.
Looks like they are quite willing to jettison anyone unwilling to allow the destruction of 60 Minutes.
I wonder if Bilton and Weiss have considered the fact that, now that Scott Pelley is out, he is INDEPENDENT Meaning that he answers to No One except himself. Also meaning that he's free to report on what he wants to report on, including Bilton and Weiss.
And I'll bet neither of them ever thought of that!
Let's EAT the bible, eh? I wonder how Ezekiel 23:20 tastes!
Does this mean that if I eat my Resnick and Halliday Physics book that I get to learn about kinematic physics and special relativity. WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "It doesn't work that way?!?" If it worked for the bible, it should work for Maxwell's Equations!
Man ... the Stupid: It BURNS.
https://ibb.co/Mj58tG5
To think: I could just tear out the pages of the Beethoven, Op. 31 No. 3 piano sonata that I’m working on, put them in a blender with some water, give them a quick buzz on the purée setting, and drink my way to being able to say I know that sonata!
My guess is that the second and fourth movements, which are DIFFICULT to play, are going sound pretty lousy if I do that.
Plus the fact that the Schnabel edition I use cost $60 in 1973 dollars, and I don’t really want to rip pages out of it.
I know what you mean. There was a time when I could SORT OF play Gershwin's 3rd Prelude, but MAN that thing is a BEAR. My problem now is that I was away from the keyboard for too long and my hands "went away" on me.
And at my age, getting them back where they were is not bloody likely, damnit!
Boy, howdy I hear that! I lost the ability to play for 13 years due to arthritis as an after affect of chemotherapy, and I had to work like the devil to get my hands back in shape so I could perform again!
That's 450 Ameros nowadays! Keep it and mention it in your will!
A teenager? A grown man telling him to eat a potentially toxic (in more ways than one) printed page from a book that has been who-knows-where? But it's 'church' and the man is a 'pastor' so it's all just fine. In the United States. In 2026. Where's the asteroid? We're not worthy of continuing when this is not considered insane.
Meteor. : )
Leal just wanted to make sure the kid got his RDA of bullshit.
Thanks for this "reminder of how religious leaders can convince gullible people to do damn near anything in the name of God." Tragically, they have. I'm kinda glad this charlatan didn't ask the kid to strap on an explosive vest or crash a plane into a building full of people.
That could be down the road a ways, but IT COULD BE. Frankly, this could be seen as a grooming exercise, one step down the road to who-knows-what kind of behavior. The following excerpt from the movie, Spotlight, illustrates what could be going on:
𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑘𝑖𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦, 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙. 𝐻𝑒 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑦𝑚𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑠ℎ, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝. 𝑆𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑗𝑜𝑘𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑠𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔, 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑒𝑟𝑘 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑜𝑟 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑎 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑗𝑜𝑏, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑦 “𝑁𝑜” 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑑, 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡?
-- Phil Saviano
Troubleshooter, this is a graphic and heartbreaking example of the abject evil that is done by so many leaders of religion. Thanks for the reminder. I know that most of the men who sat across the desk from me in church interviews when I was a young farmgirl probably didn't have such motives. I'm also of the opinion that some of them did. Fortunately, I was not as vulnerable as some. As such I escaped with only the scars that come from a harmful, deeply ingrained belief system. I am nearly 70 now,
Welcome to the club ... soon to be septuagenarian!
I don't see this as grooming. He probably picks a different audience member every stage show.
However it IS a very good example of the power of 'normative social influence' (i.e. the bandwagon desire). I used to see the same thing at midnight Rocky Horror shows - they pick some newbie out of the crowd, and because of the crowd and lights and center of attention, they do things they would never normally do.
Been attending midnight Rocky Horror Picture Shows since 1982 and have never seen a RHPS virgin made to do anything humiliating or dangerous. Never. Not once.
Yet.
It's telling he didn't try to get an adult to do this.
Do NOT look at his browser history unless you are part of a law enforcement task force.
And... he used somebody else's bible!
No telling what was on that page besides printer's ink.
OT
Happy Birthday to Morgan Freeman and Alanis Morrrissette. God turned both 89 and 52 today.
Hallelujah!
With a properly configured TARDIS you can be both ages on the same day. ;)
No wonder The Doctor lies about his age. :D
Or five, for that matter.
Every time you think Christians can't possibly get any crazier, something like this happens and you learn all over again that this particular barrel just ain't got no bottom.