Here are links to a collection of the most audacious lunacy to be found on the Internet. This is the big tent of crazed dreamers and monomaniacal dunderheads, along with their hate-filled brethren.

Combine:
Sarlo's Guru Rating Service

With
Rick Ross Study Of Destructive Cults

And
Cranks On The Net

...and you will have an excellent cross-section of modern delusional thinking in all its permutations and weirdness. Some of this is hard to slog through. There are reams of mind boggling gibberish that will amaze you. Sarlo's has preserved the Marshall Applewhite Heaven's Gate lunacy website. There are not just a few individuals out there pawning themselves off as masters, shris, rinpoches, babas, tulkus, avatars, swamis, gurus, and yogis. There are hundreds and hundreds of them, all out there trolling the waters of the Internet for the lost and gullible. Rick Ross catalogs hundreds of lunatic cults from Adi Da to Zhong Gong. An encyclopedia of human folly.

Speaking of which:

Some Observations On Mel Gibson's "The Passion Of The Christ."

I categorically detest Christianity, surely one of the strangest delusional systems ever hatched by the human mind. Actually, I'm against all organized religion with the exception of Buddhism. But I really can't call myself a Buddhist as long as I feel this intense visceral disgust for Jesus Christ and all his loathsome works upon this planet. "Cast Jesus Christ Out Of Your Life Today" is the motto I hurl back to the born again crowd of fundamentalist vermin overrunning this country with their notions of "decency" and "compassionate conservatism." Yes I know, Christians have given us great works of literature, music, and architecture. But they have also been busy exterminating their perceived enemies throughout the ages and wrecking the environment. So when Mel Gibson's smelly little movie came out last year, I couldn't resist heaping the utmost filth and abuse upon it and him. From a chat room sponsored by the Internet Movie Database come these choice comments and responses to the faithful.

Christians, pass by.

On Feb. 25th, the diverse peoples of the world, who would just as soon be left alone to practice their religion in the humble privacy of their homes or places of worship, will be collectively dick slapped by St. Mel Gibson and his disgusting propaganda film "Der Passion" etc. etc. This film will go down in cinematic history as one of the most in-your-face guilt trip excursions ever made of the crucifixion theme. Here is a sample of the guilt-trip, anti-Jewish crud language favored by Mel Gibson's brand of fascist Catholicism:

"Gone is the mission to convert the perfidious Jews and unbelievers for it wouldn't be politically correct. Never mind what Christ and His Apostles say, we must not upset man and the New Order!"

Believe me, I usually sit out most arguments regarding religion. Then, Mel had to go and make his awful movie and the Christers came swarming out like a Biblical sized hoard of cockroaches. This I could not ignore. I see it as a call to action. And by the way, I believe in the ad hominem attack. Attack the person, not his argument! Attack him, discredit him, and he and his argument collapse like a rotten house of cards. Yes, I know it's against all the rules of civility. But all is fair in war and believe me, this IS war. And it does get their attention, if not their respect. Personally, I think Christianity will be extinct in a hundred years or less. It will collapse of its own impurity. I see it as my life's mission to hurry the process along as effectively as one human lifetime will permit.
******************************
I think Christ had Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

"It's drastic. The symptoms are sometimes constant. There's diarrhea and abdominal pain or constipation and bloating. I can't commit to anything too far in advance or anything that is regularly occurring..."

A very Christian disease. No wonder they are so mean.

"Mel Gibson Is Unclean"
******************************
No other religion lays on the guilt trip quite like Christianity. How? Christianity teaches that:

1. We are all born sinners.
2. Some guy named Jesus died for our sins.
3. We must accept this Jesus as our personal savior.
4. The penalty for not accepting this Jesus is eternal damnation.
5. We are all responsible for the crucifixion of this Jesus.

For two thousand years, this wicked and debased teaching has been chipping away at human happiness and dignity. For two thousand years, Christianity has had the chance to create a compassionate, enlightened society and has failed miserably. Christians have murdered millions, destroyed unique cultures that resisted its criminal missionaries, and are now busy, along with their Islamic brethren, destroying the earth’s fragile ecosystems. Cast Jesus Christ out of your life forever!!!! All he has a key to is the shit house. Stand up as a free and proud people and create a truly enlightened society without dogma, shame, and weakness. Dare to believe in the basic goodness of human beings, not their basic “sinfulness.“
******************************
Seriously though, I think we are in for a mountain of Christian zealotry and all around religious horseshit when this filthy spectacle of a movie is released. What is it about Christians that compels them to make movies like this? You don't see Muslims making movies of Mohammad, or Jews of Abraham do you? I myself have no intention of being dirtied by this movie and enriching idiots like Mel Gibson. We don't need yet another depiction of a bloodied, beaten-up-and-crucified Jesus Christ. This creature did not die for my sins. I want to emphasize just how utterly I reject the message of this movie. Go see it only if you want to be slapped in the face with uplifting emotions like guilt, shame, and weak blooded submission and humiliation - what Christianity has been dumping on the world for the last two thousand years.
******************************
Why is it that only Christians feel compelled to make movies of their savior and founder? You don't see Muslims making movies of Mohammed, or the Jews of Abraham and Moses. Only Christians make movies like this, and now The Passion exceeds all others in its realistic depiction of the crucifixion. The stills I've seen look god-awful, a blood bespattered Christ like no other. And in one scene, Mel Gibson's hand is seen driving in the first nail! This does not arouse reverence in me but rather disgust. It's as though Christians, frightened and insecure at the thought that their religion may not be the one "true" religion, have to devise ever new ways to club us into submission with guilt and shame over the sufferings of Jesus, who "died for our sins" blah blah blah.... I do not plan to see this movie. I think Mel Gibson is an idiot and I don't care to be slimed by the premise of shared guilt and craven submission that is this movie's premise and I reject utterly.
******************************
"Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She's a much better person than I am. Honestly. She's, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it's just not fair if she doesn't make it, she's better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it."

-Mel Gibson

More like a pronouncement from Mel's outhouse. Mel is becoming a spokesman in good standing for fascist Catholicism. Blaming the Jews for the crucifixion by the way, is an article of their faith. Their writings are filled with terminology like "faithless Jews", "perfidious Jews", "conversion of the Jews", etc. Check out their official online screed The Daily Catholic but not if you get sick easy. Fellow Catholic fascist and editor Michael Cain joins forces with the depraved lunacy of Christopher Ferrara for some of the most hate filled writing to be found on the Internet, reminiscent of neo-Nazi and white supremacist rhetoric. And St. Mel would damn his own virtuous wife? Then no one is safe from his depredations.
******************************
I'm not interested in some lame, mutual masturbation game with the Christers. It's time to sack their churches, burn their bibles, and hurl their god and savior into the sewage from which he came. The Passion of the Christ, in case you haven't noticed, is a declaration by fascist Catholicism to shove their twisted, anti-Semitic version of the Gospels down everybody's throat. My replies to Mel Gibson and his admirers will be the meanest, filthiest things I can think of.
******************************
By unclean, I mean that Mel Gibson is like a tough old disease causing microbe that mutates into something more vile and resilient every time we, the more wholesome lot of humanity, find a new vaccine to rid him and his kind from our midst. The best vaccine is and always will be the truth, but propagandists rarely tell the truth and fanatics like Mel never do. That is why I say, in this and other posts, that the problem here is not Jesus Christ and his insufferable, interminable, "Passion," not Christianity per se, but the dark and twisted mind of Mel Gibson.
******************************
May I finally put this line of praise, much seen on this board, permanently to rest? This movie really isn't brave of Mel at all. It is the lavish indulgence of a spoiled pretty boy who spent more than twenty years fattening himself on the Hollywood golden calf. His wealth, fame, and material comfort are assured. If this had been Mel's first or second movie, I would give him a little more credit for being "brave".
******************************
My dear a_forbes,
I've tried being nice. All it got me was a lot of crummy, syrupy invitations from born again Christians to "read my Bible" and "get saved" etc, etc. It is now time to make clear to these morons that I regard such solicitations as the equivalent of being invited by Adolph Hitler to participate in one of his beer hall putsches, or march in one of Joseph Goebbels propaganda rallies. The problem as I see it is this. Christianity cannot be rehabilitated. It cannot be reformed. It cannot be made amenable to the simple everyday needs inherent in the human condition. All it can do is chip away at human dignity until we are all a bunch of mindless drooling idiots, filled with shame and guilt, abjectly begging forgiveness for a crime we did not commit. Mel Gibson is a fanatic and fanatics are not nice people. I, in turn, do not intend to be nice to him, his religion, or his movie.

"Hell is the truth seen too late."
******************************
My Dear Brunken7,
If all humanity were to have capitulated to your hideous brand of pessimism, we would not have risen much above the beasts. We have made some progress as a species. Just look at the glorious pictures now being sent back from Mars by the two rovers, sent there by humans possessed of extraordinary curiosity, integrity and goodness. My, what gutters of defeatism you Christians wallow in. Try sitting on the curb for a while, you might enjoy the view. Oh and by the way, the Rapture is a cruel Christian hoax. It's not going to happen my boy. Never, ever, ever.
*****************************
May I cordially suggest that no human being, raised in the certainty of his or her innate goodness and decency, has the slightest need of a god, savior, prophet or messiah, much less the fucking Bible, which, as Thoreau once said, is a good book like any other. As a non-Christian, I have generously availed myself of the vast wisdom to found in other good books like the Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita, Zend Avesta, and the Buddhist Sutras. These works have a slightly more optimistic and refreshing view of human nature and destiny than the miserable one Christianity has bequeathed to us.
******************************
My Dear Ballys990,
We infidels are here to pull down the revival tent of fascist Christianity and expose Herr Gibson as the cruel religious fanatic that he is. His interviews with Raymond Arroyo of EWTN and Dianne Sawyer are most revealing. I have never seen such devious body language in my life. The braying exclamations! The wild gestures! The beady, darting eyes! See, I think Mel long ago crossed over that fateful threshold that, quite frankly, divides the clean from the unclean. What terrible secret is this man hiding? Mel, indeed, is going to Hell, if he isn't there already.
******************************
But my dear kyork 8,
You have merely enumerated the prominent evil acts of our times, which are numerous indeed. But might I cordially suggest that the acts of basic human goodness, carried out everywhere on Earth everyday far outnumber the acts of human wickedness? If this were not so, we would have ceased to exist as a species long ago. Just consider the enormous damage done to a child who is told that he is a “sinner” from birth. If his only incentive to do good is the fear of damnation, he or she will not prove to be good citizens of their culture, much less of humanity’s.
******************************
Thank you for your learned reply. Are you a professor of religion or something? I’m impressed! Just the same though, I think I’ll stick to my original Yeshua story. It helps me to humanize a rather cold and indeed sinister impression that you Fundies have given of Jesus, especially the part about him coming back and condemning people like me to (gulp!) Hell!!! You Christians are such spoilsports. Can’t I let my imagination roam a bit and try and turn Jesus into just a bit of a warmer, friendlier guy? By the way, see “The Last Temptation of Christ” Scorcese’s wonderful movie (and the only Jesus movie I like) for a lovely cinematic meditation on the sweet possibilities of a happily married (with children!) Jesus. After all, much in the gospels is fiction. They invite embroidery.
******************************
I think the best way of responding to the many objections to my earlier post (Why Another Bloody Jesus Movie?) is to make the following statements:

1. I'm not against making movies of a religious nature, or any movie at all for that matter. Go ahead and make all the Jesus movies you want. Just be aware that by viewing such movies, you are being spoon fed someone else's interpretation of the gospels, which happen to deal with matters as close to your heart and soul as one could imagine. The danger of being coolly manipulated by someone even as holy as Saint Mel Gibson is very real.

2. Having said that, just look at the crass way this movie is being marketed. Looking over several of the many "Passion" web sites. I could not tell whether they were promoting a movie about the Son of God or just another episode of Star Wars or Captain Nemo. I find that a disgraceful trivializing of what is supposed to be the "greatest story ever told."

3. And finally, if you are a Christian, learn New Testament Greek so you can read the gospels in their true original language. Don't tell me it's too hard to learn Greek. What greater act of devotion could you make for your savior then to take on this arduous, but ultimately highly rewarding task? It would absolutely beat the passive experience of merely watching any movie about Christ, regardless of how clever the screenplay or glorious the cinematography.

I haven't seen the movie, (don't intend too) but from the stills I've seen on the movie web site, it looks god-awful. Only frightened and insecure little Christians make movies like this. Do we need to be shown yet again Jesus being bloodied, beaten-and-nailed-to-the-cross?! You don't see Muslims making movies of Mohammad, or the Jews of Abraham and Moses do you? Its only virtue is that it is extremely realistic, in fact, Mel Gibson's hand is shown driving in the first nail! I don't know about you, but I find this sick and disgusting. Go see this movie only if you want to be slapped in the face with uplifting emotions like shame, guilt, and weak blooded submission and humiliation. Isn't two thousand years of this pathetic crap enough already? When it opens on Feb. 25, I will be far, far away from the movie theater!

Reply

Well, some people are reading my Blog. Here's a letter from a nice Christian lady who is trying to show me a kinder side of her religion and my reply...

Wow...you had a lot to say. I can understand your
anger.

I have to agree with you on your comment "Can't
I let my imagination roam a bit and try and turn
Jesus into just a bit of a warmer, friendlier
guy?" Your imagination wouldn't be far from the
truth. Jesus was compassionate and full of love
for others. He hung out with the people society
had rejected and he encouraged them: prostitutes,
tax collectors, lepers etc.

Unfortunately, we humans have bastardized what
Christianity is. We look at as a religion and
not a way of life. Religion is what creates all
the rules and regulations...the things that make
us feel guilt and shame...constantly someone over
your shoulder...ready to point out your smallest
flaw.

Even Jesus spoke out against this in the New
Testament when he spoke to the Pharisees and
Saducees. He used parables to display how they
were creating huge burdens for the people by
their laws, when instead they should be loving on
them and encouraging them.

I'm not going to preach... smile. Just wanted
to let you know I was here and I read your post.
By the way, I didn't go to see the movie either.
I don't even have the desire to do so...the whole
concept of commercializing Jesus just doesn't sit
well with me. I don't need Hollywood to play
show and tell about the crucifixion for me to
understand.

Peace

Michele

Hi Michele,

Thanks for the nice email. I'm really not this
hard on Christians in real life. But I must
confess that to me, Christ is a bit of an
enigma. I believe he is based on an actual man
named Yeshua bar Joseph, who lived 2000 years
ago in Judea and said and did extraordinary
things. He could have been a stone mason or a
carpenter or a shop keeper. Perhaps he married
and had children. He never claimed to be the son
of God. In any case, he accomplished his
ministry and passed on. All the other details of
his life come to us courtesy of the Gospels and
St. Paul which I regard as propaganda. I have
seen depictions of Christ in cathedrals and
monasteries all over the world that are severe
and forbidding. Too many Christians want their
savior to be an avenging angel of death, not the
gentle man from Galilee. See the "Left Behind"
series of books by Tim LeHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
The Rapture strikes me as a most unchristian
concept. Just this week a jury in Colorado
consulted the Bible in a capital murder case and
then condemned a man to death. They paid
particular attention to "an eye for an eye,"
instead of "thou shalt not kill" or "love thy
neighbor." The Colorado Supreme Court sensibly
threw out the sentence.

So I am sometimes cruel in my posts about Christ,
in proportion to the cruelty I see practiced by
his followers. But now and then, a kind person
like yourself shows me the true spirit of Yeshua bar
Joseph and my hope for Christianity is uplifted a
bit.

More Peace,
Miguel