In 1973, the Academy Award for best documentary feature film was granted to “Marjoe,” an expose of the world’s youngest preacher and evangelist.
Born in 1944, Marjoe Gortner’s parents trained their young son to preach, and had him ordained as a Pentecostal preacher at the age of four. His name, Marjoe, was a combination of the names Mary and Joseph.
Marjoe was trained by his mother in particular, and relates stories of intense practice and abusive behavior. If he failed to please his mother adequately, she would place a pillow over his face until he gasped for air, and then resume practice after he was “corrected.”
Never having experienced a faith in God, Gortner decided to reveal the truth behind his evangelism by allowing a film crew to follow him in one final revival tour in 1971. At this point in his life, he had been preaching for almost 25 years.
As a young boy, he was a curly-headed blond, well spoken and clearly verbally gifted for his age. His mother made sure he was dressed in special suits, sewing additional pockets to stash money. Extra money earned the worshipper a special kiss from the charming young man.
His preaching included pressing hard for donations, asking the audience to contribute the largest bill in their pockets to prove their devotion to Jesus.
His performances included faith healing, the laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, singing and, later on, rockstar-style moves inspired by Mick Jagger.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
At age 15, the novelty of the child preacher was wearing off and the money wasn’t rolling in as freely as it used to. He left home and lived with an older woman for the next two and a half years.
By age 18, he wanted to sue his parents, estimating they had collected about 3 million dollars and yet he was not even afforded an education or trust fund. He decided against it, feeling resentment would ultimately make him bitter.
Ultimately, he decided to return to the preaching circuit, focusing on a youth ministry, but motivated by money. In the documentary, he reveals behind the scenes tactics of tapping the audience for extra funds which can then be skimmed for personal use.
At the end of the documentary, Gortner says, “What can I say? I think religion is a drug. It’s addicting. Can God deliver a religion addict?”
While the documentary received critical accolades and heavy press coverage, it was never shown in the southern US states for fear of a backlash. It is now available on DVD and for rent at various Internet sites.
PRESS RELEASE
Today 16/01/2018, at about 1620 hours, operatives of the Lagos State Police Command, led by CP Edgal Imohimi, stormed No.4 Okedumade street, off Badare street, Alakuko Lagos and arrested a self acclaimed Alfa, by name, Abdulfatai Kayode, male.
The said Abdulfatai confessed having some human parts in his divination room.
A mini paint bucket filled with assorted types of female body parts comprising of the laps, intestine and the vagina etc, was recovered from him. He confessed that the human heart seen in the bucket was that of a man.
He further named one Ifa,, male as his accomplice.
The CP immediately dispatched the Command’s underground operatives to fish out the said Ifa.
About 30 minutes after the Commissioner of Police left the crime scene, news came that Ifa has been arrested.
The CP, who was vividly happy at the arrest of the men, attributed the success to Community policing and safety partnership in existence in Lagos state. He urged Lagosians to know their neighbours and report any suspicious happenings.SP Chike Oti
Police Public Relations Officer,
Lagos State Police Command.
The human body parts were to be used for money rituals. The press release did not indicate how the body parts were obtained, but other “Alfas,” a term for a Muslim Cleric, have obtained body parts by robbing graves.
In an unrelated case, Nigerian police recently broke up a murderous group known as the Badoo Cult.
A case in Massachusetts is attracting public interest as a young girl received third degree “disfiguring” burns on her face when her mother and her aunt performed a voodoo spell on her to cleanse her of evil spirits that were causing her to behave badly. Here is the story:
While it might seem at first glance to be unimaginable, websites abound on the Internet promoting these types of rituals and providing the supplies and even prepared kits to reinforce and capitalize on this type of belief system.
Here are some typical set-ups for a cleansing ritual. Note that a candle or open flame is often recommended. The oils very likely have alcohol causing flammability. Often, the ingredients are not even fully disclosed:
The women mentioned that part of the ritual involves the burning of myhrr, also introducing a potential fire hazard into the cleansing and also freely available in voodoo supplies:
Sea salt was cited as one of the components of the ritual cleansing:
Herbal Sea Salt Bath
We offer many types of bath salts. Mixed with herbs for different uses. All rid you of negative energy. Their are ones made to match your Element (Earth, Air, Water, Fire) Healing, Love, Purification, Spirit, Prosperity & Protection. Any of these can be used in a cleansing but have the specific herbs added according to your preference. So be sure to specify on the “notes to seller” section on Paypal. As always 100% Free Shipping inside the U.S.A.
Another spiritual cleansing bath mix. No ingredients listed:
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Anointing oils, possibly containing flammable ingredients making a variety of promises:
Cast Off Evil Oil 2 dram: Anoint temples during prayer or ritual to overcome evil forces. Pure anointing oil for external use only
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Eucalyptus oil was used by the sisters, according to the police.
Repelling–eucalyptus and devil’s shoestrings drive off people and habits that are no longer welcome
Devil’s Shoe String spiritual supplies are to tie down and restrain the devil and also human enemies. Contains genuine Devil’s Shoe String Root.
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BANISHING OIL, Full Line of Banishing Products
Banishing Oil–Banishing spiritual supplies are to remove unwanted people or conditions; far milder than Hot Foot. Further instructional information can be with Free Magic Spells and Prayers and How to Use Oils in Conjure, From “Hoodoo In Theory and Practice”
The Banishing Ritual kit has been created to aid you in banishing negativity and negative influences from your life, home and self. From evil spirits to curses to bad habits, it can aid you in your ritual craft.
Southern style anointing oils are made with genuine roots, herbs, and minerals. They are used to dress candles, anoint the body, and sprinkle on amulets and conjure hands. We prepare these Magical oils on the premises and package them in 1/2 ounce glass bottles, with vivid graphic labels.
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Frankincense & Myrrh Spiritual Oil
Frankincense: For consecration and intensification, spirit work, increase power of conjure, empower oils / perfumes / mojo bags, and peaceful sleep.
Myrrh: Traditionally blended with other herbs. Promotes peace, healing, and protection.
Suggested Use: Anoint candles, magickal tools, feed your spirit / mojo bag, use for spell / rootwork, add to your bath, add to sea salt, add to herbs on charcoal, drip a little on a light bulb, dress your chakra points / wrists / temples.
Protection Oil, no ingredients listed:
An important part of many magical practitioners kit, Protection Oil, as the name implies, is a potent anointing oil intended to fortify your protection spells and warding magic. Use it as an anointing oil to help strength the creation of magical circles for summoning and conjuration. Otherwise Protection Oil is also a powerful aid when creating magical talismans, charms, and personal spells intended to help protect you or another from curses, hexes, and the evil eye.
Archbishop: Enemies of Iran, enemies of all divine religions
Tabriz, Jan 7, IRNA – Archbishop of Armenians in western Iran Grigor Chiftchian said on Sunday that the sacred system of the Islamic Republic is based upon principle of divine system, so its enemies would be, in fact, enemies of all divine religions.
He made the remarks in a commemoration ceremony for the Armenian martyrs from Azarbaijan provinces in eight year imposed war.
The archbishop underlined important position of Iran’s leader and said that the main pillar of the regime is its leadership and all Iranians should appreciate such leadership.
Chiftchian pointed to birth place of Prophet Jesus Christ (PBUH) in Palestine territory, and said that the great Satan and world arrogance powers wanted to separate Palestine land, while Palestine, Holy Quds and Jerusalem belong to all religions and do not belong to any specific person.
He reminded that all satanic conspiracies and plots against the sacred land of Palestine is doomed as this land belongs to all divine religions.
Archbishop Chiftchian added that every plan drawn by great powers for west Asia region will be neutralized by unity of people and divine religions.
Photo of Chief Herbalist in his shrine, courtesy Nigeria Newsdesk, Twitter.
In late 2016, according to Nigerian authorities, a killer cult group known as badoo, began terrorizing and murdering citizens in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
Lagos police arrested five suspected key members of the sect on January 2, 2018, and provided video evidence of a shrine run by Chief Herbalist Fatai Adebayo, age 34.
The killings appeared to be ritual in nature. Victims were murdered in their sleep. At one point, citizens began to suspect the killers were supernatural (and thus invincible), but according to Nigerian press, the arrest of the five suspects proves members of the group are actually human beings.
Suspects confessed to authorities that they only operated at midnight and would spray a powdery substance prepared by the herbalist that would put victims into a deep state of sleep and would then smash the victim’s head with a grinding stone.
Vanguard Nigeria reports: “The powdery substance was also sprayed close to buildings around the targeted building to avoid any intrusion during operation. Thereafter, they would smash their victim’s head with a grinding stone, and dab their white handkerchiefs in victim’s blood before leaving the scene.”
During interrogation, one of the suspects said the cult members were fortified spiritually by drinking water used to wash dead bodies, drinking animal blood, spreading an oily substance from a calabash, and abstaining from sex before murdering someone. He also claimed he was desperate for employment and was offered money to perform the killings.
Further confessions revealed the entire purpose of the operation was to obtain the blood soaked handkerchiefs of the victims and then sell the handkerchiefs to rich politicians and other elite known as the “big boys.” The handkerchiefs soaked in blood were believed to be a source of empowerment and protection and were then used to perform money rituals.
Witchcraft and black magic beliefs have recently plagued Malawi, where villagers believe bloodsuckers are stealing their blood and have formed vigilante gangs leading to suspected vampires being murdered.
British Islamic preacher says wearing make-up, perfume and tight clothes in public is prohibited. He says that women who sin in public, accumulate even more sins than women who sin privately. pic.twitter.com/uWgTrVWS0B
Public elementary school in KS is ending a program to distribute Bibles to students. The Wichita Eagle says a letter was sent to the school by the American Humanist Association demanding that they end the practice after receiving complaints from parents. https://t.co/pJdpY9D0mI
Have faith
One has to wonder where Jim Adams (Letters, December 27) has been not to be aware of the tragic consequences of the adoption of atheism by societies and the attendant collapse into immorality and lawlessness.
It has to be admitted that atrocities have been committed in the past (and even today) in the name of some religions (even by so-called Christians) but the overall outcome has been positive for humanity – especially that of Christianity with its power to change lives for good.
Compare this with atheism which leads to disintegrating societies and the inevitable rise of totalitarian regimes such as those of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao Ze Dong and Kim Jong-Un, and the death and suffering of hundreds of millions of people; not the idyllic picture Jim envisages.
We need to recognise that because of man’s fallen state atheistic, humanistic socialism can never be the answer; only a life-changing personal faith in Jesus Christ is.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith (in Jesus Christ) … not of works lest any man should boast” Ephesians 2:8-9.
DAVID PREEST
Rotorua
Letters to the Editor, New Zealand Herald, Rotorura Daily Post
Greetings from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
What’s coming up for 2019?
Lots of people volunteered to help. The sentiment I heard from you guys, and I agree, is that the book should be positive, and not a cynical look at religion. I think it will be focused on the FSM Creation story and so forth, and illustrated. We intend to make the book free online as an interactive website, and also do a high quality print run for anyone who wants a nicely printed book.
I’ve got a few holiday gift ideas, below. We don’t really do merchandise anymore (though you can surely find knockoff shirts and things on the internet if you look.) The only thing we do now is the Ordinations, and I’d encourage everyone to become Ordinated, or to nominate a friend, if it feels right. Here we go:
• Nominate someone to the Ministry of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Do you know someone of impeccable character, ready to serve as a spiritual leader? This Holiday season why not surprise them with Ordination credentials?
FSM Ministers will receive Lithograph Paper Certificates and PVC Minister’s ID cards, and will be added to the official registry. You can order as a gift here. (Or for yourself here). I will send something you can present the nominee, before their credentials arrive in the mail. If they decide to not join the Ministry, you can re-nominate or get a refund.
• Send a Holiday e-Card to your friends and family
You can create a festive card with personalized message here. It takes only seconds and costs nothing. Below are a few of the designs. I will not smash any ads into your e-cards, nor will I read them.
Christopher Hitchens: The Last Interview AND OTHER CONVERSATIONS
By CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
PRODUCT DETAILS
Published by Melville House Dec 05, 2017
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: THE LAST INTERVIEW
“If someone says I’m doing this out of faith, I say, Why don’t you do it out of conviction?” —CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
One of his generation’s greatest public intellectuals, and perhaps its fiercest, Christopher Hitchens was a brilliant interview subject. This collection—which spans from his early prominence as a hero of the Left to his controversial support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan toward the end of his life—showcases Hitch’s trademark wit on subjects as diverse as his mistrust of the media, his love of literature, his dislike of the Clintons, and his condemnation of all things religious. Beginning with an introduction and tribute from his longtime friend Stephen Fry, this collection culminates in Hitchens’s fearless final interview with Richard Dawkins, which shows a man as unafraid of death as he was of everything in life.
Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, 2011. Courtesy YouTube.
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS was an English-born American writer, essayist, and journalist, as well as an outspoken atheist. He began his writing career in England as a correspondent for a socialist publication before writing for the New Statesman. He then moved to the US in 1981 and became an editor for The Nation. In 1992, he joined Vanity Fair as a contributing editor and he stayed with the publication for the remainder of his life. He also wrote a monthly column for The Atlantic, contributed regularly to the New York Review of Books, appeared as a talking head on countless television shows, and wrote or co-authored seventeen books. Hitchens also taught as a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley and a liberal studies professor at the New School. In 2010 he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, though this did not slow him down much as he continued to write and give interviews until he died on December 15, 2011.
“He’s one of the most terrifying rhetoricians that the world has yet seen.” —Martin Amis
“His unworldly fluency never deserted him, his commitment was passionate, and he never deserted his trade. He was the consummate writer, the brilliant friend. In Walter Pater’s famous phrase, he burned ‘with this hard gem-like flame.’ Right to the end.” —Ian McEwan
“He was an intellectual with the instincts of a street brawler, never happier than when engaged in moral or political fisticuffs.” —Salman Rushdie
“There was nothing that Hitch liked to do more than talk— and all the better if talking meant arguing.” —Anna Wintour
The Museum of the Bible is rumored to have spent millions of dollars to obtain 16 of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Today it was announced that five of them are likely forgeries https://t.co/64AkG6cpRU
Museum of the Bible Releases Research Findings on 13 Unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls Fragments
Published: Aug 8, 2016
Scholars Initiative’s First Brill Volume
Highlights Scholar-Mentor Research Model
WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2016—Today Brill, a leading international academic publisher, released the first in a series of volumes based on research sponsored by Museum of the Bible. Edited by Emanuel Tov (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), Kipp Davis (Trinity Western University) and Robert Duke (Azusa Pacific University), the volume contains findings on 13 previously unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls fragments, a number of Hebrew Bible fragments and one non-biblical fragment. It is the culmination of four years of research that involved some 50 scholars comprised of a core editorial team, 11 chapter authors and 35 co-authors.
Museum of the Bible sponsors research through its Scholars Initiative, which facilitates a global network of scholars to pursue research and provide students with an opportunity to develop as scholars under the guidance of scholar-mentors. Key to this research model is the involvement of leading international scholars who provide supervision and oversight.
Museum of the Bible enlisted the world’s leading expert on Dead Sea Scrolls to supervise the editing and publication of this Scholars Initiative research project. Tov is considered the world’s leading authority on textual criticism of Hebrew and Greek Bibles, as well as the Qumran Scrolls, and served as editor-in-chief of the international Dead Sea Scrolls publication project.
“The team of emerging scholars working on this Museum of the Bible Scholars Initiative research project, many of whom had never delved into the Dead Sea Scrolls, operated in an incredibly professional way,” said Tov. “With supervisory guidance, they produced strong results and, in my opinion, this mentoring system of the Scholars Initiative was a great success.”
“The editors and their team have produced a masterful edition of 13 Judean Desert fragments, most probably from Qumran and almost all from the Hebrew Scriptures,” said Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, a renowned Dead Sea Scrolls scholar who serves at New York University as the Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, and Director of the Global Network for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies. “They have brought to bear the best of scientific and textual methods available to their task. While testifying to the various forms of the text of the Hebrew Bible known from Antiquity, these fragments point toward the dominance of the proto-Masoretic text by the end of the first century CE.
“Museum of the Bible has made an excellent start in their publication program, and further volumes are eagerly awaited.”
The 236-page Brill volume, which contains five tables and 41 photographs and is titled “Dead Sea Scrolls Fragments in the Museum Collection,” explains how this mentoring model is built around three levels of participants: students (undergraduate through doctorate), their professors, and senior scholars who consult on projects in their areas of expertise. The Scholars Initiative structure also includes regional directors, who assist senior scholars and professors on their local campuses, and distinguished scholars, who are established language specialists.
Also of note in this new Brill publication is the advanced use of digital imaging for the reconstruction of the texts that was provided by the West Semitic Research Project for the University of Southern California. The reconstructive process, which applied evolving imaging technologies with new methodologies, offered researchers an unparalleled means for testing various proposals for how a text was originally laid out with a degree of precision and accuracy heretofore not possible.
To date through the Scholars Initiative, professors from more than 60 international universities and seminaries have participated in some 90 research projects on biblical texts and artifacts, many of which have never been studied before. The Scholars Initiative involves leading experts in the fields of papyri; Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Egyptian and Ethiopic texts; and Coptic, medieval, Middle-Eastern, early Jewish and early American artifacts, among others.
This is the first in a series of Brill volumes dedicated to research on items in the Museum of the Bible Collection. The next volume is dedicated to some of the collection’s early Greek texts and will be published soon, with Jeffrey Fish (Baylor University) serving as editor.
“Brill is proud to be working with the Museum of the Bible Scholars Initiative,” said Suzanne Mekking, senior acquisitions editor, Old Testament/Qumran at Brill. “This unique cooperation of students working together closely with experts in the field resulted in the first, long-awaited volume on the Dead Sea Scrolls Fragments in the Museum Collection. We are sure that this volume will make a great contribution to modern scholarship and is a perfect fit for Brill’s publishing program.”
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About Museum of the Bible
Museum of the Bible is an innovative, global, educational institution whose purpose is to invite all people to engage with the history, narrative and impact of the Bible through museum exhibits and scholarly pursuits, including artifact research, education initiatives and an international museum opening in late 2017 in Washington. The 430,000-square-foot, $400 million Museum of the Bible will be located three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. As of 2016, it has sponsored traveling exhibits that have visited six U.S. cities and five other countries, including Cuba and Vatican City.
About Brill
Founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands, Brill is a leading international academic publisher in 20 main subject areas, including Middle East and Islamic Studies, Asian Studies, Classical Studies, History, Biblical and Religious Studies, Language & Linguistics, Biology, and International Law. With offices in Leiden and Boston and a representative office in Singapore, Brill today publishes 265 journals and around 1000 new books and reference works each year, available in both print and electronic form. Brill also markets a large number of primary source research collections and databases. The company’s key customers are academic and research institutions, libraries, and scholars. Brill is a publicly traded company and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam NV. For more information, visit http://www.brill.com.
Collections
The Museum Collections include artifacts and objects from a range of cultures and time periods, from the Ancient Near East to the modern period. The permanent collection focuses on biblical items, manuscripts, printed Bibles and books, and art. These collections allow the Museum of the Bible to convey the global impact and compelling history of the Bible in a unique and powerful way.
Complimenting the Collection
Complementing these collections are cooperative agreements with other institutions, such as the Israel Antiquities Authority, which will provide guests an unrivaled opportunity to engage with artifacts and materials related to the Bible. Over 41 institutions have loaned items on display in the museum in Washington, D.C.
A portion of these collections were displayed through the traveling exhibit, Passages, at six different cities nationwide. The collections have also been featured internationally through exhibits in Vatican City; Havana, Cuba; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Ulm and Wittenberg, Germany; and Jerusalem, Israel.
Approximately 1150 items from the museum’s permanent collection are on display in the museum in Washington, D.C, with another 2000 items on loan from other institutions and collections. The curation and registration teams continue to research the items in the collection and develop new exhibitions and displays.
Christmas Illuminated: Prestigious Manuscripts from around the Fifteenth Century in the Bavarian State Library Collection
Explore the Christmas story as presented in rare and precious illuminated manuscripts.
The Art of the Gospels by Makoto Fujimura
A contemporary art exhibition highlighting the work of Makoto Fujimura, as he revisits the legacy of illumination and explores the Bible as a source of creative inspiration.
About Museum of the Bible
Museum of the Bible is an innovative, global, educational institution whose purpose is to invite all people to engage with the Bible. In 2017, Museum of the Bible, which aims to be the most technologically advanced museum in the world, opened its 430,000-square-foot nonprofit museum just three blocks from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Greetings from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
