Open Bar: ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL

[The Good Reverend Roger]

All religions go through that phase, I think.

Yeah, especially the ones in Guyana.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Can't stop shaking.

And then.

AND THEN.

AND THEN.

My living room is 30 feet long.  I am 4 feet from the wall.  I just sneezed a wad of phlegm all the way across the room, striking the wall 8 feet off the ground (vaulted ceiling).  So I had to get my unbalanced, shaky ass up on a chair (yes, I know better, shut up) to clean the results of this herculean expectoration.

Naturally, I fell off the chair.

Naturally, I landed on my tailbone.

THANKS A LOT, OBAMA.   

Dude, really hope you feel better soon. Accept temporary invalid status.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

All religions go through that phase, I think.

Yeah, especially the ones in Guyana.

Or the ones in Japan that lead to people gassing subways or people from Middle Eastern countries blowing up. Those tend to be fringe though. They still pop up but they are all unorthodox.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

All religions go through that phase, I think.

Yeah, especially the ones in Guyana.

Or the ones in Japan that lead to people gassing subways or people from Middle Eastern countries blowing up. Those tend to be fringe though. They still pop up but they are all unorthodox.

And this guy is nondemoninational. Meaning he has no "higher authority" in his megachurch, which is more or less his personal regime.

And the Portland one just has videos of him during the service.

So, are you thinking he's just going through some growing pains, or maybe he's an insane control freak?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

He also claims, to some degree, to be a prophet.

Which ain't exactly canon, no matter WHICH brand of Christianity you come from.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

All religions go through that phase, I think.

Yeah, especially the ones in Guyana.

Or the ones in Japan that lead to people gassing subways or people from Middle Eastern countries blowing up. Those tend to be fringe though. They still pop up but they are all unorthodox.

And this guy is nondemoninational. Meaning he has no "higher authority" in his megachurch, which is more or less his personal regime.

And the Portland one just has videos of him during the service.

So, are you thinking he's just going through some growing pains, or maybe he's an insane control freak?

Oh, he's an insane control freak. Like I said, Christianity already went through this phase.

Actually, I don't really see growing pains being possible for a religion in modern society. Our underlying understanding of the universe and society mitigates that.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I particularly like "Discernment", the power for Mark Driscoll to SEE YOUR SIN.

[Suu]

Ho ho ho!

http://www.charismanews.com/us/42171-following-plagiarism-accusations-mark-driscoll-apologizes-for-mistakes

and...WHOA:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2012/02/mars_hill_pastor_mark_driscoll_faces_backlash_over_church_discipline_case_.html

Mars Hill is nondenominational, which means it doesn't formally answer to any outside institutional bodies, so Driscoll holds the power. He has preached against "sinning through questioning" and once said publicly he would like to "go Old Testament" on dissenters. He has reported that he can sometimes "see things" about his members' past sins.

and

The letter, posted on Turner's site, included instructions on how to ostracize Andrew; having a meal or going to a concert with him were deemed "not permissible." The document included examples of how to decline the ex-member's attempts to reach out: "Andrew, I would enjoy time with you but I can't because you're under church discipline. You can join me if we can talk about your refusal to listen to God and the church."

Jesus Fuck.

This guy is a few tacos short of a fucking combo plate.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

He also claims, to some degree, to be a prophet.

Which ain't exactly canon, no matter WHICH brand of Christianity you come from.

"Prophets" always pop up when some theocrat sees some sort of societal ill that needs to be purged.

And it's always linked to some perceived decadence and rampant immorality. Judaeochristian religion has historically been patriarchal and authoritarian. That's a bit of cultural baggage, and that still exists. However, it also runs contrary to modern values. Which of course causes strange things to happen. I've seen people from Fox News chew out the Phelps family, on religious grounds. There's something fundamentally abhorrent about groups like that.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I particularly like "Discernment", the power for Mark Driscoll to SEE YOUR SIN.

God made me psychic so I can watch you in a brain porn.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I particularly like "Discernment", the power for Mark Driscoll to SEE YOUR SIN.

God made me psychic so I can watch you in a brain porn.

He's a cold reader.  He doesn't believe his own shit.

That can be good or bad.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Oh oh oh watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVyFyauE4ig&feature=youtu.be

If that doesn't skeeve you out bad, nothing will.

How interesting that all that he "sees" is ugly, violent, sexual, and predatory.

I was going to say the exact same thing.  He probably vacations in Salazore.

You know, if I was a Christian and I believed in the devil, I would be inclined to suspect that Mark Driscoll is possessed by Satan.

That, interestingly is not an out of the question idea. Catholics and Orthodox would most certainly see him as a heretic and someone who for either reasons of insanity or by design, a deceiver.

He's scary. His church has a concept they call "sinning through questioning".

Wow.  It's like an endgame for cult behavior. 

Yeah, they're HORRIBLE. And they have over 5000 members.

I predict an implosion within the next 5 years. Possibly a kiddie-diddling scandal.

That, a mass suicide, or a Waco-style standoff and subsequent bigass fire.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I particularly like "Discernment", the power for Mark Driscoll to SEE YOUR SIN.

God made me psychic so I can watch you in a brain porn.

He's a cold reader.  He doesn't believe his own shit.

That can be good or bad.

Maybe he is, maybe he isn't.

The interesting thing about his "Discernment" is that, from what I've watched, I've never seen anyone back him up and said, "Yeah, he nailed it." He's talking about some nebulous hypothetical sinner. And that other pastors may or may not have the gift of Discernment. It's much along the lines of me saying "I did a tarot reading for this guy once, and I was able to tell that he did this incredibly specific thing and he told me I was dead on. He's not here today, btw, you'll just have to take my word for it."

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Ho ho ho!

<snip>

The letter, posted on Turner's site, included instructions on how to ostracize Andrew; having a meal or going to a concert with him were deemed "not permissible." The document included examples of how to decline the ex-member's attempts to reach out: "Andrew, I would enjoy time with you but I can't because you're under church discipline. You can join me if we can talk about your refusal to listen to God and the church."

That's textbook disconnection/shunning form letters, right there. Somebody did his homework before he started this cult.

Roger, please don't die any harder than you already are.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Roger, please don't die any harder than you already are.

I'd like to, believe me, but it is my duty to remain a horrible constant in your lives.