Comments

  2. CodeSculptor says

    Why do these people always use the most frail and out of shape people for these events. Carrying a big doll requires no wisdom nor piety — leave it to the members of the foot-ball team.

  4. a says

    In the back of my mind, an evil little voice wished that it’d fallen on one of them. It was God’s will we could say, and how could they argue differently, seeing as they’re in the house of their deity… *sniggers*

  7. Sven DiMilo says

    Yeah but if you look really closely at about 0:27 it BLEEDS from a PULSATING HEART and briefly BURNS WITHOUT BEING CONSUMED!
    It’s a fucking miracle.

  9. Anon says

    “… and centuries later, we still speak in hushed tones of the miracle of the Gorilla Glue, and the restoration of the Icon…”

  11. The Petey says

    I laughed too. Why DID they uses a bunch of octogenarians to carry it? and why didn’t they at least try to crazy glue it down? Why didn’t it transubstantiate, flap its wings and save itself?

  13. says

    I’m more in the mode of wondering what the statue was being carried for in the first place, and what saint would it be?

    I don’t know, I didn’t laugh. But I’m sure it’s the sort of thing that the people there will recount with both a kind of false “horror” and amusement for some time to come.

    Glen D
    http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7

  14. ed says

    Yes you are, (very bad) so am I. Still laughing. Still no one was hurt and there is a very slim chance something was learned.

  17. 60613 says

    I laughed too – the cries of horror!
    I can see the headlines in the local paper: “Christ beheaded in tragic accident!” “Jesus fell down and can’t get up!” “Jesus lost his head!”
    I’m with Phil (above) – the idol has been desecrated! This must surely bring retribution. “Floods! Famine! Fire! Locusts! Gays!”
    Thanks for posting… it was a good laugh.

  18. Larry says

    Oh, noes!

    Why didn’t god hold up mary in midair until she could be gently put down?

    My faith, she is broken!

  19. itwasntme says

    …and they couldn’t even calm everybody by saying, “Relax everyone, it’s just a statue!”

  20. says

    I can only hope my funeral is such a success.

    (Actually, I want a secular funeral. A secular Viking funeral. But as if Gilgamesh were a Viking. Seventy virgins will follow my sarcophagus onto the boat and drink poison. Well, instead of poison, it’ll be Ecstasy. They can leave when they’re not virgins anymore.)

  22. BobbyEarle says

    The stuff we made in the third grade out of papier mache held up better than this.

    They need more flour, me thinks.

  23. Shamar says

    I laughed my ass off as well!!

    I’d have probably laughed even if it had landed on someone.
    (their god would have attacked them, ha ha ha)

  25. Ashley says

    I’m disappointed. I went to catholic church for 12 years in school, and nothing like that ever happened! I got gypped.

  26. E.V. says

    Wait, I know! Let’s get the eldest of the palsied, testicular atrophied men of the church to carry a 200lb+ plaster effigy of Christ down the aisle! It will be inspirational!

  27. Cletic_Evolution says

    I laughed at this.

    You’re not the only one… I’m sure when I turned it up I could make out at least a few chuckles and snickers from the crowd…

    Who says physical comedy is dead?

  29. Feynmaniac says

    Kinda think the crowd overreacted. Then again, I think PZ has found that some Catholics tend to overreact….

  30. says

    hahaha, that video has inspired me to resume going to church regularly.
    In the hopes that something like this will happen while I’m there, so I can quite loudly laugh my head off.
    …oops, is that not the right phrase to use for this situation? Bad taste you say?

    Sure, I might have to wait a while, but the reward will be sweet(and hey, I can always think about random stuff while I’m there)

  31. says

    Try this:
    http://www.typealyzer.com/index.php?lang=en

    Plug your blog http in and find out what kind of blog you have. I want to see if someone gets exactly the same analysis I got:

    INTP – The Thinkers

    The logical and analytical type. They are especialy attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications.

    They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people, they might come across as arrogant, impatient and insensitive to people that need some time to understand what they are talking about.

  32. Holbach says

    Holy crap, the rapture is here early! The response from the demented sheep was the worth of it all! Religion, your name is fraught with all that is obscene and insane, and the lowest degradation of humanity possible!

  33. Hauntedchippy says

    Bloody hell.
    Anywhere else and the crowd would’ve laughed, but because it happened to be an idol they worshipped they reacted as if it was quite literally the end of the world.

  35. says

    What do you do in that sort of situation? My inclination would be to find the head, set it back atop the body and give it a nice “there, there” pat.

  37. Richard Halasz says

    That kind of slapstick should have been accompanied with holy water and cheap communion wine spit takes.

  38. Jimminy Christmas says

    I can see the relief on some of their faces:

    “Oh, so it is just a stupid plaster statue after all.”

  39. H.H. says

    It was sad to hear the shrieks of disbelief and murmurs of despair from the sheep in the pews waiting to be told how to react to this little fall. You could just tell this accident was more than their brains could take. Oh, I’m sure it was later explained to them that this statue isn’t an actual holy relic, it’s only symbolic, not to worry, god forgives their human frailty, etc. etc. But the excuses and rationalizations will come later.

    But captured in this moment, we see a collection of idolaters horrified to watch as their magical talisman–the one they prayed to and pinned money on so that little Johnny’s cancer goes into remission and little Suzie finds a husband–smashes on the floor along with all their misplaced hopes, prayers, and dreams.

    For me, this video reveals all the vanity, fragility, and pure primitive ignorance of the lie called religion. And it ends the way all religions must, because ultimately they are nothing more than empty promises. I don’t think anyone could have filmed a more powerfully metaphorical moment if they were trying.

  40. says

    Norman I got this for my blog. It partially fits.

    The responsible and hardworking type. They are especially attuned to the details of life and are careful about getting the facts right. Conservative by nature they are often reluctant to take any risks whatsoever. [ Not really me at all]

    The Duty Fulfillers are happy to be let alone and to be able to work int heir own pace. They know what they have to do and how to do it.[ that fits ]

  41. says

    Of course, you knew what was coming from the first frame. The screaming and horrified reaction to the mishap was the best part. It’s just a doll people… sheesh.

  42. Bunk says

    I do crap like that all the time, except I’m not carrying idols. I usually get hurt, though. The only thing more interesting than the lack of laughter by the crowd was the lack of obscenity from the bearers.

  44. Sam B says

    I laughed. Then I laughed at the people attending’s reactions. There were a lot of gasps, some wails, a baby crying (I think), possibly some sobs and I think I heard someone go “oh shit”.

  45. says

    Hmmm… according to that Typealyzer site it says in part about PZ: “They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.”

    Really, PZ?

  46. Samphire says

    It reminds me of an unplanned baptism in my parents’ church some 50 years ago when an old gentleman walked into the chapel, failed to notice the water-filled sump in the floor (normally covered over by floorboards but opened up especially for that night’s baptism service) and fell right in.

    Fortunately, although soaked by total immersion, he was not physically hurt and can laugh about it now that he is in heaven.

  48. says

    It was probably a statue of the church’s patron saint (not Jesus or Mary). It appears to be a male figure in a short tunic rather than the typical long robe. If I were to guess, I’d say it’s most likely St. Michael the Archangel, but they left off the traditional wings because those suckers are difficult to maintain on plaster statues. No wings, no flight. Crash!

  49. Steve_C says

    Hahaha! That was awesome. Those nuns up front looked like they were going to faint.
    I feel bad for the old guy that dropped his handle. Probably his one big day a year.

  50. Hockey Bob says

    SamB @ #44

    You know what they say…

    Q:How do you get a room full of little, old, catholic ladies to swear?

    A: Yell “BINGO!”

    I’m surprised that there weren’t more “oh, shit” cries in the crowd. Oh well – they can just order another false idol from the Acme Religious Icon company; I think they do e-commerce ordering now, too!

  52. Jason A. says

    The crowd reaction was fantastic. I agree with everything H.H. said in #39

    And what is it about surprise moments that everyone has to try and make a louder noise than everyone else around them? You know most of those people alone wouldn’t have shrieked like that if the rest of the room was quiet. Maybe a gasp, but that’s it. It’s something about the group dynamic, everyone is loud so I have to be louder!

  54. Steve_C says

    Well, you have to clutch the rosary tighter and wail louder too look as pious as the next one.

  55. Tom Woolf says

    ooooooh, PZ… yer goin’ ter hell fer that one!

    Was it my imagination (or wishful thinking), or did I hear somebody yell out “tiiimmmmmbeeerrrrrrr”?

  58. Stacy L. Mason says

    Mazaltof!!

    Guess all the strapping young lads were all too butthurt to help lug the plaster calf up to the altar.

  60. gypsytag says

    If they were true believers they would have thrown themselves under jesus to prevent him from hitting the ground.

    Even secularists don’t let the flag touch the ground.

  61. 386sx says

    I don’t thing God would ever punish people for accidentally desecrating something. Right? Riighghttt??

  62. Steve says

    pz,
    You aren’t bad. Four older dudes dropped a dressed up dummie, and people were horrified. Where else could you see this level of hilarity? You could beat it if the cross spontaneously fell so it was upside down….

    In any case, you aren’t a bad person. We have but one life to laugh at idiocy.

  63. Lago says

    See? This is why the Romans used nails!

    How embarrassing would it have been if Jesus had fallen over in the same way?… Well?

  64. Steverino says

    Possible outs:

    “My bad!….My bad!”

    “Hey look!…it’s filled with candy!…dibs on the Reeces!”

    “Should have gotten the solid one instead!”

    “He did it! (pointing to the guy in front)”

    “Holy Shit!…Did everyone feel that too???”

  66. James says

    Is it bad that the first thing I could think of was –

    Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. Better, stronger, faster.

    James

  67. says

    What the hell is wrong with them? They’re screaming like someone was killed! I’d have been busting up… The way they were carrying, especially with a bunch of old-farts on the poles, was just asking for something like this happen.

  68. Steverino says

    #63
    “See? This is why the Romans used nails!

    How embarrassing would it have been if Jesus had fallen over in the same way?… Well?”

    Now that’s fuvking funny!!!….I bow

  69. says

    Norman asks:

    Try this:
    http://www.typealyzer.com/index.php?lang=en

    Plug your blog http in and find out what kind of blog you have. I want to see if someone gets exactly the same analysis I got

    Yes. It uses Myers-Briggs. When I’ve taken the test, multiple times now, I come up INTP or INTX. My blog came up INTP. Which surprised me to no end seeing I only took it as a lark and was going to bash it, since I was really skeptical.

    So, obviously, I couldn’t bash it. I am wondering how they came up with their algorithm. But not enough to go bug them in a fruitless endeavor as I’m thinking they probably won’t respond.

    I have seen others that are not INTP.

  75. kb3ijj says

    I had a good laugh. Interestingly, at first glance, I thought they were carrying an image of Krishna which confused the hell out of me. Then the second time through, I looked closer and it does indeed look like St. Michael the Archangel.

  76. xebecs says

    What do you want to bet that the clumsy bearer meets with an accident soon, as did the “own goal” footballer from Colombia a few years back?

  77. Rey Fox says

    “There were a lot of gasps, some wails, a baby crying (I think), possibly some sobs and I think I heard someone go “oh shit”.”

    And there was also a camera flash. For insurance purposes, I’m sure.

  78. Sili says

    I did giggle at the bits that kept crumpling off.

    Speaking of signs: Has anyone yet suggested that California is getting punished by god for banning gay marriage?

  79. says

    And the thing is nobody moved to help the old guy in front. You know the moment he started fidgeting in the front, that he was going to drop it. There wasn’t some other stronger fellow could have walked up, said, “here let me help you” before it fell? I can see the next meeting of the church committee: “Bob, that’s the last time you are carrying the saint.”

    And yes, I laughed. I flinched a bit when it fell, but only because it was kind of like seeing any other performance suddenly fall flat, you know, like a play where the actor forgets their lines. Then I laughed.

  81. WTFWJD says

    Why not embrace modern technology with a wheeled cart, safety straps, and a roll bar?

    BTW, was that the patron saint of accidental falls?

  82. Duff says

    Had the holy thing landed on an innocent in the audience, would there have been a lawsuit? Naaaaaaaah.

  90. Tim H says

    It could have been whoever the patron saint of music is. Then the episode could be attributed to suicide by the saint so he/she didn’t have to keep listening to that awful singing.

    After a bit of browsing, I could find no patron saint of clumsiness/for clumsy people. I find this surprising. Surely the church could find some mention in history of a holy but uncoordinated person. I suggest they work on this.

    This could have been due to the intervention of St Venantius, Patron Saint of Falling, or St Genevieve, Patron Saint of Disasters. I could not find a Patron Saint of Discount Statuary.

    Could someone with more knowledge of the arcane workings of the RCC tell me why the hell Isidore of Seville is the Patron Saint of Computers and the Internet?

  91. cm says

    Funny in a “nobody actually got physically hurt or cruelly mortified” sort of safe way + the “church elders lamely propping up a recently beheaded saint and walking away” way.

    But it is astounding footage in terms of how REACTIVE the crowd is. These are the things I need reminding of, how other people can get so whooped up over things that barely register on my own meter.

  92. Steve_C says

    He’ll liken the statue to the destruction of the Buddha in afghanistan or the Sistine Chapel and claim we’re sick sick sick for laughing.

  96. says

    I’m thinking blogs that have a lot of quoted context won’t be very accurate within the algorithm. But what the hell:

    Cuttlefish: ISTP
    Mark Chu-Carroll (good math, bad math): ESTP
    Dave Neiwert (Orcinus): INTP
    Phranygula: ISTP
    John Hawks (JH Anthropology): INTP
    Doc’s Sunrise Rants: ESTP
    My daughter: INFJ (So her, BTW)
    GrrlScientist: ESTJ
    Gary Farber (Amygdala): INTP

    I’m not surprised by the skewing.

  97. cm says

    Just noticed: from 00:16–00:23 you can see a Satanic figure with his back to the camera standing in the foreground at right watching coldly as it falls and shatters.

  98. AmyD says

    All the wailing about the statue and only one lady bothered to ask the little old nun who had been standing right behind it if she was okay.

  102. Chris A. says

    wow, some people take cheap inanimate objects very seriously,

    but then PZ has already discovered this

  104. tsg says

    Is it bad that the first thing I could think of was –

    Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. Better, stronger, faster.

    The first thing that came to my mind was, “Where’s your messiah now?!”

  105. CaptainKendrick says

    LOOK! LOOK! The dent that the statue left in the floor looks like the Virgin Mary!!!! IT’S A MIRACLE!!! IT’S A SIGN!!!!!

  106. H.H. says

    OT: The Wall Street Journal says the War on Christmas caused the economic crisis.

    Matt Heath, wow, that was one of the most ignorant things I’ve ever read. First he repeats the lie that liberals and atheists get offended when told to have a “Merry Christmas” (actually it’s the other way around–Christians get offended when they are offered a inclusive greeting such as “Happy Holidays” that doesn’t mark them out as special and privileged). Then he blindly asserts that evangelical Christianity teaches people morality and restraint and, if embraced by more people, could have averted the current fiscal crisis. Aside from the pure falsity of that sentiment, he’s obviously never heard of the “prosperity gospel.” Those “Southern evangelicals” as as avaricious as they come.

  108. Nick Gotts says

    the War on Christmas caused the economic crisis – Matt Heath, citing WSJ.

    I just knew it had to be our fault! Do you think, if we atheists all repent and pray really hard, God will stop the recession?

  109. magista says

    Tim H, St. Isidore is supposedly venerated for his love of learning and teaching, which is why he’s suggested as the patron saint of the internet.

    My particular favourite is the patron of television, St. Clare of Assisi. When to ill to attend mass, she saw the services appear as a moving image on the wall of her cell. See? God wants me to have a flatscreen…

  111. ThatOtherGuy says

    What in the world are all those people screaming about? Dear god, it’s a PLASTER STATUE. It’s REPLACEABLE. You don’t need to shriek like someone’s just murdered your baby. In any other context there would have been a bunch of yells of “whoa, lookout” at the beginning, then followed by “oh” and a bunch of muted conversation. None of this melodramatic sh!t.

  112. mayhempix says

    Where’s Saint Craziglu when you need him?

    That’s what happens when you worship false idols and find they are not all they are “cracked up” to be. Now Donohue will claim PZ put a spell on it with his spiked cracker.

  113. T. Bruce McNeely says

    Posted by: Tim H | November 20, 2008 3:38 PM
    After a bit of browsing, I could find no patron saint of clumsiness/for clumsy people.

    Saint Clouseau?

  114. Dr. Strangelove says

    Did anyone else think it would be funny if it was going to spill out with candy like a pinata?

  119. Wowbagger says

    Considering the religulous are so keen on symbols it’s funny that they haven’t worked out it represents the impending collapse of christianity.

  120. Gavin says

    I can only guess God didn’t approve of the statue…

    Such tacky religious kitsch anyway – I don’t think anyone could argue that religion gives you good taste.

  122. Sastra says

    I guess I watched the video assuming the statue was very old, a piece of irreplaceable art, so I was actually dismayed when I saw it break. If it had been a nonreligious statue being moved in a museum, I’d feel the same way. But the weeping and wailing afterwards seemed a bit put-on to me, as if some of the people were trying to take advantage of the situation and display their sensitivity and piety for all to see and marvel at.

  124. Aphrodine says

    I didn’t laugh. As a waitress I learned the hard way that it is NOT funny when giant, expensive things fall off of serving trays.*

    *I am single-handedly ensuring that the ‘extremely expensive wine glass’ companies stay in business.

  126. Brad says

    After a bit of browsing, I could find no patron saint of clumsiness/for clumsy people.

    Saint Clouseau?

    Saint Basil of Fawlty, I think. If not, we ought to start a write-in campaign to get him elected.

    The Catholic church doesn’t work that way? Well, how about getting the Jedi Knights to elect him then…

  127. TimN says

    What we witnessed here was the invisible hand of god removing the invisible screws of god from very visible coffee table of god. Either that or they forgot the duct tape of god to keep that bitch on there.

  128. Wowbagger says

    But the weeping and wailing afterwards seemed a bit put-on to me, as if some of the people were trying to take advantage of the situation and display their sensitivity and piety for all to see and marvel at.

    So, if someone sees a Jesus statue fall in the forest (and break) and no-one is there to see them see it, do they express grief?

    I’ve always been a bit baffled by the amount of religiously-inspired grief people exhibit in situations like this – hair pulling, wailing etc. – and I agree; it’s more to show other people than it is to express real feelings. Which reveals just how empty religious belief really is, since if there was a god, he’d know exactly how they felt without any outward shows of emotion.

  131. Adrienne says

    I volunteer for a group that helps escort women’s clinic patients past anti-abortion protesters (the so-called “Sidewalk counselors”). A couple of the protesters used to carry big crucifixes as they preached and harassed patients. One time, the plastic corpus of Jesus on the crucifix of one of the protesters fell off the cross to the ground and shattered. Everybody, protesters and clinic escorts alike, just spent a moment in total open-mouthed shock. Then we laughed. I don’t think they did, though.

  132. Travis says

    I couldn’t really laugh, the wailing and crying and screaming drives me far too crazy. Maybe I’m just an angry person but whenever I hear that kind of overreaction I just want to scream at them to shut up and stop being such whiny idiots and actually do something.

    Screaming and moaning rarely helps. Unless you are in bed with someone.

  133. Desert Son says

    H.H. at # 106 (and Matt Heath, by extension):

    that was one of the most ignorant things I’ve ever read.

    Did you read through the comments? Some of them are the cherry on top of the ignorance sundae.

    In defense of the comments section, however, were a decent number of posts pointing out the obvious: secularization of a society has nothing to do with the current economic struggle.

    No kings,

    Robert

  135. says

    I am a very bad person. I laughed at this.

    How can you not? Especially because people seems to be honestly scared. Was that piece of plaster supposed to embody some saint for real (for Catholics)?

  137. LisaJ says

    hahaha, that was hilarious! The funniest part was how horrified everyone sounded… give me a break. So funny.

  139. Sastra says

    Wowbagger #128 wrote:

    I’ve always been a bit baffled by the amount of religiously-inspired grief people exhibit in situations like this – hair pulling, wailing etc. – and I agree; it’s more to show other people than it is to express real feelings.

    “Oh, Edna — I hope I did not distress you too much last Sunday when the blessed statue of St. Swithin broke. They said my cries of anguish pierced the very shield of heaven.”

    “Not at all, Margery. I heard nothing — for I had fainted dead away.”

    “Fainted? Oh, I only wish I had had the good fortune to faint. No, I was there to see and witness the entire event. Every torturous moment is etched onto my memory, never to be forgotten. How lucky you were, to faint like that.”

    “Well … it may have been a stroke, actually.”

    “A stroke?”

    “Yes. Maybe. The doctors are very concerned, and said I must be watched.”

    “I had palpitations. From the screaming.”

    “No doubt. But not a stroke, I hope?”

    “No. A miracle. All thanks to St. Swithin.”

    “Praise to St. Swithin.”

  140. Nick Gotts says

    Not to mention how no one gets up and helps clean up the damn thing.,/I> – Rey Fox

    That would have shown a lack of faith – they were waiting for the bits to miraculously reassemble, and no-one liked to be the first to admit they weren’t going to.

  144. blueelm says

    I know it’s funny, but I’m quite sensitive to sound so I actually feel really tense and upset by that video.

    I feel bad for them. I really hate it when the mood gets broken :( Seriously.

    BTW– That blog link thing was fun. My blog came out so different than me though! I usually end up with INTJ for myself, but my blog is apparently an ISTP? Maybe I should try to post more.

    Fun stuff though!

  145. Donnie B. says

    My addition to #64’s great list…

    The fellow who sets the statue back on its feet looks down into the hollow neck, then yells, “My God! It’s full of stars!”, and disappears.

  147. MRL says

    I guess I’m in the minority here, but…I felt bad for all those people. Misguided or no, it was their saint statue, it was harmless, and when it fell you could hear the dismay in those peoples’ voices.

    If something is important to someone, then it’s a bad thing when it’s destroyed. Even if that’s the lesser of two evils (like, say, opposing the putting-up of a 10 Commandments monument), it’s still sad when people are hurt, physically or otherwise.

  148. pmomma says

    Me thinks someone dipped into the “by a saint that won’t bust into a million fucking pieces fund”. I can just picture it now. Little Billy and Betty have been peddaling chocolate bars for four years to by a solid gold icon that turns out to be a plaster pos from Walmart’s Religious Icon’s catalogue. Either than or the monks in Italy need to take a course in structural integrity.

  149. Adrienne says

    I’m guessing it was St. Michael. It’s a figure in a tunic standing on something with wings, which is a typical depiction of St. Michael..dressed in a tunic and standing on Satan.

  150. GT says

    #56
    Thank goodness it wasn’t a cracker indeed, since the the church people waited more than 5 seconds to pick it up.

  151. Crudely Wrott says

    The blessed plaster icon could not transport itself? Where is the power of the almighty when you need him, like at an important ritual in its honor (and for the “edification” of the “elect”).

    And the response of the bearers after the fall; the meek, placatory gestures, the halting motions, the predictable fumbling at the pieces. Not to mention the audible horror of the faithful sounding the all-is-lost alarm.

    Fail on all levels.

  152. H.H. says

    Sastra, you should turn that snippet into a short story and submit it somewhere. Seriously, you have talent. While I and the rest of us here at ScienceBlogs are fortunate to be able to read your posts, you really do need to be writing for a larger audience. Ok, I’ll stop prodding. I know you don’t like it when I prod. But I mean it.

  153. John C. Randolph says

    Isn’t smashing idols something that Christians (and Jews and Muslims too, for that matter) are supposed to do?

    -jcr

  154. Wowbagger says

    Isn’t smashing idols something that Christians (and Jews and Muslims too, for that matter) are supposed to do?

    Sounds like someone’s got a case of the “s’posed to’s”…

    /Simpsons>

  160. Andrew says

    I agree with #144. I have no time for religion but those people doubtless put a lot of time and effort into the ceremony. It’s not funny to see the end result destroyed and people upset.

  161. Susan says

    It’s not funny to see the end result destroyed and people upset.

    Then why did I laugh? Nothing quite says, “You people are wasting your fucking time” like an object of worship being shown to be nothing but smoke and mirrors.

  162. says

    It reminded me of the bit from Ken ‘nothing exceeds like excess’ Russell’s Tommy with Saint Marilyn. You’d have to skip past God on guitar to see the bit I’m thinking of that happens just before the end of the clip.

  164. Cream pie says

    I didn’t laugh, but only because the sheer idiocy displayed by these people made me sick. Just look at their reaction – you’d think that an actual person got killed there, instead of there being some damage to a lifeless piece of junk they probably grabbed from the discount bin at Wal*Mart (assuming Wal*Mart has discount bins – I’ve never been to one).

    I mean.. I know some religious people who believe in god and all that (my parents, for example), but none of them would ever be so mind-numbingly STUPID as to think that an object or a statue is ever more than an object or a statue.

    As far as I’m concerned, these people could really benefit from some professional help, since they’re quite clearly psychotic.

  165. Frederik Rosenkjær says

    He’s asking for it in the beginning of the video – “look, ma – no hands!”.

    I now believe in hybris as a metaphysical phenomenon. And yes, I did laugh though not entirely proud of it.

  167. says

    That saint has now been martyred. Or remartyred. Or maybe the martyr just needs to be mortared. Or remortared. If they had displayed the real body, perhaps in rigor-martyrs, this would not have happened.

    Obviously, I need coffee. Better yet, Cherry Coke.

  169. Thinker says

    Here’s advice for every Idol:
    Yes, the crowd may all revere you,
    But if they’re not really near you
    And just stand there, still and idle,
    Stage-diving is suicidal!

  171. Santiago says

    Gotta love the person that immediately took out his camera to nab the flash photo of the scene, my kind of thinking, that person has

  173. Mick McTi says

    My gods! The statue moved on its own! It’s a miracle! You all saw it didn’t you, it jumped of the beer (or is that the bier?) all on it’s own! We’re all doomed! (Or is that saved?)

  174. khan says

    Thank goodness it wasn’t a cracker indeed, since the the church people waited more than 5 seconds to pick it up.

    St Julia?

  175. Adam C. says

    In the unlikely event that this was a historical artefact of great artistic merit, that would be one thing. But those singers sound awfully American, so I’m betting it ain’t.

  176. grinch says

    Cool. Probably the closest a plaster statue will ever get to shedding real tears.

    Secondly, you could just see the old codger who dropped it saying, “look mum, no hands”.

    The crowd reaction was priceless. I’ll bet they were waiting for the lightning to smite them.

  178. Ranger Jay says

    We have the technology to rebuild him. Faster, stronger.

    We’ll call him, “The Six Million Dollar Jesus.”

    Give generously.

  179. Davey says

    I feel bad for the old guy that lost his grip, but I LOL when the saint’s head exploded. I’ve watched this a dozen times – always funny.

  180. Judy says

    Nah, that was just a warning. If you all don’t repent the entire church is going to fall down. hahahahhaha,

    If I was the head priest, I would be telling everyone that god said that you don’t each give $1000 each to the church, god is going to punish you, but only worse. That ought to get some money for the parish.

    Anyone else have any falling plaster saint videos? If not, let’s make some up and email them to every single religious blog and web sit in this country. They might get the point.

    Hugs, Judy

  182. Medusa says

    I guess some don’t believe Newton, either.

    Or was a divine force supposed to keep that thing in place?

    I’m still laughing. . .I know, I’m evil, too.

  183. snakeinthegrass says

    wait. is that Jesus? It looks like Lord Krsna, or someone more fem.; is it gay Jesus? it IS odd how people in the church keep gasping and whimpering and crying even after it’s over. I’ve been an atheist for 40 years, but i have to say I don’t find others’ embarassments to be funny, regardless of their religious ridiculousness. I feel bad for the guy who dropped his end, but like everyone else here says, blame it on the person who’s idea it was to have seniors carry the statue! My dad’s best friend died, and the guy’s son wouldn’t allow dad to be a pallbearer at the funeral of that friend. And they had six guys carrying it! That was a senseless move on his son’s part, but to have just four of them, and all of them old, carry this statue? Now THAT was senseless!

  184. Sean says

    I laughed too. It’s funny.

    Less funny is the baying, exaggerated reaction of the commentators on this site. Those people in front nearly shat themselves; half the congregation probably didn’t see whether someone had been it.

    Lob a few firecrackers (or cheap life-size statues) into your next atheist / True Scientist / Mutual Admiration Society meeting–or even one of PZ’s lectures, and see if everyone’s calm and rational 38 seconds later. Also, at about 35 seconds, there’s quite a bit of laughter.

    It was a (cheap, plaster) statue of St George, by the way. Not that it’d be in any better shape if it had been marble.

    God bless the Pope!

    Sean

  185. «bønez_brigade» says

    Huzzah! I was cheering on the inevitable fall from the start.

    The in-flight gasps and post-impact wails from the crowd were a nice bonus. And the two people in the front that threw up a stopping hand in vain — the suit & the nun — shame on them for not sacrificing life and limb for the plaster saint. To Hell with them!