See, this is useful. We need to know what makes this god business work, and apparently, you need to be up high in the sky, and you need to be undistracted by those demons in a long metal tube
, that is, plebeian airline passengers, so definitely no flying in coach, and even first class isn’t good enough — you want to talk with god, you need to have your own private jet.
Well now I know why I’m an atheist — I’ve had a lack of opportunity for conversations with gods. All you Christians out there need to click on that donate button in the left sidebar a lot. I’m sure I could be brought to Jesus if only I had my very own Gulfstream and a pilot on retainer.
It would be nice if the IRS could hear that rationalization from the prosperity gospel practitioners, but I rather suspect that the IRS also only listens to you if you’re calling on a satellite phone from your private jet.
By the way, the video cuts out just before we get the Biblical revelation of Amos 6:1, so here it is:
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
What it means, I don’t know, and I wasn’t interested in tracking down their interpretation. It probably means something about how they need to upgrade to a bigger, more luxurious jet.
Think higher: “AMOS 6 is a 5-ton Earth communications satellite, one of the Spacecom AMOS series, to be built by Israel Aerospace Industries […]”, to be launched next orbit (2016). Apparently he wants a starship, either to be even closer to the magic sky faeries, or as a place even the IRS would be hard-pressed to raid, or possibly both.
White/Christian privilege.
Imagine a Muslim doing the same thing.
Of course this whole scenario didn’t happen. He’s just telling a story to keep the gullible people talking to god and sending checks. He doesn’t talk to god.
I talk to myself a lot, and here plenty of voices rattling around in my head. There’s the voice of my spouse, my mom, my dad, my friends, professors, a monolith of “culture” that sounds like the voice of the Levithan. Then there are identities- “good Feminist Antigone” “jaded feminist Antigone” “librarian Antigone” jerk-brain Depression Antigone et cetera. Then there are pop culture bits- remembered lines, jingles, slogans headcannon on stories that I like better also clamoring for my attention. All of them part of the chorus of overlapping and frequently contradictory voices that make up my head. But I have never once decided to take one of those voices and call it “god”. I don’t think these voices are outside me- even when I hear things in the voice of my mom, I know that is my interpretation of what I think my mom would say and not actually the other human being with her own cacophony in her own head.
I find it bizarrely anti-introspective that these people take their ego voice, their wish voice, ascribe it to “god”. And then other people hear and go “yep, that sounds about right” and give them money.
*Wanders over to bookshelf and grabs The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible* Hmmm, Amos (6.1-6) Woe is everyone (especially musicians and wine drinkers). Ooooh, and “That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall.” (6.4) and “That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick”. (6.5) and “That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments”. (6.6)
God comes into at 6.8: The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city”. [God swears to himself that he hates Jacob’s palaces, so he will deliver up the city (and kill everyone in it).
Seems to me that ol’ Yahweh has an issue with fat cats, and decides they need to die. I bet they do some serious twistin’ about, reinterpreting that one.
I think that pilot, who let him unbuckle and stand, reacted properly when presented with a “psychopath” (to use the term colloquially). Clutch the steering wheel and leave him alone, would have been my reaction too. To hear him rant about hearing voices talk to him in his head, made me bruise my forhead on my desk. Then the paranoia of saying everyone in an airlive “tube” are demons…my head can’t shake enough.
The key may be . According to Ye Pffft! Of All Knowledge, ancient Samaria was held by various “enemies” (that is, other people). So it doesn’t take too much effort to read into all the gibberish a dislike of others being wealthy or powerful. Which could be easily converted into an attack on, as an example, President Obama (an uppity other who is ), from which, with the audience now frothing, it’s a simple segue to a plea for moar money to fight the wickedness, which requires that bigger, more luxurious jet. Throw in a few in case anyone asks awkward questions (or indeed, any questions at all).
Other hypotheses, more or less ridiculous than the above, can be concocted. Most will probably involve peas.
Blf @ 6, good hypothesis. All I know is, after reading that, I wish for a bed of ivory (or a reasonable fac simile), a bowl of wine, and a bunch of seriously good smelling ointments. Music I got.
Funny you should mention Samaria. That was a planet in Sharon Shinn’s SF novels, where “angels” fly high into the planet’s atmosphere to sing hymns to Jovah for medicine, food, weather control, and other “miracles.” In reality, the planet was settled by an anti-technology religious cult and their god is the space ship Jehovah, which is programmed to hear the musical instructions of genetically engineered humans flying in the upper atmosphere. The first story, Archangel, takes place generations after colonization, when almost all of the residents have forgotten their origination story, just as the founders intended.
So he is, in reality, spouting the fiction of an author who wrote the material far, far better than he could.
Oh, and the stories are actually pretty decent: good storytelling, plausible science, the religion permeates that permiates society remains at palatable levels with dissent mostly tolerated, a bit too much romance for my taste but nowhere near what is needed to call them romance novels. There is atheism, although it takes a different form when angels actually do walk among men and can divert storms and bring down medicine from the skies with a song.
Silly Reverands! Who do you think are holding that metal tube up?
@slithey tove #5:
That and lock the cockpit door, then depressurise* the cabin until the ranting stops. After all, you can’t be too careful when it comes to religious nutters and airplanes, can you? Or at least that’s what the Security Theatre employees keep telling us.
*OK, possibly a step too far. I’d have to ask someone’s God for a value judgement on that one, since I’m unable to be moral without any such guidance.
The Septuagint version has an interesting slant on the verse: “Woe to them that set at nought Sion, and that trust in the mountain of Samaria.”
On a side note: has anyone else noticed that Copeland has a gigantic blocky head and hands? I think I know who his creator is: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. I keep looking for the strings.
PZ — Perhaps he’s less marionette and more automaton.
That’s the tackiest television set I’ve seen in a long time. Or is that actually in his home? Hmm…
And is that a toupee Copeland is sporting? I’m not as good at spotting these things like some folks, but that hair looks mighty stiff. And, it doesn’t look much like his hair 20 years ago or so.
How many multi-rotor drones would you need to lift you off the ground? I’m sure that would be cheaper than a whole private jet.
because
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F-5kpyD4cE
uncle frogy
God™ deserves these people.
There is a hysterical Ron Oliver video of some months ago that attacks the Prosperity Gospel snake oil along with Televangelists and their love of planes.
pacal #18
srsly
John / Ron
What’s in your eggnog?
;)
Happt New Year!
ohwell
Happy!
Gregory in Seattle @8:
Thanks! I’ve been trying to remember enough to find that book series for years.
‘Amos’? I could’ve sworn he was saying the book of ‘Anus’. He was, wasn’t he?
well Nelc it depends on how much lift each drone has and the weight of the rig necessary to have what ever number needed to operate without fouling each others rotters it would also need either an operator for each one or all of them synchronized in such a way so as to control the flight not to just go up and down probably some sort of software control so you would have to have that written and the controller built and the rig so while it may not cost what a gulf stream might cost (depends if it is a cost plus contract or not) it would cost a lot and be complicated.
the preachers go for flash and show it is what it is all about if you are blessed by god you are rich so get down on your knees and ask through the preacher who is blessed to bless you and heal you and love you because you are wretched and poor and will not be blessed by god until you do, or burn in hell forever.
preachers make me sick
uncle frogy
I’ve been up pretty high and had a very good unobstructed view from my paraglider and ain’t seen no gods yet, but I’ll keep looking.
Doubting Thomas @ 24:
Paragliding! Why, I bet a preacher would be closer than close to god that way. Okay, no more jets. They must
prayparaglide their way to any given location.If your god can be stopped by a few kilometers of atmosphere, then they’re pretty weak. So much for “omnipresent”.
Caine wrote:
They often talk about how faith in their god can move mountains. Moving a person should be a lot easier. They should just pray their way to the destination, unless they’re saying their faith isn’t strong enough to accomplish this.
Hillarious!