#turns out her pastor convinced her to donate 10% of her money to church and she did so

[saerowojin]

Evangelicalism has become a dangerous force in South America. In Brazil they've become an actual political block, closely associated with big agricultural landowners and pro-gun people (known informally as the "bancada do boi, bala e Bíblia": "cattle, gun and Bible political block"). They control politics and media alike: Brazil's second biggest media conglomerate, Record TV, is owned by a big time Evangelical pastor, Edir Macedo, who has a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to his controversies. Both Edir and his TV network have been sued countless times for spreading right-wing misinformation and intolerant discourse.

Bolsonaro was/is the face of this conservative moviment, despite hilariously not even being Evangelical himself, because he encapsulates exactly those values that said Neopentecostal Evangelicalism stands for: religious intolerance; homophobia; misoginy; anti-choice/pro-"life"; anti-science; classism; meritocracy; and the particular mix of Neoliberalism and Calvinism they sell to the poor, promising financial prosperity through "hard work" (and donating money to church, obviously).

I don't want to take away from the very important and much more urgent point in that post about why Evangelical US missionaries go to countries like Brazil despite the very obvious prevalence of Christianity there (Cristo Redentor and all), that these white supremacist Evangelical missionaries are obsessed with converting Indigenous communities and Black communities that practice African or African-descent spirituality the most. Again, that's the truly urgent part of it and so I'm saying this here and not in the post itself, BUT...

They also target Catholics. Especially people who're Catholic and very poor or otherwise vulnerable.

In general South America is mainly Catholic as far as Christianity goes (at least the cultures that were colonized by Spain, France and Portugal are, which are the vast majority of us), and Evangelicals, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are very anti-Catholic.

I wouldn't give a damn about it because I don't exactly love Catholicism as either a faith or in a political sense. I think the church is a monster, the faith is misanthropic, etc etc. EXCEPT...

Like I mentioned, most of the Catholics in South America who're targeted by these missionaries are very poor ones, often luring them in with prosperity gospel bullshit promises as well as in general entangling them with their cult-like tactics (thought-terminating clichés, love-bombing then withdrawal/threats of withdrawal of community, etc).

I see it in urban Chile all the time; you will rarely, if ever, see a Protestant church of any sort in wealthy areas, and if you see one it'll be a "normal" one like Lutherans. However, in poor areas? Every-fucking-where.

The advancement of Evangelicalism in South America is tightly linked to the advancement of reactionary conservative politics. They're becoming a voting block like they are in the US; nowhere near YET as big as they are in the US thank GOD, but they're there and they're radicalizing vulnerable people continuously and that's something local leftists are worried about, especially because at least here we actually have a history of important communist developments FROM the Catholic church, especially with communist Catholic priests (and that is absolutely part of why local Evangelicals dislike local Catholics).

[deadendsave]

Pastor Adam Davis’ Journal (2023)

1: Today, I convinced another family to sell their home to the mayor’s development project. It wasn’t easy, but I reminded them that what my brother Michael plans for Millhaven is all in God’s plan. Them sacrificing a little for the greater good is what God would want. And besides, after the town is revitalized we’ll attract more wealthy residents who can donate to the church. I didn’t mention that to them though.

2: I had a meeting with Michael regarding the plans of the new megachurch. He’s promised to make it the biggest and most impressive church in the state. I can already envision the headlines: ‘Millhaven’s Pastor Leads Charge to Build Largest Church in Oregon.’

3: I approached Barbara today after Sunday service. She’s one of the few holdouts that won’t sell her property to Michael. I tried to convince her again, but she wouldn’t budge. It’s frustrating because I know his plans are what’s best for Millhaven. But I guess not everyone sees it that way. Maybe I’ll have to pray for her to see the light.

4: I can’t believe how much money the congregation has tithed already. Thanks to my persuasive sermons, even those who don’t have much are willing to give. My lifestyle isn’t cheap, and I need to continue to live comfortably so I can be a better pastor and inspire others. One day I’ll be a televangelist. The world will know my name.

5: I can sense the tension in the air every time I stand at the pulpit lately. Barbara is becoming more about her opposition to the mayor’s plans and is trying to turn the town against me. They all fail to see that our town must grow and evolve in order to attract new people and opportunities. Despite my efforts to explain this to them, they remain stubbornly resistant.

6: And then there’s the matter of the church, I know that tearing down the old building and replacing it with a new, modern one will be a huge undertaking, but it’s necessary if we want to keep up with the times.

7: It’s not easy being the pastor of the only church in town. I’m caught between my duty to my congregation and the loyalty of my brother. But I know what we’re doing is right. Millhaven needs to change. And if Barbara and her little group can’t see that, then they’re just standing in the way of progress.

8: The end times are here. A new plague is in the modern world: LHV. Maybe this is the moment when God will reveal himself to us, he’ll take the faithful up to heaven and leave the sinners to face the apocalypse. I’ve been preaching about the rapture for years, preparing the congregation. I fear I don’t know where I stand in God’s eyes. I’ve asked for forgiveness. I’m trying to do right by letting members into the church that seek refuge. I’ve got canned goods from the church’s food donations and we have armed security.

9: Michael is nowhere to be found. He’s attending some conference on the other side of the country. I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions, anger for him not being here to help me guide these people, and worry for his safety. I hope he’s okay out there, I’ve been praying for him.

10: I can’t help but feel like the outbreak is all my fault. God is punishing me for my sins and my family’s past. The mill, the gentrification. It was all for our personal gain. I’ve led the people astray, and now we are all paying the price. Every night, I pray for forgiveness and hope that somehow, someway, God will save us from this nightmare. It’s like the devil himself has taken over the world.

11: Many more people have come seeking shelter. It’s overwhelming. This situation is getting dire. We’re running low on food on water. I had to start rationing out supplies, but I fear it won’t be enough. I’ve tried to convince the people to just pray and have faith, but some are starting to lose hope.

12: I’ve been struggling with myself. I can’t help but feel guilty for hoarding some of the supplies for myself. I know it’s selfish, but I’m the leader. I have to stay strong to guide these people.

13: I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been hearing the cries of hungry children and it’s tearing me apart. I have to do something. I’m going to distribute the remaining supplies to the people. Maybe it’s not too late to make things right.

14: Today, even more people arrived at the church seeking shelter, but we simply didn’t have the capacity or resources to accommodate them all. It was heartbreaking to turn them away, but the safety of those already inside was my top priority. The refugees are upset with me, especially after I had to refuse families with young children.

15: Things have turned quickly. Those who once looked up to me are now against me. A man tried to attack me. He wasn’t one of the demons, he was just hungry and angry with me. An armed guard shot him. This made the other refugees panic. I knew they would all turn on me soon. I had to make the tough decision and order them all to leave. I said the guards would use force if they didn’t comply. It wasn’t safe to keep them here, I couldn’t risk my own survival.

16: I feel terrible about what happened. I was scared and only prioritized my own safety. I’m trying to be a better man, but I mess up every time. The demons attacked the people. It’s not entirely my fault that they got them: they should have been more careful and not gone against me. Still, it’s hard to shake off the guilt. I’m a pastor; I’m supposed to help people in need, not turn them away to their deaths. I hope I can be forgiven.

17: It’s hard to put into words the level of guilt and shame that has consumed me. I feel as everything I’ve done, every decision I have made, has been a mistake. I led the people of Millhaven astray, I allowed my brother to continue his unethical plans, and worst of all, I turned away the people seeking refuge in our church. I knew deep down would never make it out alive.

18: The guilt of my actions has become too much to bear. I can’t even bring myself to look at my own reflection in the mirror anymore. I’m a selfish, self conflicting hypocrite. I’ve made a decision, I can no longer live with the weight of my mistakes. I hope God forgives me. I’m sorry to those I’ve hurt, to those I’ve turned away, and to those whose lives have been lost because of me. This is my final entry. Goodbye. - Pastor Adam Davis

stray note, church basement:

As I write this, I can hear Pastor Davis preaching about how we must “sacrifice" for the greater good. But it's clear that his definition of “greater good" only applies to himself. He hoards the food and water while the rest of us go hungry. The children cry themselves to sleep every night. I hope the soldiers can clear the area, we all need to leave before we starve to death.

[yerinyh]

                                                ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

howdy howdy, gamers 🤠 !! its jules back at it again at krispy kreme, and super excited to introduce miss han yerin, former cult victim, now trying to lay low in the sea side down of yunhwa as a staff member at yunhwa ilbo. she’s currently at a stage in her life where her identity was ripped apart and she’s trying to figure out who she is alone, if that makes sense?? so expect lots of character development from this one!! i’m always down for plots so if you hit that ♡ i’ll message u asap (stan stayc) 

━ ��❖ (park chaeyoung “rose”, cisfemale, she/her) hey thank you for coming to town hall to update your information han yerin! you’re a citizen, correct? good to know! are you enjoying yourself around yunhwa? you’ve been staying here for five months, right? i’m glad! remind me, are you born on 13/10/1997? we’re so lucky to have someone so forthright around as a staff at yunhwa ilbo even if sometimes you can be antagonistic. hope to see you around house #4013, hwesakgu! 

                                                                                              𝒅𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒓. / 𝒃𝒊𝒐. / 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒔.

* disclaimer : while i’m well aware that cults, especially those entangled with religion are a touchy subject, i have done my research and, for the most part, gloss over many details rather than extensively explain the corruption or the cult’s inner mechanics. regardless of this, please proceed to read at your own risk. the only tw contained in the intro is the mention of embezzlement. 

｡  :  °  ஐ ━ 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕

born and raised in daegu, south korea, she was immediately baptized into her church in her hospital room at only three days old. 

she grew up in a neighborhood consisting of fellow members of the church, it was all she’s ever known. she grew up with the communities kids, calling people auntie and uncle despite not being blood related to them.

she grew up and mirrored her environment, placing her entire identity in the verses they read during sermon and even going so far as to joining their choir. 

when her father was promoted to pastor when she was 20, they sent him and the family to seoul in order to recruit more people into joining.

now less sheltered and able to be exposed to different lifestyles in a bigger city, she slowly began to realize how strange things were and how suspicious her parents were when it came to the church.

seeing her reluctance in being as involved as she once was, her family forced her to join the youth group who would walk around schools to try and convince people their age to join. for a while she was content in her parents approval and saw everything as harmless.

it wasn’t until her father left his office door open and she happened upon banking documents, thousands upon thousands of dollars being “donated” to not only the church but directly to her father’s name. she continued to snoop through his things, reading his emails and finding correspondence about numerous horrible things that goes on within her church’s walls.

she confronted her father about this, to which he admitted to everything and knew what he was doing, but emphasized that it’s god’s will and he was only a messenger. she turned her back on him and her family, and decided to pack up her things and leave. her father let her, not saying anything to his wife until the day after.

｡  :  °  ஐ ━ 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕

the first place she thought to go to was busan, where her paternal grandparents lived. they weren’t involved in the church and were the only family she knew she could trust. they helped her by giving her a small sum of money to take care of herself but knew that her parents would be looking for her and it wasn’t safe to stay with them. they told her of a little town an hour away, one where they knew a friend of a friend that could get her a job right away. 

she stayed at the inn for a few weeks before meeting kwon inna, the teahouse owner, and was more than grateful when she offered a spare room in her home. 

her initial job was at the fish farm but after an accidental interview with the chief reporter, was given the job of staff at the ilbo on the spot (probably due to the fact that they are severely understaffed but, she appreciates it nonetheless kajdkajsd). she promptly quit her job as a fisherfolk and, after apologizing profusely, said her goodbyes to the smell of tuna.

currently, she's in charge of lifestyle articles: what do single twenty three year old women seek fulfilment from? she often explores busan to find inspiration for her mini articles, and after sitting on the idea for a few months now, made the decision to one day write an article about her personal experience in her "church" 

｡  :  °  ஐ ━ 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚

surprisingly not as demure as people may initially think!! she’s definitely an extrovert, used to talking up people back in her recruiting days, and was often surrounded in groups of other kids her age, often being the "mom friend" amongst them all.

often thrives in group settings, finds one on ones to be too intimate for her comfort. you would have to be a close friend of hers for her to consistently hang out often with just you two alone. she'd prefer masking her personality to be amicable / likable to other people than struggle to keep the spotlight off her on one on one sessions

so yes she is relatively guarded, understandably so considering everything she's ever known was a lie and the two people she thought she could trust the most are actually horrible people. but you know!

is the overbearingly motherly type. carries band aids and extra water bottles in her tote bags in case of an emergency.

can be kind of gullible?? and curious. but only because she doesn't really know any better. most of her morals are based off an ancient book that she's come to hate so really its as malleable as wet clay right now.

she is very much a libra, air headed, living in her own world, but very set in her ways of justice. she always wants to see both sides of a situation and believes in giving the benefit of the doubt. her old friends would always go to her for advice whenever something went wrong.

despite her good intentions, she can often be judgmental, often comparing people to this idea of a good samaritan and sometimes shames people for their mistakes. its a hard habit she's trying to shake but its a work in progress.

cares too much about what people think of her and will go out of her way to ensure that you think she is a nice person and hates the idea of someone disliking her.

basically a mess and the vine where he goes: I WANT A CHURCH GIRL WHO GOES 2 CHURCH........aND READS THE BIBLEEEE but is now trying to find her identity outside of her faith which she's decided to abandon.

sry this got longer than intended but lmfAO pls plot with me :3c 

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Lee Man-hee Press Conference at Cheongpyeong, March 2, 2020

▲ VIDEO Protesters can be heard shouting “Lee Man-hee is a swindler.” “Disband Shincheonji,” and “Send our family members back home.”

.

 Information added March 4, 2020:

.

.

___________________________________________

Lee Man-hee divorced his own wife and married a member who had left her own husband and two children to join Shincheonji. ▼

In January 2018 Kim Nam-hee left and she recently gave a long video interview:

김남희대표 양심선언 신천지 교주 폭로영상 [존존티비] Video of Kim Nam-hee’s Declaration of Conscience and Her Revelations about Shincheonji Church [JonJon TV] Published February 20, 2020

_________________________________

Comments on the video in English by reddit “Gildicchia”:

When I was in Shincheonji I struggled to get some information about them. I hope to make the process a bit easier for people in the same situation.... I live in Korea. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shincheonji/comments/fag2jy/shincheonji_number_2_kim_namhee_is_shincheonji/

Kim Nam-hee, known as “Shincheonji No. 2,” is drawing keen attention as she heralds continued revelations about General Assembly President Lee Man-hee. His alleged successor and the leader of Mannam has left the country and released a long interview that is summarized in this article. She also said that Mr. Lee is an old man who is scared of death and she revealed that they are actually married. (Sorry for the poor translation.)

Kim Nam-hee recently appeared on the YouTube channel ‘John TV’ to comment on Lee Man-hee. “Lee Man-hee is neither a savior nor a God, but a sinner just like us” said Kim Nam-hee. “He is a complete swindler using God and religion. I am here to announce that Shincheon-ji, a religious fraud group that believes in Lee Man-hee as a savior, will soon disappear,” she said.

When Kim first saw Lee Man-hee, he said, “I knew you would come. I saw your face in my dream,” he said. “I was brainwashed by Lee Man-hee and had to marry Lee Man-hee, although I had two children and a husband.”

Kim said, “At that time, Lee Man-hee’s word was law to me. It is not just me, when one is brainwashed and addicted to doctrines, there is no room for a choice,” she said, adding that she was unaware of the true nature of the doctrine. “I was caught in the spell. Since that day, I’ve become a physical spouse, not the spiritual one you know,” she recalled.

Kim and Lee Man-hee openly married at the 6th World Peace, Liberation, Heavenly Culture and Art Sports Festival, a Shincheonji event. According to Kim, Lee Man-hee registered his marriage with Kim after divorcing his former wife.

Regarding this, Kim said, “Maybe the people who hear this will say, ‘How can this be possible?’ When you get in, you are brainwashed and addicted to it,” adding, “I knew too well about Lee Man-hee’s doctrine but I thought I would die if I left Shincheon-ji. That’s how scary brainwashing and addiction is,” she said. As for Lee Man-hee, she criticized him as a “high swindler” who only knows money. “Looking back, my money was the goal. The main method he used was the story and dream of God. It's a real threat. He asked me constantly for material things,” she claimed.

Meanwhile, Lee Man-hee wrote a special letter to the congregation on Monday, [February 4] when the number of Sincheonji Covid-19 infected followers soared, saying, “I know that the recent case of the disease is the devil’s work that the demons caused to stop the rapid growth of Sincheonji,” adding, “Let’s win all these tests in a trance. Our unchanging faith and truth are God’s and like the apostles who live and die.”

▲ Lee Man-hee and his wife, Kim Nam-hee.

_____________________________________

Gildicchia: “I do know that Kim Nam-hee sued Lee Man-hee for fraud. Apparently he took advantage of her money and possessions. ... there has been a controversy between Lee MH and Kim NH about some properties acquired with funds from Shincheonji (meaning from the believer’s donations) that were in Kim Nam-hee’s name, there was clearly a problem of malpractice and embezzlement....

As for the Coronavirus, I have some more detailed information. There are recordings of conversations and text messages. The church gave instructions to the believers on how to respond when they were asked if they had participated at the services. And hundreds of people didn’t answer their phone for days, some are still out of reach. Some others have declared that they have left Shincheonji and then turned out it was not true... This is the situation...

People are enraged at Shincheonji because they didn’t follow the government instructions to contain the Coronavirus infection. The lady that has spread the virus in Daegu was supposed to be at her place waiting for the results of the Coronavirus test as she had symptoms. When it turned out that many people in the church where infected the competent authorities asked the church to hand over the list of the followers so that they could be checked. They lied in order to cover the identities of their believers. Many of them are still out or reach or refusing to be tested. This is one of the reasons why the infection is out of control. The problem is that many Shincheonji people lie to their family, coworkers and friends and they don’t want their lies to be exposed. On top of that, they are convinced that God will protect them if they keep going around evangelizing. Meanwhile people die. Shincheonji people believe that they are persecuted because of their beliefs. Actually nobody cares about that. The thing is that they have their own rules that clash with the common social rules. If you are in Shincheonji it is ok to lie, to hide your identity, even to lie to the authorities if you do that in favor of the organization. Well, this creates a huge fracture in the society. I am increasingly worried for the safety of Shincheonji believers. People can not tolerate [Shincheonji] any longer.”

_____________________________________

Gildicchia: “In Korea different churches have implemented rehabilitation programs for Shincheonji followers. Even so, not many people have been successful in escaping the cult. Often times parents drag their kids to the program but they are convinced that if they listen to the pastor their spirit is going to die, so there have been cases of people throwing themselves out of the window or planning to commit suicide somehow. Many of them have left home and never went back. Shincheonji is well prepared to accommodate people that leave their place. I know there are psychologists experienced in cult rehabilitation in most western countries but in our societies a forceful participation (at least in the beginning) is not contemplated. In Korea police have relatively little power over these kind of issues so families can still opt for this solution. Also, Shincheonji is extremely wealthy and well organized so I have no doubt it could spread in western countries fast enough. I think prevention and information are the key. Lately Shincheonji is trying to change its ways a little. The followers are told to please and flatter their family members and to keep going with their studies or jobs to prevent incidents. However, how can they keep to do their stuff while dedicating most of their time to the cause... There is a long way to go before Shincheonji can fit in any society...”

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shincheonji/

▲ Lee Man-hee’s Cheongpyeong ‘Peace Palace’ with the $1 billion FFWPU palace of Hak Ja Han in the mountains in the background.

_____________________________________

VIDEO: Who is Lee Man-hee and why is his secretive church linked to half South Korea’s coronavirus cases?

VIDEO: South Korea’s coronavirus cluster is the world’s second-largest; at 1:00 Lee Man-hee speaks while desperate parents demonstrate about their missing children.

_____________________________________

Shincheonji also extorted 1.2 million won from members who failed to recruit new adherents, this also led some to leave the church. LINK

Controversial religious group uses K-pop boom for overseas recruiting

_____________________________________

Secrecy is paramount for South Korean sect linked to coronavirus surge. Many believers are in Southern California. By Victoria Kim   Los Angeles Times   March 2, 2020

‘Proselytizing Robots’: Inside South Korean Church at Outbreak’s Center By Choe Sang-Hun   New York Times   March 10, 2020

_____________________________________

Testimony of a Former SCJ (Shincheonji) Member

The workings of the Sincheonji religious sect at the epicenter of the coronavirus in South Korea

Students warned of a “dangerous pseudo-Christian cult known as Shincheonji”

Rival Korean messiah builds workshop next to UC / FFWPU Cheongpyeong Center

A Man of Two Faces: Leader of South Korean Church Tied to Outbreak by Wall Street Journal

_____________________________________

VIDEO: 다시보는 '신천지의 수상한 비밀'

VIDEO: 신천지 파이터가 말하는 신천지가 정체를 숨기는 이유

[praphit]

Jigsaw: Points for BS

It has been an interesting year of movies. We've had a lot of superhero flicks, action, and horror, but not a whole lot of Oscar worthy dramas. Normally, they're scattered throughout the year and then we get bombarded for three to four months at the end, but here we are at the end of October, and nothing. Plus, they've still gotta cram in some "black movies" to keep the trolls away from the Oscars. Right now, all we've got is "Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween"

- speaking as a black man, I'm hoping we can do better than that.

But, finally we get our kickoff to Oscar season! SAW, baby! Oh, excuse me, I mean, "JIGSAW".

He's not just about cutting off limbs; he's got depth to him. He's a tortured soul! He's a mystery! And he certainly is a mystery, because I don't know what the hell he has been doing over the last several years. I loved the first movie. I was cool with the second movie (even though it was ridiculous). But, after that... a stream of bullshit. Five more movies! FIVE more dumbass movies. I rolled with him in the beginning, because he was original and I believed in his cause. He was just piecing together items he found in a junk yard and fighting a lil crime; bring a lil justice to this world! - Lord knows we need it! He even convinced a drug dealer or two to join him; giving them purpose... the man was kinda like Batman... an elderly, non-athletic... cancer riddled Batman... or maybe more like the Punisher.

I don't know what happened though. Idk whether he went Hollywood (being all about the money), but his cause changed.

He was like "You're a killer, you deserve to die horribly." I was like "Yeah, I can get behind that!"

"You're a serial rapist, you deserve to die horribly." I'd be like "Hot damn! Let's do this!"

But, then he changed up to stuff like... you stole music online (you deserve to die), you don't call mom enough (you deserve to die), you didn't vote (you deserve to die), you let your 16 year old daughter walk out the house in spaghetti straps and way too much make up, you're a horrible parent (Imma split you in two). I was like "Wait, a dag gon second there, Jiggy! I can't do this no more!" Plus, he has the nerve to be self-righteous at the end of these films. Talking about how he never killed anyone and how all of these people need to confess. What??! he became a Hollywood hypocrite - making bad movies with worse messages and stealing our money.

But, maybe this movie... the Jigster will get back to form. It's redemption time!

Let's play a game:

It's called "Good horror vs Bullshit" We'll look at this film, and celebrate the parts that were like the good movies (SAW 1 and SAW 2), and we'll rip apart the BS in this movie, like seen in the other five movies.

1) Plot

I mean... it's the same ol stuff - a handful of unfortunate dopes get drugged, and wake up next to one another as strangers, and are probably about to die horribly. That gimmick doesn't really need to change, but change ANYTHING! This is the eighth movie! - let's change it up in the bedroom a lil bit. Let's change some roles, let's get a lil freaky! Some new music, new scenes for torture, new game rules, add some humor, at least change the production. All of these movies have that same "straight to video" look to them. Be a little bit more playful, Jigsaw! Don't just keep tossing me violently on the bed every Halloween and doing your thing! Call me high maintenance, but I need some more entertainment than that.

　

Point for bullshit!

　

2) Acting

They kicked it all off with Danny Glover and Princess Bride Guy. Now look at us! A bunch of no named, lacking in talent victims. Some might say, "Most horror films don't have major actors." True, but they all have types we can relate to: the jock, the no nonsense person, the nice girl, the black dude surrounded by white people. In these movies, the characters are reduced to crimes they've committed... really we're judging these people off of one awful crime; no one is that one dimensional.

I think it would be a fun idea to always include D List celebs. Those actors that are on the way out. Imagine this magical cast:

Carrot Top

 Kirk Cameron

Lindsay Lohan

Ah! That's not L.L. Sorry. I typed her name in and that thing popped up. Weird. My bad.

Aaaaah, there she is. A lovely woman.

Arsenio Hall

and Judge Judy!

YES!

But, no... y'all would rather stick to the lack luster grim.

Point for bullshit!

　

3) The traps

They're elaborate in this movie for sure, but nothing really stands out from the other sequels. Same ol same ol. There IS some good meat grinding action though (powered by a motorcycle).

It's such a waste of the Jigster's talent! He should be using his genius for NASA or something. Or maybe be a detective! He's able to track down perps whom the cops and FBI have long forgotten about. There are a lot of people i'd like to see tracked down and brought to justice.

Or imagine Jigsaw as a pastor. I'd bet you any amount of money he'll run a repentant church.

And all the money for these traps... he's got frickin lasers in this movie! Bear trap lasers! I don't know how much all of these traps cost, but it ain't cheap! The Jigster is loaded! Think of all of the money he could be donating to cancer research. Just a waste! I'll give it some positive points for the horror generated by some of these traps though. You'll def get squeamish.... though there are other traps that are simply lazy. One trap, he just tosses two people in a hole, throws some sand on them, and then chucks some sharp objects down there. How you gonna go from lasers and motorcycle meat grinders to throwing sharp objects down a hole?!

Points for both GOOD HORROR and BULLSHIT

　

4) The twist

There's always a twist at the end... along with the theme music that builds up, and some person slamming a door on someone. The twist DOES work, but it's also incredibly stupid.

I won't spoil anything, but it makes zero sense. You know dag gon on well that in real life, Jigsaw wouldn't have gotten to eight movies. He would have been caught after death number one. Just look for the guy buying an excessive amount of bear traps and saws. Or in this movies' case, the guy who stole a bunch of medical lasers. Seriously though! LASERS?!

Plus, the traps in this movie depend on the victims being in the exact spot required at the exact time. Some of the recorded tapes that the trapped ones play have instructions specific for certain members. How would he know??! Some of them break his rules (and pay dearly for it), but thinking back... had they not broken his rules, the game couldn't have progressed!

Point for bullshit and good... yet dumb horror twist!

　

That's bullshit 4 Good Horror 2

BULLSHIT WINS!

　

Some might say, "John, you're expecting too much." Maybe... but that'd be only because this movie takes itself too seriously. There's a cop in the beginning of the movie who when he hears the plot of the movie he says "That's impossible!" They're looking for a dead elderly guy who has had cancer (untreated) for like 10 years.... and his merry band of junkies and hobos. Ya dag gon right that's impossible! Entertaining in parts, cool traps in parts, but overall bad and impossible!

Grade: D+

　

Wow, I have had a bad stretch of violent/stupid/confusing movies: "mother!", "Happy Death Day", "The Snowman", and now this bullshit (i guess I only have myself to blame).

I'm hoping in Thor next weekend for a change of pace and a cleansing of soul.

Granted, there is plenty of murder and mayhem involved in Marvel movies as well, but they make it fun, which is something the Jigster knows nothing about. I swear, if Thor 3 turns out to be another dull, "artsy" murder mystery I'm quitting movies for books.

*deep sigh* Don't make me read!

[nolongeractive---sorry-blog]

i’ve avoided talking about this my entire life, but like, i’m an adult now and this is my blog and i want to open up about my trauma for the very first time, okay? so um,

when i was a child, i was brainwashed and recruited into a cult. they call themselves all kinds of shit– apostolics, pentecostals, church of god– but they’re not christians no matter how much they want to believe they are! it’s a fucking cult, and like i said, i’ve never talked about this before so i’m going to use some “characteristics of cults” to help me explain my experiences within the cult

The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.

while they don’t have one leader, each church’s pastoral line (yes, it’s usually biologically inherited) is viewed as the Truth, law, their word is 100% correct and they have no flaws (at least not flaws that can’t be corrected by Jesus)! the pastor is a healer and can make a paraplegic rise from their wheelchair and dance! the pastor can wish financial well-being on you and you’ll magically come into large amounts of money! the pastor can put his hand on your head and your headache will disappear instantly!

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

you are not to speak of doubt/questioning/dissent. all other religions and beliefs are wrong. only the beliefs of the church will save you. any doubts were very, very, very unspoken of and i would’ve been terrified to speak out against them.

Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

they “speak in tongues”– meaning everyone has to pray by blabbering nonsense, and sometimes we would all stand in a circle and people would take turns blabbering nonsense, and they called it “Jesus speaking directly through [those people]”. speaking in tongues happened at every service. sometimes people would say “that person’s tongues are in [language] even though they can’t speak that language!” “that person’s tongues sound like they must be an ancient version of [language]!” they taught that tongues was the holy spirit speaking through us and they were an actual language somewhere in the world. i can literally guarantee you it was entirely gibberish!!!

The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry, or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).

we were not allowed to date outside of church. women could not cut their hair or wear pants, and men were encouraged to dress like they were going to church even if they weren’t. homosexuality was the ultimate abomination. you couldn’t have certain jobs. you couldn’t do drugs or drink alcohol, and those things were extremely wrong and made you a horrible person. you needed permission from your family (and sometimes the church) to date and marry.

The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar, or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).

they believe they’re the only people who are going to be saved and hold themselves up above other christians and other religions. people outside of the church aren’t truly happy and don’t truly love one another. i actually remember being taught that relationships outside of the church were doomed to fail because they couldn’t truly love one another if they weren’t pentecostal. it’s the church’s purpose to “save” as many people as possible because the rapture (end of the world, where all pentecostals are saved and all non-pentecostals are doomed to destroy one another and burn in hell for all eternity) is coming soon!! soon!! very soon!! perhaps obama is the antichrist!!

The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

again, we couldn’t date outside of the church. we were taught that we were the holiest of people. there were good people, and there were bad people, and we were the good people. everyone else was bad, evil, corrupt, sinning! our church was perfect and happy and nothing bad ever happened within it. everything outside was tainted and evil and scary. we were actually taught that people who believe in evolution were inherently racist because it meant they believed that nonwhite (more specifically, black) people were closer to apes than white people! yeah, seriously! we were taught that shit! we were also taught that Harry Potter was of the devil and rock music and shit was about satan lmao

The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.

the church would spread rumors about you if they didn’t think you were being “pure” enough. this happened to me and became the final straw in my leaving the church, actually. i wasn’t tithing (donating 10% of your income to the church, which was thoroughly documented btw) because 1. i was a fucking child and 2. i was dirt poor!! and they started spreading it around that i was cutting my hair and wearing jeans outside of church, which i wasn’t. they were constantly pitting members against members who weren’t “doing well enough” to serve the church

Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.

if you’re truly part of the church, you can’t be in contact with friends and family who aren’t, because they’re corrupt and will try to corrupt you. people were constantly pressured to stop talking to their family and friends who weren’t pentecostal. you had to minister to people and/or go on a “mission” (you go to poor countries and brainwash desperate people into believing in God). you were supposed to go to bible camp, retreats, etc. and you were supposed to attend church at least three times a week (mine usually met four times per week, and that’s excluding times we would visit sister churches in other cities)

The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.

again, they center around brainwashing children, the poor, the weak, the vulnerable in any way, shape, or form

The group is preoccupied with making money.

they excommunicated A FUCKING CHILD for not donating 10% of my income lmao??? literally you had to donate birthday money, christmas money, your paycheck, mortgage/loans, whatever, any kind of income you had, 10% had to go to the church. and btw the church looked like shit but the pastoral family had 10 acres of land and nice, brand new, expensive shit, none of them had jobs outside of the church. i wonder where all the tithes went??? :-)

Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.

i touched on this one a bit ago but yeah basically all of your extracurricular activities were within the church and they discouraged you from participating in extracurricular activities at school or elsewhere

Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

touched on this already

The most loyal members feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

this is extremely true and leaving them was, and still is, soooo fucking hard!!! they literally had me convinced that nobody outside of the church could be kindhearted. nobody outside of the church had the capacity to love. nobody outside of the church was trustworthy. nobody outside of the church wasn’t evil, and all of their thoughts/actions/etc. were tainted by the devil. you would never love or be loved. you would never find happiness. you would never be financially secure. you would never be healed if you were sick. oh, btw, a lot of people didn’t get treatment for their or their childrens’ conditions. like i said, we believed the pastor was a healer!

they also taught that people could have special abilities. one person could see a word over someone else’s head, that was whatever sin they’re struggling with. as mentioned, another person could put their hand on you and heal you, or another person could magically know another language. i remember a speech where a woman talked about how she had an abortion and she could hear the baby scream and stuff, and looking back, i now know that it was a performance based entirely around fearmongering. i remember so many fearmongering sermons, honestly. i used to take notes, so they’re really ingrained in my head, even after all these years

this is so cathartic but at the same time i’m anxious and shaking lmao! like, it’s been years, i know that none of what they taught is true and they can’t hurt me, but i left the cult scarred with PTSD, OCD, and anxiety. the reason i’m talking about all of this for the first time is because my new manager is in the cult. i saw her and just knew. i see people out in public and just know. it fills me with a feeling like i’m going to puke and i get overwhelmed and usually i can just go home, but this time, i can’t bc i’m at work :-) 

it prompted me to read stories from other ex-members of the cult and i was reminded of things like the term “backslider”, which was used to describe people who left the church and “went back to being ~worldly~” or whatever? and that children were conditioned to being afraid of the dark, afraid of being alone, afraid of demonic activity (especially in scary movies, which i still can’t watch to this day because even though i know they’re not actually scary, i was brainwashed into believing they were evil and if you watched them you’d be letting demons into your life and they would corrupt and kill you)

they made it impossible to make friends because all of your friends were in the church, so i and many other ex-members had and/or have a very difficult time developing and perfecting social skills. i was taught that swearing was evil. we were taught to say “oh my word” instead of “oh my god”, or other phrases. i’ve noticed that myself as well as other ex-members swear a ton and used “oh my god”, “jesus fucking christ”, etc. deliberately taking “god’s” name in vain and swearing to excess, as a means of therapy, or maybe defiance, or a combination of both from being so demonized by the church

apparently we all still struggle with flashbacks to the brainwashing songs we heard, learned, and sang. in general, we all seem to experience varying levels of PTSD, OCD, and anxiety as a direct result from the cult, which isn’t uncommon of cults, but it’s only recently that i’ve begun to allow myself to look back on it and recognize that it was a cult, it did this to me, and it’s fueled…many of my beliefs and interests, to put it quietly. i’m still not ready to talk about all of it. this is literally the most i’ve said about it in the last six years. i’ve never discussed it in detail. i’ve rarely allowed myself to think about it in detail. i have never told anyone about it directly– not friends, family, partners, therapists…nobody :-) 

so yeah here’s a lot of baggage unloaded lmao i’m going to try to relax now!!!! this is more than enough for today!!!!!

[gothardjesus]

My First Experience at an Evangelical Church

I just want to give a little back story before I start. So the person I'm dating is from Mexico (we'll call him Joe). He moved here about 4 years ago. He was raised Roman Catholic, and so was I. His older brother (we'll call him Michael) came to the US nearly 10 years ago, and this is where he met his now wife.

So when Michael came to the US, he left his family behind. It was just him and some extended family members. He later met his wife. At the time, he was still "Catholic" (though likely not practicing). She was Christian*, and in order to get on her family's good side, he started going to their church. Before long, he got baptized (re-baptized..we do it as infants as Catholics). Fast forward some years - Michael is married to her, they have two kids (3 and 6 months), and my boyfriend is now also living in the US. 

When my boyfriend came (we'll call him Joe), he moved in with Michael. It wasn't before long that Michael was taking him to his church. Joe liked it for all of five minutes. It wasn't long after that we met, and he would tell me about his brother and the church. He told me he stopped going because it "wasn't for him". It was enough for me to take out my nose ring and cover my tattoo the first time I came over. 

So for the past 2+ years of our relationship, I've watched Michael be fully immersed in his church and all the implications that come with that. He's passed off comments like "My daughter can't play sports because she's a girl" (Their grandmother is the babysitter, and she was horrified by this). He'll call their mother, who lives in Mexico still, and try to convince her that she's going to hell for being Catholic, and that she should convert. Just things of this nature. Their mother is also horrified by this. She tells Joe "I don't understand why your brother is being this way. I didn't raise you this way. I don't care if you're gay, straight, trans, atheist, Catholic, Christian. I just want you to be a good person and not judge others." (I love my mother-in-law for this.)

After he had his second baby, he told us that they were having a ceremony to "present" him to the church. It was clearly very important to him, so Joe and I just decided to go, despite that neither of us had much interest. 

Sooooo we get there (a little late..oops). The building is huge, and we go through a metal detector to get in. We walk up this grand staircase, and approach a counter outside the auditorium. The lady at the counter handed us a card. In hindsight, I wish I would have taken a picture. It asked questions like our full names, addresses, "What religion are you?", "What church do you go to?", "Have you accepted Jesus into your life?", "Do you want to accept Him today?". Naturally, Joe and I were reluctant to answer some questions, but the lady was very persistent and watching us fill in each line. She nearly interrogated us about certain things. Finally, she let us in.

So we go in, and it's this HUGE auditorium. With big screens so people in the back can see, a beautifully decorated stage, etc. The first 35 minutes of the service was just singing. Lots and lots of singing. Finally, the pastor (who is a woman), gets up and starts preaching. I sat through one hour of "The Gays and the Catholics are going to hell".  I have to say, the whole part about "love thy neighbor" was pretty short in comparison. My boyfriend and I are both very liberal, identify as Catholic, have people close to us that identify as LGBTQ, and this was painful to sit through. At some point, there was a whole big to-do about walking up and donating money. I happen to know, from Joe, that the families sort of turn this into a competition. 

Finally, they bring the baby up to present him. Their older daughter, who is barely 3, is fidgeting a lot. One of the church people actually grabbed onto her and had her stand still. This pissed me off because well, she's 3. She's expected to fidget, and you definitely shouldn't be touching her if you aren't her parent. 

So they present the baby. And they are super emphatic that it isn't the same thing as a baptism. "We don't baptize our babies because the Bible says it should be their choice to come to Jesus, buuuuuuut we do this to welcome them into the church." Bullshit, this is the same thing as a baptism, if you ask me. What choice do they have to leave the church when they get older? Their families would surely shun them.

After that ceremony, they had people go up and "accept Jesus". Basically, they pray on that person and there's lots of shouting and praising Jesus. Joe and I were dreading this part because we stuck out like a sore thumb as they new people. (They had even announced our names and had us stand up and be applauded as newcomers at the beginning.) Before we knew it, the lady to the right of us was pestering us, preaching, and telling us we were gonna go to hell if we didn't go up there. We almost shat ourselves. We never went up, and definitely embarrassed his older brother. 

So after a horrible experience, I decided that I won't be going back there. I witness enough of the "I'm more Christian than you" crap when I go to his brother's wife's family gatherings. I'm also convinced that I'm going to hell. All of these things are fine by me. 

If being this brand of Christian means hating others and condemning them to hell without getting to know or love them, I want NO part of it.

Sorry this was so long! I wanted to make sure all the shitty details were in there.

*This part was a little difficult for me to understand. When my boyfriend and I met, he would use the terms "Catholic" and "Christian" to talk about to distinct religions. My idea was always that Catholic was a form of Christian. So when I say Christian, I'm referring to evangelical.