Walking into a church during a ceremony is, well, interesting to say the least. Everything is so robotic and emotionless; everyone in the pews staring at the pastor with dead eyes and motionless bodies, not saying a word or even acknowledging each other until the pastor speaks, which is met with an equally robotic “and with you too”. When they sing there’s no emotion and when they speak it has no purpose or inflection. Get further in, and it’s like experiencing a literal brainwashing session. When the pastor says “kneel and pray” or “step forward” the brainwashed unquestioningly obey like dogs. What’s the most strange, however, is when they are fed bread like chickens pecking seeds from a farmer’s hand and thinking it’s normal because it’s “holy bread”.
It’s like as soon as they walk into the church they stop being human; which is ironic, since to them, God is supposed to be the source of all humanity. It goes beyond a normal community and turns into a hive mind with “one body in Christ”. I know this because I have been behind enemy lines for 17 years as of this day, witnessing this every Sunday while I hold my tongue and try to keep what’s left of my human side.
Sounds like many catholic masses I had to sit through as child. Can’t speak to any protestant services but one.
Many years ago, there was this girl at work for whom I had an itch. She was a pentacostal and invited me to a revival ====Pickle me grandmother! The joint was jumping! First came speaking and singing in tongues. Then came the main event, a preacher from the US. He had afflicted people go up on stage (this was in a large theatre)=====He began ‘healing’ people. He would push them on the forehead with the palm of his hand and they would fall down.This practice was called “being slain in spirit”
On the way back to the car, my friend was glowing. She asked breathlessly “Well, what did you think of that?” My response “It was the greatest example of mass hypnosis I’ve ever seen”. Things were a bit frosty in the car on the way home. She never spoke to me again.
Hmmm, in my not very nice (very young and selfish) days I did attend some services just to appeal to a young female, but, then I was predatory and didn’t tell the truth until we had some sort of intimacy.
You should have been a member of Assemblies of God. Dancing in the isles, talking in tongues, barking like dogs, rolling on the floor, making a joyful noise unto the Lord!
Apparently, in the US bible belt, young males are aware that tent revivals are THE best place to get laid. Going by my young female friend’s demeanor after the service, that sounds about right.I was too gormless to realise at the time.
–Most uninhibited girl friend I ever had was a Catholic charismatic. ( a small sub branch ,but still ‘real;’ catholics. Not well known, even among Catholics )
Well from personal experience I can tell you that any charismatic church or revival meeting has the same effect on young females as Catullus (?) noted that the Games had on Roman females.
More knee tremblers than I can remember/ Mind the red head sisters were memorable…
Perhaps because I’m ethnically a Celt, I’ve always been dotty about red heads. Would have married one too if she would have me.
Most read heads in one place; Cambridge University town, England. Less surprisingly,Caernarfon,Wales. A lovely memory of a gaggle of red headed school girls speaking Gaelic
Another place to find compliant women is AA meetings.
AA has a 12 step programme aimed at recovery. AA strongly suggests avoiding romantic relationships for the first two years. This because one is not considered entirely sane during that period, at least. Took me five years before I began feeling ‘normal’. I still get thirsty from time-to-time.
Arseholes who prey on women in early recovery are referred to contemptuously as ‘13th steppers’
Stay away!!! An alcoholic or drug addict in your life will drag you down to their level. Very few ever recover and those that stop drinking rarely if ever overcome major issues associated with alcoholism,
Amen to that Cog. 9 years of lies and theft when we were together and another 12 of stalking, lies and viciousness afterwards. I house drunk, and 2 rehabs that I paid for.
Now I run away screaming at the first hint of dependency. And I enjoy my shiraz.
You are a wiser man for the experience! Sorry for the pain. It’s a fucking shit way to learn anything. I have sat across from alcoholics/drug addicts and their significant others for forty years while listening to and watching the bullshit. Sometimes the families wake the fuck up and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes people figure it out and sometimes they don’t. Give yourself a hug and a big pat on the back.
Me too. Went to AA: daily for the first 28 days. Then 3 times a week for a year. Then once a week for a year. Then once a month, and then stopped going–that was 15 years ago
AA did NOT get me sober. I got me sober, by accepting all the help I needed from any source I could find. Although AA hotly deny this, it is my opinion that willpower, focus and persistence (or character if you prefer) are crucial for recovery from any addiction.
YEP: You are the one that drug yourself down there rain or shine. You are the one that decided how much and when you needed to go. You are the one who made the effort to stop drinking and you always get out of that effort exactly what you put into it. When it becomes important enough to you… nothing can stand in your way. IMO AA just happened to be there and that is fine but the effort is your and yours alone.
