You guys need to watch this documentary. Very interesting. It's about a pentecostal Appalachian snake handling church, filmed in 1967.

http://www.archive.org/details/HolyGhostPeople



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270992/

lolomon

Did you watch it? Did you see the pastor get bit by the rattler at the end?

no, I've just started. I love penecostals, though.

Sure it is. The Bible says that you should be able to handle snakes.

Dont think it meant that kinda snake, m ore like the human kind.

"Able to" and "ought to" (or "it's smart to") are very different things.

Haven't watched this, but I've read a good bit about it and seen more recent documentaries. I believe the only state it is still legal in is West Virginia, and they've made moves toward banning it as well.

If you watched this without sound and changed the race of the people, you've never know this wasn't a Haitian voodoo ritual.

TALK ABOUT A GODDAMN SPOILER

No point in me even watching it now, I already know the ending, godsarnit.

I was joking about what I said to try to stir up some controversy. The same verse says that you should be able to move mountains as well (not literally, but I assume you know that), so I'm not sure why that church is just sticking with snakes when they could be moving around the Appalachians.

Hey you guys, I killed this forum. Just move along.

*Ahem*

Evidently the mountains are fine where they are, but snakes and poison need some human lovin' now and then. I have no idea what they're thinking. [Well, yeah, I do. They're cunning enough to realize that a 100% failure to literally move a mountain would reflect badly on their sect. As it is, they call every bite-free handling a win for faith and every bite the work of Satan. It's the religious version of Spademan's sig file.]

I didn't think you were advocating snake handling at all. But it is interesting to me how similar two religious things can be (snake handlers and voodoo initiates, bombing abortion clinics and bombing a disco) and yet what different reactions they solicit, by people who seem blind to the similarities.

Also interesting that so many faiths strive to achieve ecstatic states of transcendence, and all the different paths they take to get there. From Druids to Zeus and Leda to Holy Rollers, humanity seems to want little more than to be possessed by god(s). Offhand, Buddhism is the only one I can think of that seems not to.

Also, when I hear people speak of the "Holy Ghost," I subtract 100 IQ points. Although "Casper the Friendly Ghost" and "Casper the Friendly Spirit" are more or less synonymous, we do not hold "the spirit of freedom/America/the law/St. Louis" to be synonymous with the "ghost" of those things. Besides, doesn't something have to be dead to be a ghost? My husband was always wildly amused by the He-Man cartoons, in which the ghost of Skeletor and the character of Skeletor existed simultaneously (and he's a skeleton, making the whole thing triply implausible!).

That's so true and an excellent way to put it. My mind battles somewhere between a blank stare and loathing when ever I hear that.

Terrifying

T͙͉̋̒̐ͥ̊̅ͥo̗̟̮̿̓̿̈́͐͋̊̈ ̰̆͂ͥ̂i͍̟ͤ̊͆͋͗ͪͥ͐n̯̝̩̰͕̣̝̣̋ͪṿ̝͛ͮ̐ͦͥo̞͖̗̳͉͕̍ͭ̑̓͌ͦ̎ͅk̲̙̆̇e͕̞̪͇͓̻ͭ̂̓̄ͧ͛̈ͅ ̳͉͖̞͉̝̥̙̐ͣͦ̑͗́̽t̳̞͙̗͓͍ͧ̋ͮ̉͐̐̃ͫͅḧ̥̳̏̚ẹ̃͋ͤͧ̂̏ ̳͔͈͍͓̳̹̭ͨͧ̀ͤ͒̑̇̓̽ḧ̼̙̙̗͂̀ͮͪ̉i̹̟͈̤͑ͥͩv̥̭͈͇͈̭͍͆ͩ͂ͤ̄͋͐͗̋ḙ̦͓̳̘ͬ͑̅-͙͙̫̖̳̲̏͊͆̀̑̽͑́ͣm̙̲̱̿̇̔̄ͦi̹̳͋n̼̯̅͗ͮ̈ͬͥd̳̮͍̑ͬͩ̋ͥ̽ ͍̤̩̼̱͐̍ͪͤ̒̑r͙͉̦̰ͤ̔͐e̥ͬṕ̦̯̩ͬͬ̌̎̉̅ͬr͕͔̙̮͊̀̅́̆e̠̯̭̰͚̺͇̓̇̑̌ͣ̽s̼̠̼̦͚̻ͦ́̐ͅȅ̟͖̬̦̘̣̗̑̒ń̗̮͓̘̻̪̝ͧ̓ͧ̽̉́t̝̯̤̲̰͚͙̔ͭ͐̏̾ͮ̊̚ị͓͔̳̅̊̀n̻̖̄̔̈́g̲͇̫̮̼͔̘ͯ̓̅ͩ ͎͕͕͎̘͎̭ͧͯ́̌̏ͅc̦̫̣͍̩͑̓̉ͫ͌̅͂ͫ͊h̰͎͚͇͓̙͆a̞̜̟̜̪̙̼̓̀o̳̞͍̭̮͈͈̎ͮ̍s͔̖͚̘̟͕̝̉̏ͮ̐̊.͈̬͈̜͖͔ͧͯ̽
̼͈̖̥̬͈͎ͨͯ̈͊̅Ȋ̼̪̖̳͓̟̩̬͓̌̏̓̋ͩ͆̉ṉ̗͍̠̖̭̱̂̚ṽ̙ͦo͚̟ͬ̿ͣͬ͛ͥͩ̄̊k͈̦͎͚͌̈̒̿ͪ̒̽í͔̻̣̠̬͓̯͓̀ͮn͉̬͙͍̻͕̙͓͛̆̈́͑͗͆̋ĝ̜͉̳͎͖̺̜̔ ̜̜̮̳̱̺͒ͤ̄ͯ̉̑ͫ̎ț͔͖̮̰͑͂ͦͧ̎h̲̳̤̬̻̠̎̽̑͂ͬ̑̇̚e̝̙̜̠̩̠̥͇ͤ̓͊́ͣ͑ ̬̖͚̜͎̜͐͂̓f͇̗̍̋ͯͧḛ̪̗̃̔͂̔ͮ̇ͬ̐e͚͉͍̹͚̻̮͐ͫ͐̓̅l̳̙̫̙̃͌͌̒̿̆́͊i̯̻ͦ̆n̮̝ͣ̂̑͗̿ͬ̒̚g̦̀ͬͩ́̌̍̀͊ ̝̒ͭ̒̂ͅo̗͎̣͇͓̳̰͔ͭͣ̾͊̔͊̿ͅf̤̟̘͉̻̬̈́ͥͭ̓̚ ̠̳̳̏͆̓̀ͩ́͆͌c̟͔͐́̃ḫ͍͈̹̫̩̼̍̑ͦ̅ͨͭ͌̑ͅa̝̒ͬ̍̒̈́o̖̮̘̗͇͚͎̓͐s͙̻̞̖̤̟̭̋͋́.̝͉̯̜ͭ͊̌̓ͬ̊ͯͤ́
͈͓̗̱̩͉̭͔̉ͮ̓ͪͧ̈́͐̍W̱̥̤͙̜̲̘ͯ̉̈́i͈̰̠̎ͫ͌̊́̄̾t͔̪̞̘͚̰̲ͣ̍̃̍ͬͪh͎͔͋̈́ͅ ̮̲̖͙̏o̫̜̪͗u̩͓̰̲̇́ͦͥ̌̓t̟̪̮̥̘̩͕͆ͮͫ̎̏ͣͮ̉ ̣͈͚̰͋o̬̝ͧr̯͓̟̝̈́̋̈́̏ͥ̂ͪd͇͚͖̤̣̈͛̚e̥̲̅̀̿ͦř̗̭̯͍̄̔ͨ̊̓ͩͣ͐.̰̞̃͑̈́͑͐̊
͙̖̗͚͎̦̆ͣ̿Ť̙̯̭̺̠̊ͪ̎ͭ̊̐ͤͅḥ̖̠͎͎̉͂e̥̟̫̻̩͗ͧͯͣͅ ̬̯͎̐̔̇N̦͚̼̰̜̭͚ͩ̐͐̽͛ȇ̩̼̤̦̒͌̐ž̲̬͂̀ͫͣ̚p̗̩͔͍̃̊̈́̇̈́ͫͧ͐e̟̣̬ͤͯr̦̘̍̍ͪ̈́̊̔͒ͮd̪̱̣̈́̌͐͐̓̿ͥ̑i̼̅à̦͑ͅň͕̪̰̯̗͖͖ͮ̈ͯ̉ͯ ̰̓h̟̙̯̭͎͕̊̂ͯͦ̋ͭì̗̭̥̝̥̺̝̹̾̈́̑̄̓v͈̮̲̓̄e̻ͤ̇͋͋ͩͮ̊́͒-͎͉̳͍̠̺͆̍̀̇̄̊̚m̱͕̈́ͪ͗̈́ͭ̾̄̎i̩̘̭̼͍̠̯̒̎͌͒ǹ̪̩̳̼͍͙̞̩ͧ͆̇ͅd̘̫̦̤̭ͭ̑ͩ̀ ͉̰̝̫͎ͤ̈́ͥ͐ͨͦo̝̹͗̈̍ͧ̌̎f̼͓ͫ͛͐͌͛ͬ̚ ̩̬͐̔ͫ̊̽͗c͈̜̙̯͉̱̙͂͛͋ͮ̀̑ͣͧ̚h̭̝̲̟̙̱̯͊̋ͧa͕͕̫͍͔͉̲̜ͩͦ͗̐o̘͇͙͍͎ͯ̋ͭ̀̔ͥ̔ͭș̻̻̺̠͑̂.̖̘͎̹͇̠͛̑̋͆͛̔ ̘͈̖̗̺̼̒ͮZ͔͓̪̻̩̘̹̑̂̆̐͐͆a̺̣̫̯ͤ̽͗̈̈́͑̂͋̋l͖͔͛̎́ͥ̊g͖̮̲͋ͥō̦̬̏̇ͦͫ̌.͔̞͆̈́̉̾̑ ̜̩̼̭͚̬̬̓ͫ͑ͬ
͓̣̥̺͖ͭ͛ͮ̚H͉͇͖̩͍̦̼̫͖͑ͫ͐͑̃ͩe̤̞̠ͣ̊̇ ̝̪̓͆̌ͯ͂̾w̖͕̺̤̖̉͌̄̀h͎͉̔̇̏̍o̩͓̙̰̘ͫ̋ͫͭ̏͋́̚ ̩̦̞̟̙̀Ẇ̬̖͇ͪ͛̉̽a͓̰̺̮͍͙̳̱̘̔ͧ̐͂͌i̠̥͕̰̜͙̳̭̩͆͋̅̋ẗ̺̝́͑̾̀̚s̖̹̮͉͖͙ͧͧ̀ ͇̯͑ͪ̃͌̾̽B͕͖͚̱̭̖ͥ̆̾̀e̙͖͚̖̬̭͎ͬ͊̑̅̈̈͒h̞̪̄ͤ̀̓́i̳̲̪̲̗͔̓ͮ̇͒̓̉ͤ̏n͚͚ͪd͖̥̯̍ͥ͑ ̪̊̏̀͐͋ͥ̂T͚̪͇̻͓̜̬̥͌̄̋̆h͎͔̬͒̓e̱̠̎̃̽ͨ̀ ͚͔͓͇ͨẈ̼̞̰̉͛̊͑ͫͯͣ͋͌a̘̰̱͈̰̖̽ͧͯ̆ľ͚̪ͨḽ͈̘͖̭̲̟̒ͩ̐ͅ.̗͎̇ͮͤ͑̀̐ͧͅ
̘̊ͩ͆̃̌ͭ̌Z̟̫̘̭͔͑̿A͖̩̹͔͈͙̲̒ͤ͗͂̍̎̈͐ͅL͎̠͉̉̀̅ͤ͂̐̽G͇̝̬̥͎͌̔̓̔̾͐̚O̞̞͂̌̔͐!̦̦͕͚̙̐ͥ

I think that goes in the wtf thread.

It's Holy Ghost in the King James translation. I suspect you to know this, but I'm pointing it out anyway.

Speaking in tongues.

Actually, I didn't know that -- thanks for the info. I often use the KJV for quotes, but I use an annotated translation for reading. It doesn't change my opinion of the matter. I think "ghost" is simply a poor translation.

More accurately I think it is a dated translation. I think back when the translation was made, the meaning of ghost was probably closer to "soul, spirit, life, breath" than it was to Casper and the occult like it is today.

I have not seen it yet. But I have heared a lot from my father. My dad always appreciated this movie and saying its really very nice. And also give me advice to watch it once.

I don't believe you. Nothing about this movie is 'nice'. I think you're trying to get more posts before you start spamming us... and it won't work. We're on to you.