Religion
RIP Fratello Metallo, Heavy Metal Monk
His Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 20, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Music, Religion, Europe
The Snowball Church
I scope out daily the list of deaths that Wikipedia curates, where I often see intriguing tidbits. Recently I came across a death notice for Apóstolo Rina (in Portuguese), and was intrigued to see that he was both the church founder and a surfer. ("Bola de Neve" translates to "Snow Ball," by the way, but I remain uncertain of its pertinence.)
Inquiring further, I learned from their entry on Portuguese Wikipedia:
Unlike most churches, it initially appealed to a young and informal audience. The church also seeks to maintain its image associated with extreme sports, such as surfing , skateboarding , running and cycling , and many of its temples have decorations based on these sports.... The first meetings took place in a surf shop and, with no pulpit or table available to support the Bible, the option was to use the surfboard , a trademark of the Bola de Neve Churches.
You can see their groovy surfboard altar in the video.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 19, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Religion, Sports, South America
Jackson Whitlow, the Mountain Faster
Jackson Whitlow made headlines in 1937 by fasting for 52 days. He did it because he said God had told him to. He broke his fast with elderberry wine and squirrel broth.About a year later God told Whitlow to live in a cave. His condition rapidly deteriorated and by the start of 1939 he was dead. According to Whitlow, this was also "the Lord's will".
Atlanta Journal - Jan 2, 1939
Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 03, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Religion, 1930s, Dieting and Weight Loss
AI Pastor
I'm assuming this is satire because the site doesn't actually share any AI-generated spiritual guidance. If you click the "Get Started" button it shows a pop-up that says "coming soon."On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if AI could provide online spiritual help on a par with flesh-and-blood pastors.
More info: AI Pastor
Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 13, 2024 -
Comments (7)
Category: Religion, AI, Robots and Other Automatons, Satire
Sacred Seltzer
*Blessed according to official Catholic procedure on March 31, 2022, in LA County, CA.
More info: SacredSeltzer.com
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 02, 2024 -
Comments (5)
Category: Inebriation and Intoxicants, Religion
Minister Cancels Walk on Water
May 1972: Rev W.L. Jenkins of Mississippi advertised that he was going to walk across the surface of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. But he had to cancel the event when he was shot in the leg while driving to the reservoir. He said he still planned to walk across the reservoir sometime in the future, but wouldn't publicize the event beforehand.It doesn't seem that Rev Jenkins's failure to walk on water put a dent in his popularity. He continued to have an active ministry, as documented on his website JenkinsMinistry.com.
Related post: When Yogi Rao walked on water
Quad-City Times - May 22, 1972
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 26, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Religion, 1970s
The Wayfarer’s Dole
From Gastro Obscura:The Church's home page.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 25, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Food, History, Religion, United Kingdom, Alcohol
Crying Artist
Controversy recently struck the General Theologial Seminary in New York after it invited an artist to perform in the college chapel. Details from Church Times:I know some people can cry on command, but for five hours?
The Episcopalian community thought the event sounded way too weird, forcing the seminary to cancel the performance before it happened.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 14, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Religion, Performance Art, Sadness
Worst Easter Pageant Ever
Somerset Daily American - Apr 8, 2004
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 31, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Religion, 2000s, Easter
Working on Sunday
The UK's Shops Act made it illegal to operate a shop on Sunday... unless one was Jewish (since the Jewish observed the sabbath on Saturday). So business owner Mike Robertson figured that to open his stores on Sunday he simply had to make his staff convert to Judaism.The Shops Act had other oddities. According to the London Telegraph, a shop could stay open if it was "in an officially designated 'holiday resort area'" or if it restricted sales to "certain kinds of perishable goods, like fruit, flowers and vegetables; medical and surgical appliances, newspapers, cigarettes and refreshments."
Bristol Western Daily Press - Mar 8, 1977
Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 22, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Business, Law, Religion, 1970s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |