Posted by on Jan 23, 2009 in
FAREWELL,
FOOLERY 
Uh oh, all the pinks out there better bend over and kiss their sweet butts goodbye. If you want to become a legally ordained minister in the Church of the Subgenius, then hurry up. Your editor has a soft spot for Ivan Stang’s outreach ministry because HIGH WEIRDNESS BY MAIL had the power to change lives in the time before the interweb.
The Church of the SubGenius has announced that the end of the world will take place on Sunday, July 5, 2009.
www.prurgent.com | Release Date: 2009-01-05
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLEVELAND, Ohio, January 2, 2009: The Church of the SubGenius has announced that the end of the world will take place on Sunday, July 5, 2009. In preparation for the fulfillment of this doomsday prophecy, the Church is requesting that all of its members participate in a bizarre religious ceremony taking place in upstate New York, during the final weekend before the arrival of the apocalypse.
Since its inception in 1953, Church founder J.R. “Bob” Dobbs has predicted that a fleet of flying saucers will arrive at the beginning of July to destroy the worldwide Conspiracy against the Church of the SubGenius, while all ordained SubGenius ministers will be rescued by escape vessels piloted by the Alien Sex Goddesses, also known as the Xists.
The Church is inviting all of its members worldwide to gather together for the final hours in Sherman, New York from Wednesday, July 1 to Sunday, July 5, at a clothing-optional outdoor campground called Brushwood Folklore Center. The first gathering at this compound took place in 1996, and the event has increased in size and participants each following year. 1998 was designated the first true “X-Day,” and each successive year has added one to the total. This year’s celebration in 2009 is X-Day 12, or X-Day XII.
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Tags: religion, world ending
Posted by on Dec 24, 2008 in
FORTEANA,
fatu·ous·ness 
“Eventually, Christians decided that a broader Christmas celebration would help compete with pagan December festivals.” Merry Christmas, Yule or Feast of Saturnalia to one and all!
Ancient winter festivals contributed to our holiday customs
December 17, 2008 | The Herald-Dispatch | Jay O’Dell
The word Christmas originated as a compound word meaning “Christ’s Mass,” referring to a gathering of people to worship Christ (Jesus). The Roman letter X was used as an abbreviation for Christ, hence Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas today.
But many Christmas traditions were celebrated for centuries before Christ was born. Many of the Christmas traditions originated in ancient Mesopotamia within Asia (present day Iraq and Iran).
Celebrations before Christ included traditions such as the 12 days of Christmas, yule log, giving of gifts, parades, songs, holiday feasts and church gatherings.
The Mesopotamians believed in many gods, the chief god being celebrated in a winter festival for 12 days. The Persians and Babylonians celebrated similar festivals. Special winter celebrations also were held by the Europeans. The Scandinavians held a large winter festival called the Yuletide with bonfires and a feast. In English, the Yule celebration and word Yule mean the same as Christmas. Apples were tied to branches of trees during Yule as a reminder that spring and summer would return.
The ancient Greeks and Romans also held winter festivals to celebrate the Greek God, Kronos, and Roman God, Saturn. The Roman festival called Saturnalia lasted two weeks and included large meals, exchange of gifts and visiting friends, similar to the present Christmas.
Christians thought it was wrong to honor pagan gods as with the Romans, Greeks and other cultures. The Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ as a solemn religious holiday.
Eventually, Christians decided that a broader Christmas celebration would help compete with pagan December festivals.
Dec. 25 was sacred to the Romans, Persians and Greeks since their festivals were held during this time. The Christian church eventually used the tradition of lights, gifts and merriment in starting a celebration of Christmas. In 137 A.D., the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of Christ to be celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 A.D., another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, chose Dec. 25 as the observance of Christmas. Our current Christmas date is, therefore, more than 1,600 years old.
The exact day of Christ’s (Jesus) birth has never been determined. One reason is that the calendar has been changed with a time adjustment. Christ’s birth has been celebrated since around 98 A.D. The actual season of Jesus birth is thought to be in the spring.
Christmas was slow to catch on in America. The early settlers in the colonies considered Christmas to be a pagan ritual. The celebration of Christmas was banned by law in Massachusetts during colonial days (1600s and 1700s)
But eventually, Christmas, with its inherited traditions such as a tree, ornaments, feasts, exchanging presents, visiting relatives, use of holly and other symbols, became a widely celebrated holiday on Dec. 25.
Jay O’Dell is a former teacher of history and other subjects in public schools and college. Suggestions for column content or other inquiries can be sent to him at: P.O. Box 469, Lavalette, WV 25535.
Tags: religion
Posted by on Dec 16, 2008 in
FELONIOUSNESS 
Crime Scene
Baby Jesus swiped from Nativity near Independence Hall
By Dwight Ott | Inquirer Staff Writer | www.philly.com/inquirer/
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Is nothing sacred?
For four years, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Knights of Columbus have placed a Nativity scene in front of Independence Hall without incident.
But this year, on Saturday or Sunday, a figurine of the baby Jesus – and the bolted-down crib where it lay – went missing from the creche.
A maintenance worker discovered the theft of the 12-pound, foot-long statue of a blond baby Jesus, valued at $600, said a spokeswoman for the National Park Service, Jane Crowley.
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Tags: religion
