Exorcism

[Mick Mac]

It still happens apparently. The method of exorcism is still taught to priests.

There are religious crackpots who think some people are possessed by the devil. Does any sensible person believe this? Surely this is just an example of how religious beliefs can warp peoples thinking.

The Exorcist movie was based upon true events of a "real" exorcism (exaggerated of course).

[????]

I used to go to the gym more but I get bored to be honest

[david_carnell]

I used to get really wound up about politics but these days I'm much calmer.

[Huguenot]

'Square bashing' in the army is there to hammer out any sense of individuality and ensure blind co-operation. It's sheer stupidity is part of the appeal - forcing grown men to do something stupid and pointless on the instruction of another, and get used to it.

It strikes me that if you're gullible enough to believe the world was created by what sounds like a suspiciously cantankerous geriatric medieval misogynist control-freak with supreme powers and an unchallenged moral superiority, that you might as well believe that epilepsy is the devil, and a bloke in a stupid outfit can rid you of the affliction.

[Jeremy]

The Exorcist was good. One of the guys at work reckons it's crap. I told him he was wrong.

[Huguenot]

Demon: What an excellent day for an exorcism.

Father Damien Karras: You would like that?

Demon: Intensely.

Father Damien Karras: But wouldn't that drive you out of Regan?

Demon: It would bring us together.

Father Damien Karras: You and Regan?

Demon: You and us.

*slight tremor down spine*

[mockney piers]

MM, you shouldn't believe everything you see on Channel 5 ;-P

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

My middle name is gullible.

As dear CS Lewis wrote:

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

[mockney piers]

Zombies feel the same way.

[HonaloochieB]

Quids appears to be possessed by the spirit of Jimmy Cricket.

[Mick Mac]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> MM, you shouldn't believe everything you see on

> Channel 5 ;-P

I would have posted it last night (almost live) but you would have known I was up late again.

[mockney piers]

I caught two minutes of it between Family Guys. Very silly. I was reminded of the bullied vicar played by Steve Coogan on The Day Today.

[Huguenot]

So, on the subject of zombies...

I always thought Star Wars (which I may immediately watch) jumped the shark when it started crapping on about midi-chlorians. It was terribly unsophisticated and naive in a teen boyfried way to assume that everything needed to be 'explained' and 'true'. The removal of the mystique trivialised and embarrassed the series.

Likewise, in an episode of the Walking Dead I've just watched, a scientist uses zappy technology to investigate the motivating force behind zombies. It transpires it's some guff about a hyperactive bacteria stimulating the brain stem.

I mean, why fucking bother? They're just zombies right? It's a zombie, it's bad, and you just can't kill them.

That's all you need to know.

[mockney piers]

My jaw quite literally (in the figurative sense) hit the floor in the cinema when the midichlorians explanation happened. I felt utterly betrayed and a beautiful thing was destroyed forever.

[mockney piers]

And whilst we're talking zombies, everybody in the world has to read world war z, best book ever.

....about zombies

[RosieH]

What the frig is a midchlorian? Is it something from one of the prequels? If so Mockney and Huguenot, you have only yourselves to blame.

And I thought you could kill zombies by chopping their heads off? For that reason, I never leave home without my pocket chainsaw.

Incidentally, a friend of mine (American - explains a lot) has worked out a plan for what he will do when zombies take over the US. It involves that UFO on a stick that they have over there and a deathslide. I'm not entirely convinced it's practical.

[Huguenot]

I don't think we should make any assumptions about zombies. I don't have nearly enough experience.

However, this guy appears to be an absolute authority:

"Headless Zombies may not be very strong or fast, but are very tough. They favor life over strength and speed, and are essential to have on some invasions because in invasions headless zombies can't see where they're going so they always head to the front, usually kicking out a zombie from the front line. Headless zombies are also very lazy so if a new headless can come in to take it's place it'll head to the back immediately and let he new guy take over. "

I just don't think you can mess around with that level of insight.

[Huguenot]

This poor bastard actually had first hand experience.

"I noticed that in the headshot mutation, zombies can spawn without heads (but looks as though it was shot off)

I believe they are spawning headless because in an incoming horde I noticed a zombie was headless, but nobody had shot at it yet.

You can still kill them, but you cant shoot where the head would normally be, you need to shoot the neck."

So he's pontificating about their provenance, but the guy's been a target, and found a solution. The neck shot, there you have it.

[RosieH]

Damn, so my pocket chainsaw..?

Arse, I'm doomed.

[Moos]

What if the pocket chainsaw had a silver chain?

[RosieH]

In case it's a zombie werewolf?

[Huguenot]

Apparently dropping Egyptian obelisks on them is very effective.

You could carry one of these with you? Don't leave it in the car, you'd feel really silly when you needed it.

You could also trap them in a pit of concrete, you'll need to carry one of these around too.

[Huguenot]

Or a wood chipper. Make sure it's not a flimsy one.

[RosieH]

Dagnammit, I just traded my concrete pit for a septic tank.

[alexsmith565]

I actually witnessed an exorcism together with a journalist and a photographer. It was at a national trust property and the exorcist had been called in by the national trust to carry out the exorcism as members of the public had been reporting things happening to them. The exorcist in question also works for the police on cases so its not all nonsense. The photographer caught light orbs in the photographs which were not visable to the human eye...