OMG: Hilarious cover on Vermont Catholic magazine

[nichomachus]

http://www.theplaidcrew.com/2010/06/blunder-cover-vermont-catholic-church.html

Does no one check this thing or has no one any sense?



There is a similar picture of a stained glass window that made the rounds a while ago, but that was done as a spoof. That wasn't real. This is.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. What's the hilarious part?

[Sanity Claws]

2. Looks like the one kneeling is giving a BJ to the one standing

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. His head is not low enough

[jberryhill]

13. Well, that's a question of specific dimensions

The bishop may be, um, exceptionally blessed.

[nichomachus]

18. You are an expert on this?

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. I have a feeling I have seen more blessings at the altar than you have

But no that doesn't make me an expert.

[nichomachus]

26. No, I meant

on the proper positioning during oral sex.

But this is not a "blessing" at the altar, which really doesn't happen the way it's depicted here. It is, instead, the laying on of hands -- part of an ordination ceremony. And I really doubt if you've seen more "blessings" at the altar than I have.

[QC]

37. Maybe the bishop is especially, um, you know, blessed. n/t

[nichomachus]

3. Probably a sordid history

of clergymen forcing young people to give them blowjobs -- as this man seems to be doing. That's not hilarious. WHat's hilarious is that these idiots don't seem to have a clue.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Maybe because I was raised Catholic

and saw this very scene many times as a child, I don't see anything inappropriate.

[nichomachus]

14. So was I

and your point is?

[Hepburn]

16. No, the "inappropriate" was behind closed doors.

That's why you probably did not see it.

[Nite Owl]

19. I had to keep looking to see

what was so funny. To me it looked like he was giving a blessing.
I was raised Catholic too.

[emilyg]

41. Neither do I.

[LeftyMom]

43. I was raised Catholic too. And that totally looks like he's getting a hummer.

:shrug:

[DrDan]

4. looks like a candidate for the Leno show

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Dona eis requiem...

[mikita]

7. oh that was good,

and further in the article.... how crucifixions must tone your body.... too funny. Must now go do penance....

[onehandle]

8. All Catholics are blessed that way at least once in their lifetime by a Bishop.

That pose is pretty common.

[nichomachus]

15. That pose, it turns out, was even more common that we thought -- after hours

[muffin1]

9. Looks pretty accurate, except

the guy who's kneeling is a little old...

[nichomachus]

17. Not really

He is a seminarian and many seminarians were molested by those in authority -- even by bishops

[alfredo]

22. When I was a cabbie, I used to sit at a cab stand at a

seminary school. I'd get there around 5 pm so I could take the young priests to a bar called the Town Pump for happy hour. If you know Detroit, you might know about that bar. They were good guys and they tipped well.

[nichomachus]

23. We always tipped well

[alfredo]

30. The richer the person, the less they tipped. GM execs

were horrible. Sydney Sheldon stiffed me (his books sucked) Shelly Berman made his agent pay the fare and tip for him (Red faced and ill tempered IMHO). Poor inner city people were quite generous. Hookers were generous and loyal to their favorite cabbies. Had a cop tip with with pot. Good shit too. He was shaking down brothels and dope dealers, so I guess he felt he should share the wealth to keep me quiet.

The cast of the road tour of "would you come back to the five and dime red rider?" piled into my cab, ended up crashing at my place and gave me free tickets to their show.

The Commodores rode in my cab. They were funny and very nice. I delivered them to Motown.

[pinboy3niner]

36. Too bad you didn't get photos

Thanks for the anecdotes (even w/o pics). Sounds like your old cab should have made the National Register of Historic Places. Taking the Commodores to Motown--wow! Guess you were on the "Night Shift" (sorry, couldn't help myself). :)

[alfredo]

39. Mostly the day shift, but sometimes I'd put in extra hours.

You get a different perspective on a city when you drive a hack.

[MrSlayer]

10. Brilliant.

This is as funny as anything I've seen recently.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. lol n/t

[asjr]

20. I've always wondered who the bishops and

cardinals favorite designer is. They really should find someone more up-to-date.

[pinboy3niner]

21. Changing times. What once was seen only as innocent...

is viewed now in the context of all the revelations over the years of the extent of sexual abuse by the clergy. Welcome to the new millennium. Dominus vobiscum.

[Arugula Latte]

33. Even without all the sexual abuse ...

it's still a pretty freaky scene.

Bizarre how people prostrate themselves before imagined power. And look at the creepy, tacky lavishness of the background.

Churches and religion -- thank goodness I've avoided them my entire life.

[pinboy3niner]

40. Ritual is one of the things most religions have in common

For those raised in this religion, similar rituals were commonplace and familiar--and because of that, some posters upthread needed explanation to understand the gaffe. nichomachus points out that this particular ritual, an ordination, is not one that parishioners would often see. As he appears to have been a seminarian at one time, I think he'd be a reliable guide on these matters, now and in the future.

Having left the church decades ago, I'm surprised to find myself having an initial and automatic defensive reaction toward criticism. I guess it must be the remnant efffects of my early religious indoctrination. Apart from the scandals and coverups, I'm neither a critic nor a defender of the church. Our parting was amicable, and I'm content to follow my own head and heart without being a proselytizer for or against religion. Like you, I tend to avoid it--though I have to confess, the fundies and their insistence on marrying church and state but not gays makes my head explode! :)

:hi:

[LeftyFingerPop]

25. Yeah, that's fucking hilarious.

[SoxFan]

27. Grow up

That isn't a kid. It's a seminarian being ordained either to the priesthood or the transitional diaconate.

[jgraz]

29. "seminarian"

Uh huh huh... huh hnh hnh hnh

[leftstreet]

38. ...

:spray: :spray: :spray:

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. A+

[emilyg]

42. +1

[Vinca]

28. Let's just say that was an "unfortunate" angle.

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

31. Wow ...

They really are clueless, aren't they? :wow:

[DearAbby]

34. Little old for him....isn't he?

I'm sowry the debil made me do it :evilgrin:

[hedgehog]

35. Quite seriously, I have begun to question many of the rituals of my Church.

Ostensibly the bishop is a stand in for God, but the effect seems to be that all too many bishops think they are God!

Oddly enough, when you see pictures of Jesus with the first priests, He's the one kneeling!