The Three Christs of Ypsilanti

I've always been intrigued by the fact that given a universe of possibilities and a mind that is spinning rapidly in the roiling waters of psychosis... why do so many mentally ill people share very similar delusions?

Perhaps it's reflection of that old saw that there are only seven types of joke or something along those lines - there are only a few 'core' delusions, I dunno I'm not a psychiatrist. It kinda disappoints me that if you're gonna go through the terrible experience of suffering from a mental illness, mind careening from one free association to the next in an unfettered pinball game, what a shame that your visions and revelations are just so... hack.

A popular delusion is that the patient believes they're Jesus. In the late fifties psychologist Milton Rokeach had a plan. One assumes that in the good old days you didn't need to bother with such distractions as ethics. He got three patients, each with the delusion that they were Jesus Christ, to live together for two years in Ypsilanti State Hospital to see what happened.

The early meetings were stormy. "You oughta worship me, I'll tell you that!" one of the Christs yelled. "I will not worship you! You're a creature! You better live your own life and wake up to the facts!" another snapped back. "No two men are Jesus Christs. … I am the Good Lord!" the third interjected, barely concealing his anger.

How Do Christians Become Conservative?

Judeo-Christian scripture is a rich and complicated work of literature. Written over the course of (at least) several hundred years by dozens of different authors, there are a variety of perspectives and many times outright contradictions in the theology and the politics of the writing (if it's all inspired word for word by God, He seems to have changed his mind a lot). But one thing is extremely certain: the poor seem to be who God is most concerned about. Yes, there are a few quotations (four, if I remember right) trashing gay people, along with quite a few more about the right way to do animal sacrifice and to be careful about eating shellfish and hanging out with women who are menstruating. But mercy, kindness, and concern for the poor and the weak and the outcast seems to matter a lot more, with literally several hundred verses referencing those agenda items. If you are a progressive, that is a pretty good ratio.

500+ Atheism vs. Theism Debates

For those who enjoy atheism vs. theism debates, here's the most complete list you'll find on the web (528 of them and counting).

Lord Jesus Christ suffers minor injuries in downtown Northampton crosswalk mishap

NORTHAMPTON - A 20-year-old Pittsfield driver was cited by police Tuesday after she ran down Lord Jesus Christ in a marked crosswalk at Main Street and Strong Avenue, police said.

Brittany E. Cantarella was cited for a crosswalk violation, said Northampton police Capt. Scott Savino.

Christ, 50, of Belchertown, was taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital for treatment of minor injuries following the 3:30 p.m. accident. He was treated at the hospital and then released.

Cantarella was making a left turn from Strong Avenue onto Main Street when her car, a 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, struck Christ.

Christ was in a marked crosswalk at the time of the accident, Savino said.

Savino said officers checked Christ’s identification at the scene and confirmed it was his legal name.

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