Crowd Manipulation In A Pentecostal Church

[LordProtectorOliverCromwell]

Many of you will know what I'm talking about. Charismatic pastors often refer to the importance of the "atmosphere" in praise and worship - namely, clever lighting and special effects to make it feel like there is a genuine, divine presence in the room.

 

Then there is the constant, mono-syllabic music and singing, and the entire crowd lifting up its hands onto thin air, swaying in the spirit, and one or two people faking tongues and being slain in the spirit, then before you know it everyone's on the floor or in tongues or shrieking and screaming, some people jumping up and down and requiring restraint by the ushers lest they knock over all the chairs...

 

There I'd the pastor forcing the crowd to repeat certain affirmations to each other during the sermon, like "This year is my year of supernatural blessing."

 

There is the love-bombing, the constant hugging and laughing with strangers during praise sessions to make you really feel part of a loving community of God's people, when in fact you're among a bunch of losers who have achieved nothing with their lives and spend all their time going to church and preying to a non-existent deity.

 

There is the guilt-tripping to make you pull out your credit card and cash notes and grab hold of the envelopes to insert your "offering" and gain a double or even triple portion of what you've given. Naturally that never happens. You'd be better off putting that money in the stock exchange.

 

I could go on forever.

[sdelsolray]

Why is something so pathetic also funny at the same time?

[Lilith666]

They say dark humor makes depressing subjects more bearable.

[Guest]

Like this?

 

[LogicalFallacy]

Now you might be forgiven in thinking there is mind control involved. Quite sadly there is not. Why is it sad? Because there is some rational part missing in those peoples brains that allows them to do this, and believe they are having a spiritual experience.  Happens a bit in Pentecostal churches - slain in the spirit, talking in tongues, prophesying, casting out demons etc.

 

 

Hmm, if you are an advanced alien studying humans in their natural habit what do you make of this?

 

Probably not much more than we do of chimps yelling and screaming and throwing leaves in the air.

[Positivist]

...Charismatic pastors often refer to the importance of the "atmosphere" in praise and worship - namely, clever lighting and special effects to make it feel like there is a genuine, divine presence in the room.

 

Then there is the constant, mono-syllabic music and singing, and the entire crowd lifting up its hands onto thin air, swaying in the spirit, and one or two people faking tongues and being slain in the spirit, then before you know it everyone's on the floor or in tongues or shrieking and screaming, some people jumping up and down and requiring restraint by the ushers lest they knock over all the chairs...

 

I'm not proud of it, but I used to be a worship leader in a charismaniac church  

Looking back, even all these years later, I know exactly what to do musically to bring a flock of sheep congregation to a broiling point with the Lard. It's atmospheric manipulation at its best.

[Lilith666]

"Charismaniac" - hahaha