Monday, July 12, 2010

Religious Authorities

A promising start:
CANFIELD, Ohio -- The monks seemed to come out of nowhere.

They arrived from Cleveland last fall - Archbishop Timothy and Father Anthony and the cleric in charge, Metropolitan Stephen. In their billowing black robes, they were looking for a new base for the Syro Russian Orthodox Catholic Church.
Joke #1:
It was Archbishop Timothy who first drove past the Canfield Colonial Motel Condotel, a crime-ridden, no-tell motel on a desolate road dominated by hay bales and barns with sunken roofs.

"My first thought was: This would make an excellent monastery," says the archbishop, whose earthly name is Timothy Kjera. "The rooms in front are the perfect size for a monk's cell."
Joke #2:
This was no small thing. The little, dirty white building with the threadbare rooms was now the official headquarters for a church and seminary that have thousands of followers around the globe - or so the monks claim.

But these monks have credibility issues.
Joke #3:
The history of those early years is spotty. The church would surface and disappear again, making its way across Indiana to the Rocky Mountains, then on to Minnesota and Ohio.

The names were elaborate:

The Mercy and Right Greek Catholic Church. St. Michael's Greek Orthodox Church. St. Mary the Theotokos Orthodox Catholic Church. The Mercian Orthodox Catholic Church. Saints Peter and Paul Anglican Catholic Church. The Michael American Orthodox Catholic Church.

None of them were recognized by any credible religious authority.
The article's an interesting one about scams: the three-person church seems to make money running diploma mills, sometimes with slave labour, and in the US there are enormous benefits to operating your scam while wearing funny outfits and crucifixes. Worth reading.

22 comments:

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

It was Archbishop Timothy who first drove past the Canfield Colonial Motel Condotel, a crime-ridden, no-tell motel on a desolate road dominated by hay bales and barns with sunken roofs.

I believe Candiesis of Dalmatia is the patron saint of meth cookers.

Smut Clyde said...

But these monks have credibility issues.
Compared to whom?

Substance McGravitas said...

Credible religious authorities obviously.

Rusty Shackleford said...

All the best ways to make money off of stupid people have already been thought of.

Substance McGravitas said...

Sarah Palin's got non-politician politician...that's pretty new.

Rusty Shackleford said...

Palin's con is brilliant, yes, but I don't have the tits to pull it off.

Substance McGravitas said...

Marry UP Rusty!

Rusty Shackleford said...

Did I say tits? I meant populism.

Marry UP Rusty!

Like I have a choice.

Smut Clyde said...

Right there on the shelf next to unicorns and basilisks.

GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

the cleric in charge is named METROPOLITAN STEPHEN?

and yet they have questionable credibility. huh.

Substance McGravitas said...

Archimandrite Stephen would have scared off those who fear spiders.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

was his bishop named Chuckletrousers Karrmann?

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Chuckles?
~

mikey said...

Bring up the Holy Hand Grenade...

Captcha offers gynednea, the patron saint of Female Genitalia...

Smut Clyde said...

the cleric in charge is named METROPOLITAN STEPHEN?

I think it was a mistake for his parents to name everyone in the family after London underground lines.
Not so bad for his sister Victoria Stephen, but young Hammersmith & City Stephen was bullied at school.

M. Bouffant said...

in the US there are enormous benefits to operating your scam while wearing funny outfits and crucifixes.

Whereas in other nations, this shit is seen right through, eh?

Chauvinism aside, you'd think decent Americans would reject these incense-burning fuckwads because they're pre-RCC (therefore unapproved) weirdos, but maybe not.

Substance McGravitas said...

Whereas in other nations, this shit is seen right through, eh?

Other nations are not so free and easy with tax status, and other nations tend to be harder to set diploma mills up in.

Mind you, there's Pakistan.

fish said...

GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN.

Look, if I have to sit up on the shelf, you should at least let me talk to my neighbors.

Smut Clyde said...

a crime-ridden, no-tell motel on a desolate road dominated by hay bales and barns with sunken roofs.

"My first thought was: This would make an excellent monastery," says the archbishop, whose earthly name is Timothy Kjera. "The rooms in front are the perfect size for a monk's cell."


In days gone by they could have used the old "Turn-it-into-a-private-prison" scam, but too many people have already pulled that one and it might not elicit so much enthusiasm from the townspeople.

See also "Nice things; why we can't have them".

fish said...

MY PAKISTANI PHD IS TOTALLY LEGIT!!

Substance McGravitas said...

Don't worry about the government.

fish said...

Hilarious