666 appears on some Passion tickets

[JoFerret]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3807278,00.html

More religiosity nonsense

<<The number 666, which many Christians recognize as the ``mark of the beast,'' is appearing on movie tickets for Gibson's film at a Georgia theater, drawing complaints from some moviegoers.

The machine that prints tickets assigned the number 666 as a prefix on all the tickets for the film, said Gary Smith, owner of the Movies at Berry Square in northwest Georgia. The 666 begins a series of numbers that are listed below the name of the movie, the date, time and price.

``It's from our computer and it's absolutely a coincidence,'' Smith said. ``It has nothing to do with the film company or any vendor. It's completely in our computer.''

In the Bible, the book of Revelation says 666 is the ``number of the beast,'' usually interpreted as Satan or the Antichrist. >>

[mobuto]

1. Only in America

Several patrons have made comments about the numbers, and one person who was uncomfortable having 666 on her ticket asked for a pass to be substituted for a ticket.

[KC21304]

2. I don't think Mel should take the money from those tickets.

And they definitely shouldn't be counted toward ticket number sold. This is a sign, I just know it. LOL

[morgan2]

30. not take money?

that would be unchristian..err I mean uncapitalistic of him!

[bushisanidiot]

3. Gee, Maybe They Should Sue

idiots. complete IDIOTS!

[Nevernose]

4. Clearly the work of homosexual Zionist Masons

I'll bet the computer was programmed by a member of the Illuminati as well...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

27. Please. It's Liberal Atheist Homosexual Zionist Masons in the UN. (nt)

Your tinfoil must be of weaker quality. :tinfoilhat:

[jus_the_facts]

36. It's Liberal Atheist Homo Zionist Masons in the UN...AND...FEMA!

:evilgrin:

[MaineDem]

5. Good grief! (nt)

:D

[jsw_81]

6. Coincidence?

Or so the Devil would have us believe!



MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[SoCalDem]

7. hahahahahahaha

that's a riot :)


we need a constitutional amendment banning the use of more than two consecutive sixes, so as to not "injure the sensibilities" of the poor widdle fundies :)

[Supormom]

21. LOL

A constitutional amendment banning the use of the numbers 666!

[Yavin4]

40. So, What's 665+1 = ?

eom.

[renegade000]

42. ahhh BACK FIEND!

BACK I SAY!

:P

[Thor_MN]

44. 667, of course

* will just executive order the offensive number out of existence, just like all the laws requiring disclosure of presidential papers resulting from Watergate.

[PsychoDad]

31. 2 6's are ok, as are 4

But 3 is right out.

:silly:

[leesa]

8. Hysterically funny. How approriate!

It truly IS the mark of the beast. Superstitious fools.

[flakey_foont]

9. so does this mean Mel Gibson is the Antichrist?

then Jesus it the anti-Mel?

[MrPrax]

10. What are the box office receipts for POTC?

Are they tanking yet or will we still have to wade through these 'promotional' leaks from the free press© for another week...

I hear some dumb country got overthrown...

:shrug:

[Frodo]

13. In record territory.

The movie's three day weekend release was reported as the 7th largest weekend opening (supposedly just larger than the Lord of the Rings open) and the largest ever in Feb. It was also listed as the largest "non-summer, non-holiday-weekend" release. Whatever THAT means.


Anecdotally - Driving by the local theater on Friday I saw a sign I haven't seen in years "Passion sold out in all theaters through Monday". I guess that's the South for you.

[silverpatronus]

23. call me dumb humour girl...

...but i find it inexplicably hilarious that the initials for passion of the christ are the same as the initials for pirates of the caribbean.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. PIRATES OF THE CHRIST! Now THAT is a meme! (nt)

[The Stranger]

11. It was 999.

They had their tickets turned the wrong way. No doubt.

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. According to this site re: Bible Interpretation

Christians must NOT, under any circumstance, receive the 666 mark of the beast. So, could it also be interpreted that those Christians who accept their 666 tickets have now received the mark and are doomed to Hell? hmmm...spread the news among the evangelical circles about the tickets, and see if sales drop from seeing Mel's film.

From this site:
http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/markbeas.htm

(ignore...or interpret...the smiley faces that turned up in the copy of this site...lol)

According to the Scriptures, the "mark of the beast" is received on the right hand or forehead. With modern technology, it is very possible that this mark may be directly linked with a computer chip. But regardless if it is or isn't, everyone who is living immediately before the return of Christ will be forced to take this mark in order to buy or sell anything:


"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666" (Rev. 13:16-18).

But this mark, which will be universally issued around the entire world, MUST NOT be received under any circumstances, even by Christians! Scripture goes on to say:


"A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If ANYONE worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. This calls for patient endurance on the part of THE SAINTS who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus' " (Rev. 14:9-12).
As the mark will definitely be issued one day, as Scripture declares, the eternal destiny for all who receive that mark will also be in accordance with Scripture! Do not be deceived about this. If you are a Christian, you MUST NOT take this mark or you, too, will miss the kingdom of God and suffer eternal torment over this single act of disobedience, according to Scripture! If the popular teaching of eternal security (also known as the perseverance of the saints) was true, Rev. 14:9-12 would be an impossibility! So don't be deceived by the teaching of eternal security. You must endure to the end to be saved (Matt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:10,11).

[Robb]

14. Aaaahhh!!

It's a triiiiiick....!!!

[berry]

24. Ummm. This seems pretty clear.

Since the mark 666 will be needed to buy and sell, and at the same time the mark will damn you to everlasting hell, the message is:
buying-and-selling (i.e., business? capitalism?) is a sin. Frankly, I don't think the lives of the believers in this have much coherence. At the very least, they should be giving up on wealth accumulation, and supporting a welfare state--if they want to be saved.

IMHO.

[discordian]

15. HAIL SATAN, LORD OF DARKNESS, BRINGER OF KNOWLEDGE

ROFLMFAO

When I was a psycho fundie (as a teenager), I used to see this everywhere too (still do, but don't care anymore). I also find it funny that on the opening day here in the bible belt of the south, we had a major noreaster and got buried under the most snow in decades. Maybe there is a Jesus, and he's pissed because he's being made to relive that beating in full gory stop-frame slow-motion detail over and over and over again for the next few years...

[mobuto]

17. Hail Satan! Hail Adrian!

Come with us quietly, Rosemary. Don't argue or make a scene. Because if you say anything more about witches or witchcraft, we're gonna be forced to take you to a mental hospital. You don't want that, do you?

[slappypan]

16. I can't wait for "Starsky and Hutch" to open

Then maybe we can all get on with our lives.

[Nadienne]

18. I hear the actor who played Jesus was electrocuted on set somehow...

I don't know if that's true or not. But if it's an omen, maybe fundies can look at the omens and think of Mel Gibson as the devil.

Hahahaha.

[Frodo]

19. I think he was hit by lightning while "on the cross"

I saw a brief "making of" clip where he said he knew he was about to be hit by lightning and then describes the feeling. I guess it could have been something else, but why would they have wired a cross?

[Nevernose]

22. It was a robo-cross

At least in parts. Push a button and robotic-messiah writhes to the left, push a button and robotic-messiah writhes to the right. Has two little hose hook-ups in the bottom for the fifty gallon drums of fake blood to be pumped through. A little weird, and remarkably tacky.

Oh well, at least Mel will be giving all of his profits to the poor, like Jesus would want, right? Right, Mel? Mel?

[nodehopper]

29. both he and the asst. director were

the main actor was hit by lightning once, and the assistant director was hit by lightning twice. obviously, no steep learning curve there.

[htuttle]

20. Boy, are THEY ever going to be suprised...

...when the Fundies discover they've been following the False Prophet all along!

Oops! Didn't mean to let that slip...

:evilgrin:

[kskiska]

25. Nancy Reagan had her house number changed

When they left the White House, they were given a house in Bel-Air. The number, though, was 666. Nancy immediately had the number changed.

[Ruby Romaine]

28. Teacher gets grief from math problem w/666!

In mathematics today, we divided a fraction, and got the repeating decimal .666. One child became visibly agitated because, of course, this was the sign of Satan. "I'm sorry, but you're waaaay off base here," I said. "This is a repeating decimal. There is nothing else to it."

http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/1994/01/japenga.html

[progressivebydesign]

34. Well THAT article is just sad, sad, sad..

A friend's brother moved there with his family. Yucaipa, ah yes.. center of intellectual progression and culture. Not! The friend's brother is a teacher, AND a major religious nut. Moved there because he felt the public schools where they lived before were anti-Christian. Hey.. I have a GREAT idea! Why don't these people put their children in CHRISTIAN schools??? Then they can teach whatever they want..

My stepdaughter attended an elementary school in California. The town was overrun with evangelical churches. The public school had bible study twice a week, kids used the bible and Left Behind books for all their book reports. When they were asked in class to write a short story about the place they'd most like to visit someday? Lots of kids said, "heaven". Oh, and the "holiday" program? Kids singing their own creations.. about Jesus. This was a public school. The teachers felt much like the teacher in this article. The harrassment was overwhelming of the teachers. Gotta watch out for those stealth education board members..

[LeftyChristian]

32. Restful Weekend

I see that after a restful weekend we have some good ol' fashioned Christian bashing! Since we are ALL "fundies" it makes it that much easier to cut loose on such horrible people! This thread is so wonderful for undecided Christian voters to read who may be lurking...to know that their religious beliefs are treated with respect and that they would be made to feel so welcome! What a great service this thread is to furthering the efforts of the Democratic Party!
</SARCASM>

[progressivebydesign]

33. I want to word this just right....

... this thread is not a forum to promote any religion. We are discussing current events. Passion, and the disgusting exploitation of Christ's supposed life and death is the topic. Mel Gibson's obvious loss of touch with reality is another topic. Religious zealots and the mass hysteria this type of visual abuse causes in another that is discussed in this thread. I really don't care if a fundamentalist reads this thread and doesn't get it.. doesn't get that Mel Gibson is fleecing them with this abomination of blood, and getting filthy rich over it. I think it's utterly hilarious that people are freaking out over the 666 thing.. of all the things to worry about in the world. The mass hysteria over pop culture/mass media things like Passion and those insipid Left Behind books, is nearing Jonestown proportions.. and it's actually pretty damn frightening. Pick your battles. If you want to talk about your religion, I'm sure there's a thread in GD for that. We're talking about Mel Gibson's exploitation of the bible for fun and profit.

[JoFerret]

35. Rubbish

No Christian follower of the ideals and principles and words of Jesus need feel in any way distressed. Do not fret on their behalf. They are and will be as treated with the respect and dignity that their actions and words and beliefs will deserve.
Blessed are the peacemakers.

[Nadienne]

38. Welcome to DU

Think of it not as Christian-bashing, but as fundie-bashing. If you are capable of reason and independent thinking, you are not a fundie. Fundies, in my opinion, closely resemble those who killed Christ (after all, God would not have needed to send Jesus if the established religion was doing everything right. Jesus came to gently lead them to the right path. It threatened authority, the religious heirarchy, the status quo. Hence, they killed him.)

I have not seen Mel Gibson's movie. From what I have heard on PBS, Gibson added scenes of violence - gratuitous violence, one theologian called it - and some of it seemed to have the intention of portraying God as somewhat less than forgiving...

Another theologian mentioned that there are three different perspectives on God...

Three Pictures of God in Western Theology

Consider these Bible-substantiated truths:

God loves us all and wants us to be in Heaven;
God is all-powerful;
Yet God either will not or cannot forgive all of us... Hence, there is Hell.

They can't all be true at the same time. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, He wouldn't punish some of us to eternal damnation. If God is all-powerful, and will punish some of us to eternal damnation, then His love is limited - we have to earn it. And, if God is all-loving and some of us will be punished to eternal damnation, then God is not all-powerful - why can't He make us perfect? If he wants us to earn Heaven, why can't He give us easy choices?

Mel Gibson apparently believes that God's love is limited...

And he believes it strongly. And he seems to think that others ought to believe the same as he believes. That makes him a fundie, in my opinion...

[LeftyChristian]

41. Thanks for the Welcome

Thanks Nadienne for the words of encouragement. It's hard to sit idly by and see people stereotype and insult based on the actions of only a few.

I agree with everything you said except this.
Yet God either will not or cannot forgive all of us... Hence, there is Hell.

From what I have been taught God created Adam and Eve with free will or the ability to choose. They were tempted in the Garden of Eden, gave in to temptation and therefore chose by their God given free will to disobey God. Destroying any hope of perfection as we know it. God sent Jesus to suffer and die for everyone's sins. It is their free will to choose to believe that (John 3:16).

If God is all-powerful and all-loving, He wouldn't punish some of us to eternal damnation.

God can't make up our mind and choose for us! We individually have to make that choice to believe or not believe.

If God is all-powerful, and will punish some of us to eternal damnation, then His love is limited - we have to earn it.

That is the simplicity of God's plan we don't have to do ANYTHING to earn it. Jesus did it all. All we have to do is believe that he died for our sins and conquered death by rising from the grave and we will be granted eternal life.

I think the movie is a personal experience and although it is WAY over the top with violence, Jesus' love is the message that I got from it. He suffered and died in such a horrible way because He loved us so much.

There are many things that I disagree with the Catholic Church on and if Mel Gibson truly thinks that all must convert to Catholicism in order to be saved, I feel very sad for him. I am not telling anyone what to believe or that they are wrong for believing what they do, but if I did not know why 1+1 equaled 2, I wouldn't fire off insults or misinformation until I understood why it was true.

[Castilleja]

43. I bet i can assure you, Lefty

That unless either of those stories mentioned you personally, then they weren't referring to you. You can now relax.....

[Zero Gravitas]

37. Reality to fundies

Grow up and get over it, you superstitious fools.

[salin]

39. and for more irony for the crowd to whom this movie has been marketed:

Mel on hell: Even the missus may miss out on salvation

Feb. 12, 2004 12:00 AM


Mel Gibson has come under fire for being hard on Jews in his film The Passion of the Christ, but apparently, he feels that Protestants are also doomed to damnation. In fact, it looks as if Gibson, a conservative Catholic, believes that his Episcopalian wife could be going to hell.


http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0212people0212.html

So maybe those 666 tickets were trying to send his viewers a little message... convert or go to h*ll....