The Canadians have their Crazies too...

So there's a heap of buzz in the skeptic and atheist community right now surrounding the arrest of prolific anti-atheist spammer Dennis Markuze, better known as Mabus. Read about it here.

Even though I've been semi-active in the theist/atheist circles online for many years I've been luckily not run into this guy too much or ever been on the receiving end of his diatribes. Evidently the guy had no life and just poured out his drivel relentlessly. Just sad, really. Dude is 36 and lives with his mom spamming atheists all day.

I'm a big fan of Canada. Much love for the Great White North. Admittedly I haven't been there much (one time to Niagara Falls over 20 years ago - great time) but I've always respected the Canadian temperament and views on social policy. Not to mention their contribution to the arts (Rush!). Vancouver and Montreal are tops on my list of cities to visit soon. However even Canada has its share of teh Krazy. I don't know if this is a trend but it seems Canadian christians are a breed of their own. If you've ever heard of VenomfangX on Youtube this is another guy who spends an inordinate amount of time dashing himself on the rocks of reason. Sometimes when I listen to christian radio shows I hear Canadian callers who always seem to sound a bit... off. Maybe it's the accent. At any rate I hope that some Canadian readers here comment and enlighten me.

Lastly it's clear that this Dennis Markuze guy is more than a bit off. The level of obsession this guy has exhibited over the decades is a clear indication of mental problems. Why is it religious obsession and mental illness seem to go so hand-in-hand? Andrea Yates anyone? There are countless examples. I suppose it's really not that difficult of a question... delusion complements delusion.

Mark Driscoll knows if you've been adulteratin'

You may be familiar with Mark Driscoll. He heads up a very successful network of churches out of Seattle, Mars Hill Church. Not to be confused with the Mars Hill Bible Church headed by Rob Bell - aka the Heretic (the fundies have a big problem with him, but thats another post).

So I'm getting off topic right off the bat. Why would two of the most popular pastors in North America give their churches virtually the same name, Mars Hill, the origin of which is the name of a pagan god?? I mean, that's what the original Mars Hill is, right? it was named by the Romans after frickin' Mars, who is definitely not Yahweh. Now two of the most influential churches in the country use it. The thought process of christians confounds me sometimes.

So anyway this guy Mark Driscoll cultivates a hip straightforward image that has apparently successfully appealed to a younger demographic. And indeed he's charismatic and well-spoken. But beneath the veneer the strangeness lies.

Apparently Mark Driscoll sees things. Such as:

"I start getting prophetic dreams. God’s showing me the future. Ah, a gift of discernment kinda comes to the fore for me. Not all the time, but I can see somebody and I just know their story. I remember walking up to people, and one women, telling her, “You know last night did your husband grab you by the throat and throw you up against the wall? Threaten you? And tell you that if you told me that uh, he would kill you?” She’s crying. She says, “How did you know?” I don’t know. I see it. I see it like a film."

And

"there was one women I dealt with. She never told her husband that she had committed adultery on him early in the relationship. I said, “You know.” She’s sitting there with her husband. I said, “You know I think the root of all this..I think Satan has a foothold in your life because you’ve never told your husband about that really tall blonde guy that you met at the bar. And then you went back to the hotel…"

oh and this gem

"I see things too. I’ve seen women raped. I’ve seen children molested. I’ve seen people abused. I’ve seen people beaten. I’ve seen horrible things done. Horrible things done. I’ve seen children dedicated in occultic groups and demons come upon them as an infant by invitation. And I wasn’t present for any of it, but I’ve seen it visibly."

Oh-kay. Note that this is all phrased in a way to be pretty much impossible to refute. You know, I try to be cool about things like this. I have friends that are christian and some like and look up to this guy a lot. But I'm gonna say it - this kind of shit is just kookoo.

Maybe old Mark here does actually think he's seen these things. And while my first reaction is to call out the crazy on the spot, I am a skeptic, and don't rush to any conclusion. Not that this one takes too long. Suppose Mark's claims are genuine,insofar in that he believes them. So what's more likely - The one true god of the universe is ratting out the sluttier elements of Mark's congregation to him OR maybe the old boy has had a touch of delusion, hallucination, psychosis, or all three?

The real answer, like most things in life, is probably more complex. Maybe he's so wrapped up in his own bullshit it's real to him. Prophecy and stuff like that is mana to some christians. They eat that shit up and come back for more everytime. The only question is whether he's a master flimflam artist or true kristian krazy.

Bringing it to the Masses.

I'll be guest appearing on the Non-Prophets this saturday Aug 6! Fuck yeah. Tune in and check it out. I always have a good time talking freethought with my friends.

Update

Great show and good time with Lynnea and Matt. We talked about Rick Perry's prayer-a-thon, American Atheists' perhaps-not-well-thought-out lawsuit, and much more. You can check it out HERE!