Amalaric Studies
Foreign Religion
1. TO BE OR NOT
Reading Objectives
-Reading the text, understand the word Hysteria based on your psychology studies
-List two religions and compare
-Why is religion NOT religious?
Religion is NOT religious.
This was coined by Shikki Bibilio. To say Religion is NOT religious, we speak of sacrilegious/sacrilege.
Sacrilege is going against religion's teachings. Though it may sound hypocritical. Religion is based off one belief of another and spread to many.
A discussion could be had about the most infamous religious and famous. And truth be told, it was Doctor Preston Kennedy that said, "Religion was the definition of Hysteria."
Preston became wildly known for his views on religion and called Islam, "A form of Peace with Hats." He wrote a blog saying Islam inspired Christianity and Judaism. He based his claims off life experiences and told people that the stereotype of Jews being attached to money was false and Christians were more money hungry. He later told that Islam was money hungry for it's poor government that controlled the land.
"I may not be Muslim but I consider myself… to be, happy and tolerate. Muslims, Christian, and even the Sikh want to be happy. I just don't want to hide what makes me happy. I don't want to hide in church. If I hide in church, I should tell God himself since he sees everything."
Preston wanted to prove a point and created a facebook religion named 'Pumpkin Day'. This group collected 1500 members and the first step was taking a picture of a pumpkin.
Preston requested that people wash their pumpkins, dress their pumpkins, and name their pumpkins.
The group's members increased to 14,556 within four months. Preston, who was a doctor at the time, made a group message.
"It is an hour that so many have joined Pumpkin Day. Our group is growing fantastically. I have set a schedule because of the growth and plan to make this group large and exciting. Here is a picture of me and Bidon. We went to the park for his birthday. He was born on Christmas, poor thing. Tell me what you think about Christmas, Bidon hates it :(."
It was recorded that Preston Made youtube videos about Bidon. Creating a series of episodes titled the Chronicles of A Pumpkin.
Within two years, the membership for Pumpkin Day had rose to 160,587. The group had bought a piece of land and even created a pumpkin patch and created a scarecrow they dubbed as Pumpkin King. It went viral through the internet and one member, Norbert Cox. Admitted to sexual activities with his pumpkin, Fushia.
Pumpkin Day claimed to be a friendly religion until Peston was hit by a car.
Preston went to therapy and told therapist he still felt tires rolling on his skin. Preston was diagnosed with depression and Psychosis. He went on to stay in the house for most of life and was dedicated to his religion which he renamed ORANGES.
The group was still focused on pumpkins. A year later the group went from 160,587 members to as little 11,233 members.
Pumpkin Day was known as a cult and members kept pumpkin emojis or bats within their profiles.
When Growden created his religion in response to Shikki's known play, 'The Black Bible'.
The group at the time known as Black Toes became the KKK clone, under the name The White Parade.
Shikki, daughter of rapper Xerxes, aka Aleigha. Stated she was not trying to rewrite the bible or start a new religion but came up with a story about vampires.
Despite the honesty, A discord was inspired by The Black Bible play. 999 Lives discord promoted immortality, the group magnum opus, was a song written by Aleigha, 'Soul Food'.
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"WHAT THE FUCK!" Sweettooth screamed near my ear. It was so hot underground, I couldn't catch my breath. "where the fuck are we?" Sweettooth pulled his hands off the pole he and I were tied to. "FUCK!" he kicked the dirt.
There were tents, huts made from wood, car doors, and scraps of metal. People actually lived under here. The group was red. This was about the reddest dirt I had ever seen. Did that mean we were close to a volcano?
The people walked with skirts made from leaves or rags, a woman had passed by us with her eyes wide open while carrying an infant with no eyes.
"I cannot believe this shit is under the church…"
"Well…" I turned my head to him. "Hallelujah."
"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he yells.
I turn away. They tried to build a road down here and in the middle of the makeshift plaza is a circle with four poles or totems.
It looks made out of heads.
"Od ill!" a man waves a newspaper at us. "Od ill! Od ill!"
"What…?" Sweettooth is baffled just as much as I am. The man in rags is terribly skinny. His teeth are crooked and different sizes. "Un se gawa!"
"What…?" he starts beating me with the newspaper. "Get off me!"
Despite the fact it is newspaper, it hard. "Ya ya, haro re iro!" he beats me with the paper. My throat burns, my eyes get hot. "Dobule!" I hear Sweettooth gasp. "Nm Fuya-ya!" fire flows out my mouth. "Bara-yo!"
He kneels trembling. "Norin…Granddaughter…"
I bark against my will. "Alexis…?"
I don't know what I'm saying. A woman with a white painted face and pink eyes approaches. "That's nasty…" she says. "You wouldn't be my niece would you?"
"Ah hell…" Sweettooth throws his head into the pole. "You the bitch's goddamn granddaughter…" he huffs. "And I'm down her with you…"
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Chava. Aunt Chava.
Deelo and I are in a tent by the totems. Up close, they are heads. Read human head with a pole through the skull.
The fire is going in the tent. It is just a box of rocks and dirt and leaves. "You don't remember me? Well…" she look above. She's wearing a white tube top and torn blue dress. "Not niece…" she thinks. "Mable is my sister. And Shiloh is my niece." She points to herself. "So, I'm a great aunt."
"You her great aunt?" sounds Sweettooth.
"Yes, and you are Gata's boy."
"Who?" Aunty smiles. "You lie. It wasn't your father."
"what?"
"Your father didn't break your soul." she says. "Magic."
Sweettooth holds his lips together. "They took you out the house. Just like Aleigha you don't even know him or his daughter."
"I don't." he says. "At least I got a fucking house."
"The one you live in with a gay man or the one that was robbed?" she smiles. "I don't where your mother is…"
They have a stare off. I look at the fire, I'm so drawn to it. I wanna stick my hand in it… again.
"you know my mama?" questions Sweettooth. "I don't… I heard she was nice… laying down."
Sweettooth's eyes flip in his head. "I also heard you have no soul. What's that about? Living with Aleigha didn't turn you gay… didn't make you wicked; cause it sure didn't make a gangsta--"
My heart jumps at Sweettooth's mouth. It stretches and like an obayifo, he has teeth. His eyes are solid black. His skin is pure white. "You have no soul and no body. Wow…"
"BITCH!" his voice echoes. "Amen." says Chava. "Gata is somewhere. If he can keep his head on straight. "Deelo…" his body twitches. "He is a Ghost… that's bad. What are you so hateful for?"
"YOU NIGGAS!" a black liquid stains his lips. "WHAT IS THIS!"
She rises her eyebrows, "You were hardheaded so they beat you."
"Are you doing this?"
"Mine is dead… I still have her soul. I'm not looking for a body right now." she says.
"Auntie…" I hold my throat. "Why is this happening?"
"The dead are angry. Aleigha is… kinda of dead. Shikki is still here."
"ME!" BELLOWS Deelo. "Your father is elsewhere." she answer. "WHERE?"
"The Hood." she looks at me. "Deelo doesn't need to be here. My sister will be happy to see you, Alexis, Cedrica." she tilts her head. "Aleigha to you, is not an uncle…"
Deelo shifts back to himself, Chava eyes him. "I have a daughter and I had a husband."
"Who was he?"
"He overdosed…"
"Good." spats Sweettooth. Chava sneers, he gazes at me. "You are not my niece."
"You just fuckin' claimed her!"
"Because that is what my sister wants ." she glares. "She built a family."
I'm not the antichrist. I've been it forever, I'm not the antichrist! I smile a bit. "Your mother is dead."
Fuck it. "Who her mama?" Interrogates Sweettooth. "she's dead." stresses Chava. "Mable is my sister and her stupid ass is high 24/7."
"Why?"
"I don't like you."
"But you finna answer me…"
"No…"
"You will…"
"ANYWAY!" I chime. "What, who, where is Mable?"
"Unwin was 17 when he slept with my sister. They did it everywhere and she had an abortion." she looks off to the side. "Well, a self induced miscarriage. And she whined, though she had done it to herself. Mable ran from the police that was never looking for her."
"She gave herself a miscarriage?" I make a face.
"She did. She ran to West Virginia and stopped near a McDonald so she could go to Maine. Unwin promised his life with Mable; had the herpes to prove it."
"But why this!?" blurts Sweettooth. "Because the family gave her drugs. Wait." she rises her hand. "That she asked for."
Sweettooth rolled his eyes. "Shikki is a blessed baby. She born with visions and told about the Growden family. The Growdens were kidnapping black people and faking dead."
"Black truck…" I mutter. "Exactly. He kidnapped Mexican Americans in a secret protest. Believe it or not about 1/3 of the KKK sided."
"A third? Out of how many"
"50 started it with him." she faced Sweettooth. "And he made some generals. But you can't see them."
"Why?"
"Because silence is with the dead." she puts her finger over her lips. "I know who."
"Who?" I ask.
"You can't win all the time. Figure it out." she gets up and leaves the tent. I get to my feet, "Why am I here!"
"Body."