Religion Is Hocus Pocus in Silly Clothing

September 8, 2009 By 42 Comments

Most religion is a bunch of hocus pocus dressed up in silly clothing:

Spot the Difference

And don’t forget about Buddhism, Islam, and Mormonism:

spot-the-difference-2

Of course, there are exceptions. Modern evangelicalism is a rebellion to this, and is just hocus pocus without the silly clothing.

(source)

Filed Under: Christianity, Pictures, Religion, Superstition 42 Comments
  • arrakis

    Except modern evangelicalism substitutes silly hair for the silly clothing.

    • Question-I-thority

      Back in the ’70′s we wore leisure suits. Does that count?

      • arrakis

        Yes and no, simply because evangelicals didn’t have a monopoly on leisure suits.

        Could you imagine the Bee Gees going door to door and preaching salvation through falsetto-heavy disco tunes?

        • Question-I-thority

          “Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Jesus is ali-i-i-ive i-i-ive….”

  • Nick

    As a devotee of cheesy kung-fu movies, I have to admit a soft spot for buddhist monks’ robes. They get a pass from me, despite the silliness.

  • Clyde

    Us evil Pastafarian Pirates are certainly doing our part.

  • DDM

    Haha, the Mormon picture is of their holy underwear.

    • DDM

      Or should I say magic underwear? Eh.

      • LRA

        How ’bout just fugly underwear.

        • Zotz

          Uh, huh. I’ve always wondered how Mormonoids managed to be so “prolific” considering that you have to get past that underwear to bump uglies.

          • wazza

            well, look at the crotch area on those boxers. If you just saw those, without that poor guy attempting to fill them, and you were a virile female looking for heterosexual humpings…

  • Tilly

    Personally, I’m a big fan of the pope’s crucifix scepter. That’s legit.

    • J. Allen

      I have one just like it!

    • LRA

      That’s where he keeps his light saber hidden.

  • Siberia

    The bottom African one is badass. I approve.
    Far-easterners just like flashy colors. I’ve to say, though, they look mighty comfortable.

  • http://larianlequella.com Larian LeQuella

    I always used to say, “If an alien came to this planet, and observed all the religious rites of people, would it even be able to tell them apart?”

  • Mrs. Grackle

    “African” is a religion?

    • Unladenswallow
      • LRA

        Dear Unladenswallow,

        What is your air speed?

        • Clyde

          That, of course, depends entirely upon whether h/she is an African or a European swallow.

        • Unladenswallow

          What? I don’t know that! WAAAAAA!!!!!

    • http://proudkikuyuwoman.blogspot.com PKW

      At least 70% of Africans are Christian, not African

      • wazza

        I assume you mean animist

        • http://proudkikuyuwoman.blogspot.com PKW

          No

          • Francesc

            I can’t believe you!! You mean that God is sending AIDS and famine to christian nations?? /sarcasm off

            No, really. Your data must be wrong. I think it is more plausible a 45% of christians and a 40% of muslims -as I’ve seen in other sources. Keep in mind that the north of Africa is pretty much muslim

            • http://proudkikuyuwoman.blogspot.com PKW

              I should have said I meant Sub-Saharan Africa. ‘We’ are sending missionaries to the countires that Christianized Africa

  • bigjohn756

    I find it amusing to look at all of this and try to imagine just what the hell is going through these people’s minds. What the f do they think they are doing? Even more amazing is that their followers are as excited as they are about the bizarre costumes. I’d guess that none of the faithful has noticed yet that costumes are so very important to their faith. It doesn’t matter what faith they have, if there is a fancy costume then that justifies their belief.
    Maybe Richard should don a fancy outfit…oh, sorry, I forgot about his nice Hawaiian shirt;-)
    ;-P

    • wazza

      “Most of the members of the convent were old-fashioned Satanists, like their parents and grandparents before them. They’d been brought up to it and weren’t, when you got right down to it, particularly evil. Human beings mostly aren’t. They just get carried away by new ideas, like dressing up in jackboots and shooting people, or dressing up in white sheets and lynching people, or dressing up in tie-dye jeans and playing guitars at people. Offer people a new creed with a costume and their hearts and minds will follow.”

  • Francesco Orsenigo

    Sai Baba is an Indian guru and cult leader, but has nothing to do with Hinduism.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba
    The source should choose his pictures more carefully.

    • Sunny Day

      Notice it says Hindu and not Hinduism.

    • wazza

      Hinduism is so hard to define, anyway…

    • http://bigotblog.wordpress.com Siddharth Singh

      Since the work above is mine, let me explain.

      Hinduism is a fuzzy concept. Hinduism, as defined popularly, is the set of practices of spirituality, idolatry and the theologies as practiced by the Aryan and Dravidian races (popularly, but also other groups native to the subcontinent) of India. This includes all philosophies and schools of beliefs of people native to India, separate from Islam and other religions which came to India, and before Buddhism and Jainism emerged out of it (although both are classified under Hinduism by some chauvinist historians).

      As an Indian, a former Hindu, as someone who lived near Puttaparthy where Sai Baba lives, as someone who has kept a close watch of his nefarious activities, and as someone who knows many people who a part of his cult, I ascertain that he is Hindu. The definition of Hinduism encompasses his organizational activities.

      Secondly, You quoted something from Wikipedia. It has the term “Sanatan Dharma” which he claims he wants to establish. All Hindu spiritual organizations talk about theirs not being a religious organization, but rather a spiritual one. That’s the only way to attract Westerners, who they then milk as cash cows. Here is the website of the Sanatan Dharma Foundation http://www.sanatanadharmafoundation.com/

      And here is a Wiki page of Sanatan Dharma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanātana_Dharma

      Sanatan Dharma was the first true Hindu movement there was! It was the first movement to unify Indian beliefs and establish Hinduism as a religion, rather than it being just a collection of practices.

      Also, as mentioned in the link you provided are several examples of his Hindu beliefs. He chants the name of Lord Rama for example, a Hindu God. He takes part in many spiritual and other activities that as Hindu. And it’s all in the Wiki link you gave.

      Sai Baba is a fraud and a trickster. He has cases of sexual harassment, murder, trickery and what-not filed against him. He has escaped so far only because of his political connections and the slow Indian judicial system.

      [And legally, since his face has been blurred out, no one can ascertain the identity of the man in the photo above in the first place].

      Peace and love.

  • http://www.vidlord.com VidLord

    eh not sure if the pope would command quite as much power and respect from his sheep if he went about wearing a yankees cap….oh and don’t forget about the monks that wear potato sacks for the honor and glory of god lol Your next montage could be all the stuff humans due to torture themselves in the name of their religion/god.

  • http://www.atheist-pig.com Mike S

    If I started a religion — and I still might — I’d make all the higher-ups dress like Sith lords. Yeah, that would be so cool. Seriously though, what’s up with the Mormon undies? Is that a special weenie pouch or something?

  • http://exfundamentalist.blogspot.com Lorena

    I’d like to have the pope’s Prada shoes–a female version, mind you. Or his scarves with gold woven on. I’m sure I’d look great on them.

  • http://exfundy.wordpress.com Lorena

    Actually, I’d like to have the Buddhist monks’ red outfit. Great for wearing on top of bathing suit at a Mexican beach.

  • Michael Gray

    The real difference is truly obscene.
    Look at the money, wealth, luxury, immunity from prosecution, and power that the criminal Pope has compared to all of the other pathetic examples.

    It is like comparing Genghis Khan with a baby rabbit.

  • http://vestsweb.com/ PKW

    I should have said I meant Sub-Saharan Africa. ‘We’ are sending missionaries to the countires that Christianized Africa
    PS: Forgot to add good post!

  • Yasir

    Regarding the picture of the Muslims, that’s not religious dress. There is no religious hierarchy and therefore no “religious dress” for Muslims. The guy in the center is wearing a Mishla, a cloak that is worn on formal occasions or when it’s very cold, even Bush was given one when he visited during winter. The guy on the right is wearing Salwaar Kameez with a vest which a lot of people, muslim or otherwise, in the Indian subcontinent wear, again, there’s nothing religious about it.

    • Sunny Day

      I guess the restrictions of women dress don’t count.

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  • Jay Vissers

    Nothing beats the huge fur-covered tires worn as hats by Hasidic Jews.