Scariest Movie Ever

Scariest movie ever! Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Unsuspecting citizens pick up unusual pods found around city. At night , as people sleep, the pods engulf the victim's bodies with fungus like tendrils. When they awaken, the human life force has been replaced with that of the sinister alien. The final scene ends with the humanoid aliens hunting down and forcing the few remaining humans to submit to alien reformation or die.

Switch to channel seven, the local access channel on cable TV. A heavyset man with black hair and a born again hairstyle exhorts the small but vocal crowd to "get right with G--o--d!" He bounces on the balls of his feet and shouts to his flock, "o---bey G---o---d's will". He denounces hom-o-sex-u-als, public schools, the gov-ment. The flock shouts amen. Some wave their arms in the air, and standing, weave back and forth. Thirty minutes later, a new preacher. Different face, same message. Not a showman like the first, but, earnest, determined, preaching revenge, retribution. There is little reference to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: this is the religion of Revelations. This is the group whose unattended cars will litter the highways during the Rapture, causing traffic jambs, accidents, and general inconvenience to the rest of us. A young woman begins to sing a gospel song. A voice like one of the devil's minions, but, strong, loud, confident. A caterwauling of heavenly bliss. And on it goes, every night for several hours. Preaching at a feverish pitch. Talk shows espousing the sanctity of life of the unborn fetus, and the duty of good Christians to halt the abominable practice of abortion with any means available. Put G--o--d in Gov-ment, take the science out of science. Here the concept of tolerance is as unwelcome as the Theory of Evolution, or that of the "Big Bang".

How can we speak out against people like this? Are they not Christians, the faith of our mothers, fathers, almost every one we know. Will we be branded atheists, heretics, heathens? Do we not speak out against Jesus, whose teachings we believe in? We've seen the consequences, the Inquistion, the witch trials, the KKK. Most of us do not share their message, but they are organized and outspoken. They believe they have God on their side. In the thirties, there must have been many Germans, who, after reading of some Nazi atrocity, said to their wives or friends: "I don't like the looks of this". But they did nothing. To speak out was to become a traitor, an outcast, a prisoner.

These people are not from some dirt road church in the mountains of Appalachia. This is Everytown, USA. Change the name of the deity, the sound of the chant, the cadence of the prayer, and this is Everytown, World. I saw a bumper sticker on a new age hippie girl's VW that said: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups". Words to live by as far as I"m concerned. But these are not stupid people, or even ignorant people, at least not all of them. What could it be that so distorts their reality, and poisons their minds against tolerance and humanity? Could it be-------pods?