Just finished watching the final episode where John is exorcised of all his demons.. the episode just kind of finished without any explanation.
He was kidding, right!?
The VCR didn't kick in till John was meeting the exorcist, so not sure if I missed some vital information...
Was he hypnotised/drugged/faking it?? John was pulling some exceptionally freaky heads during the session.
He wasn't faking. It was a real exorcism, but I guess how you interpret it depends on whether you believe exorcisms are actual spiritual processes or just forms of hypnosis. I'm guessing Safran didn't want to provide any final explanation since he probably wanted to leave it ambiguous and allow people to make up their own minds about what happened.
There's an interview with Safran regarding the show (where he discusses the exorcism) here: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/relig/spirit/stories/s1193306.htm.
->FooBoy
I heard him on the radio on tuseday (ABC) and it seems he still doesn't really know what it was, but it wasn't faked. His theory is it was either spiritual or hypnosis. He said he can't remember all of it, just bits and pieces and apparently he got a lot of *beep* for it being to CHRISTIAN!!!!
"When the fox hears the rabbit scream he comes a-runnin'... but not to help."
He better be faking it.........after watching it i was deeply disillusioned......John's whole mission was to take piss out of Religion and show how (y'kno) it is and then the FINAL episode, the one that is supposed to stick with you, you see John, our hero, fall to what seems the powers of excorsism. T-T omg my heart sank. Unless ofcourse he was hypntotised....hmmm
"I really should stop getting my qoutes from fight club"
-Jack's Lack of Imagination
Check out the link from 2 posts up
"When the fox hears the rabbit scream he comes a-runnin'... but not to help."
I think you people have to wake up to the fact that john saffron did alot of studdy on people who were exorcised, and would know how to fake an exorcism. I think we are getting alot of biased answers from christians here. The interview on abc is only written, so several parts may have been edited.
*(*(ONLYFLESH)*)*
Im am definaetly not a christian. In fact i loved JS vs God because it took the piss out of sumthing captivated the world but i was against...but that didnt look very fake at all
"I really should stop getting my qoutes from fight club"
-Jack's Lack of Imagination
jeremychbridie: I think you people have to wake up to the fact that john saffron did alot of studdy on people who were exorcised, and would know how to fake an exorcism. I think we are getting alot of biased answers from christians here. The interview on abc is only written, so several parts may have been edited.
Okay, alot of you are putting up very good points, but we must remember, John Saffron is a comedian, and, like most comedians, is most likely VERY smart. This would enable him to pull off a very convincing exorcism. I think we are also forgetting that he is human. Have any of you had a think that he may have lied on ABC radio? I mean, obviously what he said has got him alot of publicity.
Regards
Jeremy Bridie
*(*(ONLYFLESH)*)*
P.S: I am not christian, but, from what i've learnt in various bible study classes, why would god let an exorcism be filmed? If he is all that the bible sais he is, why would he let a true miracle of god be put on TV for all to see.
Yes he did lie on ABC, and you know what....maybe, just maybe That Excersizer was just some guy of the street? and the audience was just there for a local movie screening but they decided to play along? (neva thought of that did you?)
please WHY would he lie? if you can start questioning these elements of the equation then wots stopping us from questioning EVERYTHING... i think we need to assume that he was telling ABC the truth.
"I really should stop getting my qoutes from fight club"
-Jack's Lack of Imagination
I'm not a Christian........
And on top of that, why wouldn't god want all to see??
I have been studying Early Christian Lit and Thought at Macquarie Uni cause I am interested in religions and how/why they evolved - one thing the bible is full of his miracles witnessed by many many people - including exorcisms. How about Jesus feeding thousands of people with like 50 fish - you don't think there were many witnesses there???
Indeed, Saffron is smart and a comedian - but he isn't an actor. Usually you can tell when he is putting something on and this time it didn't seem like it. I just don't think he is that good an actor - and well, he could have lied to the ABC, but he may not have as well. It didn't sound to me, when I heard him, that he was lying...he sounded bemused perhaps but that’s about it.
Is it possible that you are completely against religion and thus you don't want it to be real in either way???
"When the fox hears the rabbit scream he comes a-runnin'... but not to help."
No, I am not against religion at all! How can you make that accusation?
Anyway, what Im trying to point out is this, God wouldn't want witnesess for some reasons:
1/ Jesus was tortured and slain by the people who were supposed to be following him right? So then god said that we shall never see Jesus again until we least expect it, and an exorcism is practically the same thing!
2/ In several passages (ie the parrable of Lazarus and the Rich man) it is pointed out that god only wants people to believe in the teaching that is the bible, and no other way!
Regards
Jeremy Bridie
P.S:Im just like Marilyn Manson: I DONT hate religion, I just dont beleive for reasons that wont be told to you! I have no problem with religion at all.
*(*(ONLYFLESH)*)*
________________________________________________________________________________
"1/ Jesus was tortured and slain by the people who were supposed to be following him right? So then god said that we shall never see Jesus again until we least expect it, and an exorcism is practically the same thing!"
Hmmm.....no. Jesus was tortured and slain by Jews who did not believe in him. God then said that Jesus would come back at the end of the earth and take the faithful to heaven leaving the rest of us to die a slow painful death. An exorcism is nothing like seeing Jesus, unless of coarse Jesus happens to possess someone.
"2/ In several passages (i.e. the parrable of Lazarus and the Rich man) it is pointed out that god only wants people to believe in the teaching that is the bible, and no other way!"
Actually, for Christians it’s all about faith, the bible is a second. That is also why Jesus wouldn't turn the water into wine for Herod - he doesn't perform parlour tricks. On the other hand, if someone is in need of healing Jesus healed them.
But besides all tis, I still don't know if it was a spiritual thing or a hypnosis thing....the only thing I am fairly sure of is that Saffron wasn't faking his reactions.
"When the fox hears the rabbit scream he comes a-runnin'... but not to help."
P.S. I am also like Marilyn Manson "I never really hated a one true god
But the God of the people I hated"
in such deep matters i am quite uneducated about religon which could mean that i have a completely unbiased opinion.
'God then said that Jesus would come back at the end of the earth and take the faithful to heaven leaving the rest of us to die a slow painful death'
omg. it sounds exactly like half those stupid cults that say a magical spaceship will take them away. how unbelievably manipulative....it feeds on peoples fear.....i cant believe they would write/claim/enforce such a thing :-O
"I really should stop getting my qoutes from fight club"
-Jack's Lack of Imagination
LOL - yeah I know. I guess thats why it all interests me, all religions seem to offer something so completley strange and unbelievable yet people believe.
"It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed."
Who cares if it was real or not? The whole series and the excorsist was *beep* funny. Gotta love takin the piss outta relgion.
share"Hmmm.....no. Jesus was tortured and slain by Jews who did not believe in him."
Hmmm...no. Sorry to be picky but it was not the Jews who tortured and killed Jesus it was the Romans.
The B and The T
Hmmmmm..... If you read the bible, you shall see that it was Jewish leaders who insisted that Jesus be crucified and that the Roman commander didn't really want to do it at all but felt he had to. It was the Jewish leaders who first captured Jesus and it was the Jewish leaders who made a big fuss over him in the first place. It's kind of like hiring someone to kill someone - you don't actually kill them but you are just as responsible.
Have a read of Mathew, Luke and Mark.
He certainly was not killed and tortured by his followers.....
"It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed."
"Super-ego bitch, I've been evil awhile" -MM
Actually, the Romans tortured and murdered him. Funny how none of the Catholic nutjobs have a problem with Italians.
~ I don't drink...wine
at the request of the Jewish leaders. Tis in the bible, go read it. I am not saying Jews are bad either, just those that insisted that Jesus should be crucified (possibly more, but they are the only "evil" jews I know of)
I don't have a problem with Italians, they are rather removed from the Romans. I do, however, know that the Romans were a bunch of maniacs and I certainly don't look on them in a favourable way. Also, it's not like Jesus was the only person the Romans tortured and murdered, they loved to crucify and maim, they even split the animals in two from the villages they invaded.
I hope the Catholic nutjob thing wasn't directed at me....I am not a catholic, I am not really religious at all, I enjoy studying history and religion.
It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed
change the world:
http://groups.msn.com/MinionsTriadIncorporated
I think your answers so far have been biased - you are looking for evidence to support a preconceived point of view. If you don't believe it's possible (I'm not sure on that one myself), then fine. But that doesn't mean -something- was going on here. I don't believe he was acting, an opinion I base on evidence (which is more substantial than anything supporting the idea of him faking it)
An open letter to the religious fruitcakes on this thread, from the
Common Sense Liberation Front:
ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH! God may exist, S/He/It may not exist. Who cares? Religion isn't about God. It never was. Religion is about US. This so such a simple thing to grasp, yet these pointless dogmatic arguments continue. I don't have the bloody answers, but neither do you, mate or mate-ess. SHUT UP!
Jesus was killed by Jews...Jesus was killed by Romans. WHO CARES? He was
supposed to die to become the Messiah, right? So, the people who killed him
are surely doing God's work. Those anti-Semites who justify their hatred
for the unlike by saying 'Oh, Jews killed Jesus' have it ass backwards. Like
wise with Judas....he was SUPPOSED to betray Jesus. That is, he was supposed
to - if Jesus was the Messiah. If he wasn't, then all this is pointless. If
he was...why is Judas reviled for doing the work of the Lord?!! Poor sod.
This is why we secular agnostics walk away from or never become part of religion: A LOT ABOUT RELIGION MAKES NO SENSE.
Just be nice to each other, treat people decently. That's not so hard a tenet
to follow, is it? No. That can be my religion. End of story. Believe what you want to, but don't bother us with your directionless bickering about who killed Jesus or whatever on a bloody film criticism list. Just live your own life according to your faith, and stop trying to change other peoples' minds. Trying to convert people neans you don't trust your faith; you did know that? It means you don't trust your own religion to attract followers on its' own by dint of it being right.
You don't know the truth for sure, and I damn well *know* that you don't know the truth any more than I do, so SHUT UP!! I WILL! :)
(c) Troll Enterprises Peace, y'all.
I'm not sure what I tihnk about it but i was well and truly freaked out. My dad seemes unshakeable when he said it was "obviously a joke" with john safran "foxing, like usual", being a poo stirrer basically. my mum like me wasnt sure. and though it was kind of strange i think it was a powerful way to end the series, people wondering "was that for real or was he acting?" "was it spiritual or was he hynotised?" etc etc.
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yes you clever girl, hate all christians because they ruin all that is good in the world.
yes, the christian religion has done alot of messed up things throughout history, what with the crusades and the witch burning and helping the nazi's. yes, christian religion has a VERY dodgy past. but what do you actually KNOW about what christianity does? oh sure, you know that they're against gay people, and you know they're against abortion, and you've heard about some cults where they're not allowed to listen to rock music or dance. "oh my god! there are christians who aren't allowed to listen to the music they want to! i hate christianity! they're all messed up in the head!"
now i don't know anything about you, how much you know about christian history or in present time, but simply writing "Why do christians have to ruin every good thing in the world? I hate christians!" just makes it sound like you're just another trendy, hip atheist who doesn't know jack about what you're talking about, and just thinks christianity is bad because they live their life different from you, and because you think it sounds scary, and because you think the bible is stupid and fairy tales.
don't get me wrong, i'm not christian myself. i believe there's something more than just this world, but to me, the issue is too complicated to just say that ONE religion is the right. that's just me, anyway. i just get pissed off by all these anti-christianity people who just rambles some random stuff like you did, and think you're so much smarter than christians. of course, i've met alot of messed up people worshipping religion, reading the bible just the way they want to, making the meaning completely different, but keep in mind that it has to do with the people as well, not just the religion. some of these people should probably have some screws tightened, and sadly religion gives them an excuse to live out some of these (at times sick) "interpretations".
but keep also in mind all the good christianity and christian thinking does around the world, especially personally to alot of people. if people finds comfort in jesus or whatever, and as long as they don't jam it down my throat, i really don't care.
if you knew more about christianity, you'd also know that very often religion isn't the root of the problem, it's money, greed and politics.
okay, that's all. i just get a little worked up, so i'm pretty sure there's tons of typos in this post. i'm sure i'll get alot of angry posts back for this, but as long as you can give proper arguments, then you can trash me and my opinions as much as you want.
Not trying to bash your post as such. But perhaps it was a bit over zealous... The post you were replying to seemed to have an air of humour and sarcasm about it, and probably would have been better of dismissing with a shrug? lol
On the other hand, i agree with most you have said.
yeh i got a little carried away there, and probably went a little over the top. didn't really see the humour in the post though, seemed more like an adolescent "strong" opinion. anyway, next time i'll try to stick with the shrug :)
share[deleted]
1 Person earlier said that the person who was performing the exorcism could've been just some guy of the street. Well I say that is untrue! The person who performed the Exorcism is an evangelist by the name of "Bob Larson". Now why would he act? Why would such a person of God lie? it is a sin!
How come these Exorcisms only happen in the name of the Father and of the Son of Holy Spirit? why?
You can't just slap any book over a mans head and shout at him in order for the person to shout, screan and yell!
This is exclusive to christianity, the exorcist did the exorcisms in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
It mentions in the Bible that Jesus' people would perform such things.
Exorcism is a part of several religions and is an ancient practice, so yes Jesus' people (the jews) would perform them. It is NOT exclusive to christianity, though many christians would like to think so...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism
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the thing that bothers me is that the concept of the devil is not something that has its origins in christianity. the original jewish bible only described those that do not live as jews will go to a place called gehenna, a place that was not the jewish holy land. but when the jews arrived in babylon and met zoroastrianism, a religion that had a notion of a creature much like the devil, the jews implemented this into their holy scriptures. And of course the notion of the devil was passed on to christianity and islam.
If this is so, how can christians claim to exorcize a creature that was not originally in their religion? that's like darth vader appearing in star trek (ok, that's a bad comparison, i know, but it's the best i can come up with right now)
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It doesn’t matter if he faked it or not, I think it was a genius way to end the series. First make fun of every religion there is and then end it all with an exorcism and leave everyone wondering what the hell happened. That’s art.
shareI just watched that episode...I noticed he didn't start going crazy until the man put oil on hire forehead, and who knows if that was really water in the cup... Also he makes sure John keeps his eyes on his and moves in real close, too close for the camera to see his hands... I'm sceptical and I don't believe anyone can be possessed...but I would like the truth revealed.
sharegood point, the "oil" (water, haha) was most certainly part of drawing out safran's demons. and you're right, he did tell john to keep his eyes directly on him so no one knows what he was doing with his hands, another very good point.
shareI am sure that putting words into the victims head has a large part to do with the trick. "Did your Parents love you, John? So, you feel that your dad didn't love because he never told you?"
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