I’m A Giant Teapot…
12 March 2008 by Raindogzilla
Somewhere, Bertrand Russell busts a gut in his grave:
“A religious commune in Malaysia’s Muslim heartland that worshiped a bizarre collection of structures including a giant teapot, vase and umbrella was being torn down yesterday.
About 40 workers with bulldozers and lorries destroyed the “subversive” teapot and other symbols of the pan-religious Sky Kingdom, in Terengannu state. An assembly hall, a concrete boat and a temple-like structure that was under construction were also demolished. About 30 members of the commune watched but did not intervene.
Members and visitors to the commune believe that water from the teapot, which poured into the giant vase, held purifying powers. They follow the teaching of Ariffin Mohammed, 65, better known as Ayah (”Master”) Pin, who holds that every religion is equally valid and that anyone can find his or her own path to God. His settlement has been a popular destination for Muslim, Chinese and Indian Malaysians, as well as foreign tourists.”
Almost sounds reasonable, does Master Pin but, as for that pesky sharia court; Yes, yes, they are serious. Just ask Kamariah Ali:
“Kamariah Ali, a 57 year old former teacher, was arrested in 2005 when the government of the Muslim majority country demolished the two story high sacred tea pot and other infrastructure of the “heretical” Sky Kingdom cult.”
That’s all, really. Now, I’m thirsty…
12 March 2008, on 5:25 am
Not only did they demolish what looks to me like their version of disneyland, the Malaysians had something in store for Ali. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/4/courts/20519214&sec=courts
She was tried for apostasy.
The religion of peace isn’t one that’ll leave you in peace if you decide you want out. If you quit Islam, the last thing you can hope for is a happy, peaceful, amicable goodbye. In the religion of peace, apostasy is a crime which in some Muslim countries is punishable by death. Yep, leaving Islam can be a life-and-death decision. Looks like in Malaysia they’re a little more lenient: they just jail ex-Muslims. No big deal. You just rot in the slammer and lose two years of your life.
There are some people who just can’t handle goodbyes.
12 March 2008, on 8:37 am
Oh the noes! They have deprived the imaginary sky daddy of it’s tea! Run! Hide from the retribution!
Moolims must be a bunch of brittle, frightened idiots if they’ve got to murder and crush everything that their ‘gawd’ supposedly doesn’t like.
I imagine them being a lot like cave men from a stone age era seeing lightening and pissing themselves in fear while running in all directions trying to figure out what will make the giant invisible sky daddy happy again.
12 March 2008, on 8:50 am
This just goes to show that even though we have technology and scientific advances, overall humanity has not evolved as much as we would like to believe. Eventually, our crazy fundies and mooslim crazy fundies are going to battle it out and what is scary is that they are looking forward to it for the glory of their sky bosses.
12 March 2008, on 9:39 am
If they’d only had the foresight and wherewithal to launch their teapot into a geosynchronous orbit. I, for one, will welcome our Giant British Overlords.
12 March 2008, on 11:34 am
Isn’t there a complete replica of the Parthenon in TN? I know there’s a replica of a Greek landmark there, just not which one.
Anyway, what scares me the most is that eventually our fundie overlords will decide to knock it down, thus confirming their status as Christian Taliban.
12 March 2008, on 2:13 pm
There’s like this guy? On my block? Who just, like, STANDS outside the Starbucks? And STARES at the barrista? And whenever she fills a grande he like closes his eyes and starts HUMMING?
Yea it’s like THAT.
12 March 2008, on 4:39 pm
AtheistUnderMask:
Ummm, Graceland is there, and Elvis is a demi-god, at least.
12 March 2008, on 4:46 pm
I suppose it’s true of all religions and people at some point, but Islam and Christianity have extensive track records when it comes to picking on minority religions and viewpoints. I guess those oh-so-pious Muslims are afraid that letting some people worship a teapot might start to make the whole religion thing seem a bit…silly.
And we can’t have that!
Makes me wonder how many of the opposing muslims have prayer bumps. It looks like a case of merely superstitious and eccentric worshippers being looked down upon by the violent and certifiably brain-damaged. How quaint.
12 March 2008, on 8:04 pm
Damn. I guess now the Gawds are gonna have to settle for tap water.
If I didn’t see the photos, i’d think this was a story from March 12, 1008.
Religious folk are absolutely stunted.
12 March 2008, on 8:21 pm
They were worshipping a… giant teapot? A giant teapot?!
Well, I guess it’s a prime example of how completely insane religious beliefs in general are. I’m freaking embarrassed to be a member of the human species sometimes. This is unreal.
12 March 2008, on 8:54 pm
I do wonder just how weird their little cult really is. Are they harmless and eccentric, or was there some real political motive or concern other than religious competition?
Everytime I look at the picture, I get a mental image of a giant teapot sing “Beauty and the Beast” with Angela Lansbury’s voice, while a throng of worshippers kneel and prostrate themselves before it. Disturbing.
12 March 2008, on 10:02 pm
From reading about the cult, they were, ironically, tolerant of all other religions and their ranks were mostly filled with professionals. Think about it, the teapot worshipers were the sane ones in that part of the world.
12 March 2008, on 10:13 pm
Could the teapot, etc, be their equivalent of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Maybe this group was having a little fun with the whimsy of it all — or maybe they were serious, but how seriously can you take folks who worship a giant teapot?
Unless you’re a fundie who feels threatened by such things. Then if Sky Kingdom were ironic, they might be considered even more heretical than if they were dead serious.
12 March 2008, on 11:38 pm
I have a whole series of posts on my blog about why Malaysia sucks from a religious freedom point of view. That is one country I never intend to visit.
12 March 2008, on 11:49 pm
“…and then…a short distance away from the Teapot…not too far from the ever popular…holy sugar cube vendor…
There’s always…
St. Looney up the Creme bun and Jam!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7rm9QwPig0
Followed by an Appeal for Sanity from the Church’s vicar…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXxS0l6Nh3w
13 March 2008, on 12:22 am
Thomas A;
“…but how seriously can you take folks who worship a giant teapot?”
How seriously can you take any adult who worships ANY invisible, imaginary friend? At least these harmless dolts were worshiping something that actually exists.
And who would have thought I had dieties in my china cabinet. I hope I haven’t offend them by brewing Lipton instant tea in them.
13 March 2008, on 12:26 pm
Fritzy, watch out for rogue bands of Iconoclasts on the prowl for just such a hutch- hey, that rhymes…
13 March 2008, on 2:09 pm
It was such a pretty teapot. What a shame.
And so the Holy Teapot was crucified, crushed and laid bare in the rubble, along with the Holy Vase and the All-Covering Umbrella. And deep in space, another lonely Teapot cried, pouring great salty tears from its spout. And the people vowed to forevermore eat rice cakes and drink tea as the body and blood of the Holy Pot. And they would wear bulldozer charms around their necks to remind them of how their Holy One was demolished. And they would wait…for the second steeping.
13 March 2008, on 10:28 pm
And…”I’m a lonely little Petunia in an onion patch!”…?
I dunno…rereading RDZ’s Post title kinda woke up (scared?) a really old…and very silly…longtime dozing, song memory ‘engram’…like…
“BOO!”
Hmmm…Are we atheists sorta like the lonely little Petunia?
Did someone (besides me) say…WTF IS a Petunia, anyway…?
Well…Here ya go…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petunia
Or…if you prefer a Looney Tunes P-P-Petunia P-P-Pig version…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petunia_Pig
What’s that?…
“Knock it off, ChuckA!…You’re wasting perfectly good comment space with your lame-ass bullshit!”…?
17 March 2008, on 6:27 pm
ChuckA: Are we atheists sorta like the lonely little Petunia?
It sure feels like it sometimes; that’s why we have to remember we’re not the only ones!
Poor teapot worshippers; it’s always hard to discover your treasured idol has feet – well, a body in this case – of clay… :-S