Marjoe - fake evangelist exposes self, religion as business - now on DVD!

[NAO]

The Second Coming of Marjoe!

The Academy Award winning documentary "Marjoe", about the child-evangelist turned freethinker, which was lost for over 30 years has been re-released on DVD. Marjoe goes on a “revival tour” with a documentary crew and exposes the antics and hucksterism of evangelicalism in an authentic sitz-am-leben. Hear Marjoe preach the Word! Hallelujah!!

This movie is AMAZING! If you want to see what goes in behind church doors - but don't want to actually go to church (who would?) - then get this movie. See REAL footage of church services; speaking in tounges; faith healing; people being asked to give their largest bill for a magick handkerchief...and then see the preachers counting the money and laughing behind the scenes! This is not actors or staged - it is a covertly produced documentary, filmed at real church services inside churches in America.

DVD tagline: "You keep the faith, Marjoe keeps the money!"

***

Amazon's Product Description:

Product Description
The Academy-Award®-winning MARJOE is the ferocious and extraordinary chronicle of a firebrand evangelical preacher who wholeheartedly and humorously exposes himself as a fraud. An evangelist prodigy at the age of four, the film captures an adult Marjoe as he recounts how he discovered the seductions of the 60s counterculture and dropped out of preaching, only to return later, using his swaggering bravado, to woo Pentecostal audiences out of their offerings. Directors Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan follow Marjoe as he embarks on his "farewell to the faith tour," revealing the secrets of religious hucksterism. MARJOE is both a fiery baptism in the cynical waters of faith healing and evangelical fervor and a fascinating profile of a man who went from hellfire to hellraising.




***

See a clip from the film here:

http://www.americanfilms.com/play.cfm?clipid=166&cid=0

[evlbstrd]

1. Highly recommended.

I saw it when it was released. Sam Kinnison was also very enlightening on the subject.

[havocmom]

2. Was wondering about him the other day. Hadn't seen/read anything

about him in years. Used to be pretty damned funny eons ago on talk shows.

[acmavm]

3. He was a good actor as well. I guess it was that revivalist training.

[w13rd0]

5. Sam Kinnison...

...died in a car wreck from what I recall...

[havocmom]

12. Could not care less about Kinnison. Never liked his routine

Was referring to Marjoe Gortner

The TV at my house went off when Kinnison came on.

[Mojambo]

4. I cannot WAIT to see this. n/t

[NAO]

9. Be sure to check out that free clip at YouTube

Clip from "Marjoe"

http://www.americanfilms.com/play.cfm?clipid=166&cid=0

[Canuckistanian]

6. Haha, I've been following him for YEARS

I knew about the childhood evangelism and the private doubts, but this is fantastic!

So glad to see him expose these charlatans and hucksters.

K&R!

[yurbud]

7. remarkably similar to guy Amazing Randi exposed

in Secrets of the Psychics.

The sad thing is, you could show this in every church in America, and people would still fall for it.

[Canuckistanian]

8. Wikipedia on Marjoe Gortner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjoe_Gortner

Marjoe Gortner (born January 14, 1944 in Long Beach, California) was an evangelical minister who first gained noteriety in the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s when he became the youngest ordained preacher at the age of four, and again in the 1970s when he made a documentary film about himself, in which he both exposed himself as a con artist and revealed that several other evangelical ministers were likewise defrauding their congregants out of large sums of money.

~snip

In the late 1960s, Marjoe suffered a crisis of conscience, and resolved to not only expose himself but other evangelical ministers he had learned were participating in schemes identical to his own. Under the pretense of making a documentary on the evangelical and non-denominational faiths, Marjoe reunited with his father and assembled a documentary film crew to follow him around the Southern United States during 1971; unbeknownst to everyone else involved, Marjoe gave "backstage" interviews to the filmmakers in between sermons and revivals, talking about his hedonistic lifestyle (which included routinely seducing airline stewardesses), informing them of scams he was about to pull, and giving intimate details of how he and other ministers operated. After sermons, the filmmakers were invited back to Marjoe's hotel room to tape him counting the massive amounts of money he collected during the day. The resulting film, Marjoe, won the 1972 Academy Award for best documentary, although the distributor refused to allow it to be screened in theatres south of Des Moines, Iowa, for fear that it would spark a backlash from The Bible Belt.

~snip

Gortner reappeared a few years later, starring in several B-movies such as Starcrash and hosting an early-1980s reality TV series called Speak Up America before ending his movie career in 1995. Today he sponsors charity golf tournaments and other events. The name "Marjoe" is a combination of the names "Mary" and "Joseph".

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. There was a wicked send-up...

...of Marjoe Gortner on the old Fernwood Tonight show.

Anybody else remember Jimmy Joe Jeeter shilling for 'Condos for Christ'?

[bookman]

11. I did see the film

I think it may have been in th '70s. ( Yeah, I'm old. :) )

I may get the DVD to show to my wife.

[havocmom]

13. Marjoe Gortner did some appearances on TV series too

Seem to recall him playing evangelists a few times and playing rolls exposing them a time or two.

[SPKrazy]

14. How Exciting!

I live for fake evangelists

there's a ton of them

actually I find them repulsive

is this guy funny?

[NAO]

16. He is hilarious. He is actually GOOD. Check out the clip

He is really good. He is hilarious, and he is actually a good preacher. Much better than most of the ones who actually believe it. He does stage antics like Mick Jagger.

The funniest scene in the whole movie is where he gets back from a revival meeting with a bag full of cash and he does a little "thank you Jesus" and sings as he counts the cash. "Oh, yes, Jesus is SO good to me, hallelujah!"

The Clip from the movie:
http://www.americanfilms.com/play.cfm?clipid=166&cid=0

the "money count" is about 4:00 into the clip at the above link.

[beam me up scottie]

18. How embarrassing.

Did you see that poor blonde kid in the last clip? He was terrified, talk about a deer in the headlights look...

Why can't these people see they're being played like country music and NASCAR fans?

[NAO]

19. You mean the John Schneider look alike kid?

I love it when they start speaking in tongues and fall down and start twitching. They have to have "catchers" so old people don't hurt themselves. It is truly a spectacle to behold.

I haven't seen this many deluded and dysfunctional people since those famous Bush/Cheney '04 campaign events.

[beam me up scottie]

20. Yeah, he's not even trying to catch gramma, he's worried it's contagious.

I haven't seen this many deluded and dysfunctional people since those famous Bush/Cheney '04 campaign events.

That would be funny if it wasn't so true.

[NAO]

21. Hey, Beam Me Up Scottie! Take a look at this link...

I know you will REALLY enjoy this one. It's an analysis of the 'arguments' of Christian Apologists. ROTFL!

Circus Circus - The Jesus Parade is Always in Town
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/circus.html

[beam me up scottie]

22. Lots of info there, I've got it bookmarked, thanks!

The parade of flimflam and clownish knockabout would be a cause for merriment and laughter were it not for the sobering thought that this is as 'rational' as some Christians get. Heaven help us if they were ever to take over the government.

Too late.



HA! edited to add I love the Weekly World News reference.

[NAO]

25. the main site is fantastic too

The parent website, www.jesusneverexisted.com is fantastic - a real treasure trove of material. Rich with both history and humor, it's one of my all-time favorite websites.

Jesus Never Existed - "For all who would struggle against the tragedy of religion"
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com


sections like...

The World that was Lost
– Christianity Wrecks Civilization
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/cost.html

Jesus, the Imaginary Friend
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/imagine.html

Heart of Darkness –
The Criminal History of the Christian Church
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/darkness.html

Winter of the World –
The Terrible Cost of "Christendom"
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/winter.html

1000 Years of Carnage & Barbarity in the name of Christ
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/1000years.htm


godman - Gestation of a Superhero
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/creation.html

..it goes on and on; this website is a wealth of history, humor and tragedy of truly biblical proportions.



"Man or Myth?
JC can be anything you want him to be, hippy humanitarian or Lord of Hosts. Great, eh?"


"Bringing the ungodly to Christ"



"Um... perhaps an extra miracle might be useful at this point..."


"14th century depiction of the Catholic Triune God
Gosh! – 3 Heads, 4 Legs! Complete Rubbish!"

[beam me up scottie]

26. Do I want to know what that antique device in the 2nd pic is for?

I'm thinking no...

[immoderate]

15. I remember this movie.

This appeared when there was nothing to challenge the dominance of religiousity. This was an early mass culture vindication for free thinkers. Sure there were Ingersoll, Twain, Russel and Asimov. But this was in a movie. How good to find out you weren't alone.

--IMM

[NAO]

17. Don't you wish there was an Ingersoll on the scene today?

I have the 12 volume set of Ingersoll and I never tire of his wit, sarcasm, honesty and dead on criticism of Christianity and the Bible. I read a biography of him and he actually packed lecture halls standing room only in every city and town in the US in non-stop tours from 1870 until he died in 1899.

Even the believers went to his lectures because he was a great orator, and he was undeniably funny.

Ingersoll's career proves that religion far from unassailable. It is patently ridiculous, and it only requires a minimal observation to point out the absurdities in a way that will convince even non-idea oriented people.

We desperately need someone like Ingersoll to point out the "Mistakes of Moses" to a world where demagogues with massive radio and TV "ministries" insist with dire seriousness that "the Bible is the infallible Word of God". Hardly.

***

Some Mistakes of Moses
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/some_mistakes_of_moses.html

About the Holy Bible
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/about_the_holy_bible.html

Online Writings of Robert G. Ingersoll
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/index.html

[immoderate]

24. Yep. Ingersoll was an unmatched brilliance.

And thanks for those links.

I think Ingersoll benefitted from the times. No TV, movies, radio, etc. People attended lectures, and perhaps were more literate.

I also prize sarcasm. Not everybody does. In some places they never heard of it.

--IMM

[mom cat]

23. An absolutely stunning expose of religion-biz from a former insider.

Definately a must see.

[Jo March]

27. This is why Jesus kicked the moneychangers out of the temple

These folks are no more than moneychangers - pretending to be religious so they can fleece the flock.

A good rule of thumb: If pleas for money accompany every sermon, then you are in the wrong church. I attended a church like this growing up - all they did was ask for money, money, money. Money for a new church sign, a bigger steeple, better and more pews, redecorating! The preacher had the nicest car in the congregation. I can picture the deacons in the back counting the money.

In Biblical times, the collection plate would be passed but right after worship was completed, the church members would take the plate out and buy food and supplies and give them directly to the poor. The church did not keep the money. Somehow that got lost...

[godhatesrepublicans]

28. A good double feature with GOD'S ANGRY MAN by Herzog

If you can find it of course. I had to bit torrent my copy.

[hpot]

29. Added to my Netflix queue

:hippie:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

30. I think I saw this as a kid

Didn't he go on to be an actor?

And you wrote: "If you want to see what goes in behind church doors - but don't want to actually go to church (who would?)...."


Personally I really like going to churches. Churches are pretty much my favorite places to be, especially cathedrals.