666, the Passion of Christ and Rome, Georgia

[littleblackduck]

You have got to be kidding!

I am not at all surprised that about the number 666 turning up on a ticket--there are only 1,000 numbers from 000 to 999, after all.

And it isn't all that surprising that it turns up on a ticket to "The Passion of Christ" seeing as a lot of them are being sold.

But did it have to be a computer in "Rome"? Now THAT is Fortean, or at least a bit "unheimlich", spooky, uncanny, weird, eerie.

To quote Nelson Munz of THE SIMPSONS: "Ha ha!"

666 Appears on Some 'Passion' Tickets
By Associated Press
Originally published March 1, 2004, 10:21 AM EST
ROME, Ga. -- Tickets at one movie theater screening Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" are being deemed decidedly unholy.

The number 666, which many Christians recognize as the "mark of the beast," is appearing on movie tickets for Gibson's film at a Georgia theater, drawing complaints from some moviegoers.

The machine that prints tickets assigned the number 666 as a prefix on all the tickets for the film, said Gary Smith, owner of the Movies at Berry Square in northwest Georgia. The 666 begins a series of numbers that are listed below the name of the movie, the date, time and price.

"It's from our computer and it's absolutely a coincidence," Smith said. "It has nothing to do with the film company or any vendor. It's completely in our computer."

In the Bible, the book of Revelation says 666 is the "number of the beast," usually interpreted as Satan or the Antichrist.

Several patrons have made comments about the numbers, and one person who was uncomfortable having 666 on her ticket asked for a pass to be substituted for a ticket.

"A lot of people have asked what the numbers mean, some said it seemed odd, some said it was inappropriate," said theater employee Erica Diaz.

The movie, which opened Wednesday, is a bloody depiction of Christ's final hours and crucifixion.

Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press

Source:

Baltimore Sun Article

 

[littleblackduck]

More Passion-related strange behaviour

A woman drove her car into a river in what appears to be an attempt at auto-baptism (sorry, the pun just came to me as I was typing). This appears to have happened in Connecticutt, seeing as the banner includes a button for "Connecticutt careers".

New Britain Herald story

AN ACT OF ‘PASSION’

By LISETTE VELASQUEZ , Staff Writer 03/02/2004

NEW BRITAIN -- A local woman with psychological problems purposely drove her car into the water at A.W. Stanley Quarter Park in an attempt to re-enact a scene from the blockbuster film, "The Passion of the Christ," police said.

An anonymous caller notified New Britain police early Saturday morning after seeing a womandriving a Chevrolet Lumina into the brook at A.W. Stanley Quarter Park. Police said the woman, whose name has not been released, is in her 40s, married, and has children.

"She drove her vehicle partly off the bank. Just the front of the car was in the water," said Sgt. Darren Pearson. "According to the officers on the scene, she told them she was attempting to reenact a scene from the movie, ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ which she said she had recently seen."

The woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation but apparently escaped injury, police said.

Pearson said no charges will be filed.

Although police could not say which specific scene motivated the woman, they believe she was attempting to be baptized.

The movie, produced by actor Mel Gibson, has generated a swarm of controversy. The film, which debuted on Ash Wednesday and is considered to appeal mainly to conservative Christians, depicts a bloody chronicle of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. The film has also been accused by some of being anti-Semitic. Some Jewish and Christian leaders have said they feared the film would promote the notion that Jews collectively were responsible for Christ’s death.

Pearson said that while it is not common for a popular movie to prompt people to attempt to re-enact a scene, it is not unheard of. In 2001, soon after the release of "Fast and the Furious," officers found themselves dealing with several illegal street racing incidents in the area. The movie drew attention to the popular practice of gambling on domestic cars that are rebuilt and stylized for racing.

Lisette Velasquez can be reached at [email protected] or by calling (860) 225-4601, ext. 320.

©The Herald 2004

 

[littleblackduck]

More Passion-related strange behaviour

A woman drove her car into a river in what appears to be an attempt at auto-baptism (sorry, the pun just came to me as I was typing). This appears to have happened in Connecticutt, seeing as the banner includes a button for "Connecticutt careers".

Drive through baptisms. Now there's a use for that old car wash.

New Britain Herald story

AN ACT OF ‘PASSION’

By LISETTE VELASQUEZ , Staff Writer 03/02/2004

NEW BRITAIN -- A local woman with psychological problems purposely drove her car into the water at A.W. Stanley Quarter Park in an attempt to re-enact a scene from the blockbuster film, "The Passion of the Christ," police said.

An anonymous caller notified New Britain police early Saturday morning after seeing a womandriving a Chevrolet Lumina into the brook at A.W. Stanley Quarter Park. Police said the woman, whose name has not been released, is in her 40s, married, and has children.

"She drove her vehicle partly off the bank. Just the front of the car was in the water," said Sgt. Darren Pearson. "According to the officers on the scene, she told them she was attempting to reenact a scene from the movie, ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ which she said she had recently seen."

The woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation but apparently escaped injury, police said.

Pearson said no charges will be filed.

Although police could not say which specific scene motivated the woman, they believe she was attempting to be baptized.

The movie, produced by actor Mel Gibson, has generated a swarm of controversy. The film, which debuted on Ash Wednesday and is considered to appeal mainly to conservative Christians, depicts a bloody chronicle of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. The film has also been accused by some of being anti-Semitic. Some Jewish and Christian leaders have said they feared the film would promote the notion that Jews collectively were responsible for Christ’s death.

Pearson said that while it is not common for a popular movie to prompt people to attempt to re-enact a scene, it is not unheard of. In 2001, soon after the release of "Fast and the Furious," officers found themselves dealing with several illegal street racing incidents in the area. The movie drew attention to the popular practice of gambling on domestic cars that are rebuilt and stylized for racing.

Lisette Velasquez can be reached at [email protected] or by calling (860) 225-4601, ext. 320.

©The Herald 2004

 

[Melf]

Originally posted by littleblackduck
You have got to be kidding!

I am not at all surprised that about the number 666 turning up on a ticket--there are only 1,000 numbers from 000 to 999, after all.

would they have been happier with all the tickets numbered 777 instead?

 

[lopaka]

Two points. I just love standard journalism writing. The key opening paragraph to the story: "A local woman with psychological problems..." Um, are you sure she has psychological problems?

And the other thing, re-enacting a scene in the film by driving a car into a river??? I haven't seen it, but perhaps it's not as painstakingly historically accurate as Mr. Gibson would have us believe.

"No, Mr. Gibson, we won't distribute it unless there are some car-chase scenes and a crash or two. And could you consider re-naming it Lethal Passion IV ?"

 

[OldTimeRadio]

"But did it have to be a computer in 'Rome'? Now THAT is Fortean, or at least a bit 'unheimlich', spooky, uncanny, weird, eerie."

But Rome, Georgia, is large enough that at least a thousand tickets would have been sold and one of them would thus have to be numbered 666.

 

[DerekH16]

But did it have to be a computer in "Rome"? Now THAT is Fortean, or at least a bit "unheimlich", spooky, uncanny, weird, eerie.

Not as spooky as Jerusalem, Yates County, New York would have been :shock:

 

[rjmrjmrjm]

I don't actually recall a baptism scene in The Passion.