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Psychologist Milton Rokeach took three psychotic men, each who believed they were Jesus Christ, and put them together at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan. It was an experiment in identity, since all three men knew there could only be one Son of God. Rokeach chronicled what happened in his 1964 book The Three Christs of Ypsilanti, which is out of print.
In hindsight, the Three Christs study looks less like a promising experiment than the absurd plan of a psychologist who suffered the triumph of passion over good sense. The men’s delusions barely shifted over the two years, and from an academic perspective, Rokeach did not make any grand discoveries concerning the psychology of identity and belief. Instead, his conclusions revolve around the personal lives of three particular (and particularly unfortunate) men. He falls back—rather meekly, perhaps—on the Freudian suggestion that their delusions were sparked by confusion over sexual identity, and attempts to end on a flourish by noting that we all “seek ways to live with one another in peace,” even in the face of the most fundamental disagreements. As for the ethics of the study, Rokeach eventually realized its manipulative nature and apologized in an afterword to the 1984 edition: “I really had no right, even in the name of science, to play God and interfere round the clock with their daily lives.”
Slate has some tidbits from the interaction of the three men. Link -via Buzzfeed
(Image credit: Robert Neubecker)
What with hazy images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary appearing on toast, potato chips, and other assorted food items, artist Adam Sheldon felt the inspiration to create a mosaic of the crucifixion out of 153 pieces of burnt toast. It’s on display at the Church of St. Peter in Great Limber, Lincolnshire, UK. More (and larger) images at the link.
Link via DudeCraft | Video about the Project | Photo: This Is Grimsby
Reverend Ed Dobson did just that, and the retired megachurch pastor found out that living like Jesus is tough. Really tough:
The retired megachurch pastor and one-time architect of the religious right has spent the last year trying to eat, pray, talk and even vote as Jesus would. His revelation: Being Jesus is tough.
"I’ve concluded that I am a follower, but I’m not a very good one," Dobson said. "If you get serious about the Bible, it will really mess you up."
But a year of living like Jesus has affected Dobson in deeply spiritual and unexpected ways. He has witnessed for Jesus in bars, picked up strangers needing rides and voted for a Democrat who he believes best reflects Christ’s teachings. During recent Christmas celebrations, as Christians worshipped the Christ child born in a manger, Dobson appreciated more than ever the man who preached love, only to die on a cross.
Charles Honey of the Religion News Service has more on the fascinating story: Link
(Photo: Emily Zoladz/The Grand Rapid Press)
Note: A.J. Jacobs also did this and wrote a book about it: The Year of Living Biblically
