Straight Shots is a short drama series. Each episode focuses on one specific conduct of TPM believers. You will be able to identify how TPM believers instinctively act in specific settings. Each behaviour will be met by a candid response from Molly.
Table of Contents
Characters’ Background
Manju and Molly are TPM believers. They work in the same office and attend the same TPM fellowship. Manju is a stolen sheep. Five years back she was stolen from another church into TPM fellowship. Since then, she has grown up into full hardcore brainwashed TPM fanatic. She thinks that the white-clad brigade of self-proclaimed apostles mediates between God and her. She has made them stand between her and God. She thinks God has a relationship with her, via them. They will tell her what is the meaning of all things written in the bible. If they will pray for her, then God will bless. If they will pray, then God will solve her problems. They tell her about the plan of God for her life. God will start to sulk if she displeases saints. Without them, in between her and God, she cannot partake in the second coming of Christ. She thinks that God works everything in her life through these agents. She has made them as her demigods (small gods) or next to God in her life.
Molly, on the other hand, is also a TPM believer. But she is no longer under the TPM spell. By the mercies of God, her soul has escaped out like a bird from the snare of fowlers. The snare broke and she escaped out of the net of TPM. But she still goes to TPM. She keeps fellowship with TPM believers in order to pull them out of TPM trap. She now speaks straight forward and gives a good whip to TPM pastors and believers. In this series, you will see her candid responses to TPM crackpots.
Background of this Episode
Manju has joined the “TPM WhatsApp group.” There are as many as 70-80 TPM believers in this group. Each morning, before the cock crows twice, Manju’s mobile will beep “Praise the Lord” notifications hundreds of times. It has become a habit of TPM believers to type “Praise the Lord” in different WhatsApp groups. They feel spiritually elevated in typing “Praise the lord” in believers group on WhatsApp.
Scene 1
It is 10.00 am in the morning. We see a reception counter of an office of a big multinational company. The wall behind the receptionist’s desk has a company name written in bold and yellow-coloured letters – “e-Motors Pvt. Ltd.” We see Manju sitting on the reception desk. She appears busy chitchatting on her gold-coloured apple phone. She fails to notice Molly has arrived.
Molly: Hi Manju!
Manju: Praise the Lord, Molly! (She utters this stressing on “Praise the Lord”)
(Molly waves her hand and smiles at her. She begins to walk towards her cubicle. Manju calls her back and tries to give her lecture for ignoring to greet her with “Praise the Lord”)
Manju: Molly…….. Molly….. One minute!
Molly takes a u-turn and returns to Manju’s reception counter.
Manju: What is this “Hi”? Why don’t you say “Praise the Lord?” This is not the first time I have noticed you trying to ignore it. You never say “Praise the Lord” even in our WhatsApp group?
Molly: Why? …………Why should I type “Praise the Lord ” in WhatsApp or greet you with “Praise the Lord?”
Manju: When saints come to my home and I greet them with hello, they rebuke me. They tell me that we should not be like worldly people. Hi, Hello is for worldly people. TPM believers must greet each other with “Praise the Lord.” Are you a worldly girl or a spiritual girl?
Molly: Answer me this Manju! How do you wish Aarti and Sanjay every morning? Do you type ‘Praise the Lord’ or ‘Good Morning’ to them? Why don’t you say “Praise the Lord” to your worldly friends, and show them that you are not worldly like them? Don’t you become worldly with worldly, and religious with religious? Why do you behave like a chameleon changing your colours? Does typing or saying your jingle “Praise the Lord” make you a spiritual person? See the gold-coloured iPhone you have purchased. You have all the desires like worldly people and still, you dare to call them as worldly and yourself as spiritual? You want expensive cars and large houses, and still manage to call others as worldly! You pray for jobs in Dubai, America and dream of minting dollars, and still, you call yourself spiritual and others as worldly? Does greeting each with “Praise the Lord” make you spiritual? Sorry to say, but you people are religious actors, who wear believers shoes when you are inside the church building. Film-stars act in films and you people act inside churches. They become worldly in front of the camera and you become religious in front of church members. You people are as worldly as a worldly is! Stop despising others for not saying “Praise the Lord.” Stop rebuking little children for not acting like spiritual people like your saints’ act.
Manju bows her head in shame and Molly walks towards her cubicle.
Another good example and very good series. Looking forward to next. God bless you admin for bringing out these cultish practices.
Praise the Lord or PTL Admin, that was a good start to what looks like another series of hard hitting TPM myth busters. Keep up the great work!
They have copied most of these stuff from Jehovah’s witnesses who also follow these kind of foolish cult lingo which seems to give the members a heightened sense of holiness.
Praise God for liberating us from this lunacy otherwise we would also be doing what poor Manju is doing. In fact, even now I find it very difficult not to say PTL to any TPM believer, bad habits die hard, don’t they.
Agree with you brother, it will take some time to get our self detoxed after decades of brain washing. Its almost in our DNA now.
I like Elina’s satire on how TPM folks start and end discussions with PTL.
If we notice, they revere and fear Devil more than Lord and so take His Name for granted almost anywhere.
I recently noticed my young daughter pick up this vain repetition.
Now I need to deal with this.
Hope, the Manjus in TPM will understand and at least get rid of their hypocrisy.
We tpm people start our day and end with praise the Lord. In whatever we do we say praise the Lord. So good habbit we have.
I tell you one example. Akka take my phone and always flirt with one believer uncle. But she never flirt without saying praise Lord to that believer uncle. One day i record aakka talking to her lover. She called believer uncle and first thing she said was praise lord. Then she began flirting. She said, are you not coming to see me? Believer said ” i am dying to eat food made by your hand.” She said, ” shhh..someone will hear. Don’t talk like that.” Then she said praise the Lord and only after saying praise the Lord she end her flirting.
One day, Teju anna gave money to one believer to give bribe to government clerk. He then said praise the Lord to that believer while giving bribe.
One day one sister from other faithhome call Akka on my phone. Other faithhome sister cry that her local brother very dangerous and cruel. Then my akka gave her one wise suggestion. She told her to put a cup full of chilly in brothers plate. After giving this ill advice, she end her talk by saying praise the Lord.
Such glorious habbit our chief pastor put in us. We can’t even do wrong things without saying praise the Lord. Therefore our tpm church is number one in world.
Yes Elina you are correct. Even in Kanagaraj murder case , the neighbours heard a loud “Praise the Lord” and rushed to the spot. Even after a murder saints utter “Praise the Lord” .
This “Praise the Lord” for TPM is like the “Salam Aleikum” and “Insha Allah” of Muslims.