You may be familiar with Richard Feynman’s commencement speech to Caltech three decades ago regarding cargo cults.
In a nutshell, cargo cults gained their name for building a mythical, sometimes religious set of rituals to recreate and summon the cargo ships and planes that landed on their remote Pacific islands during World War II.
And while most of them have gone the way of the dodo, some have developed increasingly intricate theologies.
Two years ago Smithsonian Magazine detailed one such tribe in Vanuata that not only has thrived, but has also spawned a splinter group.
It includes a messiah, John Frum, an nebulous if non-existent American soldier who promised he will return one day with wealth and opulence. Many even still pray to him and believe he will return very soon.
Among othe quotes, a zinger can be found at the end. The journalist notes that even though many islanders pray that Frum and others will return, this has not occurred:
As we look down into John Frum’s fiery Tanna home, I remind him that not only does he not have an outboard motor from America, but that all the devotees’ other prayers have been, so far, in vain. “John promised you much cargo more than 60 years ago, and none has come,â€? I point out. “So why do you keep faith with him? Why do you still believe in him?â€?Chief Isaac shoots me an amused look. “You Christians have been waiting 2,000 years for Jesus to return to earth,â€? he says, “and you haven’t given up hope.â€?
Way too funny, yet for proponents of any religion, it underscores many of the flawed thinking behind their own belief systems.
See also: Life of Brian and the Flying Spaghetti Monster