God: The IPO of the Millenium
Most people will tell you that religion is a buyer’s market today. With the media explosion we’ve seen over the last few years, today’s buyer has more places to spend his or her faith than ever before. Cable TV, low power UHF stations, AM radio, the internet…everywhere you turn, there’s someone ready to tell you what to believe. But I’m here to tell you that as we approach the beginning of a new millenium, there are huge segments of the market woefully unserved by any of the beliefs currently on the market. And if you’re one of those folks feeling left out, I’d like to extend an offer to you:
The Alien Jesus IPO
“But Ed, who ever heard of a religion offering an IPO?”
I’m glad you asked! IPO stands for Initial Public Offering. Let’s break it down and see exactly what it means. Webster’s Dictionary defines initial as “of or relating to the beginning.” Public means just that; we’re making Alien Jesus available to the public at large, regardless of who or what you are. An offering is to put something up for bid or sale, or to make a sacrifice. When you look at it this way, what we’re doing is giving everyone the opportunity to buy into a belief system and make a new beginning in their lives.
“Sounds great Ed, but what does it cost?”
I’m glad you asked! Most beliefs out there require ALL of your faith ALL the time! Who can afford that? With so many demands upon your faith today, it’s hard to spare much for anything. Alien Jesus recognizes this pitfall, and after a great deal of study and market research, we’ve developed an entirely new model for religious belief: Faith based on free market economics! Spiritual supply and demand - the free market at work! Based on the amount of Alien Jesus we have in stock, you can buy into our IPO for a mere 3% of your total available faith!
“But Ed, I’m not sure if I’m in the market for a religion today. How long do you think this offer will last?”
It all depends on the market. Past performance should not be taken as an indicator of future accuracy in any belief system, be it Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, or other. What I can tell you is this: buying into a religion early is the best way to insure your future status. When the time comes to appoint Deacons, Bishops, Witch Doctors, Saints, or whatever, who do you think will get the job? It’s not going to be the Johnny-convert-lately who just got religion last Thursday! The rabidly devout follower who’s been hanging around since the early days is best positioned to advance through the ranks. And that’s what makes the Alien Jesus IPO such an attractive offer!
“All right Ed, I’m convinced! What do I do next?”
To get in on this IPO, just follow these three easy steps:
Ed Oateswulf on Dec 27, 1999 | In Feature Stories | Comments Off




The recent rediscovery of Hitler’s bunker in downtown Berlin offers an historic opportunity for the German people and history buffs alike. Unfortunately, the Germans are prepared to squander this opportunity for fear of Neo-Nazis using the Fuhrerbunker as a shrine or a rallying point. Even though the Nazis were soundly defeated more than half a century ago, the forces of facism have never completely gone away in West Germany, and the facism of the right was replaced by the facism of the left in East Germany. So how can we support their vigilance against Neo-Nazis while allowing the public an opportunity to see a true landmark of 20th century history? Disney has been considering a second EuroDisney park. Why not build an exact replica of Hitler’s Bunker as one of the attractions? They could send in a crack team of architects, engineers, and historians to survey the real bunker, fill the original in with concrete, and build a perfect replica in their new park. Being a replica, it wouldn’t hold the same appeal for skinheads that the original has, and locating it in a Disney park would allow for the tightest security known to modern man. Disney’s animatronic technology would allow visitors to see and hear the key players in the underground drama acting out their final hours. Disney could even indulge their peccadillo for adding music to everything by licensing music from Mel Brooks’ 1967 film “The Producers”. Or if they feel the need to make it more contemporary, they could commission Michael Jackson to write some new tunes for the attraction. He could probably use a few bucks to cover that divorce settlement, and Europeans have always been more tolerant of men who like young boys. The vision of an animatronic Hitler belting out songs in the voice of Michael Jackson would definitely drive away any neo-Nazis who slip through security. If the Disney alternative proves to be unworkable, another option is Las Vegas. With the proliferations of casinos like New York NY and Paris, a Berlin casino would fit right in. A stage show with Marlene Dietrich impersonators, a Kraftwerk tribute band in the lounge, and a bunker replica in the basement. There’s a real opportunity waiting here for some entrepeneur to map out the bunker and recreate it in the American Southwest. The opportunity we have to bring history to life must not be lost! If you feel as we do about this, please take the time to write 






