“The power of Christ compels you!” – and the power of BTS, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift

EDITOR’S NOTE: In addition to ThisDayinQuotes.com, I write the QuoteCounterquote.com blog. That one is also about quotations, but has a different format. ThisDayinQuotes.com focuses on the origins and context of famous quotations. QuoteCounterquote.com uses a famous quote as a starting point, then lists some of what I think are funny, witty, or thoughtful variations on that quote. Every once in a while, for a change of pace, I reprint one of my QuoteCounterquote.com posts on this blog. Here’s an example based on a famous movie line you probably know…

FAMOUS SATAN-BUSTING MOVIE QUOTE: “The power of Christ compels you!”        The words from the Catholic “Rite of Exorcism” repeated multiple times by the characters Father Merrin and Father Damien (played by Max von Sydow and Jason Miller) in the movie The Exorcist (1973), as they try to exorcize the demon that possesses Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair).         You can watch the scene where they chant the line as Regan floats in the air above her bed by clicking this link or the image at left.        It still gives me goosebumps.

THE ORIGIN OF THE FAMED LINE: “I adjure you, ancient serpent...to depart from this servant of God, whom almighty God has made in His image. Yield, therefore, yield not to my own person but to the minister of Christ. For it is the power of Christ that compels you.”         Part of the official Catholic “Rite of Exorcism”        The instructions for the rite explain that it should be used get rid of a demon in “the person possessed.” It adds the helpful tip that the afflicted party “should be bound if there is any danger.”

THE SOUTH KOREAN BOY BAND VARIATION: “Power of BTS Compels You: These BTS-Backed Phones Broke Pre-Order Records for Samsung.”          Headline of an August 2021 Rolling Stone magazine article about the surge in sales of Samsung mobile phones caused by the brand's use of the South Korean boy band BTS in promotional videos.

THE GHOSTBUSTING VERSION: “The power of Patty compels you!”         Line shouted by character Patty Tolan (played by Leslie Jones) in the the 2016 version of the movie Ghostbusters.        Patty yells this while slapping the face of her friend Abby Yates (actress Melissa McCarthy), in an attempt to exorcize the ghost that possesses Abby’s body.        It works. After the ghost leaves, Abby quips: “Ow! That’s gonna leave a mark.”

THE HOLY VAMPIRE BUSTER’S VERSION: “The Power of Christ Impales You!”         Ad tagline for the indie comedy-horror movie Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)

ROBIN’S DEMON TURD: “The drugs make you so constipated, I thought they were gonna have to bring in a priest to do a f**king exorcism. ‘Demon turd, fall from his ass! The power of fiber compels you! The power of fiber compels you!’”        Robin Williams (1951-2014)        American comedian and actor        Riffing on the constipation caused by the pain medication he took after heart surgery, in his 2009 HBO special Weapons of Self-Destruction.

THE WEST GRAFFITI QUOTE: “THE POWER OF KANYE COMPELS YOU”        These words, spray-painted on a brick wall, gained attention when a photo showing Taylor Swift standing next to them was posted in various places on the internet.        Commenters on the photo debated whether it was the real Taylor Swift or an impersonator. Either way, given her famous feud with Kanye West, it ‘s kinda funny.

A TAYLOR SWIFT FAN’S COUNTERQUOTE: “THE POWER OF Taylor COMPELS YOU”         A Photoshopped version of the Kanye graffiti a Taylor Swift fan posted on her blog, with the comment “Fixed it.”

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