psychological debilities of the individual who embraces the religion. Passivity before the rigid God of Catholicism or Judaism is one form of cop-out, passivity before the flexible and unpredictable God of chance is another. Both can be understood only in terms of individual and group pathology.'
Dr. Dart turns back to Mrs. Wippleton. Her image appears, serious and sincere.
'What kind of nonsense is that about the rigid God of Judaism?' says Rabbi Fishman's voice from off-screen. 'I'm just reporting commonly accepted psychological theory,' Dart answers.
'If anything is pathological,' says Rabbi Fishman darkly from the screen again, 'it's the sterile pseudo- objectivity of neurotic psychologists pretending to understand spiritual man.'
'Gentlemen,' interposes Mrs. Wippleton with her best smile.
`Catholicism is not the elevation of man's debilities [comes Father Wolfe's 'voice and then face] but of his spiritual grandeur. It is the insect minds of psychologists.'
'Gentlemen'
'Your defensiveness interests me,' says Dr. Dart.
`Our subject today,' interposes a beaming Mrs. Wippleton, 'is the religion of the Die and I for one am anxious to hear what Dr. Rhinehart has to say about the charge that his religion is schizophrenic and pathological.'
[The image of Dr. Rhinehart appears, glowing, friendly, relaxed: Five seconds. Six.] 'I don't understand your silence, Dr. Rhinehart,' says Mrs. Wippleton from off-screen. Not a flicker of change in R.
`This is a typical symptom, Mrs. Wippleton,' says Dr. Dart's voice, 'of the schizophrenic in the catatonic state. Dr. Rhinehart is apparently capable of going in and out of such states almost at will, a most unusual ability. In a few minutes he may be talking so much you won't be able to shut him up.'
Dr. Rhinehart removes the pipe from his mouth and exhales a lungful of fresh air.
'But if I understand you correctly, Dr. Dart,' says Mrs. W., 'then you are saying that Dr. Rhinehart has a form of mental disease which would normally be institutionalized.'
'No, not quite,' says an intense Dr. Dart. 'You see Dr. Rhinehart is a sort of schizophrenic manque, if I may coin a-phrase. His religion has permitted him to do what most schizophrenics are incapable of doing: it justifies and unifies his splintered personality. Without his religion of the Die he would be a hopelessly babbling maniac. With it he can function - function as an integrated, schizophrenic manque of course, but function nevertheless.'
'I find his silence this afternoon senseless, rude and a copout,' says Rabbi Fishman.
'He is afraid to confront the unh American people with the enormity of his ur sin,' says Father Wolfe. 'He cannot answer Truth.'
'Dr. Rhinehart, would you like to answer these charges?' asks Mrs. Wippleton.
[The image of R. slowly removing his pipe, still looking at the viewer.]
'Yes,' he says.
Silence of five seconds, ten. Fifteen.
'But how?'
Dr. Rhinehart is seen now for the second time leaning forward and rubbing his hands together and dropping a die upon
the table next to the untouched cup of brown liquid. A close-up shot magnifies the result: a two. He reverts without a
flicker of expression to his benevolent serenity flowing out to the viewers of the world.
Rabbi Fishman begins speaking and his face appears on the screen.
`This is the sort of imbecility which attracts thousands? It's beyond me. People starving to death in India, the suffering
in Vietnam, our black brothers still with legitimate grievances, and this man, a doctor mind you, sits puffing on an
unlit pipe and playing with dice. He's a Nero fiddling while Rome burns.'
`He's ah ah worse, Rabbi,' says Father Wolfe. 'Nero rebuilt Rome afterward. This man knows only how to destroy.'
Dr. Dart speaks: 'The alienated schizoid experiences both himself and others as objects and is unable to relate to others
except in terms of his fantasy world.'
`And we're not in his fantasy world?' asks Mrs. W.
`We're there. He thinks he's manipulating us with his silence.'
`How can we stop him?'
`By being silent.'
'Oh.'
Rabbi Fishman speaks `Maybe we should talk about something else, Mrs. Wippleton. I hate to see your lovely program
ruined by a loony.'
[The image of Dr. Rhinehart appears and is left there, eyes and pipe leveled at the viewer through all of the next bit of the program.] `Oh thank you, Rabbi Fishman, that's thoughtful of you. But I do think we should try to analyze Dr. Rhineharts
religion. It's what the sponsor paid for.'
`Notice he has no tics.' Dr. D.
'What's that mean?' Rabbi F.
'He's not nervous.'
`Oh.'
'I'd like to answer your second question now, Mrs. Wippleton' [Father W.] 'Er, what's that?'
'Your second question was going to be 'Oh my goodness, perhaps we should discuss why the religion of the Die
attracts some people.'
'Oh yes? .
`May I give my answer now?, 'Oh yes do. Go ahead.'
Father Wolfe's prosecuting-attorney voice snaps out from the same screen from which looks Dr. Rhinehart.
`The devil has always attracted men through gaudy disguises ah, through bread and circuses ahh and through promises
he cannot fulfil unh. I believe-'
`Wouldn't it be interesting if he never came out of it?' interrupts Rabbi Fishman's voice.
`I beg your pardon, I was speaking.'[Father Wolfe.]
`Oh he'll come out of it says Dr. Dart. `The permanent catatonic looks more tense but less alert. Rhinehart's obviously
just putting on an act'
`How can people be interested in such a nut?' asked Rabbi Fishman.
`I believe he's not always this way, is he?' asks Mrs. Wippleton.
Father Wolfe says: `He talked to me quite pleasantly before we went on the air, but I wasn't fooled. I knew it was just
ah un trick.'
`Dr. Dart, perhaps you'd like to comment on -why the religion of the Die attracts followers,' says Mrs. W.
`Look, he's exhaling again,' says Rabbi Fishman.
`Ignore him,' says Dr. Dart, `we're playing his game.'
Father Wolfe says: `Mrs. Wippleton, I must point out that you asked me to answer that question first and that I was
rudely interrupted by Dr. Dart before I had finished.'
[Silence. The image changes to Mrs. Wippleton, who is sitting wide-eyed and openmouthed looking to her right.]
`Oh my God,' she says.
`Jesus H. Christ,' comes one of the panelists' voices off screen.
