Phil, I have been guilty of forwarding such emails, and though I 
don't always forward them, but I do pray even before I delete them, 
and I use to feel bad when I didn't forward an email that someone 
sent, and now I don't feel bad at all.

I guess if the email itself is really worth forwarding, then we could 
delete all that stuff at the bottom of it.

Just my thoughts.

Blessings,
Pat Ferguson



At 05:33 PM 1/2/2008, you wrote:
>Email Curses, Hexes, and Spells
>
>By Phil Scovell
>
>
>
>
>      Now, don't become offended, or take it personally, as you
>read this article.  It is something I have been prayerfully
>considering for a long time.  Now just seems to be the time to
>write about it because I believe it is a spiritually important
>topic.  My many years of bulletin board and internet experience
>have also led me to how I feel concerning this subject.  I'm
>talking about 18 years of experience, owning at least 6 mailing
>lists once upon a time, and probably processing literally a
>million emails so far in my life time.
>
>      I know everyone with an email address has received Christian
>related email messages which tell a wonderful story.  I have read
>these for years.  These messages are often clones of the secular
>type which normally end with a tag line which reads, "If you don't
>forward this to your 10 best friends within 5 days, you will
>experience bad luck for a month."  Sometimes it will say just the
>opposite, that is, you will have amazingly good luck for a week.
>The variables on this theme are endless and I've literally seen
>hundreds of them.
>
>      The Christian stories have always intrigued me.  I mean, they
>sound true, they feel good, they are often miraculous stories, or
>cute and innocent reminders of a big loving chubby grandfatherly
>God somewhere up in the sky, stroking his long white beard as He
>is serenely looking down upon His little play world of innocent
>peoples whom He dearly loves regardless of their sins, but when
>you hit the tag line, wham!  You are belted with a threat of some
>type or another.  For example, "If you believe in prayer, forward
>this message to your friends.  If you want to really experience
>God's love, forward this message."  "If you love others, and
>believing in having friends, forward this to your best seven
>friends and be certain you also forward it back to me."  Again,
>they vary endlessly but they all sound somehow threatening and
>most certainly magical in nature.  The question is not, "Is the
>story real," but what is behind the tag line?  I don't
>necessarily believe it is an ominous evil curse designed to trash
>your complete life, but I do believe it is a curse, of sorts,
>which is very likely, in most cases, initiated by someone who
>doesn't believe in the salvitic message of the Bible and wants to
>see their own message come back a couple of months later to get a
>good belly laugh at Christians.
>
>      More sinister, in my opinion, is the curse that is delivered
>with the good old Christian story for which I have already stated
>examples.  Is it really a curse?  Good question.  Those who play
>around with the unseen world have no problem believing it is a
>curse that works.  Christians, on the other hand, think it is just
>good Christian works playing itself out on the global internet
>and, bless God, it is reaching millions of souls for Christ.  I,
>on the other hand, mostly consider them a story with a curse.
>Yes, I have forwarded them on myself over the years so don't get
>your tail in a knot because I am not criticizing anybody.  I am,
>on the other hand, suggesting you at least think about these email
>forwarded messages that come with a promise, a threat, or a curse
>or a guarantee.  Here is a classic example of what I mean.  Then
>I'll tell you what I do about such email messages.  A lady emailed
>this one to me and asked for my opinion.
>
>Beginning of Email.
>Subject: FW: 7x7x7
>
>               The cross is supposed to be swinging when you
>receive this.  I hope it still  is.  This is cool - had to pass
>it on.  I think we could all use a miracle.  I know I certainly
>can!!!
>
>You are in my 7 in 7 seconds.  I am not breaking this.   No way!
>I'M TOLD THIS WORKS!!!  Just repeat this prayer and see how God
>moves!!
>
>"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless
>me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name.  Amen."
>
>Share this message with 7 people and you will receive a miracle
>tomorrow.   I Hope that you don't ignore.  God bless.
>
>End of example.
>
>Sounds almost perfect, doesn't it?  It sure does.  The problem is,
>on the other hand, you are being promised something based upon a
>lie.  The very first question we should ask is, which Jesus is
>this message making promise.  Jesus the Christ, the Lord and
>Savior, or another Jesus.  You know, the one you get out of a book
>the one used as a swear word, or the demon who claims his name is
>Jesus?  If the latter doesn't seem true to you, then you don't
>know how to pray.  If you don't know how to pray, then, by all
>means, read and forward all these cute little emails you wish.  A
>year from now, let me know how it comes out.
>
>      Many years ago, I received, long before internet days, a
>similar message.  The message was sort of nice but the tagline,
>the promise that is, wasn't.  It literally said, you will be
>blessed if you forward this to your five best friends but if you
>didn't you'd have three weeks of bad luck.  No, I did not forward
>it nor did I pray against the curse it delivered.  The next three
>weeks of my life were like hell on earth.  I was audited by the
>IRS, I got a hernia which later needed surgery, and a whole bunch
>of other things, including deep dark depression, that plagued me
>for that period of time.  So, yes.  You bet I pray against each
>and every one of them no matter how cute they sound and how
>harmless they look.  I send the curse back to the original source,
>too.  No, not to the sender but to the original source of the
>email.
>
>4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
>through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
>5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
>itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
>every thought to the obedience of Christ;
>6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when
>your obedience is fulfilled, (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).
>
>
>The Curse That Works Is The One We Believe
>WWW.SafePlaceFellowship.com