Phil,
All I can say is a men.  I couldn'd have said it better.  
Vinny
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 4:33 PM
Subject: You can hate me now or later


> 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
>