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
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