Christians shut down Fortune Teller

[luvtinayothers]

http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/streets/tx/psychic-outreach.htm

At one point a woman appeared in the doorway of the the psychic's house and kept
asking us what were were doing. We shared with this woman the truth of the Gospel
and told her that Jesus is the only way and that witchcraft is evil. She said she was going
to call the police.

[hgc]

Caption to a picture: "The Psychic's little boy looks out the window."

... and I would add, "and wonders where his next meal is coming from."

The "lesser of 2 evils" concept comes to mind.

Oh, and here's the approbation from Leviticus that they highlight on their site:“I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people."
Lev 20:6Sounds like an attack on Pat Robertson.

[Silicon]

"That Palm reading is fakery and lies. We're here to tell you the Truth about the supernatural world!"


Now where did I misplace that irony meter?

[Keneke]

That's why I never did like people who picketed things they disagreed with. They're on a public sidewalk and that's not illegal, but if the psychic were truly doing something wrong, authorities should be called in. Obviously, the psychic is doing nothing wrong in the eyes of the law, but the picketers are hurting the psychics' business simply because of a disagreeance of philosophy.

Picketing is terrorism!

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by Silicon
"That Palm reading is fakery and lies. We're here to tell you the Truth about the supernatural world!"


Now where did I misplace that irony meter?

I always find it amazing the way that most religions (especially Christians) throw around the word 'truth'. Most of them wouldn't recognize truth if it came up and bit them in the @$$. That never stops them from claiming that their particular brand of delusion is truth (sometimes spoken in such a way that you can almost hear the capital letter T) and that any other philosophy is a lie. It's quite funny really.

[Marc]

Originally posted by Keneke
Picketing is terrorism!
That is a bit of an over exaduration. While I admit protesters can be offensive and threatening that is a result of their actions, not a nature of protesting. It is often used to protest something that is wrong, and maybe should be illegal, but is allowed due to loopholes in the law. For example there are many people who hold peaceful protests/pickets of Scientology. They use their actions to try and help inform people of the nature of the cult. A truly dangerous group which manages to hide and protect its destructive and fraudulent nature under the banner of freedom of religion.

If anything, from the videos and personal accounts I've seen if anyone is being terrorized in those cases it is the protesters.

[Doorknob]

Originally posted by luvtinayothers
At one point a woman appeared in the doorway of the the psychic's house and kept
asking us what were were doing.
If she's psychic, why did she have to ask? ;)

[calladus]

Originally posted by Doorknob

If she's psychic, why did she have to ask? ;)

I think you got it wrong. I believe the Church person was asking the psychic what the psychic was doing.

Now, if the church person were divinely inspired, maybe she would already know.

[Keneke]

Originally posted by Marc

It is often used to protest something that is wrong, and maybe should be illegal, but is allowed due to loopholes in the law.

The ends do not justify the means.

[Marc]

Originally posted by Keneke


The ends do not justify the means.

no they don't, but what is wrong with a peaceful protest?

[Tricky]

From the Devil's Dictionary of Ambrose Bierce... (http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/m.html)

MYTHOLOGY, n.
The body of a primitive people's beliefs concerning its origin, early history, heroes, deities and so forth, as distinguished from the true accounts which it invents later.

[Keneke]

Originally posted by Marc


no they don't, but what is wrong with a peaceful protest?

It's bad for business, at least to small business owners. It harms the livelihood of the victim solely because a group objects to it.

Besides, picketers have historically been workers vs. big business. I could possibly see that if they have no other discourse, but when picketers stand in front of this small business (that also looked like that woman's home), it becomes a much greater problem. It becomes harassment. Yes, I find psychics laughable (and maybe even dangerous), but there's a right way and a wrong way to do things.

It's this sort of forceful evangelising that drove me from the church. I abhor this false dilemma they create. It's not black or white, it's NEVER black or white.

[Marc]

I can agree with how picketing can be used to intimidate and abuse small businesses. But what about peaceful protests of say the Catholic Church and how they have handled abusers? Demonstrations to spread the word on the real nature of Scientology? Or just about any protest of government actions?

Honestly, a well conducted peaceful protest should not be intimidating to even small businesses. I've watched videos of protests of Scientology offices and functions. The only thing anyone has to fear from them is the truth.

[billiefan2000]

If these Christians care so much about stopping con artists,I would like to see them go after Paul Crouch and Jack Van Impe and others who hide behind Christianity to deceive people into giving them money.

[Keneke]

Scientology and the Catholic Church are not small businesses. Besides, there's much better ways to combat such things. Legal ways. Picketing is for the unimaginative. :D

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by billiefan2000
If these Christians care so much about stopping con artists,I would like to see them go after Paul Crouch and Jack Van Impe and others who hide behind Christianity to deceive people into giving them money.

Because I don't think these christians are out to stop con artists per se. They are out to try to stop a belief that runs contrary to their own, the con artist aspect is entirely incidental. The beliefs likes of Crouch and Van Impe do not fall into that category.

[Marc]

Originally posted by Keneke
Scientology and the Catholic Church are not small businesses. Besides, there's much better ways to combat such things. Legal ways. Picketing is for the unimaginative. :D

Have you looked at what happens when someone tries to deal with Scientology through legal actions? It ain't pretty!

You may thing picketing is unimaginative, but heck, it helps to spread the word to people who probably don't go online and find out this kind of information. It also might reach some people on the inside when they see how the people in charge overreact to any kind of picketing. (usually hiding)

[c4ts]

Originally posted by Marc


Have you looked at what happens when someone tries to deal with Scientology through legal actions? It ain't pretty!

I hear they have invincible lawyers trained by Xenu himself.

Legal action against Scientology is not the path to victory. You'd have better luck attempting to sic the Taliban and the KKK on them.

[billiefan2000]

Originally posted by Nyarlathotep


Because I don't think these christians are out to stop con artists per se. They are out to try to stop a belief that runs contrary to their own, the con artist aspect is entirely incidental. The beliefs likes of Crouch and Van Impe do not fall into that category.


Nyarlathotep that is so true,and I as a Christian asm sickened by the self righteous Christian Leaders who do nothing to reign in the frauds like Hinn and Crouch and Van Impe and I wish and hope the Humanists and Atheists and Liberals start taking shots at the Christian Community for this,cause I am sick of many of my Christian Brethren doing nothing to stop folks like Van Impe and others who are a insult and disgrace to Christianity,but will go over a "self proclaimed psychic"

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by billiefan2000



Nyarlathotep that is so true,and I as a Christian asm sickened by the self righteous Christian Leaders who do nothing to reign in the frauds like Hinn and Crouch and Van Impe and I wish and hope the Humanists and Atheists and Liberals start taking shots at the Christian Community for this,cause I am sick of many of my Christian Brethren doing nothing to stop folks like Van Impe and others who are a insult and disgrace to Christianity,but will go over a "self proclaimed psychic"

The only person I can speak for is myself but I take the attitude that a fraud is a fraud is a fraud. Whether thre fraud claims to get his powers from spirits, from 'psychic abilities', or from God is irrelevant. I am willing to bet though, that many (probably even most) of the posters on this board feel the same way. I don't run in religious circles though, so I have no idea how prevalent that idea is among Christians. I wouldn't be surprrised if there were some who felt the same way.

My suggestion to you, since you seem to feel strongly about the issue, is that you begin doing what you can about it yourself. Who knows, maybe other Christians who feel the same as you will join you.

[Brown]

Many churches and ministers have spoken out against pseudoscientific practices such as use of mediums, Ouija boards, channeling, astrology, and the like. Many of the churches and ministers, however, have spoken out against these practices for the wrong reasons.

They attack these practices becuase they are "of the devil." In other words, they take the position that these practices do indeed work, but the source of their power is evil rather than good.

A better approach is to say that these practices are bad because they are nonsense and they don't work. These practices are a waste of time and money, and it is a sin to waste time and money on such fraudulent folly.

In other words, the churches and ministers should urge their followers to apply some critical thinking to supernatural claims. Many (but not all) churches and ministers are hesitant to urge their followers to apply critical thinking, however, because the followers might apply the same critical thinking to church dogma, which church leaders fear would result in a disaster.