Kabbalist- him go Bye Bye

[Badly Shaved Monkey]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1605817,00.html

I guess the bit of red string didn't keep the police away.

[ysabella]

:jaw-dropp

I know someone who studies Kabbalah. The more she says about it, the more it disturbs me - but this news story is worse by several orders of magnitude.

[AnotherSillyAlias]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1605817,00.html

I guess the bit of red string didn't keep the police away.

Wow, certainly makes me want to join up. I wonder where I should send my money?

[Mojo]

I wasn't sure whether to put it here or in R+P, so it ended up in General Skepticism... (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=46850)

[Mojo]

I know someone who studies Kabbalah. The more she says about it, the more it disturbs me - but this news story is worse by several orders of magnitude.I find the fact that these people seem to be being brought to book slightly encouraging, actually.

[ysabella]

Yes, true, but I'm willing to bet that the answer is "Well, that wasn't the real Kabbalah Center." Or something similar.

[logical muse]

Yes, true, but I'm willing to bet that the answer is "Well, that wasn't the real Kabbalah Center." Or something similar.

Yeah and they aren't the real bits of red string either.

[ysabella]

Actually, I read somewhere that they aren't. The thread is supposed to be strung up a certain way in a certain tomb in Israel before it's cut up for bracelets, but apparently nobody has ever seen anyone throwing the red thread around in that tomb.

"We substituted these Kabbalah followers' red threads with Folger's instant crystals! Let's watch and see who notices."

[logical muse]

The thread is supposed to be strung up a certain way in a certain tomb in Israel before it's cut up for bracelets

Ha! I was right! :D

So the test is to have some people wear the "fake" thread and some people wear the "real" thread, and after 30 days we see who has more money left.

[AnotherSillyAlias]

Ha! I was right! :D

So the test is to have some people wear the "fake" thread and some people wear the "real" thread, and after 30 days we see who has more money left.

Hmm.. how do we double blind this?

[logical muse]

Well, the kaballahoos are blind already... ;)

[ysabella]

I guess we give some the real tomb-charged thread bracelets, and some of them fake threads, and maybe a control group of threadless people. And then we throw negative thoughts at them, which we seem to have a head start on. :D

[Loon]

Yes, true, but I'm willing to bet that the answer is "Well, that wasn't the real Kabbalah Center." Or something similar.

In a sense, that's true. The Kaballah has nothing to do with bits of red string. It's a sort of Jewish mystic take on Chakras for the Universe. It doens't have anything to do with cancer or red string or madonna or whatnot. Maybe think of it as Jewish zen or something.

[ysabella]

Well, I've heard of its source, but my friend attends the Kabbalah Center that's in L.A., actually. The one Madonna used to go to, etc. I'm sure she thinks it's the One True Center for Kaballah-matic Jewish Mysticism.

[Darat]

Hmm.. how do we double blind this? Enclose each thread in an opaque resin with a serial number.

[CFLarsen]

Enclose each thread in an opaque resin with a serial number.

Since this rules out trick....sorry, blocks out the spirits, it can't be allowed.

[Rolfe]

There was a TV expose of this a few months ago. Rachel's tomb is in Palestinian territory, not easily accessible, and there was no evidence of any activity consistent with all that string being wrapped. When the reporter got there, a young Rabbi showed him round, then he took a bit of red string out of his pocket and said, here, have this, this really has been wrapped round Rachel's tomb. Free. And there was a sort of grin like, for all the good it will do you.

Rolfe.