FREE TAPATALK APP

Badly Shaved Monkey · 1st November 2005, 02:41 PM

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/S...605817,00.html

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

ysabella · 1st November 2005, 04:27 PM

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 · 1st November 2005, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Badly Shaved Monkey

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/S...605817,00.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 · 1st November 2005, 05:31 PM

I wasn't sure whether to put it here or in R+P, so it ended up in General Skepticism...

Mojo · 1st November 2005, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by ysabella

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 · 1st November 2005, 08:03 PM

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 · 1st November 2005, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by ysabella

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 · 1st November 2005, 09:46 PM

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 · 1st November 2005, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by ysabella

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!

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 · 1st November 2005, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by logical muse

Ha! I was right!

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 · 1st November 2005, 09:57 PM

Well, the kaballahoos are blind already...

ysabella · 1st November 2005, 10:09 PM

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.

Loon · 1st November 2005, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by ysabella

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 · 1st November 2005, 10:13 PM

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 · 2nd November 2005, 01:44 AM

Originally Posted by AnotherSillyAlias

Hmm.. how do we double blind this?

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

CFLarsen · 2nd November 2005, 04:31 AM

Originally Posted by Darat

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 · 2nd November 2005, 02:10 PM

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.

1st November 2005, 02:41 PM	#1
Badly Shaved Monkey Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Outside a banana and far from a razor Posts: 5,264	Kabbalist- him go Bye Bye http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/S...605817,00.html I guess the bit of red string didn't keep the police away.
	__________________ "i'm frankly surprised homeopathy does as well as placebo" Anonymous homeopath. "Alas, to wear the mantle of Galileo it is not enough that you be persecuted by an unkind establishment; you must also be right." (Robert Park) Is the pen is mightier than the sword? Its effectiveness as a weapon is certainly enhanced if it is sharpened properly and poked in the eye of your opponent.

1st November 2005, 04:27 PM	#2
ysabella Muse Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 705	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.
	__________________ "The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism." - Sir William Osler

1st November 2005, 05:31 PM	#4
Mojo Mostly harmless Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Nor Flanden Posts: 22,475	I wasn't sure whether to put it here or in R+P, so it ended up in General Skepticism...
	__________________ "You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield "The poor mystic homeopaths feel like petted house-cats thrown at high flood on the breaking ice." - Leon Trotsky

1st November 2005, 05:34 PM	#5
Mojo Mostly harmless Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Nor Flanden Posts: 22,475	Originally Posted by ysabella 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.
	__________________ "You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield "The poor mystic homeopaths feel like petted house-cats thrown at high flood on the breaking ice." - Leon Trotsky

1st November 2005, 08:03 PM	#6
ysabella Muse Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 705	Yes, true, but I'm willing to bet that the answer is "Well, that wasn't the real Kabbalah Center." Or something similar.
	__________________ "The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism." - Sir William Osler

1st November 2005, 04:41 PM	#3
AnotherSillyAlias Vortex of Despair Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheep country, Eastern Oz Posts: 1,585	Originally Posted by Badly Shaved Monkey http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/S...605817,00.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?

1st November 2005, 09:04 PM	#7
logical muse LogMu Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,082	Originally Posted by ysabella 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.
logical muse LogMu Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,082	__________________ how to spell definitely evolution is not just a theory "Far from terminating the vicious regress, God aggravates it with a vengeance." -- Richard Dawkins

1st November 2005, 09:46 PM	#8
ysabella Muse Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 705	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."
	__________________ "The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism." - Sir William Osler

1st November 2005, 09:50 PM	#9
logical muse LogMu Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,082	Originally Posted by ysabella 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! 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.
logical muse LogMu Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,082	__________________ how to spell definitely evolution is not just a theory "Far from terminating the vicious regress, God aggravates it with a vengeance." -- Richard Dawkins

1st November 2005, 09:51 PM	#10
AnotherSillyAlias Vortex of Despair Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheep country, Eastern Oz Posts: 1,585	Originally Posted by logical muse Ha! I was right! 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?

1st November 2005, 09:57 PM	#11
logical muse LogMu Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,082	Well, the kaballahoos are blind already...
logical muse LogMu Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,082	__________________ how to spell definitely evolution is not just a theory "Far from terminating the vicious regress, God aggravates it with a vengeance." -- Richard Dawkins

1st November 2005, 10:09 PM	#12
ysabella Muse Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 705	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.
	__________________ "The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism." - Sir William Osler

1st November 2005, 10:09 PM	#13
Loon Med Student Roberts Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: in ur base, killin' ur d00dz Posts: 2,107	Originally Posted by ysabella 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.
	__________________ Happiness is the worst teacher. Flush Bunk Forum WoW

1st November 2005, 10:13 PM	#14
ysabella Muse Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 705	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.
	__________________ "The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism." - Sir William Osler

2nd November 2005, 01:44 AM	#15
Darat Lackey Administrator / JREF Forum Liaison Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: South East, UK Posts: 64,975	Originally Posted by AnotherSillyAlias Hmm.. how do we double blind this? Enclose each thread in an opaque resin with a serial number.
	__________________ If it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 1918-2008

2nd November 2005, 04:31 AM	#16
CFLarsen Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 42,804	Originally Posted by Darat 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.
	__________________ SkepticReport.com

2nd November 2005, 02:10 PM	#17
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,406	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.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.