Preying on the Weak

Yesterday I was 'blessed' to receive the following letter. Lucky for me (and you!) I opened it.

Of note on the front of the envelope:

• Postage states this is a nonprophet organization (pun intended)


• A 'very old church' - ooh.. must be hundreds of years old, maybe even going all the way back to Jesus' time!


• Vague message. What does it mean to be blessed, anyway?


• My home first! I'm so blessed!


• Someone went super crazy with the red highlighter. Calm down and step away from the office supplies, Jesus Christ!

The back of the envelope is really trying to get my attention, if the front wasn't enough.

Of note on the back of the envelope:

• Very smart. They give me web addresses I can go to.


• More red underlining. Ok, Jesus. Calm the feck down.


• Oh! the letter is blessed! Awesome!


• Very vague

The two websites are similar. They have a lot of bible verses, text in bold, and text in red. They say if you send in your prayer to them, they will pray 5 times a day for you.

BiblicalPrayer.com offers a free gift, a Blessed Cross,  "one of the most beautiful crosses in the world" which looks cheap even in the pictures. It seems like you can get it for free. In the envelope they have for you to print out to send in your request, there's nothing in there about a donation. Even the postage is paid for you.

Apparently, this church started in 1951. That's not what I'd call "very old". They say on the one site that they used to have revivals where up to 20,000 church members would come. Now, for some reason instead of continuing with those, they are mainly by mail. The sentence sort of just ends at the bottom of the page so they don't explain.

Ok, on to the letter that came in the envelope!

Let's Spot The Logical Fallacies!

I get spam or crazy emails every day. Most of them are not even worth acknowledging, but I got one yesterday that I thought was perfect for a Logical Fallacy clinic. This guy first tried to post this message as a comment a few times, then sent an even longer version as the following email. What I'm going to do is post it and then you get to Name the Logical Fallacies!

I am an old guy who has lived in more places than most even visit, done more different types of things than most even consider doing, much actually less do. And I have had many more professions than most.

As a result, I am more more experienced and knowledgeable than most. I am also an Agnostic Atheist Activist who has been an Atheist for around 67 of my 75 years & an Atheist Activist for over fifty years.

I tell you these things so you will know I have more than a clue about the things I share.

While this is about SKEPTICS i have written many other things which should be of interest to REAL "Rational" and Critical Thinkers" (I am very sad to report MANY Atheists are NOT other neither rational or logical than on any subject other than that on the existence of one or more gods.)

Yes, being a Skeptic is great!

ONLY do NOT let your Skeptiism Over Ride your common sense and your use of rational, logical and critical thought as James Randi and some others have.

Randi and some skeptics think because they do not know of something. it can not exist, or be true. They totally fail to even consider the possibility some things which ONLY sound as if they are "too good to be true" may actually BE true.

As I grew up during WWII, the surrender of the Japanese ending it, seemed to be, to the entire world, "too good to be true"

During the Cold War, the 101st Airborne the Division I was a paratrooper in at the time, came very close to parachuting in to Berlin when the Russians were building the Berlin Wall. (We were in the aircraft on the runway with the engines running waiting tor the "GO" Order.)

Years later, when I watched the Berlin Wall being torn down, I can assure you, it seemed to be "Too Good To Be True"

Every week, there are people who win lotteries and I am sure when they do, it seems, it IS "Too Good T Be True" to them.

The point is that SOMETIMES, things which sound or seem, Too Good Too Be True, actually ARE TRUE!

Randi "et all" do not take the advice of Benjamin Franklin and Herbert Spencer who said: "To condemn without investigation is nothing but sheer foolishness."
Ben Franklin

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument, and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance.
This principle is condemnation without investigation." Herbert Spencer

So, DO NOT BE, as Randi is, A FOOL!