Do you think you are under a curse?

purethick

Hi there,
Check this leaflet out that I got through my door yesterday from the "UCKG HelpCentre". I find this revulsive, preying (or should that be praying) on vulnerable people in this manner. It just looks like a money extraction system for people who are down and who don't know any better. I guess I could be wrong on that front and that they provided some kind of useful support group....chances are though that someone is making €€€ from this.
Of course one could argue that if you are dumb/stupid enough to hand over to money to get rid of a "curse" then you deserve it...but that doesn't sit right with me.

I don't know much about advertising law but is this in violation of any of them in any way?

Any thoughts, comments etc?

magicbastarder

do you live in D7? i used to, and we'd get these fairly often.

my favourite one was the one featuring a testimony from someone who hit rock bottom after 'getting evolved with crack cocaine'.

Sycopat

Well there's nothing about money on it, and it claims to be free, but I'd be surprised if they weren't asking for "donations".

I find it's poor english, ridiculous belief in the occult, and testimonials from the woman who tried everything except actual medicine to be too much for me to take seriously though.

Which makes it worse really, because the people who do take it seriously must be people who don't know better, and that's probably not entirely their fault.

purethick

magicbastarder wrote: »

do you live in D7?

D8, not a million miles away from their HQ on Ardee St (near Cork St)

purethick

Sycopat wrote: »

Well there's nothing about money on it, and it claims to be free, but I'd be surprised if they weren't asking for "donations".

Yup, I'm sure the initial bit is free then they'll start putting pressure on ya to make donations

Sycopat wrote: »

Which makes it worse really, because the people who do take it seriously must be people who don't know better, and that's probably not entirely their fault.

Your last comment there about it not being their fault, surely that's a much more philosophical question. Personal responsibility etc.

purethick

Question: is this the correct forum for me to be posting this in?

Sycopat

purethick wrote: »

Yup, I'm sure the initial bit is free then they'll start putting pressure on ya to make donations

There we go then, always gets back to money somehow.:(

Your last comment there about it not being their fault, surely that's a much more philosophical question. Personal responsibility etc.

Undoubtedly, however I said not entirely their fault, not that they had no responsibility whatsoever. With all the tracts mistakes and general sillyness, the target audience must be idiots and the uneducated. Idiots there is no helping. The uneducated, well it can be surprisingly difficult for the uneducated to access information, even if they want to and actively seek it out.

It's hard to tell bull**** from not-bull**** if no one has ever taught you the difference.

And it saddens me to think that there are perfectly intelligent people out there getting trapped by bollocks like this just because no one ever taught them how to spot bollocks.

doctoremma

purethick wrote: »

I don't know much about advertising law but is this in violation of any of them in any way?

Any thoughts, comments etc?

There's a neat disclaimer on the reverse, saying they don't claim to heal and to always follow your doctor's orders.

purethick

doctoremma wrote: »

There's a neat disclaimer on the reverse, saying they don't claim to heal and to always follow your doctor's orders.

Ahh I missed that.

Also the leaflet passed through my letter box without impediment from the No Junk Mail sign :rolleyes:

purethick

Some more info (I hope I'm not spamming this forum btw)

www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/sep/23/asa-religious-poster-blessed-oil
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1314707/Purging-of-demons-nets-millions.html
www.guardian.co.uk/society/2003/may/09/charitymanagement.childprotection
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Church_of_the_Kingdom_of_God#Controversies

Ellis Dee

Chancers!

From the "mainstream" religions to the tiniest of niche cults, they are all about scaring people, who will pay up to ward off the threat that is painted for them. "Ye'll burn in Hell, unless ---":)

I'm surprised many people fall for that hogwash nowadays.:rolleyes:

aidan24326

Sycopat wrote: »

There we go then, always gets back to money somehow.:(

Always. Preying on the vulnerable, the uneducated and the naieve has always been a good business model.

It's hard to tell bull**** from not-bull**** if no one has ever taught you the difference.

And it saddens me to think that there are perfectly intelligent people out there getting trapped by bollocks like this just because no one ever taught them how to spot bollocks.

Oh for the day when Carl Sagan's 'Baloney Detection Kit' would be taught in every school.

NotForResale

"Hearing voices or noises no one else hears"

If someone is mentally ill these really could contribute to making things a lot worse.

18AD

purethick wrote: »

Also the leaflet passed through my letter box without impediment from the No Junk Mail sign :rolleyes:

You'll need better astral protection than a little incantation on your door. It's not exactly junk either. In their eyes anyway. You may just have to specify.

May I suggest a curse of your own: Non-specifc mail shall incur a demonic curse for gradual mental and neuroligcal degredation. €5 reversal fee. (Then scrawl some coptic/pentagram/quaballah on it. Although your neighbours might think you're the one who's lost the plot. Sad times.)

Note: The specific demon is Obecon. (See what I did there? Sounds legit.)

recedite

doctoremma wrote: »

There's a neat disclaimer on the reverse, saying they don't claim to heal and to always follow your doctor's orders.

They say it's God who is doing the healing, so presumably any litigation should be addressed directly to Him :pac:

They probably do enjoy some success at curing vague problems like mild depression or "things never go right for me." This because the "laying on of hands" would have a placebo effect. Also, talking things over with other people and feeling part of a community both have longer term benefits. The downside is that some people with genuine medical conditions will postpone seeking proper treatment.

iBumblebeetuna

18AD wrote: »

May I suggest a curse of your own: Non-specifc mail shall incur a demonic curse for gradual mental and neuroligcal degredation. €5 reversal fee. (Then scrawl some coptic/pentagram/quaballah on it. Although your neighbours might think you're the one who's lost the plot. Sad times.)

Note: The specific demon is Obecon. (See what I did there? Sounds legit.)

I don't know about this... You might be running the risk of being burnt alive in your house for being a witch.

18AD

iBumblebeetuna wrote: »

I don't know about this... You might be running the risk of being burnt alive in your house for being a witch.

Well you can cut out all the mystic stuff. And just write: I hope you die suddenly, after several months of grave misfortune, if you send me mail I don't want. It's as good, if not more powerful than magick. I don't think people would be willing to go as far as burning you down for just being a total d*ck (in their eyes). Amazing the different results you get from a change of phrasing.

Unfortunately the guy who brings the bills mightn't be too happy with that message. Collateral damage, I say.

:pac:

strobe

purethick wrote: »

Hi there,
Check this leaflet out that I got through my door yesterday from the "UCKG HelpCentre". I find this revulsive, preying (or should that be praying) on vulnerable people in this manner. It just looks like a money extraction system for people who are down and who don't know any better. I guess I could be wrong on that front and that they provided some kind of useful support group....chances are though that someone is making €€€ from this.
Of course one could argue that if you are dumb/stupid enough to hand over to money to get rid of a "curse" then you deserve it...but that doesn't sit right with me.

I don't know much about advertising law but is this in violation of any of them in any way?

Any thoughts, comments etc?

What filthy utter repugnant scum.

Canis Lupus

Bet that's run by Africans targeting primarily, other Africans. Generalisation sure but they go full retard for that juju stuff.

Wattle

These guys seem to be ramping up their recruitment drive in time for Easter. I'm based in rural Galway and got one of their newsletters through the door. The front page is titled CITY NEWS which is interesting because there's not any news about any city in it. I guess that's a ploy to make you open it and read further. The usual picking on the unfortunate and gullible. I wonder are they thinking of establishing centers outside of Dublin?

Kiwi in IE

Julie Tedeschi reports in that pamphlet that she was 'always contemplating suicide and would wake at 3am with a 'fear of dying'.

Slightly incongruent?

The scariest thing about that is that people believe it otherwise it wouldn't exist.

legspin

purethick wrote: »

Question: is this the correct forum for me to be posting this in?

And sure why not?

The category is Religion and Spirituality. Your post fits nicely here. Just because it doesn't deal specifically with gods doesn't mean that it's not pseudo-spiritual nonsense. It actually makes a bit of a change from the usual round of religious hogwash we get from the deluded.

Hotblack Desiato

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Julie Tedeschi reports in that pamphlet that she was 'always contemplating suicide and would wake at 3am with a 'fear of dying'.

Slightly incongruent?

Feel the fear and do it anyway? although that wasn't what they had in mind :pac:

Sad that in this day and age people still fall for this sort of crap. Although (cf. the Lourdes thread) the RCC isn't all that much better really.