QOTW: Religious SCAMS

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
QOTW: Religious SCAMS
20
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 6:43pm

We've all heard of them... heartbreaking stories of people already suffering pain and hardship being taken advantage of by someone claiming to represent God or some particular religion.  (The movie Leap of Faith starring Steve Martin, or the recent mention in another thread where the poster was pushed to simulate being slain by the spirit both come to mind.) 


Have you ever been involved in one?  Or maybe just approached by or met someone that you suspected was a scam artist?  Tell us about your experience.  How did you figure out it was a scam, or what made you suspect it was? 


 



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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-11-2004
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 6:50pm

I probably shouldn't answer this...Right now I am enraged at my inlaws church. They do, honestly, have the right to belong to the church of their choice. I know that, I just don't like what it is doing to my MIL.


My FIL is a pervert, a pig, a skunk....he has verbally sexually harassed all 3 DILs, and even physically harassed me. And my BILS (one is a minister), the pastor of MILs church and FIL all say that, despite FILs activities, she can't leave him. So she doesn't.


I call that a scam....


Told you I shouldn't have answered this



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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2002
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 7:34pm

I believe a cult tried to recruit me once. This guy who I worked with invited all the women in the office to a "girls' night out" that his church was having. I thought it sounded like fun, so I went. At this event, they handed out cards asking if you were interested in Bible study, I answered, "maybe." After that, they brought me to an evening event, and at other times smothered me with attention- sending groups of people to my apartment, etc. I thought it strange that the members said they would only date members of this church, and that this church even used dating as part of its doctrine (if anyone asks, I'm not sure I can explain that one, but these guys were not the "Children of God" folks!)

What finally led me to get away from these folks was one Bible study they had (at a condo where several of them lived together). They were throwing Gospel passages at me that they wanted to say meant I should follow God (read: THEM) "immediately." I found this suspect, and I started asking questions. One thing that came up in these questions was that they thought that anyone who did not belong to their "church" was going to hell. The next day I left a message at this condo asking them not to contact me again, and furthermore, that they could not tell me that Mother Theresa was going to hell because she did not belong to their church!

Express!
Beth "Petrouchka" (who is a Catholic that believes Mother Theresa currently occupies a special place in Heaven)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 8:45pm

Once, I was approached by a certain cultish church
at a mall.


~*~ Aloha to all .... ~*~

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2001
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 9:11pm

Our DD, 16, was roped into a "Teen Night" by a girlfriend with her church youth group. She was told there would be music, dancing, games to play, sodas & snacks. Turned out each friend invited one non church member friend. And they bombarded everyone with evangelizing. My DD was really mad and felt her friend had lied to her to get her to go. Needless to say, that friendship was over. <:=o

Anybody who comes on too strong with religion is a red flag to me and I automatically distance myself.

Gypsy



Blessings,

Gypsy

)O(



iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2004
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 9:41pm
Luckily I've never been involved or approached with any type of scam, but like one of the other posters said, If they are coming on too strong it would be a red flag for me.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2003
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 10:20pm

This is a third party experience, but I'll share it nonetheless!


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 11:20pm

Lemme guess.... they're going by the Bible verse that says you can only divorce if there's infidelity, right?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 11:24pm

Yikes!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2006
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 12:33am

I have had a few weird (in my opinion)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-16-2001
Wed, 08-30-2006 - 11:14pm

Thankfully, I've never been approached by these kinds of groups. Well, I have, but all they got out of me was a smile, a shake of my head and I just walked on.


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