Have you ever played around with a ouija board? If so, did anything ever happen?

[BrianL]

Oh, and in the 80’s, some declared even Care Bears as evil, because they had some cuddly bear magic or something. Those folks must have ran when they first saw a Furby.

Oh, yes, there was a lot of moral panic about 80's cartoons and other media aimed at kids. They touch on this with the Dungeons & Dragons controversy seen on the latest season of Stranger Things. There really were a lot of parents groups against it. Characters like Skeletor and Mum-Ra were also targets as they were monstrous and cast spells. There was a belief that subliminal messages were being embedded in cartoon shows, so the producers at G.I. Joe actually hid one in some backwards chanting that when played back has the character voice say something like "Anyone looking for subliminal messages in this show is a fool!"

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I don't think they're much different than a magic 8 ball, just slightly more elaborate. IDK though, maybe some see the magic 8 ball as being sinister too.

Magic 8 balls aren’t historically associated with evil.

Black cats are also historically associated with evil, but that hasn't prevented me from having one. And, I'm not even scared of him, he's super sweet.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Black cats are also historically associated with evil, but that hasn't prevented me from having one. And, I'm not even scared of him, he's super sweet.

This is true but that more of just folklore. I’m a cat person, so I think they’re all cute to be honest. Ouija boards are different entirely to me due to their purpose and the fact that I’m religious.

 

[JLTraveling]

This is true but that more of just folklore. I’m a cat person, so I think their all cute to be honest. Ouija boards are different entirely to me due to their purpose and the fact that I’m religious.

It's not just folklore, though. The "black cats are evil" thing dates back to Pope Gregory IX in 1233, and popped again with Pope Innocent VII in 1486. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/why-do-black-cats-have-a-reputation-for-evil

By contrast, the Ouija board was invented as a parlor game in 1891, and didn't develop a reputation for evil or demonic possession until 1973, after the release of The Exorcist. https://atrpsychics.com/are-ouija-boards-evil/

So it would seem to me that there's a lot of cherry picking going on in modern religious circles, deciding which things are harmless and which are evil based on what? Pop culture? Modern reputation? Who knows? And that's all I'm going to say on the topic.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This is true but that more of just folklore. I’m a cat person, so I think their all cute to be honest. Ouija boards are different entirely to me due to their purpose and the fact that I’m religious.

My feelings about this don’t have anything to do with religion.

I think there’s a difference between religion and spirituality.

 

[BrianL]

Black cats are also historically associated with evil, but that hasn't prevented me from having one. And, I'm not even scared of him, he's super sweet.

Well, it's not just black ones, but ALL cats are just a little bit evil.

 

[Buzz Rules]

It's not just folklore, though. The "black cats are evil" thing dates back to Pope Gregory IX in 1233, and popped again with Pope Innocent VII in 1486. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/why-do-black-cats-have-a-reputation-for-evil

By contrast, the Ouija board was invented as a parlor game in 1891, and didn't develop a reputation for evil or demonic possession until 1973, after the release of The Exorcist. https://atrpsychics.com/are-ouija-boards-evil/

So it would seem to me that there's a lot of cherry picking going on in modern religious circles, deciding which things are harmless and which are evil based on what? Pop culture? Modern reputation? Who knows? And that's all I'm going to say on the topic.

The same time period thought if you could swim, you must be a witch. I just view ouija boards differently and strictly as a bad thing.

 

[Buzz Rules]

My feelings about this don’t have anything to do with religion.

I think there’s a difference between religion and spirituality.

Different but similar.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Well, it's not just black ones, but ALL cats are just a little bit evil.

No, they’re all lovely and unique. Just like all people.

 

[JLTraveling]

Well, it's not just black ones, but ALL cats are just a little bit evil.

As our longtime vet once said, NOBODY ever owned a cat.

The same time period thought if you could swim, you must be a witch. I just view ouija boards differently and strictly as a bad thing.

Exactly my point. And you are certainly entitled to your own beliefs. I personally just try to look at context before declaring anything to be uniformly good or bad. Most definitely not saying you have to agree with me though

 

[Buzz Rules]

As our longtime vet once said, NOBODY ever owned a cat.


Exactly my point. And you are certainly entitled to your own beliefs. I personally just try to look at context before declaring anything to be uniformly good or bad. Most definitely not saying you have to agree with me though

True. And I totally respect your beliefs as well.

 

[BrianL]

No, they’re all lovely and unique. Just like all people.

Oh, they are, but I love them anyway. I am trapped in their thrall!

As our longtime vet once said, NOBODY ever owned a cat.

Nope - they are the ones who own us!

 

[Mysterian]

The same time period thought if you could swim, you must be a witch. I just view ouija boards differently and strictly as a bad thing.

What do you think leads people to believe swimmers are witches? Some people today even think the Monster Energy logo is evil, because it uses the "Hebrew version of 666". It's almost as though people are actively seeking something evil to point a finger at.

I guarantee you the military would be using Ouija boards if they were a reliable source of intel and the means to summon spirits in enemy territory. And then the enemies could retaliate by opening a Dybbuk box they bought at Spencer's gifts. "Dreamcatchers incoming!"

Carl Sagan has a great analogy called the Dragon in the Garage, which is an example of presenting a claim and repeatedly moving the goal post to avoid scrutiny. Can't see the dragon? It's invisible. No footprints? It's levitating. Can't feel it? It's incorporeal. And so on.

"How is this invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire different than no dragon at all? If there’s no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? Your inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true."

 

[Buzz Rules]

What do you think leads people to believe swimmers are witches? Some people today even think the Monster Energy logo is evil, because it uses the "Hebrew version of 666". It's almost as though people are actively seeking something evil to point a finger at.

I guarantee you the military would be using Ouija boards if they were a reliable source of intel and the means to summon spirits in enemy territory. And then the enemies could retaliate by opening a Dybbuk box they bought at Spencer's gifts. "Dreamcatchers incoming!"

Carl Sagan has a great analogy called the Dragon in the Garage, which is an example of presenting a claim and repeatedly moving the goal post to avoid scrutiny. Can't see the dragon? It's invisible. No footprints? It's levitating. Can't feel it? It's incorporeal. And so on.

"How is this invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire different than no dragon at all? If there’s no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? Your inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true."

Well, I’ll put it this way without breaking any rules. Some of us have experienced some forms of a supernatural experience. Not everything can (or at least currently) be explained by science. I don’t think anyone on the Disboards that has claimed to have seen a ghost is nuts. If a book gets thrown by itself off a bookshelf across the room, what’s your first reaction?

 

[JLTraveling]

Well, I’ll put it this way without breaking any rules. Some of us have experienced some forms of a supernatural experience. Not everything can (or at least currently) be explained by science. I don’t think anyone on the Disboards that has claimed to have seen a ghost is nuts. If a book gets thrown by itself off a bookshelf across the room, what’s your first reaction?

But what makes a particular entity or, more relevant to this discussion, a particular item inherently evil? I believe there's a friendly poltergeist in my house. It seems to be the best way to explain the weird random stuff that happens. Could be something else entirely, perhaps even coincidence. But if it IS a poltergeist, I'd never classify her as evil...for what, changing the TV channel and knocking over stuff that isn't breakable?

Back to Ouija boards. The current versions are manufactured by Hasbro. A board game company. Is Hasbro evil? Are a piece of cardboard and a piece of plastic evil? Are letters and numbers and the words Yes and No evil? Or does the evil come into play based on what a particular user might do with it...ie, attempt to contact or actually contact a demon?

I'm treading a fine line here, so I'll use a neutral example: the car. Surely we can all agree that cars aren't evil (the movie Christine notwithstanding). But people have committed very evil acts using cars as a tool, such as intentionally driving them into a crowd of people.

Unless you believe that someone at Hasbro is in a back room somewhere putting curses on Ouija boards (in which case I hope you steer clear of all their other products, because clearly the company has issues!), I guess I'm having trouble following what makes the Ouija board, in and of itself, evil.

 

[Mysterian]

Well, I’ll put it this way without breaking any rules. Some of us have experienced some forms of a supernatural experience. Not everything can (or at least currently) be explained by science. I don’t think anyone on the Disboards that has claimed to have seen a ghost is nuts. If a book gets thrown by itself off a bookshelf across the room, what’s your first reaction?

I've never had that happened, and don't see how it could happen outside the natural laws of physics.
The better question is: Why would someone assume something moving to automatically mean a ghost or poltergeist?

I remember the Brady Bunch where Greg pulled a UFO hoax on Peter and Bobby, who totally bought into it. If they never found out the truth, they would have lived their lives thinking they saw a flying saucer.
Sometimes a paranormal oddity isn't an alien or a ghost. Sometimes it's just the incredibly basic Greg Brady.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

"Basic Greg Brady" now you have gone and done it. Barry Williams is a high ranking member in the Ch()rch of S_t_n. A Dybbuk box containing a certain Hawaiian Tiki Idol is being placed on your doorstep as I write this.

 

[Mysterian]

"Basic Greg Brady" now you have gone and done it. Barry Williams is a high ranking member in the Ch()rch of S_t_n. A Dybbuk box containing a certain Hawaiian Tiki Idol is being placed on your doorstep as I write this.

The Church of Stan?

 

[mylilnikita]

I haven’t used one and now that I am older I don’t think the board is bad but I also I don’t believe in trying to contact another world on purpose by any means because you may not get what you want. You may get something dark.