Recently in Fleecing the Gullible Category

England: At least three people in London with HIV have died after they stopped taking life saving drugs on the advice of their Evangelical Christian pastors.

The women died after attending churches in London where they were encouraged to stop taking the antiretroviral drugs in the belief that God would heal them, their friends and a leading HIV doctor said.

The church is headed by Pastor T B Joshua, Nigeria's third richest clergyman, according to a recent Forbes richlist.

Mary Buhari, 44 , from central London, told the BBC she had had a phone conversation with a representative of the church, in which she was told she could be cured of HIV.

I was told they can cure any illness on Earth through prayer, including HIV, she said.

Also, Prof. Jane Anderson was quoted as saying: We see patients quite often who will come having expressed the belief that if they pray frequently enough, their HIV will somehow be cured.

Church HIV prayer cure claims 'cause three deaths' —BBC London news, 18th October 2011.

England: This is the first paragraph.

It is curious that atheists have proved to be so intolerant of those who have a faith, He said.

As opposed to those having faith persecuting, lets see:
Women, jews, other ("the wrong" sort of christian/muslim) believers, "witches", scientists, or anyone who asks awkward questions, presumably.

Your author would love to accuse the smug and ignorant Patten of lying, but he cannot.
That is because Patten has been so obviously completely brainwashed by the all-encompassing propaganda of the RC church that it is plain that he is simply deluded.

Unfortunately this delusional has-been has just been appointed chairman of the BBC trust!

Lord Patten attacks 'intolerant' secularists
—Daily Telegraph 24th April 2011.

Today's stunning bargain is this Mercury Retrograde Spray from the Daily OM. It can be yours for a mere $17.95 for a 4oz bottle, which translates as nearly 11 quid for 113.6ml. So, what does this remarkable substance do?

The Mercury Retrograde Balancer Spray is a tool to help influence the powerful positive and negative mental and energetic effects of Mercury retrograde.… To Use: Spray around yourself and your home and work space to protect you from the negative effects of Mercury in retrograde.

Apparently, when Mercury goes retrograde one often feels mentally wobbly, forgetful, and introverted. Mentally wobbly enough, it seems, to buy something like this!

Thanks to Geri Corvus for drawing this fabulous product to my attention. The site also looks like it will feature in Bargain of the Day in future.

Israel

Jesus crucifiction nails "found"

The film, 'The Nails of the Cross' by Simcha Jacobovici, follows three years of research during which he presents his assertions - some based on empirical data, others requiring much imagination and a leap of faith.

He hails the find as historic, but most experts and scholars dismissed his case as far-fetched, some calling it a publicity stunt.

Some of us might actually call it the demented ravings of a complete head-case, actually.

—Daily Telegraph, 13th February 2011.

United Kingdom:

MPs have asked ministers to explain why £1.85m ($3m) from the international development budget was spent on the Pope's UK visit in September....

Committee chairman Malcolm Bruce said ministers should explain what the money was spent on and how it tallies with our commitments on overseas aid.

So, a demented old man, in charge of the biggest, and richest group of followers of Bronze-Age goatherders' myths gets British Government aid.

Apparently at the expense of the poor in the third world.

How like the dearly beloved [not ] "Mother" Theresa!

MPs query £1.85m overseas aid spent on Pope visit — BBC News, 3rd February 2011.

United Kingdom: We always thought Baroness Thatcher was (and is) completely potty! This article from the Daily Torygraph seems to confirm the worst.

The question then arises, I suppose, which is (or was) worse, an openly receptive person to religious quackery, or one who keeps quiet about it?

Oh, dearie, dearie me.

GT.

Margaret Thatcher held secret meetings with Indian mystic—Daily Telegraph, 29th January 2011.

England: The Church of England has come clean and admitted that Easter is nothing but an appropriated pagan festival. The admission isn't intentional, though. The Church is producing a product to remind people of the real meaning of Easter. Their choice of symbol? An egg, starring their highly original zombie deity. Perhaps they'd like to further remind us by crucifying a few rabbits?

Church of England egg hopes to unveil the true meaning of Easter-The Guardian, 30th September 2010.

United Kingdom: Special diets foods retailer Goodness Direct is a front for the coercive cult, the Jesus Army.

I am privileged to have a reasonable (for the UK) whole foods shop close to where I live, but for more unusual animal-free products, I have good personal experience of shopping with Vegan Store, which appears to be a small, independent, vegan-owned company. Comments about alternative suppliers of gluten-free products in the UK would be welcomed by some of my friends.

United Kingdom: I'm still busy dinking with the back-end, so I leave it to Richard Bartholomew to observe that the Satanic abuse myth "true believers" didn't go away when their ridiculous allegations were proved to be hate-driven lies, they just evolved: Satanic Panic Rides Again.

From Failblog

It seems there are a number of companies taking advantage of people gullible enough to buy tap water packaged in religious bottles:

Inspired, perhaps, by vitamin and energy waters, a number of new companies have begun making more explicit claims: their water doesn't just promote good health, it actually makes you good. Holy Drinking Water, produced by a California-based company called Wayne Enterprises, is blessed in the warehouse by an Anglican or Roman Catholic priest (after a thorough background check). Like a crucifix or a rosary, a bottle of Holy Drinking Water is a daily reminder to be kind to others, says Brian Germann, Wayne's CEO. Another company makes Liquid OM, superpurified bottled water containing vibrations that promote a positive outlook. Invented by Kenny Mazursky, a sound therapist in Chicago, the water purportedly possesses an energy field that Mazursky makes by striking a giant gong and Tibetan bowls in its vicinity. He says the good energy can be felt not just after you drink the water but before, when you're holding the bottle.

The most recent entry in this niche is Spiritual Water. It's purified municipal water, sold with 10 different Christian labels. The Virgin Mary bottle, for example, has the Hail Mary prayer printed on the back in English and Spanish. Spiritual Water helps people to stay focused, believe in yourself and believe in God, says Elicko Taieb, the Florida-based company's founder who was formerly in the pest-control business. All three companies give a portion of their profits to charity.

Bless This Bottled Water—Newsweek, 17th December 2007 (thanks, Novice Nun the Wiser OPI).

Kathryn Cramer gets better spam than I do!

It is with great honor and pleasure that I the President and Founder of the only Portuguese Association of Exorcists located in Fatima, Portugal, wish to introduce to you our goals and objectives in anticipation of your future collaboration with our organization....

He's been dead for less than a day, and already eBay is flooded with Jerry Falwell related memorabilia. Much of it is just stuff like signed books, but some of it is interesting. Carat Queen was impressively quick off the mark in producing this Jerry Falwell Memorial tribute magnet

The wags were quick to respond to his demise too. For example, you can buy One Pound of Lard. Own a Portion of Jerry Falwell ! (Not his ubiquitous lard, but rather lard JUST LIKE HIS!):

Up for auction is one pound of lard - exactly like the lard which composed Jerry Falwell. Place this tub of lard high on a shelf or on your mantle, should you need a tub of lard to look-up to. Place this lard on the back of a donkey or pig should you need a tub of lard to mindlessly follow.

The perfect keepsake with which to remember him.

Or how about a nice painting in his memory? Perhaps JERRY FALWELL IN HELL - acrylic painting! with Satan! fits the bill?

This is your chance to own what is probably the first contemporary art painting of religious-right extremist JERRY FALWELL to be done following his death earlier today (May 15th). This is also a very rare chance to purchase Jeffrey Scott Holland (me)'s primitive neo-expressionist artwork at such a low price on eBay, thanks to the good people at Superfrothco.

The painting isn't pictured here because I'm working on it right now, even as we speak.

It's acrylic on bristol and measures 8.5x11. It will portray Rev. Falwell arriving in Hell, surrounded by flames, and coming face to face with Satan, who's laughing hysterically, not unlike the way he often does in a Jack Chick comic.