Spiritual Spam

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to your inbox, a new threat arrives on the scene …. and this time it’s spiritual.

According to this article at ABC Online, some Christians are out to spread their own brand of evangelism via spam.

Internet users praying for salvation from junk mail face the new torment of “spiritual spam”.



Along with the flood of messages offering everything from mortgages to miracle cures, they are now being asked to repent and pray.

“We are seeing more and more of it. It appears to be on the rise,” Martin Lee of email security company MessageLabs said.

“It’s spiritual spam and almost all of it is Christian.”

When will these people understand the concept of more harm than good?

I wholeheartedly believe in Jesus and would like nothing better than for many more people to believe, but sending spam is only going to give Jesus a bad name. This makes it look as if Jesus is simply in the numbers game. Get the spam out, perhaps claim a few souls, harden many more. It just doesn’t make sense.

The article goes on to say: The spiritual spammers are after souls rather than cash.

“These are old-style evangelicals wanting to spread the message,” Mr Lee said.

In one typical example, recipients are warned: “Eternity is a really long time. If you or someone close to you has not accepted God, please do so today.”

Then came the prayer: “Deliver me from all my sinful habits. Set me free!”

Mmmm. I’m sure that messages like that will convince people to completely change their belief system. Not.

Jesus is not a product to be sold along with viagra, mortgages and porn sites. He is not just a system of beliefs and rules to be rigidly followed. He is alive and intimately interested in our lives.

Thankfully spiritual spam makes up less than 1% of the unwanted email that clutters our inboxes each day.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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