I've always wondered if there really was anything to them.
What's an OUIJA BOARD?
by White Dove 26 Replies latest jw friends
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shamus100
If I was a dub, it would be a piece of wood that demons inhabit. It will ruin your life until you burn it. One couple burned theirs and it would not BURN!!! It's only when they made a prayer to Jehovah did it go flying out of the fire and blew up in a ball of flames.... (ya right)
Actually, it's a piece of wood with the alphabet, and yes and no on opposite corners. It's quite stupid really, and doesn't work (obviously!). If you're no longer a dub, why don't you go buy one and see how stupid it is. Or better yet, go buy a coffee and go for a walk.
Really, they are quite silly. I think that they're made to spook teenagers - or developmentally challenged gullible religious fanatics.
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JH
OUIJA
OUI as in YES
JA as in Jehovah
Yes Jehovah
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White Dove
I've heard that people actually get reactions from them. I'm not gullable, but at the same time I'm open to possibilities and that causes me to question everything and doubt at the same time. I'm thinking of getting one to see if there is anything to them, but I really want to know others' experiences with them, even if they got no response at all. You think they give the pointer a little push without realizing it?
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shamus100
No, it never worked for me, White Dove. A waste of time.
Remember, you're talking to a pagan realist who doesn't believe in the afterlife. I think they sell them at Toys R Us. (I'm serious)
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nvrgnbk
You think they give the pointer a little push without realizing it?
The power of suggestion?
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White Dove
Hahaha! Yes, I've seen them at Toys-R-Us and that told me something right there. I guess I just want to prove that they are just wood and ink. I have so much stuff in my house that by JW standards should fly around the room and try to kill me and the kids, but don't. I'm a pagan realist, myself but am open to possibilities. So, I test things for myself. I noticed that the ones who say there is a reaction tend to be kids and teens. I've never read about an adult having real reactions for one like it's described on the box.
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nvrgnbk
Hahaha! Yes, I've seen them at Toys-R-Us and that told me something right there.
Here's a concise history...
The Ouija and Talking Boards
In the mid-19th century, the world was bitten by the spiritualist bug. Spiritualists believed it was an undeniable scientific fact that there was life after death and that a person's religious beliefs shouldn't be burdened by rules and structure. This notion was particularly strong in parts of the United States that were still trying to shake their Puritan foundations. Spiritualist churches quickly sprouted up and mystics and mediums began hosting séances to help people communicate with the dead. Many methods were used to communicate with the dearly departed. The means that is most famous today is the talking board, and the best known talking board is the Ouija.
It has always been mysterious. It has always been mystifying. Sit opposite your partner and rest your fingers lightly on the planchette. Now ask your question. Concentrate very hard...and watch as the answer is revealed in the message window. Will it tell you YES...or NO? Will it give you a NUMBER...or SPELL out the answer? Ask any question you want. Ouija will answer. It's only a game isn't it? From the Parker Brothers Ouija Board
A talking board is a very simple item involving a lap sized board with the alphabet; the numbers 0-9; and the words yes, no, and good bye. Upon this board you place a planchette, a small, heart shaped, table-like pointer. Two or more people place the board, ideally between their laps, and rest their fingers gently on the planchette. They ask the spirits a question and concentrate. If the spirits are willing, the planchette will move across the board to indicate the answer to their question.
Talking boards were immensely popular for a number of reasons. They were very inexpensive to make or buy, were fun to use, and perhaps most importantly, they didn't require any mediumistic skills to operate or enjoy.
The talking board that would become the famous Ouija was first marketed in Baltimore, Maryland in the early 1890s by Charles W. Kennard, of the Kennard Novelty Company. Kennard gave the board the name Ouija, what he believed to be the Egyptian word for luck. It is not, but he claims the board told him it was during a session so the name stuck.
While the spirits did well in naming the board, they didn't help Kennard in his business dealings. His financial backers withdrew support for Kennard and placed his shop manager, William Fuld, in control. Fuld renamed the company the Ouija Novelty Company. Under Fuld's guidance Ouija boards and others named "Fuld's Talking Boards" were produced in record numbers. Despite numerous similar boards from other manufacturers Ouija boards have sold in the millions.
Part of this success was due to Fuld's salesmanship. Fuld reinvented the history of the boards. He began telling everyone that he invented the boards and the name Ouija came from the French and German words for yes: oui and ja. He would tell reporters that Ouija gave him all of his best and most successful ideas. Something that made an eager public clamor for boards.
In 1927, William Fuld died. Some say he died from a fall while supervising the replacement of a flagpole on the roof of his Baltimore factory. Others say he took is own life in a leap from the roof. No matter which version of the story you believe the results were the same. Sales of the Ouija board increased because of the dark controversy. Fuld would have been proud.
Between 1927 and 1966, Fuld's heirs ran the company and created many versions of the original board. Retiring in 1966, the company was sold to Parker Brothers, which continues to produce Ouija boards to this day. In 1999, Parker Brothers simplified the design of the board and made it glow-in-the-dark. No need to even turn on the lights or light a candle to see the spooky messages from the great beyond.
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JAVA
It's an old game that's been around for many years, and scares the crap out of bible-thumpers. The JWs and others like them believe the demons are out to get them through the OUIJA Board because they're special.
It would be fun to hang a board on the front door when you see the dubs in the neighborhood; it's much better than a "No Solicitation" sign. Instead of the JWs knocking at your door and hanging around forever (counting their time) they might actually RUN from your house to the donut shop. :) -
shamus100
Dubs get so frightened of that nonsense, it makes me giggle.
I kind of compare it to a Harry Potter book. It's geared for that age. I think, although I may be mistaken, there are actually kids on the box playing with it. Now if you're a paranoid dub, this means 'Satan is trying to corrupt our kids, and posess them with many many many demons!!!! Jehovah!!! JEHOVAH! The power of Christ Compels You! The Power of Christ Compels You!"
They're not expensive. You could either have that coffee and a walk - or buy it and have a laugh. If you've never seen one before, perhaps you should buy it and see what the dubs are afraid of - a piece of wood with dyed letters on it. How on earth demons inhabit it, I'll never know. Perhaps you could frame it so when they do a sheperding call on you, it could be at your front door - or you could put it over your entry way to scare them off.
