Are you afraid to delete that chain letter?

United States
February 4, 2009 7:20pm CST
Via email, my friends send me chain letters. Sometimes they are prayers, angel wishes, unlikely stories of good fortune bestowed upon someone who responded to the same chain letter that I am being called on to keep in circulation. Almost always it contains a threat of bad luck if I don't keep it moving and a promise of good fortune if I follow instructions. Sometimes it contains a sermon about how you am ashamed of the Lord if you don't want to pass it on to your friends - usually between 7 and 20. When I find the email interesting and worthy of passing along, I circulate it - and not because I am afraid of the warning or because I believe luck is bestowed thru the email. I pass it along because I believe it will be of some interest to others. How about you? How do you feel about chain letters in email?
5 people like this
31 responses
@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
5 Feb 09
Nope an never. If its an email, i hope the spam filter will catch it. If its on paper, it goes straight in the bin. These things pray on peoples hope, dreams and fears. I wonder who ever starts these things, they must have nothing else to do.
2 people like this
• United States
5 Feb 09
Unfortunately, these are my friends, so the spam filter won't help. You are right. I have superstitious friends. LOL
@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
5 Feb 09
Sorry, I missed that part in your post when I read it, that they were friends. If it were me, I would just ask them not to semd them anymore.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
I delete them right away.I don't like chain letters..such a waste of time.
2 people like this
• United States
5 Feb 09
You are probably missing out on a few good laughs.
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
5 Feb 09
I don't even read them. I suppose I might occasionally be missing a cute story or funny joke of some sort, but I'm not willing to waste my time wading through it. I don't think I've ever forwarded a chain letter in my life. *makes a face* I'd rather send my friends real email that's about me and my life, or things we are commonly interested in, than fill their inbox with this junk.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Feb 09
How do you know the difference? Often the threat is at the end of the email. You don't know you have been taken for a ride until you get all the way to the end and it tells you to send it to 10 of your friends.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
Good point. I have to stop being a worry wart and watch the signs. Thanks.
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
5 Feb 09
I can tell the difference because most people just forward chain letters, without writing anything horribly personal at the top. If an email is about something real from one of my friends, it would have a personal subject line and a real message, not just FW: Whatever.
1 person likes this
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
If the content is a prayer, then I might pass it around because its a prayer and I want that person to know that I hold him/her in my heart when I prayed such prayer. But most of the time, i just delete chain letters. I don't believe in them and I don't want to be bothered with them.
• United States
5 Feb 09
If it's a good prayer, I pass it on. Sometimes I delete the stuff about send this to 10 people. I don't want my friends to feel obligated to send it on. After all, that is not my point in sending it. Why can't you just wish someone well and let it go at that?
@JanMags (724)
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
honestly, chain letters really irritate me. that's mainly because i do sometimes feel obliged to pass them around. but i recently began ignoring them and so far, i am still alive and well :)
@lanlan011 (701)
• United States
5 Feb 09
I stopped reading them and now I delete them because they are a waste of time. I used to read them but now they have become redudant. Its always the same ones just worded a little differently. And Im like dude just because I dont pass on a chain letter doesn' mean I don't love God. I know Im not gonna get bad luck. I dont even bother looking at them.
2 people like this
• United States
5 Feb 09
I am curious enough that I can't resist reading them. Some are actually good except for the chain letter part.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
5 Feb 09
They are simply another form of spam and are promptly deleted. More so those which say send this to 10 people in the next 10 minuts or bad luck will follow you and so on. All of our friends know not to forward these types of emails to us as we simply are not interested. One person we know used to continue sending them so I politely asked her not to do so as I was not interested. The next time she sent one, I again sent her a message asking not to forward them to us. The following time she did it, I sent her a new email address and then put her on the banned list on my family and friend email address. The problem is that there are some rather niave and gullible people out there who actually believe the garbage in these emails. We who know better should helo to protect those who are vulnerable to this sort of scam.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Feb 09
There are some who simply cannot be saved. I have gently informed some of my friends about hoaxes that they circulated and they got highly upset with me. One was the one where Bill Gates was tracking every email that you forwarded and you were going to get paid accordingly. I received a scathing email about that one.
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
6 Feb 09
Yes I do remember that Bill Gates one and from the number of emails that we received it went on for a long time too. I simpy could not believe how many people thought that it was genuine and they would be paid money for forwarding it on.
1 person likes this
@violeta_va (4831)
• Australia
5 Feb 09
Not at all. Anythings that smells like chain letter and looks like chain letter then chain letter it is and its delited as soon as I get it. I dont care what it is about and who send it. I hate to get them and hate to send them. And my reason is since I hate them so much why send them to someone that will hate it as well.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
Good for you. I wish some of my friends were that considerate.
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
When I receive chain letters, I don't even read them in full but delete them as I find them just a waste of time. I have nothing against those who pass it to others. To each his own. But for me it is alright to send message of good thought and have it passed to as many as you can. But what I hate about most chain letters is the deceitful intention of enticing people to believe that should they do pass the letter, they will get good luck and if not something bad will happen to them. I don't think my God who controls everything in this world would ever allow that something wrong would happen to me just because I did not pass that letter and I don't thing that just passing those letters will give me good luck. How stupid! I could ever allow myself to get fooled like that. I believe in God and I know that he alone can give blessings. For as long as I seek Him and his righteousness first, then as He promised...all the things I need will be provided. I have nothing to fear about the warnings in the chain letters because for as long as I am with God, I have nothing to fear. I've been deleting chain letters but here I am ...still blessed and doing good.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
Salonga, you hit the nail on the head. It is a very deceitful intention of enticing people to believe they must pass these letters on so they can receive good luck. May you continue to be blessed.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
i was afraid before. but i came to my senses and realized how foolish i was for believing those things. i think many of us have been victimized by these ridiculous email letters that circulated through many people emails. i just don't know who are starting or sending those thigns and giving these kind of messages. and why so many epope have believe those kind of lies. i still don't understand why people love circulating those chain letters. anyways, i admit other chain letters have good messages and good graphics that is why i really love them. maybe those scary messages are not meant to be taken seriously but taken as a joke. they have used those scary messages to make people read those beautiful messages. but still those scary messages were really too much and should not be included in any chain letters. they should just mention some good things in their letters instead of something like curses which what i think they are actually.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
I think somebody just sat down and asked themselves "How can I be sure this gets circulated?" They then came up with the idea "I know! I'll scare them into doing it! I'll tell them that something bad will happen if they don't pass it on." Most of us have been raised to fear authority. We also have our superstitions. And above all else, we fear the unknown. Since we don't know who originated these stupid chain letters, we are afraid not to do exactly what it says. We are little children waiting on a present from Santa. If we are naughty, we will have ashes in our stockings. Even after we grow up, we still fear those ashes.
• Canada
5 Feb 09
no, i don't usually pass them because i don't believe that it would actually work. good things are not counted by how many chain letters you have passed but on the actual good deeds that you have done :D
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
Very well put.
• United States
5 Feb 09
I get those things on my cell phone all of the time. I deal with it in a different way then most I delete the part that says send it to a certain amount of people or something bad will happen to you. After I delete that part I just put something else nice on the end to make it sound better. I dont believe in chain letters if you let yourself believe in negative things then negative things happen. If you think positive then life is better.
• United States
5 Feb 09
Love your attitude, stargirl85.
• United States
5 Feb 09
Love your name on here I choose Star in the name because Star is my real name! There is so much negative out there that I look for the good and try to ignore the bad whenever possible. Forget chain letters there is so much more important things in life.
1 person likes this
• Brazil
5 Feb 09
I'm not afraid to deleted it, I don't believe in them. But I seen some scary ones that I'm a little bit afraid to read, every time I see them I don't even finish reading it. They're stupid but they are scary, I seen a couple that says once you start reading this don't stop I'm a ghost my name is "whatever" and if you don't repost this 10 times I will come and get you tonight. And I seen some other stupid things like that, like if you don't repost a ghost is going to rape your mom, or your mom going to die. Of course none of that happens but it's creepy, I never repost them anyway...
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
Now that is scary stuff. I have not seen those. I would be concerned. If I did not know the sender I would report them to the police. If the sender is a friend, I would definitely ask them to stop sending that type of email because it is not amusing. You are right to never repost them.
• United States
5 Feb 09
I hate those. And if I do like the message and wanted to share it, I would delete the chain part and pass it on. But it is annoying and you shouldn't be scared to do something.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
You are so right.
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
5 Feb 09
I have never understood the purpose of those chain letters, not when they came by snail mail and not now. I used to throw them out then and now I just delete them. We have an agreement among friends that we do not bother each other with these letters and I must say all my friends except one abide by this.
• United States
6 Feb 09
LOL. There is always the one, isn't it?
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
5 Feb 09
I usually delete any chain letters that come to my handset even though it has a curse or a warning in the last paragraph which warns us that should we fail to circulate it we will have bad luck. I have deleted so many and am yet to encounter any bad luck. Touch wood!
• United States
5 Feb 09
The way I see it, they would have to be more powerful than God to reach out and put a curse on anybody. That energy would best be used on saving one self.
@benhilo (871)
• Tripoli, Libya
5 Feb 09
Absolutely not afraid of chain mail. If you are afraid of it, YOU empower it. Don't do it! Delete it by all means. These things only play on your emotions and exploit your weaknesses. My sister use to send them to me, I asked her to stop. You should do the same.
• United States
5 Feb 09
Excellent thought. Good way of phrasing it. thank you.
• Italy
5 Feb 09
no no never..i hate them..they not true..really boring..always the same ones
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Feb 09
You are right, the theme never changes. I wonder if there really is just one source. LOL
@ufocoder (72)
• Bangladesh
5 Feb 09
I just hate chain mails. I treat it like a spam! It's not just I delete the mail, I warn the sender (my friend) as well! lol
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Feb 09
OH! You mean business! LOL
@akari11 (82)
• Philippines
5 Feb 09
If it's a prayer or have any information value that can be useful then I will definitely pass it to my relatives and friends. But if it's just another chain letter that says you will have badluck if you will not pass it within 30mins then it belongs to the recycle bin.
• United States
5 Feb 09
I agree. A prayer with good intentions should not be followed by a threat of ill will.