Survey Time (long)

[Stimson, Aaron]

What kind of experience of/opinions on 'the occult' in Real Life do you
all have?  I'm interested to see whether there's a higher proportion of
'believers' here than elsewhere in RPG's. 

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	I guess you could call me a believer, although I don't think the
supernatural is as simple as UA makes it.  I've had a number of experiences
that convince me that something is going on.  A few examples:

	In real life I was approached by a number of students while in
junior high, who were interested in having me join their group.  They were
drug and alcohol abusers who liked heavy metal, sex, and fancied themselves
Satanists.  They attempted to recruit me a number of times, because at that
time I was avidly reading about the occult, and they thought I might make a
good high priest.  Anyway, I rejected their offer, and they finally left me
alone.  Anyway, about a month later there's a newspaper article in the
morning about these kids who were found torn apart.  Not torn up, cut up,
knifed, shot, OD'd, etc., but torn apart as in limb from limb.  10 teenagers
dead in an abandoned house, evidence of satanic ritual, bloody pentagram, et
al.  The investigation lasted a week, then the case was closed.  No trial,
not even a final press release.  I knew some of the kids who were killed,
and the rest of the kids in that group all moved away.  
	Anyone who does any research on this stuff will find a number of
stories similar to this related  to demon worship and the like, but this was
RL.

	I've been in circles of Christian faith healing and Charismatic
gifts, and I've seen stuff that has been very disturbing or unexplainable:

	There was this older man, once who started to go into fits and
bellow horrible things.  When he was hit with holy water it (the water)
hissed and smoked, and he screamed. Later, after the demon left him, he had
burns where the holy water hit.

	My brother had permanent nerve damage in both ears due to excessive
use of headphones (Doctor diagnosed, with medical proof).  Anyone who knows
anything about nerve damage knows that this is irreparable.  At a
Charismatic conference he was prayed over, and healed.  The doctor still
can't explain it.

	I've also seen the stuff like people standing from wheel chairs,
giving up medicine, etc., although usually those people used those things
more as a crutch than a real necessity.  Still, there're other things which
definitely seem to be outside of the normal realm of possibility.

	Of course, I'm not a complete believer.  I don't think ghosts are
spirits of dead people, I don't think psychic abilities (those that aren't
clever understandings of people or natural phenomena) are what is popularly
believed they are, I don't believe curses are binding, I have a strong
belief in personal faith as a motivator, and I think 99% of modern
'magic(k)' is bunk. That doesn't make games like UA any less fun, however.