That's really sad, MrsSpringsteen. I hope that she doesn't give in to that sort of crap. Maybe pay a little extra attention to her and try and keep her away from the guy as much as possible?
U2isthebest, I've seen examples of those televangelists in action on TV. It's...really, really creepy and disturbing stuff. It amazes me that people buy into that sort of thing, but as pointed out, sometimes when you're vulnerable, you'll do anything that you think might help. I know where you're coming from-I like to give people the benefit of the doubt most of the time, too, I like to think humanity is much better than this. Unfortunately, stuff like this makes that line of thinking awfully tough to hold on to.
I'm glad that most Christians distance themselves from these sorts of "religious" people. Don't let them ruin a decent faith.
Angela