Psychics

RuthnJasper

Johnnytwostep wrote: »

I am sure they already know what it will bring

Well, I'm not claiming to be sure of anything. But, to judge from their posts on here and when I have encountered them on other MSE threads, neither Faith nor Poppie come across as deluded fools. I have the utmost respect for them and their views whether I agree with those views or not.


I was in the unfortunate situation of being taken very suddenly and very seriously unwell at the end of August last year. During my third night in hospital I was given the Last Rites. I saw my late, beloved dog Jasper lying at the end of my bed, just quietly waiting. He was there to "walk with me" at the end. I was certain of it. But I didn't die and, by the morning, Jasper was gone. This is true. But I remain an open minded sceptic regarding psychics and their purported powers. When I was facing my end I was pretty certain that I wouldn't be coming back in any sense of the word.


But my experience is vastly different to Faith's and Poppie's. I don't have any desire to attempt to be 'witty' at their expense. I'd prefer to just agree to disagree, without needing to have a pop at them. It does neither viewpoint any favours.

Takeaway_Addict

RuthnJasper wrote: »

I am sorry that this is descending into tit-for-tat arguing. I daresay this thread will be deleted soon. People are welcome to draw their own conclusions and there is no point in having a go or belittling people who do believe.


I wish Faith177 and Poppie68 every happiness for the future - whatever it might bring.

I'm sure a [STRIKE]fraud[/STRIKE] psychic has already told them

robatwork

Poppie68 wrote: »

Can you prove psychics are 100% dysfunctional? Have you tried it?

You asked me a direct question so I will answer. However this thread is pretty depressing as is arguing with people who "believe" in anything. It's a very small step from here to religion and then the thread will disappear.

My reason for chipping in is that, of course, you and Faith and the others who see value in psychics are free to spend your money whatever way you wish. But hopefully others will realise that this is a moneysaving forum, and spending money on psychics is throwing it away.

To answer your question, it's not for me to prove the absence of something ie. the absence of function to any psychic. It's for them, just one of the many thousands who are working today, to PROVE one tiny shred of psychic ability. That's all. Proof isn't you or me on an anonymous forum saying "he knew my ancestors were Welsh so that's convinced me". Proof is one of them getting Randi's million dollars for free. Ask yourself why not one psychic has bothered getting the free million dollars. There's only one conclusion.

no1catman

But that assumes that Randi is as pure as the driven snow.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11270453/James-Randi-debunking-the-king-of-the-debunkers.html


Interesting article.


Having seen a TV programme where the guy did a validate blind test, only trouble was it wasn't the guy that Randi stipulated so Randi wouldn't accept it!? But the cameraman was happy he needed the message more than the pre-selected subject.


So, I don't blame mediums for not taking the 'test' up against a 'loaded deck'.

midnitegremlin

OK, so this seems to have become a serious discussion. On that note, what I don't understand about psychics is the way they "mix and match" powers.

"Knowing something about the past" is a very different thing to predicting the future. And talking with the dead is a totally different thing again, is it not?

Even if they do double up- your dead Gran says she remembers you playing football with John when you were 7 and hurting your knee, does that mean that the psychic and the dead gran can see what WILL happen? And Why? Is there something about being dead that means a person can tell what the future will hold. I don't get it.

I'd be inclined to take more seriously a psychic who is open about what they can and can't do. (As some are.)

no1catman

I don't think it's a matter of predicting the future. More a message of support with life's problems, or invitation to support others who you know.


I've been forewarned about a problem with teeth, a crown fell out a couple of days later.
A more comprehensive one, quote the name of a tune that was used at my Partner's Father's funeral, referred to the circumstances of someone else's 'death', then mentioned problems with a brother, and finally gave a name.
Now, any one could be a lucky guess, but the combination was significant - the named had passed away only months previously, and found out that his brother was taken into hospital the previous night and had toes amputated!!

midnitegremlin

no1catman wrote: »

I don't think it's a matter of predicting the future. More a message of support with life's problems, or invitation to support others who you know.

It might depend on the reading, but I know a few people who have been told things along the lines of "look out for the man in the black car" or "You will soon see 4 white doves.."

Precognition ("seeing" things that are yet to happen) is to me totally different from "seeing" things that have happened in the past. It's possibly, for example, that people CAN read minds, it's possibly people might pick up on subtle body clues (twitch in the leg could suggest an old childhood injury) etc etc ...

By "real" psychic means or by fowl, people could know things "only I could know."

But PREDICTING a future event? Surely that is a totally different thing. I mean, it could be possibly, a brilliant understanding of nature, people, science etc. Mother Shipton COULD have had a brilliant scientific brain and been able to understand that a submarine could exist, as she understand (perhaps subconsciously) the scientific principles behind it.

MarkBargain

If psychics don't want to claim the $1M Randi Foundation prize, they would surely all become billionaires through betting. You can bet on (or against) pretty much everything these days. Surely all they would need to do is do a reading for a footballer, then bet on when he will next score, whether his team will win their next match, get promoted at the end of the season etc. Or predict the weather, the result of an election...pretty much anything. Why not do that rather than charge £50 for a reading? Answer - reading the future is impossible.

As for support in life, if someone is suffering grief or depression they should speak to friends or family who care about them, a qualified doctor, or a trainer councillor. It worries me a lot that people are exploited in a vulnerable position, for money, by people making false claims. It may do damage too e.g. if someone needs to come to terms with the death of a loved one to be told that lost person is trying to communicate from beyond the grave. Not good.

midnitegremlin

MarkBargain wrote: »

It worries me a lot that people are exploited in a vulnerable position, for money, by people making false claims. It may do damage too e.g. if someone needs to come to terms with the death of a loved one to be told that lost person is trying to communicate from beyond the grave. Not good.

To swing this back to the original post, I do feel that some psychics genuinly believe in what they are doing; as do there customers.

But some ARE simplying lying or pretending.

Is there a (moral?) difference here? Or even a legal one?

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Do the people who object to "nay-sayers" saying psychics don't exist also object to people telling them not to send money to a Nigerian Prince who has a billion dollars waiting for you?

It's the same thing. I don't care about psychics. Neither me, nor any of my close friends, or my family, are going to be scammed by them. I am trying to help other people and stop them being scammed.

Only up to a point though, lots of them get so nasty about being told the truth, I don't bother. Let them give their money to con-men; I don't care.

And to those who say they haven't been proved to be fake, I can only say that every one who has been investigated has been proved to be fake (using fake to mean having no powers, as the degree to which they are lying or self-deluded can't be assessed). I'll say that again, EVERY one who has been investigated, HAS been proved to be fake. Every one. The only ones who have not been proved to be fake are those who refuse to be investigated.

This counts, in the real world of human interaction, if not necessarily scientifically, as psychics having been proved to be fake.