Mediums, Psychics And Ghosts

[phleb]

Hi, How many of you believe in mediums and psychics? Do you believe ghosts exist? How does the Ouija Board work? How can a board with a few numbers and letters call a spirit? Is there life after death? Do we meet our family who have gone before us? thanks

[Kromovaracun]

//I said verging on offensive//

This baffles me.

How?

[murraymints]

You have to experience it to believe it ... I have !

[murraymints]

And don't call me a liar..that is offensive

[waterboatman]

Quite.

So have I minty, many times.

[Kromovaracun]

I mean, if you don't want your "experiences" to be doubted, then maybe don't use them as first resort when talking to other people about this subject?

Is everyone else supposed to just say "Well, alright, if you experienced something, then I will just check out everything else I know and assume you couldn't possibly be wrong or mistaken." Would that be inoffensive enough?

[ummmm]

You can't say 'you have to see it to believe it' and then get offended when someone doesn't believe it because they've never seen it!

[murraymints]

No... he did not believe what I quoted as being my experiences...i.e. I'm lying...don't wriggle out of it...

[murraymints]

"I don't believe you "

[ummmm]

You saying you've experienced it is hardly going to change someones mind so obviously they won't believe you. He didn't use the word 'liar'

[murraymints]

So can you define "I don't believe you " for me ?

[Kromovaracun]

// he did not believe what I quoted as being my experiences...i.e. I'm lying..//

I haven't said anything about your sincerity. I don't know you. You could quite easily believe something that isn't true or believe that you saw something you didn't. People do that all the time - I certainly do. This is why anecdote is in large part worthless.

I would be interested to know what your explanation is for the blindfold tests I mentioned, though.

[jim360]

There is always the third option, that people who report these events are honest, genuine and sincere in their experiences, but nonetheless are mistaken.

The opposite of being right isn't always being a liar.

[Baldric]

Have been 'slagged off' on AB many times by people with 'closed minds' but no problem, their loss not mine, had some very interesting experiences over the years

[Deskdiary]

Ghosts don't exist, mediums and psychics are charlatans preying on the gullible, the Ouija board is just a game, and there's no life after death.

Waterboatman "There's plenty of evidence" - er, no there isn't.

Whenever somebody says they've seen a ghost or experienced something and somebody who deosn't beleive questions it, the default position seems to be "are you calling me a liar?". I wouldn't say people who claim to have seen ghosts are lying, but I would say they are mistaken. They seem to take umbrage that somebody doesn't beleive they've seen a ghost - are we meant to suddenly change our mind just because somebody claims they have seen a ghost? I wouldn't expect them to beleive me if I told them I'd seen a leprachaun.

Surely by now we'd have some evidence of ghosts (pretty much everybody has a camera on their phone now), particuarly given the billions of people who have died over the centuries.

A few other things that are complete nonsense with no evidence to back them up...

God.
Fairies at the bottom of the garden.
ESP.
Homeopathy (massive massive con trick).

[murraymints]

Then at least 15 others have been simultaneously mistaken ? As well as exploding glasses in the air ? I have nothing further to add to this...

[Deskdiary]

There nothing offensive in not believing anecdotes.

[Old_Geezer]

Probably. I've had mediums give unknown information, implying something in it. The board calls no one, you request contact. We'll all find out for sure one day, or not, as the case may be.

[Kromovaracun]

//Then at least 15 others have been simultaneously mistaken ?//

Possibly, yes. I have no idea whatsoever about the circumstances, I wasn't there. Certainly if you used a professional medium this is an overwhelming likelihood.

[jim360]

Someone expressing doubt in what you say is not, in itself, offensive. Even being called wrong isn't objectively offensive.

I can't share your experiences -- nor those of the fifteen other people who were reportedly at the scene. But it doesn't matter. Other people have their own experiences, knowledge, or understanding. There is no obligation for them to change that based on anecdotes, and there should be no offence taken if their views remain unaffected by what you shared.

[Hopkirk]

Magicians are extremely clever at deceiving us. Just because you think you have seen something with your own eyes doesn't mean it's true.

I'm with Kromo.