Are mediums legitimate?

[NDS]

Are mediums such as Alison Dubois the real deal? Can they really talk to people from the dead? The evidence seems compelling. Below is a clip of an interview with Alison Dubois. It's pretty freaky what she sees and knows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5okOKdNqxw4

What is the Christian view on mediums? The Hindu view? The Muslim view?

In Christianity, aren't people supposed to be dormant until Jesus' return? Why are the dead walking around freely?

 

[Hapsburg]

They can be. It depends on the person.
Some are accurate and real mediums. What I think being a medium is, is tapping into the flow of universal energy to recover electric signals, which once-consisted the consciousness of a living being. Normally, one who has honed this capability uses it for altruistic and morally positive ends.

However, some "mediums" are frauds, and fake their abilities for personal gain. Worse yet are real mediums have those abilities, but still use them for personal gain. It is people like that who slander the idea of a medium, and keep humanity in the depths of immaturity and selfishness.

 

[Myles]

Are mediums such as Alison Dubois the real deal? Can they really talk to people from the dead? The evidence seems compelling. Below is a clip of an interview with Alison Dubois. It's pretty freaky what she sees and knows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5okOKdNqxw4

What is the Christian view on mediums? The Hindu view? The Muslim view?

In Christianity, aren't people supposed to be dormant until Jesus' return? Why are the dead walking around freely?

The commonsense view is that the whole thing is a lot of nonsense. Some mediums are outright fakes, others may be sincere. If you watch them or listen to them in action, pay close attention to how they extract information from their audience and then feed it back, as if they had known all along.

Try looking up "cold reading" to see how it works

 

[Asguard]

My personal opinion is that most (at the least) are like the guy in Pysic. wether they relalise this is what they are or not is up for debate

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Are mediums such as Alison Dubois the real deal?

Of course not.

Can they really talk to people from the dead?

No.

The evidence seems compelling. Below is a clip of an interview with Alison Dubois. It's pretty freaky what she sees and knows.

Compelling?!?

Hardly.

These con artists use a variety of techniques to dupe people. One of their prime tricks is a technique known as “cold reading”. You can read a bit about it at the links below.

http://www.skeptics.com.au/articles/coldread.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

The con artists also rely heavily on a well-studied aspect of human nature, the name of which escapes me for the moment. It’s an interesting phenomenon. Basically, if you make up a vague character description (it can even contain blatant contradictory statements) with non-specific details and ask them if it’s an accurate description of themselves or someone else they know/knew, most people will selectively interpret the statement to be accurate! They’ll ignore the incorrect aspects of the description and focus on the accurate ones (that are accurate purely by chance), sometimes even if the inaccurate ‘details’ outnumber the accurate ‘details’!

 

[Crunchy Cat]

Are mediums such as Alison Dubois the real deal?

Nope.

Can they really talk to people from the dead?

No. When a person is dead, all cellular activity in their brain eventually stops. This means that emotion, memory, intelligence, speech, sensory input, etc. no longer function.

The evidence seems compelling. Below is a clip of an interview with Alison Dubois. It's pretty freaky what she sees and knows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5okOKdNqxw4

It might come as a surprise then that no medium has ever been able to perform when they no longer have direct / indirect control of the variables. The successful con artists is very good at tricking other people. They do their homework; however, if ever isolated to a controlled environment they always fail.

What is the Christian view on mediums? The Hindu view? The Muslim view?

Not entirely sure, but I would suspect these folks would be considered evil demons whom will burn in the pits of hell for all eternity.

In Christianity, aren't people supposed to be dormant until Jesus' return? Why are the dead walking around freely?

To the first question, yep. To the second question, they aren't and Christianity's assertions about objective reality are all false.

 

[Read-Only]

Are mediums such as Alison Dubois the real deal? Can they really talk to people from the dead? The evidence seems compelling. Below is a clip of an interview with Alison Dubois. It's pretty freaky what she sees and knows.

Absolutely not. They are fakes that prey on gullible people and those who desperately want to talk to people that they cared about who have died. Often times, that latter is driven by a sense of guilt and they abandon their good sense in a effort to "set things right" with the ones that have died.

In short, mediums are nothing but crooks who are well prepared to take money from fools who actually KNOW better but WANT to believe what the crook is telling them. (And that very strong desire to want to believe plays right into the medium's act.)

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

They are fakes that prey on gullible people. ....In short, mediums are nothing but crooks...

Mostly. But I’m prepared to believe that there are some psychics/faith healers etc that genuinely believe that they have these paranormal abilities and, thus, are not deliberately attempting to trick anyone. This would most likely be due to mental illness in combination with various factors: massive self-delusion, upbringing, reinforcement from others etc.

But these deluded people would be in the minority. Most people professing to have these powers are outright charlatans.

 

[Read-Only]

Mostly. But I’m prepared to believe that there are some psychics/faith healers etc that genuinely believe that they have these paranormal abilities and, thus, are not deliberately attempting to trick anyone. This would most likely be due to mental illness in combination with various factors: massive self-delusion, upbringing, reinforcement from others etc.

But these deluded people would be in the minority. Most people professing to have these powers are outright charlatans.

I'd go farther than just "mostly" and say something like 99%. Yes, I agree that there ARE those grossly delusional souls that actually think they have that ability. Just as there are those who believe they can read minds, cast out demons and various other forms of nonsense.

And what's REALLY bad/ sad is the apparent number of people that actually believe those charlatans are for real! (A fool and his money are soon parted; a fool and his foolishness are lifetime companions.)

 

[cosmictraveler]

Are mediums legitimate?

Just remember one thing. Anyone that wants to be a genuine help to anyone would do it for FREE! If anyone wants to help you "contact" the dead for payment they are NOT anything more than a CON ARTIST.

 

[CutsieMarie89]

Yes, they are real. My mother is one. Her ability is not as strong as someone like Alison Dubois, but she does posses the ability and my brother and I do to some extent. The actual ability is not as grandiose as they make it seem in movies or on tv. It may not make sense scientifically, but science has not been able to solve all mysteries of the world. The scientific community is now just barely admitting the possibility of people being mentally, physically, and emotionally connected. Only identical twins though because scientifically it makes more sense, but more than just twins can experience these mind and body links.

 

[cosmictraveler]

Yes, they are real. My mother is one. Her ability is not as strong as someone like Alison Dubois, but she does posses the ability and my brother and I do to some extent. The actual ability is not as grandiose as they make it seem in movies or on tv. It may not make sense scientifically, but science has not been able to solve all mysteries of the world. The scientific community is now just barely admitting the possibility of people being mentally, physically, and emotionally connected. Only identical twins though because scientifically it makes more sense, but more than just twins can experience these mind and body links.

So what "abilities" do you and your mother supposedly have? How many people have you helped for free and how? Are you helping others or just trying to boost your own egos?

 

[CutsieMarie89]

You can't really help people. At least I can't you can just sense other people. Just like the feeling you get when someone is standing behind you and you feel like someone is watching you. Its mostly like that I can feel "spirits" or whatever they are my mother can see them. I believe my mother posseses this ability because usually when we're in the same room and I feel someone I don't mention it to her and she says that she just saw something. Happens to often for it to be a coincidence.

 

[cosmictraveler]

You can't really help people. At least I can't you can just sense other people. Just like the feeling you get when someone is standing behind you and you feel like someone is watching you. Its mostly like that I can feel "spirits" or whatever they are my mother can see them. I believe my mother posseses this ability because usually when we're in the same room and I feel someone I don't mention it to her and she says that she just saw something. Happens to often for it to be a coincidence.

So you "sense" things are around you. How is that a medium? A medium "channels" a dead persons thoughts somehow.

 

[Read-Only]

Yes, they are real. My mother is one. Her ability is not as strong as someone like Alison Dubois, but she does posses the ability and my brother and I do to some extent. The actual ability is not as grandiose as they make it seem in movies or on tv. It may not make sense scientifically, but science has not been able to solve all mysteries of the world. The scientific community is now just barely admitting the possibility of people being mentally, physically, and emotionally connected. Only identical twins though because scientifically it makes more sense, but more than just twins can experience these mind and body links.

Very sorry, but I don't accept a word of it. However, I do think that YOU believe it - and that places you and your mother in that 1% - the people that have somehow fooled theselves into believing they have that power.

Not only does it not make sense scientifically, it's doesn't make sense no matter how it's viewed. Sorry.

 

[CutsieMarie89]

I didn't say I was a medium. I just think that if people like me exist and people like my mother can see them and hear them then it does not seem highly unlikely that medium do in fact exist, most of the real ones probably never say anything because they would just be ridiculed by the people they wanted to help.

 

[cosmictraveler]

most of the real ones probably never say anything because they would just be ridiculed by the people they wanted to help.

How's that? If I want to help someone, for free, I would just go up to them and tell them what they need to know, for free! Otherwise what's the sense in having this "gift" if you don't help others? It would seem that if you are the only person that can "sense" the dead then it is only YOU that is afflicted by a medical problem of some kind of "psychosis". You really should see a professional about these "sensations" as soon as possible to get the help you need.

 

[CutsieMarie89]

I have. I am required to meet with a professional every year by my school board it is required of all staff in order to work with small children. I have no mental illnesses, but thanks for your concern. I love science and am a firm believer in most scientific things, but not all things can be explained by science. Like how a woman's brother knows she's going into labor even though he is two states away and hasn't spoken to her in months, how bees fly or how the brain works. I am studying neuroscience and the theories have to be some of the most unsound theories I have ever heard very little is known about the brain and about what it actually does. Most of what you hear aren't even very educated guesses.

 

[Myles]

I have. I am required to meet with a professional every year by my school board it is required of all staff in order to work with small children. I have no mental illnesses, but thanks for your concern. I love science and am a firm believer in most scientific things, but not all things can be explained by science. Like how a woman's brother knows she's going into labor even though he is two states away and hasn't spoken to her in months, how bees fly or how the brain works. I am studying neuroscience and the theories have to be some of the most unsound theories I have ever heard very little is known about the brain and about what it actually does. Most of what you hear aren't even very educated guesses.

There is a rational explanation for everything you have said , but it would take too much time to spell it all out on here.

Have you heard of a man called James Randi ? Tell your mother that she can earn a tidy $10, 000 if she can demonstrate her "powers" under controlled conditions. It's been on offer for years and will continue for a period after his death. To date he has not paid out a penny.

For anyone interested his book James Randi, Psychic Investigator, published some years ago, mat still be available. It contains accounts of people he has shown to be frauds.The book contains details of his challenge and an applicatio form for anyone who wishes to have a go.

 

[cosmictraveler]

I have. I am required to meet with a professional every year by my school board it is required of all staff in order to work with small children. I have no mental illnesses, but thanks for your concern. I love science and am a firm believer in most scientific things, but not all things can be explained by science. Like how a woman's brother knows she's going into labor even though he is two states away and hasn't spoken to her in months, how bees fly or how the brain works. I am studying neuroscience and the theories have to be some of the most unsound theories I have ever heard very little is known about the brain and about what it actually does. Most of what you hear aren't even very educated guesses.

This thread was about MEDIUMS if you recall. So far everything you have said tends to make me think that you don't believe in them for as you said you don't channel dead peoples thoughts. What you are having as well as your mom is nothing more than something like a 6th sense about things. There's nothing wrong with you if you feel that you can sense that something is going to happen and it does. But do me a favor. Just remember anything that you can about what you get that sense about for allot of times you are wrong about it. You are just getting a feeling that something happened to someone that you know but more often than not you are wrong about them. Some people are just over protective about themselves and have a hightened sense of anxiety about something around them.