• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Proof of Life After Death!!

Robin1 said:
Resume, I hear what you are saying. Here's what I think and why:
If anyone could truly command the paranormal in the way you would require it to be successfully proven to you, then there would really be no point in any of us being on this earth or as I think of it "school." Cause all the answers would be right there for us and we could call on God or our deceased loved ones or angels etc. to tell us exactly what to do and solve all our problems for us. That would not be an effective school. We are here to learn and grow spiritually through our own experiences and choices. Free will and all (Don't you roll your eyes, Resume). And a huge part of our lesson is just learning to be kind to one another. But, as in a school, we are offered some help and guidance, from Above...and as in a school we are free to take it or leave it. One example of that help would be your intuition. Or a feeling you get. Or any other myriad of "signs" that are sent our way to help us learn and grow, to guide us, to strengthen our faith, to comfort us, to give us hope, etc. We are here for a reason, and in no way have been abandoned. (Resume, if you keep rolling your eyes they will get stuck like that). I believe I've been given plenty of evidence to prove this, besides JE, and I do not require it to be this or that...it is what it is...whether it be messages in dreams ( especially dream visitations that were later MAJORLY validated ...the slippers and Ocean City for example ) or other signs, even through a medium. And remember since I believe my Dad and Nana were absolutely able to communicate with me (and they proved it) it is not a great leap for me to think that they might also be able to communicate with someone who has a special ability, like JE. And I also believe that communication with your deceased can be clearer with some than others. And I do not expect it to be crystal clear as in the "st" sounding name etc. but I would expect much more than just that. Only because I am, and will always remain, skeptical.
Click to expand...

It would be really cool, if life actually worked like this.
 
Robin1 said:
Resume, I hear what you are saying. Here's what I think and why:
If anyone could truly command the paranormal in the way you would require it to be successfully proven to you, then there would really be no point in any of us being on this earth or as I think of it "school." Cause all the answers would be right there for us and we could call on God or our deceased loved ones or angels etc. to tell us exactly what to do and solve all our problems for us. That would not be an effective school. We are here to learn and grow spiritually through our own experiences and choices. Free will and all (Don't you roll your eyes, Resume). And a huge part of our lesson is just learning to be kind to one another. But, as in a school, we are offered some help and guidance, from Above...and as in a school we are free to take it or leave it. One example of that help would be your intuition. Or a feeling you get. Or any other myriad of "signs" that are sent our way to help us learn and grow, to guide us, to strengthen our faith, to comfort us, to give us hope, etc. We are here for a reason, and in no way have been abandoned. (Resume, if you keep rolling your eyes they will get stuck like that). I believe I've been given plenty of evidence to prove this, besides JE, and I do not require it to be this or that...it is what it is...whether it be messages in dreams ( especially dream visitations that were later MAJORLY validated ...the slippers and Ocean City for example ) or other signs, even through a medium. And remember since I believe my Dad and Nana were absolutely able to communicate with me (and they proved it) it is not a great leap for me to think that they might also be able to communicate with someone who has a special ability, like JE. And I also believe that communication with your deceased can be clearer with some than others. And I do not expect it to be crystal clear as in the "st" sounding name etc. but I would expect much more than just that. Only because I am, and will always remain, skeptical.
Click to expand...
This is nice as a belief, and I begrudge few people their beliefs, but it doesn't work as science or as any reliable form of truth discovery. The main issue (not the only one) is that you start with the assumption that there is "purpose." That is something that requires demonstration if you intend to present it as fact from which other facts can be demonstrated (if you don't have that intent, then no such demonstration is required).

Next, you assume that the purpose can only be met in the way you have outlined; that's something else that would require demonstration.

I won't get more specific unless you ask, but what you have presented in this thread in general, Robin, and in this post in particular, is that you have a belief and it extends to what John Edward does. That's fine, but it does not equate to fact.
 
Marcus said:
Beat me to it. Intelligence may be a hedge against magical thinking, but it's no guarantee. Look at all the smart people who are also religious.
Click to expand...

I would think that overconfidence in one's intelligence might make one more susceptible to woo. "I'm too smart to fall for that!"
 
Robin1 said:
If anyone could truly command the paranormal in the way you would require it to be successfully proven to you, then there would really be no point in any of us being on this earth or as I think of it "school." Cause all the answers would be right there for us and we could call on God or our deceased loved ones or angels etc. to tell us exactly what to do and solve all our problems for us. That would not be an effective school. We are here to learn and grow spiritually through our own experiences and choices. Free will and all
Click to expand...
You are making this stuff up, right? If the dead really could communicate with us, there would be every reason for the communication to be meaningful, but instead it is indistinguishable from meaningless platitudes. In order to make sense of this, you just invented a spurious reason that is not based on anything else than how you would have liked the world to be!
 
Robin, are all species of animal here on earth here to "learn"? Or just some?

Why or why not?
 
meg said:
Robin, are all species of animal here on earth here to "learn"? Or just some?

Why or why not?
Click to expand...
Meg, I would never presume to have all the answers. I admit I could be wrong about my beliefs. But, I don't think so.
 
Robin1 said:
Resume, I hear what you are saying. Here's what I think and why:
If anyone could truly command the paranormal in the way you would require it to be successfully proven to you, then there would really be no point in any of us being on this earth or as I think of it "school." Cause all the answers would be right there for us and we could call on God or our deceased loved ones or angels etc. to tell us exactly what to do and solve all our problems for us. That would not be an effective school. We are here to learn and grow spiritually through our own experiences and choices. Free will and all (Don't you roll your eyes, Resume). And a huge part of our lesson is just learning to be kind to one another. But, as in a school, we are offered some help and guidance, from Above...and as in a school we are free to take it or leave it. One example of that help would be your intuition. Or a feeling you get. Or any other myriad of "signs" that are sent our way to help us learn and grow, to guide us, to strengthen our faith, to comfort us, to give us hope, etc. We are here for a reason, and in no way have been abandoned. (Resume, if you keep rolling your eyes they will get stuck like that). I believe I've been given plenty of evidence to prove this, besides JE, and I do not require it to be this or that...it is what it is...whether it be messages in dreams ( especially dream visitations that were later MAJORLY validated ...the slippers and Ocean City for example ) or other signs, even through a medium. And remember since I believe my Dad and Nana were absolutely able to communicate with me (and they proved it) it is not a great leap for me to think that they might also be able to communicate with someone who has a special ability, like JE. And I also believe that communication with your deceased can be clearer with some than others. And I do not expect it to be crystal clear as in the "st" sounding name etc. but I would expect much more than just that. Only because I am, and will always remain, skeptical.
Click to expand...

Had to wait for my eyes to uncross.

Robin, logic doesn't allow for this kind of special pleading. As others have noted, the world doesn't operate this way either. JE is conning you just like a pigeon-dropped Gramma. Difference is, you do the work, providing him the answers to probing questions, defending his nonsense against all reason, yet he gets the (non-prophet) profit.

Nice work if you can get it.
 
godless dave said:
I would think that overconfidence in one's intelligence might make one more susceptible to woo. "I'm too smart to fall for that!"
Click to expand...
Like Houdinis' famous debunking period. Some of the smartest people around were falling for magic tricks, they were convinced they were talking to their dead relatives until he unmasked the mediums. Many people really, really, want to believe their dead relatives aren't really dead, they are ripe for the picking for unscrupulous players like John Edward.
 
Robin1 said:
Hallelujah!!!!! Thank you ExMinister, for getting my point and trying to explain it to others. Really, thank you.
P.S. I don't agree with the other part of your post though. But, I'm sure you knew that already.
Click to expand...


And Praise The Lord! Can somebody give me an "Amen!"? Please... an Amen!

Because you've just admitted to falling for the recovery portion. This has been pointed out numerous times; how well they recover is part of the art of cold reading!

They're (implying "teh spirtis") telling me there's someone in this section (pointing to an area with 50 people) who has someone who's passed on with a J sound... John, Jack... or a G... George....? (Picking THE most common sounding start of a male name.)

But when no one answers, he throws out ... or an R (Rich, Richard, Robert, Rick, Ron, Reginald....) "Reginald!", shouts a lady in the section next to the section he was pointing at, but that'll do just fine. "Ah, I knew it had a G sound that's what they were saying. So you have a Reginald who passed on?"

Uh, no.

"Because that's what they're saying. There's no Reginald here."

That's known as The Recovery. If he does it very quickly, the lady leaves saying "See? He knew that my son Reginald was still alive. Teh Spirits Said So!"

So John starts working on "Someone over here... there's a lady who says something about "... too much water..". Did someone here have someone who passed on and is associated with the ocean... (dead silence)... a river... (more silence)... And someone gasps and says, "A swimming pool?"

And John picks up on that and says, "Yes, they're telling me that a lady who was loved drowned in a swimming pool. Too much water. She couldn't breathe." (Yeah, drowning would be like that, now that you've gotten someone to admit that statistical norms apply - e.g. in a room of four hundred people, someone's going to know someone who drowned.)

"Well, no. She had a heart attack and died on her floating air mattress and no one realized she was dead, we thought she was napping by the pool."

John: I'm not getting this. They're saying that she drowned. ("They" are the spirits who are now to blame if John is wrong, but naturally he changes his attention to somewhere else in the room, waving off the lady that she should check to see if it was possible that it really was a drowning.)

JE does this shtick constantly. And frankly, he's not very good at it. There are "psychics" who do it much better, and they are also not very believable, just more so than John Edward.
 
Last edited:
meg said:
Robin, I believe you said you went to JE with your mother, a friend, and your brother.

Out of curiosity, what did your mother and friend think of the show?
Click to expand...
My Mom had to be dragged to the show kicking and screaming. She is very Catholic and so believes that any attempt to contact the dead is strictly forbidden and dangerous. She also believed most psychics were shysters. By the end of the show she absolutely loved John Edward! She believed he was real and the 1 person in the world who could do what he does and not be forbidden, because it was a gift from God. However, she does believe that should be enough evidence for me and I certainly should not be going to any other psychics because it can open the door to evil. And she gets really annoyed when she sees me wasting money like that. : )
As for my friend, she had an amazing reading as well! Some things JE couldn't have known but interestingly also something personal that was only able to be validated when she asked her Mom after the show. So personal and emotional she made me promise long ago never to tell her story! She does believe JE is real but I will say as much as I love her...I think she believes too easily in psychics and mediums in general.
 
Last edited:
Robin1 -

Now that you have such confidence in JE, are you going to continually contact him?

Will you be asking further questions?

What will you do now that you know he is genuine?
 
Foolmewunz said:
And Praise The Lord! Can somebody give me an "Amen!"? Please... an Amen!

Because you've just admitted to falling for the recovery portion. This has been pointed out numerous times; how well they recover is part of the art of cold reading!

They're (implying "teh spirtis") telling me there's someone in this section (pointing to an area with 50 people) who has someone who's passed on with a J sound... John, Jack... or a G... George....? (Picking THE most common sounding start of a male name.)

But when no one answers, he throws out ... or an R (Rich, Richard, Robert, Rick, Ron, Reginald....) "Reginald!", shouts a lady in the section next to the section he was pointing at, but that'll do just fine. "Ah, I knew it had a G sound that's what they were saying. So you have a Reginald who passed on?"

Uh, no.

"Because that's what they're saying. There's no Reginald here."

That's known as The Recovery. If he does it very quickly, the lady leaves saying "See? He knew that my son Reginald was still alive. Teh Spirits Said So!"

So John starts working on "Someone over here... there's a lady who says something about "... too much water..". Did someone here have someone who passed on and is associated with the ocean... (dead silence)... a river... (more silence)... And someone gasps and says, "A swimming pool?"

And John picks up on that and says, "Yes, they're telling me that a lady who was loved drowned in a swimming pool. Too much water. She couldn't breathe." (Yeah, drowning would be like that, now that you've gotten someone to admit that statistical norms apply - e.g. in a room of four hundred people, someone's going to know someone who drowned.)

"Well, no. She had a heart attack and died on her floating air mattress and no one realized she was dead, we thought she was napping by the pool."

John: I'm not getting this. They're saying that she drowned. ("They" are the spirits who are now to blame if John is wrong, but naturally he changes his attention to somewhere else in the room, waving off the lady that she should check to see if it was possible that it really was a drowning.)

JE does this shtick constantly. And frankly, he's not very good at it. There are "psychics" who do it much better, and they are also not very believable, just more so than John Edward.
Click to expand...
So, you STILL don't think it's necessary to see the whole thing to accurately and fairly evaluate it???!!!!!!!
Please God, bestow the gift of common sense unto Foolmewunz. Amen.
P.S. If that doesn't work, there's always the Wizard.
 
Robin1 said:
My Mom had to be dragged to the show kicking and screaming. She is very Catholic and so believes that any attempt to contact the dead is strictly forbidden and dangerous. She also believed most psychics were shysters. By the end of the show she absolutely loved John Edward! She believed he was real and the 1 person in the world who could do what he does and not be forbidden, because it was a gift from God. However, she does believe that should be enough evidence for me and I certainly should not be going to any other psychics because it can open the door to evil. And she gets really annoyed when she sees me wasting money like that. : )
As for my friend, she had an amazing reading as well! Some things JE couldn't have known but interestingly also something personal that was only able to be validated when she asked her Mom after the show. So personal and emotional she made me promise long ago never to tell her story! She does believe JE is real but I will say as much as I love her...I think she believes too easily in psychics and mediums in general.
Click to expand...
Just like there was no way I could know what word someone is thinking, except that there is.

Just like there was no way for me to 100% accurately predict which state quarter someone would predict, except that there is.

Just like there was no way for Bryn Reynolds to pick the person who held the stone, except that there is.

Just like there was no way for Richard Osterlind to know or to write all those details about Gerald Ford, except that there is.

Just like there was no way for Harold Kellar to know all those things about the actor, except that there is.
 
Robin1 said:
So, you STILL don't think it's necessary to see the whole thing to accurately and fairly evaluate it???!!!!!!!
Please God, bestow the gift of common sense unto Foolmewunz. Amen.
P.S. If that doesn't work, there's always the Wizard.
Click to expand...
And with this you continue to ignore that people have looked at "the whole thing" to accurately and fairly evaluate it, at least the whole of what is available, and this includes your blog.

You, on the other hand, dismiss our descriptions of better successes even though you do not completely read them.
 
Robin1 said:
So, you STILL don't think it's necessary to see the whole thing to accurately and fairly evaluate it???!!!!!!!
Please God, bestow the gift of common sense unto Foolmewunz. Amen.
P.S. If that doesn't work, there's always the Wizard.
Click to expand...

I think if someone can produce the video, I'd love to see it to score him on how well he recovers and manages to pull his usual shenanigans.

A) Change the subject.
B) Inform the subject that they're wrong, that their granmpa really did have a J sound in his name.
C) The spirits were kidding around (alternately, the spirits gave him the wrong answer).
D) Change the subject.

Oh, and your praying has to alternate. I'm both a turned Sicilian Catholic and a turned Jew. I was an equal opportunity atheist so took on and rejected both my father's family's religion and my mother's.
 
Last edited:
Robin1 said:
If anyone could truly command the paranormal in the way you would require it to be successfully proven to you, then there would really be no point in any of us being on this earth or as I think of it "school." Cause all the answers would be right there for us and we could call on God or our deceased loved ones or angels etc. to tell us exactly what to do and solve all our problems for us. That would not be an effective school.
Click to expand...

We could call on them but, if we're here to learn and our loved ones and angels know this, then they could say "[problem x] is something you have to work out for yourself. It's a learning experience you need to go through". They could say this clearly and in plain English while being manifest before us in plain sight.

Your line of reasoning does not lead to the conclusions that you are drawing.

Robin1 said:
I think you need to get a sense of humor. : )
Click to expand...

Are you 12? You need to stop making excuses and start engaging in honest debate, like an adult.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom