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Hello from a non-skeptic

Whatever one's subjective opinion of its beauty, it certainly isn't perfect or flawless. It has no physical mechanism, yet claims physical influence, it has no convincing supporting evidence, it has no useful explanatory or predictive power, has no practical application, is unnecessary (Occam's Razor), is ill-defined and obscure (spiritual evolution?), and generally contradicts well-established physical and biological knowledge.

Apart from that, it's perfect & flawless - or did I miss something?

Sunniva's photo?

An inverse case of 'What have the Romans ever done for us?' :)

Yes, this is quite right Charles. The Romans have given you aqueducts, sanitation, irrigation, medicine and roads in your previous lives.

This being born again stuff seems to have led to nothing but more misery. However, I can spin this. Trust me.

You need an advocate to deal with these people. I understand these people. Just do your part.
 
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From Akhenaten's post 353 on page 9 of this thread:

I think you need to get out more.


Is this the comment Charles interpreted as "get a life"?


It's not my fault!

My all-knowing pedestal was being shaken at the time and I panicked - I didn't know what I was saying. If a friendly pack of Debunkly Skerricks hadn't come to my rescue I hate to think what might have happened.
 
It's not my fault!

My all-knowing pedestal was being shaken at the time and I panicked - I didn't know what I was saying. If a friendly pack of Debunkly Skerricks hadn't come to my rescue I hate to think what might have happened.

Well, Alice is right, as usual...the dog ate my homework, and I got behind in reading the thread by a few weeks. I suddenly got a life!:)

As I am the one keeping track of Charles's"s' "I'm leaving and never coming back" tirades, the latest is #6. I honestly hope he does not forsake this forum, because the PLF is just too weird. I'm getting burned out even taking a glimpse to see what "dlorde" is up to every other day. Just in case lurkers have lost track of that forum, it is this one.

Now, Charles said something about being moderated or suspended on the PLF, but he posted just last week (or 2 weeks ago) telling dlorde he would read his links and comment when he has time. I'm confused on his statements.

We have our weird posters on JREF, no question about it, but the PLF is awash in odd folk, nice people, but really odd. The kind of people I enjoy at parties...for a little while.:D

I think Charles' most recent rantings are a bit over the top, but I view everything he is saying with an eye to his general view of the world, and the way it works: namely, mistaken. I think some reactions are a little severe here on the thread, such as calling him a liar. It could be that he really believes what he is saying. I enjoy his "hombre formal" style. He is easily offended when most of us would simply tell someone to **** off. I've had good friends who misunderstood the world much worse than this, and were just, well good friends. It doesn't make them bad people. It's just an internet forum folks.

I hope Charles comes back. Hey, Charles, I gave $5.00 to help buy your book! I got my money's worth already.:)
 
We can safely assume that Charles lied in claiming to be a former sceptic, just as the evangelical Xians who occasionally pop up here claim to be former atheists.
 
We can safely assume that Charles lied in claiming to be a former sceptic, just as the evangelical Xians who occasionally pop up here claim to be former atheists.
Agreed, though I think it is more than an assumption given what Charles has said about his history of beliefs. It is a well supported hypothesis that explains the observations to date.
 
From the very first page of this thread I've had the impression that Charles either skim-reads other posts or ignores them completely.
 
Ok, fine, the "you should get out more" was the one I misinterpreted as "get a life". Pretty much the same meaning though, don't you think? And it could certainly apply to all of you as well...

My "deleted post warning" in reply to Alice and "Big" Les is still dangling here in my "notifications" section. I'm quite certain someone here knows that it was deleted. Just check with the moderators. I also read that all the offensive and off-topic posts had been deleted, so am I the one who is dellusional and mistaken?

I assure you all that I have not lied here. Links please? What I have shared here are all real experiences that I lived through, and which took me to believing in what I do after having been skeptical for many years. Being skeptical does not mean I have to be a "JFEK Skeptic", does it?

The problem is that whatever argumentations you might present cannot take away my own personal experience and what I have come to learn from them. I have attempted to give some assistance in sharing what I have in a form of "reversed engineering", but you are all far more bent of personal and character attacks than in debating the issue objectively. Your main counter-argumentations are attacks upon my person, and not debates upon the topic.

I did reply to the ideomotor effect vs mediumnity in another thread called "The ideomotor effect and mediumnity", which was closed by your own initiative. I have also, I believe, replied to pretty much most of your questions, so why are you accusing me of not having done so? It seems clear that you do not wish me to leave. I am certainly not going to leave and be injustly discredited such as with Alice's alleged debunking of my genealogy, for which I wrote in my deleted reply that Alice's research into my genealogy was about as shallow as your researches into spiritual matters.

How about it if you guys also asked "better questions"?

My notebook is at the shop for repair, so I am posting at an internet shop. It will be closed tomorrow, but I'll be back again to take a look at this thread on Monday.

Have a great weekend, everyone...

Charles
 
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Charles, a moderator has already posted in this thread to confirm you're talking crap. At least read other people's posts before replying. If you want to spout bollocks without being called on it, get a blog.
 
Ok, fine, the "you should get out more" was the one I misinterpreted as "get a life". Pretty much the same meaning though, don't you think?


No, it isn't. The first is usually used in a somewhat jocular way, to imply that someone is spending too much time on something relatively unimportant (and possibly that they are finding it more entertaining than it warrants); the second is used in a far more dismissive, and possibly even contemptuous, way. If English is not the language you use most you might miss some of these nuances, of course.

And it could certainly apply to all of you as well...


The first one, perhaps.
 
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Ok, fine, the "you should get out more" was the one I misinterpreted as "get a life". Pretty much the same meaning though, don't you think?


No.


And it could certainly apply to all of you as well...


"You should get out more" probably applies to everyone on the internet. So?


My "deleted post warning" in reply to Alice and "Big" Les is still dangling here in my "notifications" section. I'm quite certain someone here knows that it was deleted. Just check with the moderators. I also read that all the offensive and off-topic posts had been deleted, so am I the one who is dellusional and mistaken?


Reckon so.


I assure you all that I have not lied here. Links please? What I have shared here are all real experiences that I lived through, and which took me to believing in what I do after having been skeptical for many years. Being skeptical does not mean I have to be a "JFEK Skeptic", does it?


I hope not. The JFEK Skeptics are the sworn enemies of the Debunkly Skerricks.


The problem is that whatever argumentations you might present cannot take away my own personal experience and what I have come to learn from them.


True enough. You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.


I have attempted to give some assistance in sharing what I have in a form of "reversed engineering", but you are all far more bent of personal and character attacks than in debating the issue objectively.


Whatever you say, Mr Pot. What though are we to make of your admission of coming here "to shake our all-knowing pedestals"?


Your main counter-argumentations are attacks upon my person, and not debates upon the topic.


No, our main "counter-argumentations" are that your claims are a complete crock.


I did reply to the ideomotor effect vs mediumnity in another thread called "The ideomotor effect and mediumnity", which was closed by your own initiative. I have also, I believe, replied to pretty much most of your questions, so why are you accusing me of not having done so?


You're makin' stuff up again, Charles.


It seems clear that you do not wish me to leave.


Pretty much everyone who has posted in the thread has expressed a desire for you to hang around, so this hardly represents an astoundinig research breakthrough on your part, now does it?


I am certainly not going to leave and be injustly discredited such as with Alice's alleged debunking of my genealogy, for which I wrote in my deleted reply that Alice's research into my genealogy was about as shallow as your researches into spiritual matters.


This a false dilemma of your own creation Charles. You've been busted fair and square for making stuff up, and whether you leave or not (which you won't) that won't change.


How about it if you guys also asked "better questions"?


Biggar is better.


My notebook is at the shop for repair, so I am posting at an internet shop. It will be closed tomorrow, but I'll be back again to take a look at this thread on Monday.


Good to see you're getting out more.


Have a great weekend, everyone...

Charles


Absolutely. I'm going water skiing with Boadica and Attila.
 
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Ok, fine, the "you should get out more" was the one I misinterpreted as "get a life". Pretty much the same meaning though, don't you think? And it could certainly apply to all of you as well...

My "deleted post warning" in reply to Alice and "Big" Les is still dangling here in my "notifications" section. I'm quite certain someone here knows that it was deleted. Just check with the moderators. I also read that all the offensive and off-topic posts had been deleted, so am I the one who is dellusional and mistaken?

I assure you all that I have not lied here. Links please? What I have shared here are all real experiences that I lived through, and which took me to believing in what I do after having been skeptical for many years. Being skeptical does not mean I have to be a "JFEK Skeptic", does it?

The problem is that whatever argumentations you might present cannot take away my own personal experience and what I have come to learn from them. I have attempted to give some assistance in sharing what I have in a form of "reversed engineering", but you are all far more bent of personal and character attacks than in debating the issue objectively. Your main counter-argumentations are attacks upon my person, and not debates upon the topic.

I did reply to the ideomotor effect vs mediumnity in another thread called "The ideomotor effect and mediumnity", which was closed by your own initiative. I have also, I believe, replied to pretty much most of your questions, so why are you accusing me of not having done so? It seems clear that you do not wish me to leave. I am certainly not going to leave and be injustly discredited such as with Alice's alleged debunking of my genealogy, for which I wrote in my deleted reply that Alice's research into my genealogy was about as shallow as your researches into spiritual matters.

How about it if you guys also asked "better questions"?

My notebook is at the shop for repair, so I am posting at an internet shop. It will be closed tomorrow, but I'll be back again to take a look at this thread on Monday.

Have a great weekend, everyone...

Charles
By your own posts you have never been skeptical about your central claim: Reincarnation. You believed it as a child, you believed it as a young adult, you believe it now.

By your own posts you have never been skeptical about your main ancillary claim: mediumship. You believed it as a young adult, you practiced it for 15 years, and you believe it now.

For the most part, no one has doubted that you had the experiences you claim. We doubt your explanations. We read your descriptions in detail; you can tell because we commented in detail on them.

It is evident, however, that you do not read our comments in detail because you refuse to comment on specifics.

You refuse to undertake simple tests to determine if the ideomotor effect accounts for the movement of a Ouija board planchette.

You refuse to address specifics of Alice Shortcake's comments on your genealogy.

You refuse to address specific critiques of your book.

You continually and willfully misrepresent how you have been treated here and how skeptics from JREF behaved on PFL.

Rant and whine and complain all you like, Charles, but the facts are plain to everyone who reads this thread.
 
...
I honestly hope he does not forsake this forum, because the PLF is just too weird. I'm getting burned out even taking a glimpse to see what "dlorde" is up to every other day. Just in case lurkers have lost track of that forum, it is this one.

Now, Charles said something about being moderated or suspended on the PLF, but he posted just last week (or 2 weeks ago) telling dlorde he would read his links and comment when he has time. I'm confused on his statements.

We have our weird posters on JREF, no question about it, but the PLF is awash in odd folk, nice people, but really odd. The kind of people I enjoy at parties...for a little while.:D

I'm just about through on the PLF. There's no point keeping on plugging away with the science corrections - I think I've established that not all scientists and sceptics have evil intent, or only want to destroy their beliefs, and that a little science knowledge isn't necessarily a bad thing. But they really don't want to listen to anything that might disturb their comfortable and comforting worldview. I think my work there is done ;)
 
Ok, fine, the "you should get out more" was the one I misinterpreted as "get a life". Pretty much the same meaning though, don't you think?
Not to me, but I'll concede that you may have read it that way.
And it could certainly apply to all of you as well...
Ah, it's only a personal attack if people say it to you, not when you say it to others. Understood.
My "deleted post warning" in reply to Alice and "Big" Les is still dangling here in my "notifications" section. I'm quite certain someone here knows that it was deleted. Just check with the moderators. I also read that all the offensive and off-topic posts had been deleted, so am I the one who is dellusional and mistaken?
A moderator has confirmed that no posts have been deleted from this thread, and I gave you the link to the posts that were split to AAH (not deleted), there are no posts of yours in that split. I am unfamiliar with these "deleted post warnings", do you want to show evidence of such a thing?
I assure you all that I have not lied here. Links please? What I have shared here are all real experiences that I lived through, and which took me to believing in what I do after having been skeptical for many years. Being skeptical does not mean I have to be a "JFEK Skeptic", does it?
I don't think anyone has accused you of lying about what you have experienced. Experiences can feel completely real, even when they are actually imagined.
The problem is that whatever argumentations you might present cannot take away my own personal experience and what I have come to learn from them. I have attempted to give some assistance in sharing what I have in a form of "reversed engineering", but you are all far more bent of personal and character attacks than in debating the issue objectively. Your main counter-argumentations are attacks upon my person, and not debates upon the topic.
We are not trying to take away your personal experience for you, we are trying to show you that it has a normal, mundane explanation which does not depend on such imaginary things as "reincarnation"
I did reply to the ideomotor effect vs mediumnity in another thread called "The ideomotor effect and mediumnity", which was closed by your own initiative.
This thread? http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190148 ? It was closed as it was not discussing anything that wasn't in this thread. if you have something that's not covered in this thread and want to discuss that specifically, just start a new thread as the moderator said in the closure notice at the end of the thread.
I have also, I believe, replied to pretty much most of your questions, so why are you accusing me of not having done so?
Um, minstrels, man with a guitar, army boots, Biggar, genealogy?
It seems clear that you do not wish me to leave.
Of course we don't! You are a member here and as long as you follow the rules to which you agreed when you joined, I for one hope you post here for as long as you want to.
I am certainly not going to leave and be injustly discredited such as with Alice's alleged debunking of my genealogy, for which I wrote in my deleted reply that Alice's research into my genealogy was about as shallow as your researches into spiritual matters.
As long as the post doesn't breach the rules, it won't be deleted or even split to AAH so you need have no fear; please do post your response to Alice's work. I'd be interested to see it, not least since this thread is directly responsible for me taking up genealogy.
How about it if you guys also asked "better questions"?
How about a bit of quid pro quo, better answers and better questions? Deal?
My notebook is at the shop for repair, so I am posting at an internet shop. It will be closed tomorrow, but I'll be back again to take a look at this thread on Monday.

Have a great weekend, everyone...
Likewise :)
 
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We can safely assume that Charles lied in claiming to be a former sceptic, just as the evangelical Xians who occasionally pop up here claim to be former atheists.

But isn't that true only in case Charles fully understands what we mean when we at JREF use the term "skeptic"? I honestly don't think he does, just as many evangelicals are clueless as to the meaning of "atheist". He points out that he doesn't have to be a JREF type skeptic to be skeptical:

Being skeptical does not mean I have to be a "JFEK Skeptic", does it?
I'm not sure where JFEK came from, he used this on the PLF also.

I agree with Alice that he must skim posts, and misunderstands quite a bit. He experiences criticisms and rebuffs in different way from the way many of us do. He takes them as personal attacks. There was one post on the PLF by him which was contradicted by another member, and Charles came back indignant that the moderators would permit such behavior. Neither dlorde nor I could comprehend what on earth he could have taken exception to.

It is very frustrating that he does not respond directly to certain questions, but no more so than many other members. There are surely posters who have lied in their claims, but I'm not as "Quick":D to put Charles in this category.
 
..I think my work there is done ;)

I hear you. It was truly a valiant effort. I honestly think you did some good. I was fervently hoping that your nemesis the military guy would sign up here at JREF though.
 
I hear you. It was truly a valiant effort. I honestly think you did some good.
Thanks; I hope it helped, although I suspect they'll forget all about it in a week or two. Never mind, it was excellent exercise - I've spent so long treading on eggshells that I can walk the rice-paper and take the pebble from the master's hand... oh crap, I'm gibbering... :D

I was fervently hoping that your nemesis the military guy would sign up here at JREF though.
Nah, he sees himself as the wise & experienced (but sharp-toothed) guardian of their happy community, and I have a feeling that he now realises that his ad-hoc interpretations of scientific ideas (that gain such admiring glances in PLF) wouldn't stand the heat of this particular kitchen :)
 

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