StopSylvia email: "About Browne"

[ExMinister]

Robert, at the risk of being ridiculously predictable, as an acolyte and a skept, I like your response.

Whether you are out of practice or not, I can't tell because this is a very weird email to have to respond to anyway.

Here's the thing. When he/she says:

I just wanted to say that if you dont acknowledge your GOD even abilities and do not apply them to your life then you would't know the obstacls that gifted people face.

This second major point here, what can be said to something like that?

The idea being that only someone who is applying such God given abilities is in a position to judge someone like Browne fairly, as you would then understand the obstacles correctly. Since you are not, you cannot.

To me it just seems like a bit of a conversation stopper.

As far as the other claims and the vague parts, I thought you addressed them well. Will be interesting to see if he/she responds. Unless you are written off as a skept who just can't properly understand the obstacles faced by the gifted.

Then again, who needs to be spiritually gifted anyway, when YOU have your own acolytes. Way better.

 

[Minarvia]

Oh, great post, Ex-Min! Until I re-read the part you quoted I read it as complete gibberish and had no clue as to what she was talking about. So, I take it she means "God given" abilities, not "God even" abilities.

Now I get it.

However, as this person is defending Browne, I think we (skeptics) can say that we do understand obstacles that gifted people face. What I mean is that people like Browne and Van Praagh and Edward all say the same thing - we ALL have gifts and just need to develop them if we choose. I believe they also say that even if we don't there is a part of us that can discern the truth of what these "prophets" (for lack of a better word) say to us.

If they don't mean that, and I am misunderstanding these "psychics" then I suppose that makes me a "dark entity."

 

[Flo]

..... this is a very weird email to have to respond to anyway.

Here's the thing. When he/she says:

I just wanted to say that if you dont acknowledge your GOD even abilities and do not apply them to your life then you would't know the obstacls that gifted people face.

This second major point here, what can be said to something like that?

That it is unfortunately typical of what someone suffering from a form of psychosis and who got horribly bad advice* from woo peddlers would say.


*i.e. "What do doctors know, already ? You don't need no stinking doctor or psychiatrist, you're psychic, you've got a message from god"

 

[ExMinister]

And in fact the woo peddlers really play up the obstacle thing that non-experiencers couldn't possibly understand. They're always saying things like:

• We are given symbols from the spirit world and we have to learn to interpret them correctly so of course sometimes we are wrong.
  
• Some symbols can mean more than one thing, and some spirits are better than others at communicating.
  
• Spirit voices sound like bad radio wavelengths at times and it's hard to hear them clearly, thus we must say things like, "I'm getting an R sounding name."
  
• We might be getting mixed signals from the guy standing next to you or the person in the next room.
  
• We can mistake the present for the past or the future.
  
• We're not any good at time. This is because there is no time in the afterworld.
  
• We can't read that well for people close to us.
  
• We can't read well for people who block us with negative attitudes or overly skeptical energy.
  
• We can't read well for people who don't establish a connection with us, like nodding yes or no or responding verbally.
  
• People have free will and can change their futures, thus making it SEEM like we were wrong when we were really right at that time.
  
• People have lessons to learn so we won't be able to read anything that involves a lesson.
  
• People have lessons to learn and we're not meant to be too focused on the afterworld while we're here, so spirits can't do much more than hint around at their existence.

And so on.

So I guess we skepts really CAN understand the challenges faced by the spiritually gifted. They talk about it all the time.

 

[Flo]

So I guess we skepts really CAN understand the challenges faced by the spiritually gifted. They talk about it all the time.

That's even the only thing they're ever talking about, actually.

 

[Dr. Keith]

I don't think your response is harsh and I think the intent is clear. But I can see how rjh01 could read it in such a way. As usual in typing; it is often difficult to discern meaning with only the printed word. We can only do our best.

I think it helps that even though I have never met Robert I read his posts with a gentle, caring voice in my head. A voice that carries the weight of patience it takes to respond to such emails. If only the recipients could have that same voice in their ear when they read his response they would be comforted into knowing that while Robert doesn't buy your abilities, he could never be mad at you until you start fleecing folks.

 

[Kataleena]

This is the funniest thread I believe I've ever read, lol!! So glad I am a skept!

 

[CynicalSkeptic]

This is the funniest thread I believe I've ever read, lol!! So glad I am a skept!

I used my psycic powers to predict you would say that.