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Topic ClosedBelieving in the Paranormal

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Poll Question: What do you believe in (you may choose many)
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
5 [11.36%]
16 [36.36%]
2 [4.55%]
11 [25.00%]
3 [6.82%]
2 [4.55%]
3 [6.82%]
2 [4.55%]
This topic is closed, no new votes accepted

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el böthy View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 15:19
Telekinesis, although I like to call it  "The shining"
"You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Peter View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 15:41
Not to start any fights, but I think that if you believe in God, you pretty much believe in the "paranormal," by definition. look at the powers commonly ascribed to God:
mind reading
onniscience
omnipresence
immortality
the ability to create matter from nothing
the ability to work "miraculous" cures
the ability to resurrect the dead
invisibility
etc.
 
Therefore, it should not tbe too big a stretch, I think, for a religious person to think that some humans or "spirits" could from time to time manifest similar "paranormal" powers. 
 
Essentially, I equate belief in the paranormal with belief in magic, and I think that any "god" is essentially a "magical" entity.
 
 Whattayall think? Belief in God = belief in magic = belief in paranormal?
Is it the same? Are religous folks more likely to believe in such "non-scientific" things?
 
Or is belief in an all-powerful, single God incompatible with, say, a belief in astrology?Ermm


Edited by Peter - June 23 2007 at 15:44
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 18:35
Originally posted by el böthy el böthy wrote:

Telekinesis, although I like to call it  "The shining"
I think you have to call it "The Shinning" or you'll be sued by the Kubrick estate.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 18:44
None of the above...
 
However, telepathy is an interesting issue IMO although not really paranormal.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 18:52
Originally posted by Peter Peter wrote:

Not to start any fights, but I think that if you believe in God, you pretty much believe in the "paranormal," by definition. look at the powers commonly ascribed to God:
mind reading
onniscience
omnipresence
immortality
the ability to create matter from nothing
the ability to work "miraculous" cures
the ability to resurrect the dead
invisibility
etc.
 
Therefore, it should not tbe too big a stretch, I think, for a religious person to think that some humans or "spirits" could from time to time manifest similar "paranormal" powers. 
 
Essentially, I equate belief in the paranormal with belief in magic, and I think that any "god" is essentially a "magical" entity.
 
 Whattayall think? Belief in God = belief in magic = belief in paranormal?
Is it the same? Are religous folks more likely to believe in such "non-scientific" things?
 
Or is belief in an all-powerful, single God incompatible with, say, a belief in astrology?Ermm


Well, according to Catholicism (or the Catholic Church that I was brought up under) belief in ghosts, astrology etc is blasphemy and somehow comes under the commandment "thou shalt not bear false gods before me"

However it is perfectly logical in my view that people who believe in God or gods would also believe in all manner of other manifestations, magical powers and whatnot.It stands to reason that once you believe in an entity that you cannot see then anything goes..

One cannot prove or disprove the existence of Gods (or gods etc) and so it goes for most of these amazing powers that people claim. However, when spiritualists, mind readers et al have been subject to the strictest laboratory tests they have ALWAYS failed totally.

Take ghosts, for example. To me they either exist or they dont. If they exist why arent they commonplace and more perplexingly why do those that claim to have seen ghosts always presume that they are in some way blessed with a "gift" or special sensitivity that others do not possess?

The parsimonious view to take would be that these people are over-sensitive...Wink


Edited by Tony R - June 23 2007 at 18:53
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 18:59
Originally posted by Atkingani Atkingani wrote:

None of the above...
 
However, telepathy is an interesting issue IMO although not really paranormal.
How is telepathy not paranormal? Telepathy is a form of ESP, namely thought transference. (usually done with those circle, square, cross, wave, star - cards)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 19:24
Ghosts? Nah...60 000000000 people lived so far on this planet, since the beginning of human kind. Where are those folks? Is each one of us surrounded by 10 souls? I don't think so...our rooms should be overcrowded with poltergeists...

Aliens visiting us? Nah. Too naive. I believe in existence of life forms on other planets, even the intelligent ones, but visiting us? Why us? There are another 150000000000 stars only in our galaxy.

ESP? Clueless...but I think there is something. As Arthur C. Clarke once pointed it out - 95% of all that is rubbish...but which 5% is right?

Prediciting the future? I do not believe in that, nor in destiny. On the other hand, there might be something in the theories of parallel universes, warmholes, streams of happenings and cosmical mechanics...but that's a huge stretch.

Astrology is one of the worst piles of rubbish ever invented by the human kind, and it should be banned by the law in all the countries. It's too bad that inquisition in the dark ages didn't made astrology extint - by using the pyres for those who had tried to earn something on poor, naive people, desperately searching for a luck in their cruel reality.

In my humble opinion, of course.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 19:42
Originally posted by darqdean darqdean wrote:

Originally posted by Atkingani Atkingani wrote:

None of the above...
 
However, telepathy is an interesting issue IMO although not really paranormal.
How is telepathy not paranormal? Telepathy is a form of ESP, namely thought transference. (usually done with those circle, square, cross, wave, star - cards)
 
Shouldn't it be a sense, just like hearing or vision? In this case it would be biological and/or physical, not a gift IMO.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 19:55
Originally posted by Atkingani Atkingani wrote:

Originally posted by darqdean darqdean wrote:

Originally posted by Atkingani Atkingani wrote:

None of the above...
 
However, telepathy is an interesting issue IMO although not really paranormal.
How is telepathy not paranormal? Telepathy is a form of ESP, namely thought transference. (usually done with those circle, square, cross, wave, star - cards)
 
Shouldn't it be a sense, just like hearing or vision? In this case it would be biological and/or physical, not a gift IMO.
It could be argued that ESP, Telekinesis and Forseeing The Future are all additional senses to the normally accepted 5. However, the Extra in Extra-Sensory means unusual, outside or beyond rather than in addition to, like extraterrestrial means beyond-earth, so my view is that telepathy would be a beyond-normal sense rather than an additional sense.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 20:46
Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:

Ghosts? Nah...60 000000000 people lived so far on this planet, since the beginning of human kind. Where are those folks? Is each one of us surrounded by 10 souls? I don't think so...our rooms should be overcrowded with poltergeists...
I think your figure of 60 billion is a little conservative - I'd put it at closer to 100 billion, which works out at 1800 dead people per square mile of earth, or one skeleton every 150 metres. If we consider that only a small proportion of land is actually populated, then this grave-density increases dramatically, which means that there must be some parts of the world where the ghosts must be standing shoulder to shoulder.
Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:


Aliens visiting us? Nah. Too naive. I believe in existence of life forms on other planets, even the intelligent ones, but visiting us? Why us? There are another 150000000000 stars only in our galaxy.
Also, none of them could actually get here, even if they wanted to - the closest star to us is Proxima Centari at 235 billion miles away, which is roughly 160,000 years by space-shuttle. Faster than light travel is physically impossible.
Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:


ESP? Clueless...but I think there is something. As Arthur C. Clarke once pointed it out - 95% of all that is rubbish...but which 5% is right?
The $1,000,000 Randi prize remains unclaimed. I remain a skeptic. Wink
Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:


Prediciting the future? I do not believe in that, nor in destiny. On the other hand, there might be something in the theories of parallel universes, warmholes, streams of happenings and cosmical mechanics...but that's a huge stretch.
I agree, sort of... I understand that parallel universes are theoretically feasible, I'm not convinced they actually exist, or if they did, that we could 'enter' one.
Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:


Astrology is one of the worst piles of rubbish ever invented by the human kind, and it should be banned by the law in all the countries. It's too bad that inquisition in the dark ages didn't made astrology extint - by using the pyres for those who had tried to earn something on poor, naive people, desperately searching for a luck in their cruel reality.
Agreed, it's hooey, but banning it would be as wrong as banning the tooth-fairy. In the dark ages the Inquisition had no interest in astrology, they were only concerned with stamping out heretics. Astrology was only forbidden by the church as recently as the 19th century, and then only because it denied  free-will.
Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:


In my humble opinion, of course.
mine too Smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 20:54
Originally posted by darqdean darqdean wrote:

Originally posted by clarke2001 clarke2001 wrote:

Ghosts? Nah...60 000000000 people lived so far on this planet, since the beginning of human kind. Where are those folks? Is each one of us surrounded by 10 souls? I don't think so...our rooms should be overcrowded with poltergeists...
I think your figure of 60 billion is a little conservative - I'd put it at closer to 100 billion, which works out at 1800 dead people per square mile of earth, or one skeleton every 150 metres. If we consider that only a small proportion of land is actually populated, then this grave-density increases dramatically, which means that there must be some parts of the world where the ghosts must be standing shoulder to shoulder.
 
Not that I believe but according to some sources aren't we simple avatars of people that passed away? In this case with the population growth the problem will be the opposite - lack of souls for people still to be born. Ouch
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 23 2007 at 22:11
Bigfoot
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2007 at 01:56
Originally posted by Sasquamo Sasquamo wrote:

Bigfoot
LOL I think you are joking.
 
(In any case, a "bigfoot' -- or large unidentified primate -- would not be a supernatural or "paranormal" creature.) Geek
 
Ermm Just in case you're not joking:
 
Where are the dead ones? the bones? (surely we'd have found the remains of such large animals, by now!)
 
Where's the poop?
 
Where's the bits of fur?
 
Where's the recent, reliable photographic evidence/pelts/tracks from: native Americans, loggers, prospectors, hikers, environmentalists, campers, etc?
 
Belief in "bigfoot' rates up there with belief in the Loch Ness Monster as far as totally ridiculous, wishful, flying-in-the-face-of-all-logic beliefs/tourist scams go!Stern%20Smile
 
LOL


Edited by Peter - June 24 2007 at 01:58
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
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O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2007 at 10:18
My opinion in Each.

_I partly believe in Extra-terrestrials visiting us due to the huge pile of evidence. Even though most would be faked, things like the Russel Crash (or the one in Ohio), the NASA footage, and many more makes me believe it 'may' be true.

_I don't believe in ghosts that much at all, but I keep an open mind (I'm agnostic)

_Cryptozoology/Mythical Creatures: Sure, there are some weird animals here and there, but those mythical creatures and Big Foot??? No evidence, I don't believe it.

_ESP: The Randi Prize of 1 frickin' million wasn't awarded to anyone. Need I say more?

_Telekinesis: A bit more plausible maybe. Evidence is inadequate and these things could be done by Copperfield-style trickery and maybe if it's possible, it could be a fault in the laws of physics.
Best telekinesis I've seen in youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O08_r66pNwY though i know there has to be a trick, like a string.

_Foreseeing the Future: ummmm, what? I just don't believe it can be possible.

_Astrology: Pure rubbish that made Walter Mercado a millionaire.



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2007 at 13:02
I voted for ESP...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2007 at 13:06
Why have all of these so called Alien crashes taken place in the USA? Please corrent me if there are stories of other nations boasting their very own crash site, it would be of interest to me.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2007 at 13:09
Originally posted by Paradox Paradox wrote:

Why have all of these so called Alien crashes taken place in the USA? Please corrent me if there are stories of other nations boasting their very own crash site, it would be of interest to me.
 
it's probably because the USA is difficult to miss. LOL
 
I think Mexico and parts of Bavaria/Switzerland have a larger number of sightings, but they probably don't fly too low because of the mountains, therefore do not crash.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 24 2007 at 14:02
Quote Why have all of these so called Alien crashes taken place in the USA? Please corrent me if there are stories of other nations boasting their very own crash site, it would be of interest to me.


Let me add something ... why are almost all of the alien abduction stories from the United States? If it's somehow related to communication, maybe there could be a small relationship between US and the aliens due to Russel crash, etc. But if these people report to be examined, then why not the other countries?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 25 2007 at 04:59
Originally posted by Paradox Paradox wrote:

Why have all of these so called Alien crashes taken place in the USA? Please corrent me if there are stories of other nations boasting their very own crash site, it would be of interest to me.


There were - allegedly - many sightings and tales of abduction etc, in the former Soviet Union. The worlds other super power at the time. It was the powerful status of the US and the USSR that is believed to be behind why the aliens visited these places with such frequency.

If you believe such things..
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 25 2007 at 07:28


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