My thoughts of this, because I am an atheist, are that it is bollocks. I am all for people expressing their views, I couldn’t care. Be you Hindu, Jewish, Christian its all good IMO if nobody shoves it in my face or hurts anyone.
But when it comes to Mediums I have a serious problem. I think these people are the lowest of the low, to lie and claim to hear voices of the dead, lying to a grieving innocent who is clinging on to any hope that they can somehow contact a loved one. I just cannot accept that.
They use a term called cold reading. South Park mastered the art of how they do it and how some people, who will accept any form of contact, will believe that the con man in front of them has a magical power. Shows like 'Crossing Over' and 'Most Haunted' are heavily edited to the point that when you are in the audience at a John Edward show you have to sign a disclaimer saying you will not give out information (From Penn & Teller - Bullshit)
John Edward even hires people to stand in the waiting room and pry information out of people. "So who are you trying to contact" that’s how its done. This is a scam, one of the oldest professions ever.
A sick individual is a woman called Sylvia Brown. This piece of work has regular slots on Montel and Larry King. Here is an exert of just one whopper of a lie she has told…
"In 2003, Browne claimed that eleven year old Shawn Hornbeck had been abducted by a very tall man with long black dreadlocks and a blue sedan, and that his body could be found near two large, jagged boulders in a wooded area about 20 miles southwest of Richwoods. Her claims led to a refocusing of search efforts of numerous people calling in with tips regarding possible spottings of the rock formations Browne had mentioned.
Hornbeck was found alive four years later, having been abducted by a white man with short brown hair who drove a small white Nissan pickup."To lie like that, to the family, disgusting.
Also, people like that idiot Uri Geller and Derek Acorah have made a living on lying to people. Why is it accepted in this day and age that these people hear the dead and have magical powers. (I don’t know about you but if my magical power was being able to bend a spoon, I'll be pretty pissed off)
Here's Uri being made to look like a total fool by the legend that is James Randi during the height of his career. He also lifts the lid on a medium who was pretty big at the time. And how it is don't
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9w7jHYriFoFor those of you who do not know about James Randi he is pretty well known stateside. For several years now he has issues a $1,000,000 reward to any "psychic" who would come into a room and see 4 total strangers and try and read there mind. Randi has said the tests would not be fixed and he wants to be proved wrong. So far nobody has volunteered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesamjLNHlU&feature=fvstNow Im not one of these idiots who will say, its my way and that’s right. I genuinely would like to hear if you believe in this tripe or not, and if so why.
To quote Tim Minchin…
"Why is it OK
For people to pretend they can talk to the dead?
Is it not totally fu**ed in the head
Lying to some crying woman whose child has died
And telling her you’re in touch with the other side?
That’s just fundamentally sick
Do we need to clarify that there’s no such thing as a psychic?
What, are we F***ing 2?
Do we actually think that Horton Heard a Who?
Do we still think that Santa brings us gifts?
That Michael Jackson hasn’t had facelifts?
Are we still so stunned by circus tricks
That we think that the dead would
Wanna talk to pricks
Like John Edwards?"
