The Paranormal

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- justperusing
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OP - November 06, 2014, 12:41 AM

Anyone here believe in paranormal things such as ghosts, spirits, demons, psychic powers, telepathy, and etc.? I've been watching some Derren Brown vids debunking these things as well as Penn and Teller's "Bullshit" series.

I kind of want to try out an Ouija board to see if it can completely be explained by the ideometer effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cma5Zn7xrWU

"I moreover believe that any religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system."
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Reply #1 - November 06, 2014, 02:19 AM

I don't believe even the slightest bit, but earlier this week I did get a frantic and very serious text message from the old neighbors of ours on the other side of our duplex saying that there is paranormal activity in the house and asking us if we had any problems with ghosts while we were there.
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Reply #2 - November 06, 2014, 03:28 AM

I suspect it is all bs too. I kinda want to visit a really "haunted" site or something just to see what all the craziness is about

"I moreover believe that any religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system."
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Reply #3 - November 06, 2014, 03:37 AM

There is a famous "haunted" asylum complex in my hometown. Been there, nothing to write home about, though others swear they've had paranormal experiences there. Combination of nerves and the sound of mice in the walls, I'd say.
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Reply #4 - November 06, 2014, 02:02 PM

Quote from: justperusing on November 06, 2014, 12:41 AM
Anyone here believe in paranormal things such as ghosts, spirits, demons, psychic powers, telepathy, and etc.? I've been watching some Derren Brown vids debunking these things as well as Penn and Teller's "Bullshit" series.

Nope. I use to be heavy into Wicca which involves much of the above but figured out it was BS. I did Tarot card and psychic readings to make money during summer break when I was a teenager.
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Reply #5 - November 06, 2014, 02:46 PM

I would suggest checking out James Randi, he is a Magician by trade and has spent decades of his life investigating paranormal claims and such. He has exposed the likes of Uri Geller and many other Psychics and Mediums. There is a healthy collection of James Randi Documentaries out there on Youtube.

I'd also suggest giving Carl Sagan's book 'Demon-Haunted World' a read and specifically the chapter called 'Hallucinations'.
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Reply #6 - November 06, 2014, 03:15 PM

Paranormal stuff always seemed like nonsense even when I was religious - now even more so.
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Reply #7 - November 06, 2014, 05:01 PM

Amen.

In my opinion, it's not even so dissimilar from believing in a religion. Belief in religion and belief in ghosts and spirits and all that both serve a lot of the same purposes and fill some void for people who don't want to or can't make friends with the idea that we're insignificant, one-time-only ordeals.

They're both pretty ancient concepts with no scientific reason to buy it, and all other things offered as evidence for the supernatural are on par with other anecdotes about religious experiences and visions that anyone could report having had for any number of non-divine reasons.

Not to offend anyone who is interested in it/believes in it. It is harder to point to the paranormal and say "This is all definitely bullshit," when it's kind of easy to point to some verses in the Quran and demonstrate that it just isn't true. So it's easier to be at least open-minded about the whole thing, but until some good reasons to believe in it come along, I'm going to be a stick in the mud about it.
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Reply #8 - November 06, 2014, 05:55 PM

I really want to test out the Ouija board thing so I just asked a friend if he wanted to do it with me and he flipped. He claims he knows a woman from a class he was in who had two friends who killed themselves over using one. And if you google it you get a bunch of people talking about how they'll never mess with it again after an experience they had with it. I don't get it. It is a freakin wooden board usually made by toy companies. Even if it was possible to call back the dead, I doubt they would be interested in communicating with some fool with a toy board.

I guess I'll have to try it myself. Wish me luck!

"I moreover believe that any religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system."
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Reply #9 - November 06, 2014, 07:07 PM

Quote from: justperusing on November 06, 2014, 05:55 PM
I really want to test out the Ouija board thing so I just asked a friend if he wanted to do it with me and he flipped. He claims he knows a woman from a class he was in who had two friends who killed themselves over using one. And if you google it you get a bunch of people talking about how they'll never mess with it again after an experience they had with it. I don't get it. It is a freakin wooden board usually made by toy companies. Even if it was possible to call back the dead, I doubt they would be interested in communicating with some fool with a toy board.

I guess I'll have to try it myself. Wish me luck!

Messed about with a Ouija board when I was younger. It was a good excuse for boys and girls to sit in a darkened room together and have fun.

The stories you hear are just that - stories. In our case one of us in the group moved the glass. In fact we all did. Even unintentionally - just the mere slight pressure of all those outstretched arms with a finger on the glass. No magic.

No such things as ghosts, demons, fairies. leprechauns, Jinn and ghouls.

And I suspect one can add gods to that list.
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Reply #10 - November 06, 2014, 07:20 PM

^ The truth has been spoken. I have made a friend who is spiritual and she invited to play (I say play, becau to me it is just a really creepy board game.) one day, I might take her up on that offer. Where do you live just perusing you can come with me.

But us humans are so stupid, that we can conclude the most silliest and bizarre things because we don't look at the evidence properly.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. - Terry Pratchett
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Reply #11 - November 06, 2014, 07:50 PM

Haha I get the feeling we don't live anywhere close to eachother. I'm in the US

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Reply #12 - November 10, 2014, 09:53 AM

When I were a lad I had a friend that owned a Ouija board. We tried it a few times. As I remember it there was a definite time dilation effect.

Time passes very slowly when several boys are sat around a table with their fingers on a glass.
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Reply #13 - November 10, 2014, 10:48 AM
- yeezevee
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Reply #14 - February 08, 2015, 08:01 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDA136FKVgk

Hmm Who was that guy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tCQ99ZA31Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ufuNtpQd0

hmm Dr John Mack............Crazy vooodo guy Dr. John Mack, M.D., was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School who had spent 40 years exploring the question of how our perception of ourselves shapes our perception of the world around us. Includes a fascinating discussion on reptilian extraterrestrials, Draco, and our relationship with them. Great understanding, great wisdom.

oh ! fucking stupid psycho....

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Reply #15 - February 08, 2015, 08:14 PM

Having read, since my teenage years, and watched so much material debunking these kinds of phenomena, I have to say that I don't believe in them.
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