My Dad's experience with the Supernatural

[Switch]

Last night I was talking to my Dad and somehow he got to describing how he has often had dreams in which someone will get fired for something way out of their character (like fraud) and in which he can remember entire conversations that happen within a few days of the dream.

He also told me about a time when he visited a psychic. I know what you're thinking; but my Dad's actually an intelligent person and it is way out of character for him to do something like that. He said that he took a tape recorder in and I suppose was doing it as an experiment.

When he walked in she said "You're a spiritual person" (at the time he had been preaching) and said (as if afraid) "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" she then told him that he talked to the dead. He told me that he very often (as in once a week or more) has dreams in which his father and grandfather will talk to him and give him practical advice.

[QuestionMark]

What do you think about that?

[Switch]

What do you think about that?

I don't know.

[QuestionMark]

Seka points out that the psychic's predictions could just be statistics. If you're going to a psychic, you're probably a very 'spiritual' person. If you are older, you've probably lost people and talk to someone who is deceased. I don't quite understand the dreams/conversations part of your post so I have nothing to offer there.

On the other hand, I certainly think there are supernatural experiences, I think one reason Seka was open to the idea of the existence of God is because her family members who are atheists and have no reason to talk about spiritual things(are generally opposed to talk about the supernatural) have told her stories that were clearly not natural. They are very down to earth people who have very healthy levels of skepticism, and all are very sharp as far as I've seen.

It's not uncommon though. Vynn and others who you wouldn't expect have had very spiritual experiences, usually chalking them up to 'I don't know' or that humans do have a spiritual side, that is just an undiscovered aspect of our beings that have nothing to do with God. There are people who call themselves 'spiritual atheists'. Personally I find all the coincidences throughout my life entirely too difficult to dismiss.

[Son of Man]

Seka points out that the psychic's predictions could just be statistics. If you're going to a psychic, you're probably a very 'spiritual' person. If you are older, you've probably lost people and talk to someone who is deceased. I don't quite understand the dreams/conversations part of your post so I have nothing to offer there.

I watched a video in which a man was read by a psychic as a test of his accuracy.  I don't remember the exact numbers but, when the reading was over, the man said that the psychic was about 90% accurate, which is impressive.  James Randi told the man that the psychic was about 20% (again not sure about the exact numbers), and the man even argued with him about it.  He was convinced that the psychic read his mind.  The session had been recorded and Randi had the transcript to prove the psychic's failure, but that man who got the reading didn't remember it that way.  And in this case, the man's memory had only been given a short time to change.  He only remembered what the psychic got right.

Another example was with my own dad, who believes in just about every crazy thing you can imagine.  But my dad doesn't think he believes on faith.  He has examples of the supernatural that prove he's right.  One story is his encounter with a magician at Venice Beach.  The man did a card trick that was so impressive that my dad believed he had demonic powers.  My dad told the magician something like, "You have travelers, don't you?", and he said the magician just smiled at him, confirming his suspicion. To my dad, travelers meant demons.  I can't remember what the card trick was, but it was something common, so I wasn't the slightest bit impressed, and I told him so.  Years later, my dad told me the story again, but this time the card trick was much more impressive.  He told my dad to think of a card, and the magician simply pulled it out of the deck.  I don't think my dad was lying.  I think his memory changed to something that he believed was proof of the demons that he sees everywhere.  The same kind of thing probably happened with Switch's dad, as well.

[QuestionMark]

No, the same thing might have happened. You have nothing to base probability on...

[Switch]

Seka points out that the psychic's predictions could just be statistics. If you're going to a psychic, you're probably a very 'spiritual' person. If you are older, you've probably lost people and talk to someone who is deceased. I don't quite understand the dreams/conversations part of your post so I have nothing to offer there.

Well, that's true that people who go to psychics often are 'spiritual'. But why did she say, "Why are you here?" As if she was afraid? It reminds of the New Testament story where a couple of men are using a woman possessed by demons to tell fortunes and then the Christians cast the demons out and they have to find a new way to make money. If she actually had a demon, the fear in the presence of spiritual person would make sense, wouldn't it? The demon would've been afraid it was being cast out. On the other hand, I'm probably reading too much into that. Maybe the psychic acts dramatic with everyone so they think she's really something.

And 'talking to the dead' is vague and probably does apply to a lot of people. Whether it's writing the deceased a letter to send off your last emotion, or having dreams, or thinking of what that person would say sometimes. All can be interpreted as 'talking to the dead'. It would have been more impressive if she had told my dad, "You have conversations with your father and grandfather in your dreams on a weekly basis."

[Son of Man]

No, the same thing might have happened. You have nothing to base probability on...

You couldn't pay a psychic a million dollars to demonstrate his powers in a controlled environment even for a few minutes.  Not even one psychic has done this.  I think it's much more probable that psychics have no powers than that psychics just don't want a ton of money.  Even if he didn't want the money for himself, he could give it to a children's hospital or buy a shltload of food for people in Haiti.

[Gaston]

If you know how, it's not really hard to fool people into believing in amazing things. Just watch a few Derren Brown videos, and you'll get a sense of how much personal contact can actually do.

[QuestionMark]

You couldn't pay a psychic a million dollars to demonstrate his powers in a controlled environment even for a few minutes.  Not even one psychic has done this.  I think it's much more probable that psychics have no powers than that psychics just don't want a ton of money.  Even if he didn't want the money for himself, he could give it to a children's hospital or buy a shltload of food for people in Haiti.

Oh, I see, you were talking about in general dismissing the psychic. I thought you were trying to determine the probability of the psychic's techniques. The psychic may have done everything exactly as Switch recounts, and his father remembered it all perfectly. But the revelations could be accurate of most people. It doesn't have to be that Switch's Dad 'probably' misinterpreted, remembered wrong etc. There are lots of other natural causes.

Are you on a crusade against psychics? :D

[Son of Man]

You couldn't pay a psychic a million dollars to demonstrate his powers in a controlled environment even for a few minutes.  Not even one psychic has done this.  I think it's much more probable that psychics have no powers than that psychics just don't want a ton of money.  Even if he didn't want the money for himself, he could give it to a children's hospital or buy a shltload of food for people in Haiti.

Oh, I see, you were talking about in general dismissing the psychic. I thought you were trying to determine the probability of the psychic's techniques. The psychic may have done everything exactly as Switch recounts, and his father remembered it all perfectly. But the revelations could be accurate of most people. It doesn't have to be that Switch's Dad 'probably' misinterpreted, remembered wrong etc. There are lots of other natural causes.

Are you on a crusade against psychics? :D

I don't have much of a problem with people just because they're psychics.  I see the more decent psychics as kind of like magicians.  But when a psychic crosses the line and milks somebody who has just lost a loved one by pretending to speak to that person, it disgusts me.  You really have to be a sick, twisted piece of shlt to do that to someone.  It's not because they're psychics that i dislike them.  It's because they're a$$holes.  I also dislike a$$holes who con the elderly out of their savings, a$$holes who manipulate people with tarot cards, a$$holes who tell people not to get vaccinated, a$$holes who rake in the money performing fake miracles, a$$holes who prescribe homeopathic remedies, a$$holes who tell people not to wear condoms, and so on. 

[Scrabble Hamster]

I don't have much of a problem with people just because they're psychics.  I see the more decent psychics as kind of like magicians.  But when a psychic crosses the line and milks somebody who has just lost a loved one by pretending to speak to that person, it disgusts me.  You really have to be a sick, twisted piece of shlt to do that to someone.  It's not because they're psychics that i dislike them.  It's because they're a$$holes.  I also dislike a$$holes who con the elderly out of their savings, a$$holes who manipulate people with tarot cards, a$$holes who tell people not to get vaccinated, a$$holes who rake in the money performing fake miracles, a$$holes who prescribe homeopathic remedies, a$$holes who tell people not to wear condoms, and so on. 

+1

I'd like to add a$$holes that manufacture homeopathic remedies for pets.