4 ms·

> But what am I supposed to make of patients who unexpectedly start speaking perfect Latin? That a person who is a self-styled "witch" and "queen of satan" has

by ajuc 3y ago

> But what am I supposed to make of patients who unexpectedly start speaking perfect Latin? That a person who is a self-styled "witch" and "queen of satan" has a big incentive to learn latin and deny that she ever did. Just a few phrases would probably suffice. BTW how good is your latin that you can judge "perfect one" from "passable"? > He or she might demonstrate “hidden knowledge” of all sorts of things — like how a stranger’s loved ones died, what secret sins she has committed, even where people are at a given moment. These are skills that cannot be explained except by special psychic or preternatural ability Or, you know, cold reading. > I have not witnessed a levitation myself, but half a dozen people I work with vow that they’ve seen it in the course of their exorcisms Yeah, must be true then. Most likely explanation. > One cannot force these creatures to undergo lab studies or submit to scientific manipulation; they will also hardly allow themselves to be easily recorded by video equipment, as skeptics sometimes demand. Convenient, isn't it? On the other hand they don't care that you see them and write your book about them. They are only camera-shy. > professor of clinical psychiatry ...

_f1dq 3y ago
Banachek, one of the best mentalists in the art of magical entertainment will tell people before a show, "This isn't real. I'm not actually reading anyone's mind." Yet he has said that after that same show, people will come up to him and tell him that he is, in fact, reading people's mind. The human capacity for self-delusion knows no bounds, it seems.
vfclists 3y ago
What reason do you have to believe that the author was not rigorous in coming to his conclusions? What "peer-reviewed" journals or publications of you read which have made a serious investigation into "demonic possession" to convince you that the author has no idea of what he is talking about? You sound like "authoritative" government institutions stating that "UFOs don't exist". Forgetting the fact of "how can they be authorities on a phenomenon that doesn't exist"? I can only link you to my earlier comment which isn't going down too well here. > I find it rather amusing how people who attend educational institutions teaching the scientific method that were setup by the Church go on to criticize Church views that don't agree with an outlook arising from their education. >Don't they believe that the same officials of the religious institutions which setup the educational institutions they attend were and still are perspicacious enough to judge whether demonic possession is real or not?
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
  Mentalism as an explanation of how someone could demonstrate "hidden knowledge" is well-known enough that they appear at least a little foolish ending their paragraph with, "These are skills that cannot be explained except by special psychic or preternatural ability." They could at least be kind enough to go on to explain why they discount cold reading as a possibility. I'd personally be interested to see a trained mentalist interview these people because it would be much more telling if they arrived at the same conclusions. But I'm also thinking there's a likely reason that such possessed people avoid allowing themselves to be filmed.
- ajuc 3y ago
  > What reason do you have to believe that the author was not rigorous in coming to his conclusions? The arguments provided in the article. I quoted them for your convenience. > What "peer-reviewed" Why the quotes? I haven't mentioned peer review once. > You sound like "authoritative" government institutions stating that "UFOs don't exist" UFOs as in "unidentified flying objects" obviously exist. Nobody denies that. What people deny is aliens visiting Earth and us either not noticing, or covering it up. > I can only link you to my earlier comment which isn't going down too well here. Your comment makes no sense. There's attacking the person, there's attacking the person's family, and then there's this. I'd call this "argument from institutional multi-generational hypocrisy". If your country was created by people who believed in slavery - you can't be against slavery. I can't even. Fascinating POV. BTW many universities weren't even set up by church. For example the one I graduated (UMCS in Poland).
  - vfclists 3y ago
    > BTW many universities weren't even set up by church. For example the one I graduated (UMCS in Poland). Oh yes. The one you graduated from was setup by the Church, or founded by people whose educational lineage goes back to the Church. Communism doesn't change the fact that all educational institutions from the Middle Ages were setup by the Church.
    - ajuc 3y ago

by ajuc 3y ago

_f1dq 3y ago

Banachek, one of the best mentalists in the art of magical entertainment will tell people before a show, "This isn't real. I'm not actually reading anyone's mind." Yet he has said that after that same show, people will come up to him and tell him that he is, in fact, reading people's mind. The human capacity for self-delusion knows no bounds, it seems.

vfclists 3y ago

What reason do you have to believe that the author was not rigorous in coming to his conclusions? What "peer-reviewed" journals or publications of you read which have made a serious investigation into "demonic possession" to convince you that the author has no idea of what he is talking about? You sound like "authoritative" government institutions stating that "UFOs don't exist". Forgetting the fact of "how can they be authorities on a phenomenon that doesn't exist"? I can only link you to my earlier comment which isn't going down too well here. > I find it rather amusing how people who attend educational institutions teaching the scientific method that were setup by the Church go on to criticize Church views that don't agree with an outlook arising from their education. >Don't they believe that the same officials of the religious institutions which setup the educational institutions they attend were and still are perspicacious enough to judge whether demonic possession is real or not?

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
Mentalism as an explanation of how someone could demonstrate "hidden knowledge" is well-known enough that they appear at least a little foolish ending their paragraph with, "These are skills that cannot be explained except by special psychic or preternatural ability." They could at least be kind enough to go on to explain why they discount cold reading as a possibility. I'd personally be interested to see a trained mentalist interview these people because it would be much more telling if they arrived at the same conclusions. But I'm also thinking there's a likely reason that such possessed people avoid allowing themselves to be filmed.
ajuc 3y ago
> What reason do you have to believe that the author was not rigorous in coming to his conclusions? The arguments provided in the article. I quoted them for your convenience. > What "peer-reviewed" Why the quotes? I haven't mentioned peer review once. > You sound like "authoritative" government institutions stating that "UFOs don't exist" UFOs as in "unidentified flying objects" obviously exist. Nobody denies that. What people deny is aliens visiting Earth and us either not noticing, or covering it up. > I can only link you to my earlier comment which isn't going down too well here. Your comment makes no sense. There's attacking the person, there's attacking the person's family, and then there's this. I'd call this "argument from institutional multi-generational hypocrisy". If your country was created by people who believed in slavery - you can't be against slavery. I can't even. Fascinating POV. BTW many universities weren't even set up by church. For example the one I graduated (UMCS in Poland).
- vfclists 3y ago
  > BTW many universities weren't even set up by church. For example the one I graduated (UMCS in Poland). Oh yes. The one you graduated from was setup by the Church, or founded by people whose educational lineage goes back to the Church. Communism doesn't change the fact that all educational institutions from the Middle Ages were setup by the Church.
  - ajuc 3y ago