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davy39
Guest
I saw one on tv this morning, that says he can. I think it’s all bunk, What do you think?
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chrisg93
Guest
I think contacting the dead is expressly prohibited by the Church and is classified as “divination” which is a mortal sin. I am amazed at the number of people who fall for this garbage.
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wolpertinger
Guest
Bunk. The only question is whether these persons are sincerely self-deluded or commit outright fraud.
My opinion of the fraudsters is not printable in polite company. If you think about it, they turn a pretty decent buck on the pain of fellow human beings and are apt to inflict further pain by way of their performance act.
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Monarchy
Guest
No. If you watch John Edwards (the guy that was on SciFi Channel) you can see that he asks general questions in the beging and more specfic as he goes along. It’s nothing but a series of guesses, augmented by the careful study of the person’s reactions to his ‘reading’. No one ever says anything when he is wrong but when he is right they say “How did you do that?”
Classic case of counting the hits and ignoring the misses.
Classic case of counting the hits and ignoring the misses.
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wolpertinger
Guest
The technique is called “cold reading” and a skilled practicioner can devastate the gullible. Once you know how it works and pay close attention, it’s straightforward to debunk.
In addition to cold reading, there’s also warm reading - using advance information about the marks.
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AnAtheist
Guest
Yes, me too. Plus the number of people who fall for other hilarious things.
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Monarchy
Guest
Thanks, I couldn’t think of the proper name.
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Jennifer123
Guest
Yes - it’s extremely taboo and should be avoided like the plague!! I don’t even let the channel rest on things like this if I happen to come across it. The guy you saw may be “harmless”, a “cold-reader”, but the devil and his minions can indeed allow people to “prophesy” and one must always keep their gaurd up!!
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Joe_Kelley
Guest
I got hit with this in the middle of a presentation on something else at RCIA last week. The questioner was an eight year old who was being babysat by her older sister who is considering becoming Catholic.
I told her that I thought most of them were fakes, including all who are on TV. I explained cold-readings briefly. But then I cautioned her that there may be some who really contact a source, and that source is never holy. It is to be avoided at all costs.
You have to be prepared for anything when you ask the group “*Any questions?”
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hawkeye
Guest
Yes they can contact the dead, but not the dead person in question, Christina Gallagher if you have ever heard of her, (stigmatist) was asked by a poor woman that was tormented by the sucide of her 15 year old son.
The lady in question went to a sooth sayer, & the woman said do not worry about your child, he is happy ???
the woman wasn’t convinced, so she went to Christina, so Christina said that the child was not ok, but was very near to hell, but God saved him because he was not taught his proper religion and that it was the demons making him say the things he said to the medium.
Anyway Christina said that it would take Mass to release the soul of this 15 year old from the demons.
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SPOKENWORD
Guest
Absolutely, those whom satan has in his army have this power.Its called dealing with familiar spirits. One who dabbles in the occult is under satans power. God forbids it,stay away from mediums. 
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JCPhoenix
Guest
To pronounce mediums and fortune tellers across the board as “bunk” plays directly into Satan’s hands.
These “gifts” are of Satan and if you read the Bible, you will see that this is true. They are real abilities, and we are called to discern the source.
Magic is real, telling the future is real…and this is precisely why consulting these people is a sin. It is a form of worshipping false Gods.
If Satan does a good enough job of convincing believers that this stuff is “bunk” then it’s harder for believers to counter the real effects of the the occult. Do not fall into this trap.
These “gifts” are of Satan and if you read the Bible, you will see that this is true. They are real abilities, and we are called to discern the source.
Magic is real, telling the future is real…and this is precisely why consulting these people is a sin. It is a form of worshipping false Gods.
If Satan does a good enough job of convincing believers that this stuff is “bunk” then it’s harder for believers to counter the real effects of the the occult. Do not fall into this trap.
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wolpertinger
Guest
Wearing my atheist hat, there is no Satan, no magic, no foretelling the future (unless proven otherwise). There are, however, deluded individuals and common criminals on the one side, and needy and vulnerable persons on the other.
Rather than tuning to a different channel, I would recommend to watch their performances with a critical eye to better be guarded against being victimized.
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chrisg93
Guest
Sorry wolpertinger,
That atheist dog won’t hunt.
Divination is a form of denial of God. That person is trying to bypass God in order to know the unknowable. Sometimes they run into a huckster, sometimes they run into a demon.
Eigher way, it’s very unwise to sit and watch just to see how to be on guard against it. St. Paul says “flee immorality” and “be nieve to sin”. On a human level you can read a Catholic book that will tell you all you need to know. Would anyone watch a murder just to be on guard against it? Same principle here.
Thanks,
Chris G
That atheist dog won’t hunt.
Divination is a form of denial of God. That person is trying to bypass God in order to know the unknowable. Sometimes they run into a huckster, sometimes they run into a demon.
Eigher way, it’s very unwise to sit and watch just to see how to be on guard against it. St. Paul says “flee immorality” and “be nieve to sin”. On a human level you can read a Catholic book that will tell you all you need to know. Would anyone watch a murder just to be on guard against it? Same principle here.
Thanks,
Chris G
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Pro_Iesu
Guest
many times it is a fraud but others it is real. A perversion of true gifts, thats what satan and his hordes do. And i don’t think its really a dead person’s soul except in a rare case(like 1 in a billion or some other astronomical number) but the demons who are dead spiritually since they cut themselves off from God.
Thats my opinion though and I’m no expert.:nope:
As the church says stay away from it! I’d take their advice!
and Pray for those who attempt it they don’t know who they’re messing with!
Thats my opinion though and I’m no expert.:nope:
As the church says stay away from it! I’d take their advice!
and Pray for those who attempt it they don’t know who they’re messing with!
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wolpertinger
Guest
It is your prerogative to reject unsolicited advice. In any case, I am not the one in danger of falling prey to this kind of scam – quite the opposite, this atheist dog does hunt.
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Poprox
Guest
Hmm…strange, I know someone who actually truly is “psychic” and you can say what you want, I believe that they are gifts from God. I believe in powers that we have untapped, because humans are complex creatures, and if God truly did make us in his image, surely something extraordinary must have been given to us.
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hlgomez
Guest
Contacting the dead has been prohibited by God. There is a serious danger that if a person do this, he may be communicating with evil spirits and can do more harm to the person.The evil spirits can mimic the dead person. So it may seem true for some people to think that they are the dead person, but in reality they are not. Yes they can predict, but this will lead people to rely not on God and is considered a mortal sin.
Pio
Pio
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space_ghost
Guest
if they do, i recommend a hasty retreat…
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wolpertinger
Guest
If there are evil spirits and they can mimic a dead person, surely they can mimic a live person, as well? If so, where does this ultimately lead you?
I much prefer a more simplistic world view - there are good folks and bad folks (sinners, if you wish).
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