talkmagic.co.uk

Why wouldn't a "psychic" charge for any reading? You would not ask a mechanic to "test fix" your car. That entire argument is an exercise in stupidity to me.

I believe people's perception of what a psychic is and what they really are can be (and are) poles apart.

Criticising a psychic for not predicting an argument is like criticising a magician for not disarming a mugger with expelliarmus.

I am an atheist and happily so. I do not feel the need to force this opinion on to people but if they question my lack of religion then I feel I then, in turn, have the right to question their religious conviction.

Being an atheist does not make you blinkered, listening to the opinion but not the facts does.

Certain prominent people have the opinion that God/Psychics/Santa etc. are not real. They have reached their opinion by looking at the evidence and deciding for themselves. The public in general are sheep and will follow the zeitgeist that offers the most convincing or supportive argument not necessarily the most convincing or supportive evidence.

Would I pay Mark for a reading to in order to find out about my life. No thank you very much, I am quite comfortable in myself to not need that. Would I pay Mark for a reading in order to better understand and learn exactly what skills he uses - absolutely.

The important thing is always the evidence and not the opinion as far as I am concerned, that is why other people's opinions count for little to me however the evidence that led to them reaching that opinion count for everything.

Eshly wrote:1. Jellyfish do not live forever, they just don't age.

Right, so if they had no predators, they would live forever.

Eshly wrote:2. Yes he was a Panthiest, but this is VERY far from believing in a God and saying "Einstein believed in God" is a lie, as his idea of a God is very different from most peoples.

An online dictoinary says Pantheism is: 1. A doctrine identifying the Deity with the universe and its phenomena.
2. Belief in and worship of all gods.

Eshly wrote:3. If you say "God is energy" or something vauge like that, then you can find God in a lump of coal. I remember when my fifth grade teacher said God was in everything; I asked "Is God in cows?" and she said yes, to which I said "If Gods in cows, then is beastiality technically sex with a deity?"

Not sure what to say to that.

Eshly wrote:There are many flaws in a God argument, but discuss them via PM if anywhere, not here.

If we did that, there'd be no forum....we're here to discuss, not argue or prove who is right and who is wrong. It's a discussion. Those that get heated are usually the ones that are losing. There are flaws in a God argument, that's what we're discussing.

Among other things.

mark lewis wrote:PS. As for Mr Grue and his unworthy and terribly rude remark I shall only say that if his intelligence were two points higher it would equal that of a plant.

Now now, Mr Lewis, you know it's the only kind of love someone of your intellect and character is likely to understand. x

* (rare) worship that admits or tolerates all gods
* the doctrine or belief that God is the universe and its phenomena (taken or conceived of as a whole) or the doctrine that regards the universe as a manifestation of God

Google's automatic definition of Pantheism; and given the fact that Einstein deliberately denied the fact he believed in a Personal God of any kind says alot. He didn't want to be thought of in that way.

Eshly wrote:

* (rare) worship that admits or tolerates all gods
* the doctrine or belief that God is the universe and its phenomena (taken or conceived of as a whole) or the doctrine that regards the universe as a manifestation of God

Google's automatic definition of Pantheism; and given the fact that Einstein deliberately denied the fact he believed in a Personal God of any kind says alot. He didn't want to be thought of in that way.

Semantic argument isn't it?

Back on topic then...

This thread seems to have been rather busy while I have been out. I still don't see the child who started the whole fuss off though by making a challenge he seems to not wish to follow through with.

I am somewhat bemused to see how badly all the young sceptics spell. It really doesn't do much for their credibility and supposed intelligence. I rather think the Randi Educational Foundation should found some education for them.

I see that the rather silly young Lawrence thinks that Eshly and I are one and the same. Of course he is from Yorkshire where the natives are a trifle slow on the uptake. That is no doubt why another of our spiritual brethren Paul Bell does very well out of the local populace.

Anyway all this fuss is rather good for the business of our respective seminars. Keep it up so Paul and I can make a bit of money.

I think this is a good time to remind the magical populace that I have various DVDs on psychic readings for sale. I only sell about two or three of these a year but if anyone is interested let me know privately. Chinese Numerology, Palmistry, The TArot, Fireside Chat on the business side of readings and also Psychic Dimensions which is basically a television programme with me showing my awesome powers.

No doubt I shall now get a private message from the young whippersnapper with the funny name whose challenge is the cause of all this fuss. He will be demanding that I do not advertise my products especially since they are the work of Satan himself.

Dearie me. The child has a lot to learn.

I for one support Mr Lewis in his quest. After all the chap in question attacked him not the other way around.

I never attack anyone unless they are silly enough to attack me first.

Blimey! I remember this same conversation going on when I joined TM 3 or 4 years ago... Isn't it comforting to know that nothing changes.

Ok, as someone who really is quite indifferent I shall attempt to mediate here, as it happens I would most closley associate myself to being an Atheist by virtue of not believing in any Judaic or Western Deity, but concurrently more of a Pantheist by definition. You shall soon see why I say 'by definition'. Pantheism is only understandable by definition, you cannot assert onto your own tacit perception of a Judaic Deity.

Now saying I am atheist is as meaningless as me labeling myself as someone who believes in trousers. Atheists tend to shout about reason and rationalism, but when it comes down to elementary classical logic they fail miserably. For those who are interested I shall elaborate- the statement 'God exists' is NOT a synthetic one, as God could be defined as Gorgonzolla cheese, a sweeping brush, a tree or so on. If a statement is not synthetic then it is analytic, meaning that once the terms of the definition are agreed upon then it can be propsed true or not true. Therefore the quesiton of weather God exists or not, is totally insipid- as it assumes agreed definitions on a deity but defining God is incredibly subjective- something mentioned by Atheists all the time- Indeed there are valid arguments about the qualities and thus, definition of a deity (such as benevolence- which cannot exist with qualities of all-powerfullness- omnipotence and omniscience). But as Pantheists, such as Spinoza, for example say that God is everything- well it is an elementary axiom that everything that exists, exists and if God is everything then God exists. But classifying oneself as a theist upon that logic is essentially labeling yourself as someone who believes in the self evidence of an axiom, in other words- pointless. Nobody wastes there time labeling themselves an 'A-trouserist' or a 'Trouserist', so why do they do it with Thesim?

Apart from Atheism being a massive waste of time (as Noam Chomsky said at a lecture: 'It must seem cruel of me to ignore the big humanitarian issues we could be discussing and talk about something completley unaffective to that').

For future reference, you cannot just use Google for definitions. In debating the existance of God, as I have demonstrated, you are really debating the definition of God. Google might be f*cking amazing, but it does not hold the key to the mysteries of the universe. If you enquired in that way of debating about what the word God actually means, you would eventually discover that humans have a propensity to believe in a higher power and that we all seem to access this archetype- religious people call it God, Atheists call it science and mother nature; but it is really just names, which mean nothing on thier own. This essence, presence, state e.t.c. exists self evidently, you just have to stop hiding behind words and definition and see the truth which is concealed by them.

With that in mind I empathise and understand fully with Einstein when he uses the term God. From this perspective when I view the world there is no debate that God exists. It is just our job to find out more about it (not he/ her... etc).

The boy likes to drop the F bomb doesn't he?

Why challenge a man then back down from said challenge? Anyone who has been knocking around TM for a while will Know Mr Lewis will always meet a challenge head on.

So more power to you Mr Lewis.

einstein used the term god to explain/express the complexity of science and creation...hawking used the same term in the same way in one of his books (the pop-up edition i believe)...but has now refused to use the term to stop confusion in his latest book...

i find it very amusing that people confuse psychic ability with mediumship quite often, and...

as (so far) "psychic ability" has not been scientifically proven, why so many people seem to rush towards defining it in such strict and boxed in ways...why try to define or label something that you cannot be proven to exist?

what is the sound of one hand clapping?

if you were to ask someone to explain to you what justice meant, you would get many different variants...and, as we all live in our own self-labelled, defined world sometimes regardless of, or sometimes because of proof...

and, for those that are very much against psychics (of which i actually think most mean "mediums") and seem to want to help people and save them from such wicked rip-off merchants, i can only hope those same people try and do some charity work for, say, child abuse and such other terrible things...

its always seemed strange that some people are so vocal and anti this, and anti that - yet, actually don't DO anything to try and help out others...

i know i don't...

How much was the charge?

Would you travel to me to cold read me or can you do it over the phone? I can do tricks over the phone.

Let me know as I would love to experience how awesome you are.

Alec

I believe the Kobain child is talking to me. I am afraid he will have to prove his age before I can possibly read for him. I prefer my clients to be at least 18 years old. Ethics you know.

If however he passes that test I will certainly not be travelling to him since I expect I live thousands of miles away from him, thanks be to the Gods.

If however he wishes to have a mail order reading on cassette tape I shall be delighted to take his money. If he doesn't like the reading (and he won't because he has already decided not to) that will be entirely his prerogative since he has paid for it. I will have his money and thenceforth have no need to give a stuff about him. It will cost him $60 or the equivalent in pounds or euros. If he is seriously interested then he can let me know.

However I know perfectly well that he isn't interested at all. I am psychic after all and know these things.

And yes. Young Samuel shouldn't swear in his posts. He uses lots of big words and writes in a posh intellectual manner and then spoils it by using profanity.

Quite disgraceful especially in front of a man of the cloth like myself. I am a psychic reverend after all.

IAIN wrote:what is the sound of one hand clapping?

cl, the other hand makes the 'ap' sound.