Skeptical Things That Go Bump…

That does sum up on how I perceive paranormal although, I have issues with what is described as ‘bodies of knowledge’. The word -knowledge, I associate with facts and facts, I associate with truths. But I accept it.
I do not and cannot associate paranormal, with truths….I’m skeptical.

I believe that these forms of claims should have tests to pass, before ‘shingles’ can be hung, advertising someone’s ability, especially when money is exchanged for services rendered.

Ghosts

Haunted places are places for imaginations to run rampant.

Just to deal with this item as best as I can. As I do not believe in the body having a soul or spirit within, that may continue in some form after death (I do not hold a belief -of life after death), the thought of a ghost dissipates very rapidly.
There are many cultures that have beliefs of souls from a biblical sense, others may interpret the soul or spirit akin to a nature spirit, in some animal form or other. The religious soul is not in my realm of understanding, as I hold no religious leanings.
The gods that have been created in religions are, for the most part ‘good’ gods, but there are entities that are -in the opposing realm of ‘good’ -evil. The evil side of creations have taken all kinds of forms, ghouls, monsters, ogres, satan, devils, demons, and so much more.
As I do not have a belief system that incorporates this type of god – it would be impossible for me to have a belief system that included the evil side. So all the associations that surrounds the religions, gods, angels, demons, souls, spirits, ghosts and other ‘entities’ do not have impressions on my thoughts, other than – they do not exist!

I would have to think that followers in mainstream religions would believe in the good side of gods AND just as equally in the evil side too, as one was created from the other.
Heaven and hell are also destinations that are in the imaginations of those that are followers of the belief systems -that have them in their structural beliefs.

I am just a non-believer, I am not a bad person, nor someone that is destined to spend eternal turmoil in hell, just simply skeptical.

Witchcraft

I think that the power of the mind can make things happen to the body within. This is not psychokinesis, causing an effect on something, but our own mind may have a negative effect on our own bodies, causing a decline in, for example, health. Should someone believe in the power of a curse, it could have a negative affect.
This is similar to a placebo effect with ‘medications’ only in reverse mode.
Some people may be so engaged in certain beliefs that even a small local air current change, may feel like the air has become chilled because of a ‘spirit’.

Strange Animals

Bigfoot, yeti, chupacabra, moth-man, werewolf, vampire and others that have been utterly elusive, are also in the realm of frightening creatures, but only exist in the minds of people, and not in reality. I’m skeptical.
There appears to be an overwhelming desire to create scary monsters, for the thrill of being scared from publications, movies and tv shows.
There may be a desire to feel the goosebumps long after the ‘entertainment session’ is over, legends are created to fulfill this need.

Parapsychology

This category contains phenomena as esp, fortune telling, astrology, prophecy, psychokinesis, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance and other related phenomena.
Until a single repeatable event can be established, the above ‘phenomena’ I believe, are designed to dupe reality into magical moments.
The only phenomena, that I find, is the ‘phenomenal’ amount of people that fall prey to these types of trickery, and the amount of literature that has been spawned in efforts to ‘persuade and legitimize’ such.
Although I have ‘closed’ my thoughts about the above content, I will quote Carl Sagan, “The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!” Carl Sagan was referring to the lack of finding other life forms in the universe, but it can apply to many other criteria. This almost makes what I hold in dis-belief, as being hypocritical, or ‘hedging my bets’. I hold by beliefs strongly, until proven otherwise.
I’m skeptical.

UFO(s)

This phenomena appears to be increasing as time goes on, it was hardly ever discussed during the first 30 years of my life, but since then, there appears to be so many avenues, particularly websites, that cater to this category; including a great many that believe in governmental cover-ups.
There are photographs of ‘faces’ on moons and other planets, its all a question of interpretations of what one wants to see.
Aerial acrobatics that seem to defy physics, sound properties and gravity. So many videos and photographs have been put forward as proofs, then proven to be hoaxes.
People want to believe and also want to convince others that their evidence is true and correct. Again, this topic has yet to come forward with proof positive of a single incident, that proves without doubt.
The people that provide hoaxes are just adding to the content that’s ‘available’, but then, the hoaxes are only placed to draw attention to a persons website or viewing channel, with little regard to truth, honesty and integrity.
There is much on our planet that appears to defy understanding, that may have roots in past visitations, I do hold beliefs that life exists in the universe, other than just on this planet, and that our earth may have been visited. Just how long ago, only estimates could be offered; why visited?
Perhaps no different reason than what we do now and in our future, -to explore..
Cave drawings of beings in space suits and line markings on the ground that compels awe and wonder when viewed from high altitudes, like the Peruvian Nazca lines in South America.
As for the present day frequent visits of aliens performing ‘psuedo-surgery’, I believe that to be figments of the mind.
The onus of proof of what you state… is on YOU!
…..because I’m skeptical

Mystic claims

There are countless more fringe, fraudulent claims of paranormal or closely related healing powers, ‘snake-oil’ treatments, even homeopathy has qualities of the mystic at its core. With some ‘medications’ in homeopathy and the watering down of the medication, till there is just plain water left – its justified in that the water retains a ‘memory of the medication’ that ‘makes it work’.
I could argue that the water, molecule by molecule, may also have memories from when it was just molecules of hydrogen and oxygen – and may have roamed earth for eons of time before it was drank, and probably many of the molecules had been drank by other forms of nature, prior to its present ‘bottling’.
If it retains a memory, I need to know how, and how long the memories last and how far back the memories exist, just for starters.
How do the people who sell these products know the science of how water retains memories? I’m skeptical.

Claims versus Beliefs

With claims of paranormal activity abounding over the years, the people who make these claims, have all been found to be using trickery to prove the claims that they make, or that their claims are false. It appears that not one has been able to prove a single claim of their ‘power’, only their power to deceive.
Surely, this action of the deceivers should indicate to others that the deceivers have little or no belief in paranormal ability either, just the desire to make other people believe that they possess a ‘gift’.
There are similar claims regarding telepathy, prophecy, fortune telling, clairvoyance, astrology. and all the other phenomena of the paranormal.
Many of the practitioners of these paranormal interests, often spend years and years devoting so much time on their proofs, levels of the quests of learning and even trying to explain the ‘science’ of how things work, without a single substantiated and repeatable result.

The only result that does seem to be repeatable, is the performance of the performers.
Even the ‘science’ that is described in the activities produced, is so flawed and clouded in paranormal babble, that only they seem to be able to interpret.
With so much paranormal claims of activity throughout the world and throughout history, one would have to think that someone would have had a genuine repeatable ‘gift’, by now….but the answer appears to be, ALL fraudulent.

By the way, there is one million dollars waiting for anyone who can prove a repeatable claim of paranormal activity.
This is offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation.
So far, not a single claimant has passed the first level of tests to prove themselves genuine.
I am suggesting that one million dollars would be the tip of the iceberg in cash rewards, should someone be able to produce a repeatable paranormal activity.
Does that give any indication of how genuine paranormal activities are, or am I biased…or simply skeptical.

For the vast numbers of people that believe in paranormal activities, perhaps the activities claimed, do not need to be genuine, or scrutinized, to be believed.

My Conclusion

I believe that ALL paranormal phenomena can be refuted and found to be trickery. It seems to me, that people will believe what they want to believe, even without the need for proof. There are a great many people who are drawn to paranormal phenomena, in a want, or need to believe, and they would hardly question the authenticity.

I believe it only fair to add extra text here, regarding the claims of ‘genuine-ness’ of the claimants abilities. I feel that I must state that, although I, along with others, refute the genuine-ness of the paranormal claimants, I can whole-heartedly accept, that some of the claimants fully believe in the genuine-ness of their own abilities. But that does not make their claimed abilities more real, than that of a fake banknote.

The need to believe is an overriding compulsion.
I need proof, or as close as I can get to proof, as possible….
because I’m skeptical.

I would be very interested in hearing from people who know of a paranormal activity that I could experience.
As I live in Toronto, Canada, it may not be feasible for me to travel outside Ontario, unless its an experience that will…. you know….!

comment .. below

Register / Login required to comment