I don’t believe in ghosts. I don’t believe that there is a god, or that there are gods. I don’t think a coincidence is anything more than a coincidence. I don’t have anything against anyone who believes any of those things either. I know ACWGF believes very strongly in the first, may or may not believe in the second (I’m not sure), and I think has some belief in the third. So it’s not like I can’t coexist with people who don’t share my opinions.
The thing that irritates me is that there are people out there who know how strongly people feel about those things, and they use those strong feelings to exploit the people who hold those feelings.
Culprit number one, John Edward. John Edward is a douche. He is a horrible person, and potentially a sociopath. He can’t connect with the dead, and here’s some info to help prove it. At best he cheats people of their time and money. At worst he tricks people into thinking they are making a connection with the deceased at an extremely vulnerable point in their lives, while cheating people out of their time and money.
There are other culprits, but John Edward seems to be the one with all the noteriety.
I initially saw the review of Edward in Skeptic Magazine. Shortly thereafter, the show Bullshit became a staple in my TV viewing. For the most part, Penn and Teller do a good job being skeptics, liberitarians, and atheists, but it seems like every now and then they use a completely partisan source, e.g. a “conservationist thinktank” funded completely by Republican donors, to make their point. You can’t trust anything you read or see, including this blog, or the links I’ve provided for you.
The only thing is, I stand to make no money by telling you what I’ve told you. John Edward does, and so does any organization that asks you to believe what they believe, and then tithes you.
I cetainly don’t think that science will be able to explain everything, and as the Mal puts it, “Science will never be able to explain Love.” I wholeheartedly agree. But putting your faith in something that comes with a price tag or a threat (Buy tickets to talk with dead relatives! Belive in Jesus or go to Hell!) seems like the people who are doing the selling are trying to hide something.
