Another James Randi fan here, and waiting for Hastur to please step up and explain why he feels the man is spiritually dead.
Just joining in the acclaim for Randi.
It is SO useful to quote that $1,000,000 offer to the ‘psychic believer without evidence’ types.
I’ve actually talked to James Randi a number of times - I worked for a while as a stage magician, and was a docent at a magic library/museum, so got to meet some of the big names. Some of you who got to see me in the other thread may be surprised at this, but I got along quite well with him.
He didn’t actually care what my beliefs were, though he didn’t share them. However, had I used either my spiritual beliefs or my sleight-of-hand skills to defraud anybody, he would have been on me like a pit bull.
Nice guy, and a helluva storyteller. It was a lot of fun on the days he was around.
I went to the site, and looked at his pic, and it seemed oddly familiar. Than I read your post…Oh. My. God. I remember now!
He came to our school once and did some stage magic for us. And then he explained it…and he explained magic wasn’t real. I hated him for that. How dare he do that to me? I was only 13, couldn’t I hold onto some cherished beliefs? And of course, I had to believe him, because he did show us, I saw it was just an illusion. I ranted and raved about it for days too.
Now of course, I read through his webpage, and you can count me as one of his fans.
I guess sometimes it’s small ole world.
Nothing to add of substance, just wanted to share my only experience with the Amazing Randi:
When I first got internet access as a teen, I looked up James Randi’s site off the bat since I admired him so. Not expecting anything to come of it, I fired off a fan mail-type e-mail (which was completely out of character for me, BTW). In just a couple of hours, I had a personal reply directly from the master himself. It’s isn’t a great work of prose, by any means, but he was polite and appreciative that I had taken the time to write. I was overjoyed, to say the least, and I still have it saved.
Spoofe:
The outright frauds are the worst, of course. Anybody who consciously pulls such scams should be strung up by their own intestines. That includes Uri Geller, whose continued ability to pay the rent still amazes me.
But there are many “psychics” and such out there who actually believe they’re in touch with some extradimensional parapsychobolic intraneurkenetic thingamabobbish power. Like Clever Hans, they take their cues from the people around them. They see causation in coincidence and tap into our fear of the unknown to amaze the unwary. Many of these unconscious charlatans take money from gullible people as readily as do the outright con artists, and all of them retard the most important attribute human beings possess: the ability to think critically.
Randi’s skills and willingness to expose both conscious and unconscious hokum serves us all extraordinarily well. The man could have made a fortune running “psychic” scams, and yet he dedicates his life to revealing the real world in which we all live. That, in my book, makes him the most spiritually alive person I know of.
Randi is one of my heroes.
[sub](The other two are Jane Goodall and Salman Rushdie.)
James Randi is my number one living hero. I have all of his books and I have donated money to the James Randi Educational Foundation every year since its inception. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate James Randi is an ass.
Haj
I’d never heard of Randi before I read about him from Cecil, but after that I, too, became an ardent admirer. Doesn’t look like Hastur’s gonna get much support here…
Sheesh, people, come on–this is supposed to be the Pit.
So, uh…That James Randi, he’s just a–uh–a big old meanie! And, um, ah–he’s just so skeptical! How dare he! Ask for evidence and stuff! And I bet he is so not very spiritual! I’ve heard that he’s an [sub]atheist[/sub] and we all know how they are!
And I’d like to know just what’s so “amazing” about him, anyway, huh?
So, can we all call Hastur “rationally blind” or “empirically deaf” or something?
I like him and agree with him, but sometimes I wonder if he is the best public representative of skepticism - he does come across as rather abrasive and aggressive, I understand completely why he is that way as that’s how I feel about the kind of stuff he is against, but I think it also helps some of those he should be trying to reach close their minds to his message. He’s got a lot of fans among people who already don’t believe in psychics and the supernatural because he’s expressing what they are feeling, but how many converts to rationality has he brought over?
I’m bending a spoon with my mind RIGHT NOW! LOOK, EVERYBODY, LOOK!!!
jane_says, I would like very much to see what Randi had to say. Would you mind very much letting me in on the message?
very much very much very much.
Ugh. I hate when I do that. Alcohol is evil. Good night.
If I expected to receive my support from this board, I’d have to be desperate.
Debate this all you will, people. Dissect my every word.
Be my guest. Scepticism is a good thing, but all things in moderation.
He’s a pompous jerk. Read his website. The man is an arrogant pig who is as smug in his lack of belief as Czarcasm and jab1 were in the initial BBQ Pit thread.
I was not attempting to convert anyone, nor was I attempting to defraud or make spurious claims. Interesting the intellectual witch hunt that came out of it. Don’t think that I will further participate in this thread or any other on these topics. All I see for the most part are armchair sceptics without any occult study taking potshots, being self-congratulatory, and acting as insular as any fraternity I have ever seen. You have no idea what is out there, and with attitudes such as the ones you have been displaying collectively, I doubt you will see it in this life time or any other.
“I’m better than you! Neener neener neener!”
I have a friend who claims to be pagan. She doesn’t do much to practice it (she claims to have an altar, but it was really an endtable where she kept her scanner). But she’d never fail to mention it every time conversation would turn even in the slightest direction of religion, spirituality, or beliefs. I was always able to sense it coming… she’d say, “Oh, I’m pagan.”
After the first few times, I learned to keep my groaning and eye-rolling to myself, as she began extolling the virtues of her personal goddess, a unicorn named “Lightning.” Then she’d start talking about how she learned to fly (she didn’t), how it made her mind free (it didn’t), and how it’s made her a better person (it hasn’t).
Basically, she throws the word “pagan” around for the shock value.
Hint hint.
“He’s a pompous jerk.”
“You have no idea what is out there, and with attitudes such as the ones you have been displaying collectively, I doubt you will see it in this life time or any other.”
“He’s a pompous jerk.”
I was going to comment, but…naaaw. Some things do speak for themselves.
Hastur thinks our minds aren’t open to what’s out there.
Bullshit.
If someone makes a claim of exraordinary powers, skeptics are the first in line to see how it’s done. Unfortunately, that is precisely the time the claimant runs away, yelling the oft-used phrases “Negative vibrations”, “Doubting thomas’”, and the ever-popular “I don’t have to prove anything to you!”
James Randi wants to see evidence so bad that he has offered a million dollars to anyone who can provide proof of the supernateral. Considering the fact that this much money could fund the start of a nice paranormal institute, and you’d think psychics would be lined up for miles to get the money.
Of course the psychics claim that they are not in it for the money. I have my doubts though, since the spell Hastur claimed he was going to show me turned out to be a Prosperity spell:).
Snooooopy, that made me laugh out loud. Thanks.
Cry me a freaking river, Hastur.
In the first place, I have yet to see anyone upon this board so quick to over-react and respond to a simple statement with Hellfire And Damnation than you. You have a fuse so short as to be registered in atomic lengths, and a temperment so nasty as to give Medusa chills. So feel free to say “all things in moderation”; such is a damned hypocritical attitude to come from you.
“Smug in his lack of belief”… in what? God? I’ve read his website, and I’ve read his commentary, and he makes no comment about religion. He doesn’t laugh at Christians or Pagans or Hindus as “stupid”; he mocks and disdains those Christians or Pagans or Hindus who ignore basic science and allow themselves to be taken in by charlatans.
And he maintains an open mind- so open he’s willing to give a million bucks to anyone who can prove to his satisfaction that the supernatural exists.
Now, for the kicker. You said:
"I was not attempting to convert anyone, nor was I attempting to defraud or make spurious claims. "
From the thread in question:
“The minute you can get yourself to Oregon, I will be most happy to show you magick.”
Huh. How many people have responded so far with their statement that they’d be willing to get themselves to Oregon so that you could show them such? Czarcasm, obfusciatrist, andros, maybe more since I last looked.
Oh, but Czarcasm was too nasty to you. Hurt your feelings. Caused little witchy-poo to become upset with the balance of nature and the Great Earth Spirit that resides within us all. So now you’ve declared that you’re not gonna show us anything.
Even though if you managed to convince any of them that what you do is indeed some unnatural force that any could tap, you likely could convert them all into True Belief. At the very least, you would show them the error of their ways and help them along a better path. But nope; since one of them was a bit nasty, none of them get to see the Truth of the Universe.
Excuse me while I assume that you’ve been bluffing all along. I mean, if you actually could do something so powerful, wouldn’t you want to share it, if only to show others your power? If you actually found some insight into the nature of the universe, wouldn’t you want to pass it along so that other seekers might find a better path?
Not you, though; one snide person spoils the entire pot of posters and lurkers who might be better off knowing that which you do.
Either, sir, you are one of the most selfish beings in the existence of the planet, or you don’t have any better knowledge of the truths of the universe, and are scared to death of such being exposed both to the boards and to yourself.
John Corrado
(who has friends who have been practicing magick since before you were out of diapers, and who know more about the occult than you could with an extra weekend to study in Crowley’s library.)
Translation: “I can’t prove something that isn’t real. I am going to ignore you all and hope you go away so you don’t make me look like an even bigger idiot.”
Hastur, how far does your magik reach? I’m not too far (Utah). I’ll make you a deal, you cast a spell on me or on something that I will be able to see and I will verify the results here on the board. If your spell is successful, I’ll contact The Amazing Randi and we can split the $1M.
Deal?