# Johnathan Edwards: Real or Fake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 25, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660 "2002-11-25T14:21:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/1 "2002-11-25T14:21:33Z")
I am really divided to whether he is real or false, I mean he does some pretty accurate details, even to what their hobbies and what they ate! But at the back of my mind I just think he’s as fake as an astrologist. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/2 "2002-11-25T14:22:49Z")
I know he’s fake. ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/3 "2002-11-25T14:25:18Z")
[James Randi](http://www.randi.org) has spent decades debunking such frauds. Check his site out for how Jonathan Edward’s scam works. UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/4 "2002-11-25T14:31:12Z")
His debunking of Uri geller was outstanding! ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/5 "2002-11-25T14:38:02Z")
He’s entirely real. [Conclusive proof](http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/020808/59/d6yji.html). ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/6 "2002-11-25T14:42:21Z")
Please can we have a bit of the following:[ul][_]How?[_]What?[_]Why?[_]When?[_]Which?[_]Where?Who?[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/7 "2002-11-25T14:55:44Z")
Fake. Also despicable, sleazy, unprincipled, predacious, callous, and venal. I could be wrong, of course. But I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/8 "2002-11-25T15:00:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spiritus Mundi \* > \*\*Fake. > > Also despicable, sleazy, unprincipled, predacious, callous, and venal. I could be wrong, of course. \*\* Don’t say that, he gives people hope, and peace of mind! :eek: :rolleyes: Sadly, a lot of people would approve of him lying to people in order to make them feel better, so the fact that he’s essentially a fraud doesn’t seem a problem to some. If psychic hotlines have to call their product entertainment, why doesn’t Edward have to do the same? UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/9 "2002-11-25T15:02:06Z")
Because its not entertaining! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/10 "2002-11-25T15:05:51Z")
You don’t seem seem to be referring to [this chap](http://www.jonathanedwards.com/), or the one that **everton** posted. I shall continue posting this until someone tells me. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/11 "2002-11-25T15:05:55Z")
If he is fake, though how does he amass such information about very few people? ---
**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/12 "2002-11-25T15:17:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ryan\_Liam \* > \*\*If he is fake, though how does he amass such information about very few people? \*\* Did you even visit Randi’s site? Essentially he uses the following methods: 1. His staff records the chit-chat of people waiting for the performance to start. Usually this includes people talking about the dead whom they hope Edwards will put them in contact with. 2. He pokes around a lot: Edwards: “I’m getting a g, a g, did you have a brother whose name starts with a g”? Poor sucker: I had a brother named Clyde E: Oh, a “c”! That’s right! And did your brother die of cancer? PS: No, of heart disease E: Yes, both are terrible illnesses. Do you see it now? Please visit Randi’s site. We at the Straight Dope like to fight ignorance, and we can recommend Randi’s site as the best resource for debunking these types of things thoroughly. UnuMondo ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/13 "2002-11-25T15:26:37Z")
OK please, people, like a bad surgeon, I’m losing my patience. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/14 "2002-11-25T15:31:47Z")
The host of the show “Crossing Over”, where he does a mixture of cold reads, clever editing, and relying on wishful thinking to make folks in the audience thing he’s conversing with their dead relatives. > **[Scifi.com](https://www.syfy.com/scifi/johnedward)** > > Visit Syfy.com His name is actually John Edward. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/15 "2002-11-25T15:32:40Z")
gee whiz, my deceased grnadmother Told me Edwards was real… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/16 "2002-11-25T15:33:32Z")
Hurrah! Thank you **Telemark**. ---
**Author:** ![lynn73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@lynn73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynn73)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/17 "2002-11-25T15:34:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*gee whiz, my deceased grnadmother Told me Edwards was real… > 😉 \*\* **Vanilla!** ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/18 "2002-11-25T15:37:49Z")
I wish I could remember who it was, but someone said, “If my dead grandmother wanted to communicate with me, I don’t think she’d bother playing _20 Questions._” Absolutely right. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/19 "2002-11-25T15:38:53Z")
Fake. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/20 "2002-11-25T15:39:44Z")
note: I was kidding. **His4Ever!** 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660.md?page=2)