47,8% believe in 'psychic' (Norway)

[Gennadios]

Also worth noting, he claims he gains his powers from his faith in Christianity. THUMBS UP!

I find this ironic given the real rate of Christian adherence in Norway.

Doesn't matter what people throw away, they'll replace it with something else. To those that speak of scientific triumphalism, really think about the species you're talking about. There we well defined limits to the human mind.

It's nothing new. The communists knew they couldn't really stamp out religion without providing a surrogate. Why do you think Lenin, Mao, and Uncle Ho are so prominent in communist propaganda?

Not saying true Atheists don't exist, just that the majority of mankind isn't capable of it.

 

[Xathos]

Eh, I believe in psychics. I mean, I'm sure there are a lot more of fake ones out there just taking people's money, telling them what they want to hear, doing simple tarot readings or whatever, than actual psychics. I've never met or been to one personally, and if I did I wouldn't automatically assume they are legit psychics. I'm sure there are also a bunch of different applications that psychics use besides the whole "talking to the dead/seeing your future" sort of thing.

I actually don't find it too out of the realm of possibilities, just think that the same possibility is relatively small, if that makes sense. I don't automatically assume that they don't exist, mainly because if they do exist, then I just won't be as surprised by it.

As for seeing a psychic or a healer as an alternative? Well...I don't think it should be the first stop a person makes, nor do I think people should go into that sort of stuff thinking they will be cured from a fatal disease or something. If they want to go ahead, that's fine. Have absolutely no problems with that. Just try a bunch of other things first.

That's always been my take on things.

 

[Owen Robertson]

Globally, there are more impoverished people with little education than any other group. So I'd say more than half of Earth's population believe (at least to some degree) in some of the supernatural phenomena such as clairvoyance, telepathy, ghosts/spirits, aliens, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or the Theory of Atlantis.


I'd like to put some qualifiers on some of the preceeding.

"little education" - Educated does not mean smart. It only means you have some knowledge. It says nothing of your ability to use it.

aliens - I mean the redneck-probing, saucer-flying martians from 50's pop culture. I am not saying that non-human life does not exist anywhere in the Universe. That's a statistical impossibility.

Bigfoot - I refer to anything currently living and leaving footprints, not to any possible missing-link.

 

[Owen Robertson]

I actually don't find it too out of the realm of possibilities, just think that the same possibility is relatively small, if that makes sense.

The old belief matrix, eh?

 

[Owen Robertson]

Patience. Science is busy tearing shit down at the moment, but give it until world religions are wiped out by logic and I'm sure they'll start bio-engineering horses into unicorns, and getting that warpdrive project back on track. Patience...

Religion is never disappearing, and faith & belief aren't necessarily bad things. Most people apply them poorly, or dangerously, or to the detriment of themselves, society, and humanity as a whole, but they can be used well.

Without the occasional leap of faith or reckless decision (call them what you will) Life would be fucking booooring. Take it from me.
Without belief, what would the internets have to bash? Race? Sexual Preference? Politicians? Oh, wait...

 

[Risingblade]

So yeah, there you have it. I shudder to think of the proportion here...[/QUOTE]

if science has taught us anything it's that our lives are completely pointless and we should all just die...oh well time to drown myself in technology.

 

[Muspelheim]

Well, what does it do to negatively affect your life? Some people believe in something that seems a bit inconclusive to say the least, sure, but as long as they're not causing you anything negative, why is it wrong?

I mean, I'm fairly positive that there might be -something- to the idea of psychic phenomenoms, only that people tends to either bury it in their own assumptions ("It's the forlorn spirit of granddad! And he's telling me exactly what I want to hear!") or go the opposite and dismiss it entirely. I don't see how that makes me detrimental to your life.

Of course, I wouldn't actually pay someone to use psychic abilities no one can prove and I wouldn't want to see them being used in forensic science or something else that does require solid, conclusive proof, but there can be a middle ground for everything.

But I do agree that the bloke you took up as an example is a problem. Again; might be more to this than our species has so far discovered, but there's nothing to support getting your wallet out for it. The belief in itself is harmless, but people like him isn't always. It's like most things in life that way.

 

[Signa]

My aunt believes in angels...so much so that even when she is quite financially crippled, she shelled out 100 bucks on a f**king angel decoration to protect her...

She also believes in Fairys because of the existence of Fairy Forts...*facepalm*

I love my aunt but she is insanely superstitious, if I went up to her and said I saw an angel/ghost, she would believe me instantly.

You think that's bad? My aunt actively denies the possibility of aliens in the universe, just simply because there is no place in God's plan for them. The sheer arrogance of that statement boggles my mind.

I dare you to say "Who are you to talk about gods plan? What if he does have a place for them in his plan!"

Or just say god doesn't exist, that should set her off!

Oh I totally will next time we get on the subject. The conversation happened last time because I had seen a picture of "blank" space that Hubble exposed for a whole month. In that area, there was about 10,000 galaxies that weren't visible to the naked eye. I'll be sure to be armed with that picture next time so she can be shown how arrogant it is to think that the whole universe was created for humanity.

I kinda make it a point to not chat with her if I can help it. One of my younger siblings quoted her saying that she had given up watching TV for a year as a sacrifice so that my next brother and I would start going back to church. I don't think she ever told anyone about that sacrifice up to that point. I'm not sure how she thinks God works, but I don't know the last time God told anyone that their aunt was sacrificing a daily pleasure for their soul so they would go back to worshiping him. I mean, if God wasn't going take the time to convince us to go back to church, what supernatural forces were supposed to beseech us on her behalf? Were we supposed to just suddenly get an urge to go to church again because she's sacrificing? Bah! I can't even try to wrap my head around the metaphysical mechanics of it. I guess she's the very definition of superstitious.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

I don't believe any of it. Escpecially not psychics. Theyve been shown up hundreds of times, a particular experiment by Penn and Teller was quite funny, they had one of their cameramen dress up as a businessman, an unemployed layabout and some other thing sequentially and get readings, all of which ended up based on the stereotype he was disguised as. They also had a number of Feng Shui decorators comment on a house, of course all of them had different opinions and often conflicting ones. Another experiment I saw had someone pose as a psychic by reading lyrics from Eminem off a teleprompter as his sole method of fortune telling, and it worked to the point where someone even recognised it as Eminem and took that as a sign rather than becoming skeptical. At the very most, when psychics are making accurate predictions about a person during face to face conversations, they're very general, dispersed among a lot of inaccurate predictions, or the psychic has a mutual friend. I call poppycock, dear chaps.

Some alternative medicine, like acupuncture, there may actually be something behind, but even if there isn't it's worth it for the placebo effect if you think it works.

As for my family, actually fairly grounded people. No-one I can think of off the top of my head both believes in psychics and is blood related.

 

[beastro]

Also worth noting, he claims he gains his powers from his faith in Christianity. THUMBS UP!

I find this ironic given the real rate of Christian adherence in Norway.

Doesn't matter what people throw away, they'll replace it with something else. To those that speak of scientific triumphalism, really think about the species you're talking about. There we well defined limits to the human mind.

It's nothing new. The communists knew they couldn't really stamp out religion without providing a surrogate. Why do you think Lenin, Mao, and Uncle Ho are so prominent in communist propaganda?

Not saying true Atheists don't exist, just that the majority of mankind isn't capable of it.

Nor am I saying that and that it isn't a bad thing. That's coming from a Christian.

The problem when it comes down to it is that most people don't like to deeply delve into these matters and just hitch their wagon to the star of their choosing to save on thinking. It doesn't matter what their theological bent.

In my experience the most militant anti-theists are primarily scorned ex-religionists, they just trade one thing for another.

One of my younger siblings quoted her saying that she had given up watching TV for a year as a sacrifice so that my next brother and I would start going back to church. I don't think she ever told anyone about that sacrifice up to that point. I'm not sure how she thinks God works, but I don't know the last time God told anyone that their aunt was sacrificing a daily pleasure for their soul so they would go back to worshiping him.

If that's her look on fasting then it's very petty and manipulative, especially given the fact that she chose TV of all things.

Withholding stuff is meant to be a exercise in self-discipline which is a near universal religious/"spiritual" practice. People say it brings them closer to God, my take is it's an exercise in restraint that is a growth experience and will help me later in life, which is why it is encouraged.

 

[Gennadios]

The problem when it comes down to it is that most people don't like to deeply delve into these matters and just hitch their wagon to the star of their choosing to save on thinking. It doesn't matter what their theological bent.

In my experience the most militant anti-theists are primarily scorned ex-religionists, they just trade one thing for another.

The common fate of all man kind, it's not limited to matters of religion.

In my experience, most militant anti-anythings were scorned by whatever it is they're militant against. The Occupy movement started with a few thoughtful individuals with good ideas. The majority of people they rallied to their cause however... well, there are plenty of interviews with people who have no real understanding of the cause, just a confused sense of betrayal by capitalism.

 

[beastro]

The problem when it comes down to it is that most people don't like to deeply delve into these matters and just hitch their wagon to the star of their choosing to save on thinking. It doesn't matter what their theological bent.

In my experience the most militant anti-theists are primarily scorned ex-religionists, they just trade one thing for another.

The common fate of all man kind, it's not limited to matters of religion.

In my experience, most militant anti-anythings were scorned by whatever it is they're militant against. The Occupy movement started with a few thoughtful individuals with good ideas. The majority of people they rallied to their cause however... well, there are plenty of interviews with people who have no real understanding of the cause, just a confused sense of betrayal by capitalism.

They're called True Believers and religion has a long relationship with them, most likely far longer than most any other aspect of the human condition.

 

[Klumpfot]

Well, you Norwegians are silly anyways, with your kjempetorsk and your gulebøj and such. This doesn't come as a big surprise at all!

Heeheehee, Scandinavia.

 

[Phantom Kat]

My father and I joke that we can read each others mind but it's almost certainly due to us having very similar personalities rather than actual psychic ability. I personally don't believe in it though. My girlfriend and I are planning to adopt a black cat once were able to actually look after it properly to counteract all the silly superstitious people. That or my girlfriend is a witch, either or.

 

[Filiecs]

I respect the psychic and paranormal as perfectly valid belief systems.
In order to understand something, you must first respect it. Then see it from their point of view.
Logically, science only knows what the PROBABLE answer to everything is. Technically, the only true facts are the laws of physics and everything directly related to them.
There have been many cases when the scientifically probable answer has been wrong, like when scientists believed it was more probable that a protein formed the genetic code for all life as apposed to DNA.

Good scientists respect the fact that they could be wrong (It's part of the scientific method), and good philosophers respect the improbable.

For all we know those people could be seriously experiencing some sort of mental and/or emotional effect that causes a placebo/and or other effect to take place which makes them feel better.

Just because something believe in the irrational, does not make them illogical or stupid.
Someone who actively believes that everyone should believe the same thing they do is truly the foolish one. (This could be debated with regards to the laws of physics directly)

As long as people aren't claiming that psychic treatment is more effective/and or more likely to work than medicine, you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Signa]

My aunt believes in angels...so much so that even when she is quite financially crippled, she shelled out 100 bucks on a f**king angel decoration to protect her...

She also believes in Fairys because of the existence of Fairy Forts...*facepalm*

I love my aunt but she is insanely superstitious, if I went up to her and said I saw an angel/ghost, she would believe me instantly.

You think that's bad? My aunt actively denies the possibility of aliens in the universe, just simply because there is no place in God's plan for them. The sheer arrogance of that statement boggles my mind.

I dare you to say "Who are you to talk about gods plan? What if he does have a place for them in his plan!"

Or just say god doesn't exist, that should set her off!

Oh I totally will next time we get on the subject. The conversation happened last time because I had seen a picture of "blank" space that Hubble exposed for a whole month. In that area, there was about 10,000 galaxies that weren't visible to the naked eye. I'll be sure to be armed with that picture next time so she can be shown how arrogant it is to think that the whole universe was created for humanity.

I kinda make it a point to not chat with her if I can help it. One of my younger siblings quoted her saying that she had given up watching TV for a year as a sacrifice so that my next brother and I would start going back to church. I don't think she ever told anyone about that sacrifice up to that point. I'm not sure how she thinks God works, but I don't know the last time God told anyone that their aunt was sacrificing a daily pleasure for their soul so they would go back to worshiping him. I mean, if God wasn't going take the time to convince us to go back to church, what supernatural forces were supposed to beseech us on her behalf? Were we supposed to just suddenly get an urge to go to church again because she's sacrificing? Bah! I can't even try to wrap my head around the metaphysical mechanics of it. I guess she's the very definition of superstitious.

So she is very devout? I know the feeling. I do go to religious events such as holy communions and confirmations because it is polite to be there, sitting in a church for 2 hours is more fun when you play a Shin Megami Tensei game (very controversial)

But I never understood superstition, it's bot like walking past a black cat is unlucky (My aunt sadly, believes they do)

Devout is an understatement. I guess she worked for some part of the church at one point(office type stuff), and called everyone out for not following the rules of the church. She's also never had much of a love life. I guess one guy from her church did try to get to know her more, but he didn't measure up to her extremely high expectations for what it means to be religious.

My whole extended family is religious, but it's fun to make fun of this aunt because of how far overboard she takes it.

 

[Mycroft Holmes]

You can't prove that physics exists. Entropy is just a theory.

 

[Tamrin]

-SNIP-

Also, can't decide if he looks like a nice old man or a scary old man.

Kind of in between, right?

Neither. He looks a bit excited in my opinion.


I would be afraid if he started rubbing his hands together like Mr. Burns with the look he has in that pic.