Hey, Jonathan, can we not attack other members here for their beliefs? You may not agree with him, but Tony deserves respect for what he believes. He's a very talented mentalist and a good friend, while I may disagree with him on this issue, that's pretty irrelevant in the greater scheme of things. Just because he believes in something that you don't doesn't give you the right to dig at his beliefs like that. Come on guys, play nice, please :o)

My intent wasn't to be disrespectful to anyone. What I said was honesty. I didn't think he was being serious, I thought he was joking. The reason I thought you were joking Tony was because I honestly can't understand how any of us could believe he's real. That's an honest statement. Could you tell me why it is that you believe it? I'm open to helping me understand.

I apologize, it actually took me a while to figure out what you were talking about Andy. ha ha ha It was not meant to hurt anyone.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Jonathan Grant

Here in the UK, the channel that shows Crossing Over (Living TV) have just started showing an almost identical show using a British 'psychic' called Colin Fry.

This new show is virtually identical in format to CO, having studio audience, recaps with spooky music, private readings, etc.

However, Colin Fry himself is nowhere near as slick as JE, being slower in delivery and seeming slightly nervous. He uses identical techniques though, and has the irritating habit of saying "alright" between each sentence. He also has the habit of calling female audience members "my love". Not sure how this would go down in the USA!

We watched this in disbelief the other night. My partner said that she would probably thump him if he called her 'my love'.

Andy,

Thanks for the very kind words!

Best regards,
Tony

Ok, I have a question (and I did read Richards article)...

Can anyone tell me, facts, not opinions, whether John Edwards is or is not a trained councelor?

Religious institutions of all denominations and the like have been doing this sort of stuff for years, and continue doing it. I don´t see why the pseudo-psychics should be singled out for criticism.

bb

If anything I say here offends or is inappropriate, please PM me and I will edit or delete the post.

I haven't seen John Edwards, so can't comment on his individual skill or performance. I'd also like to be clear that I'm writing as a Christian priest, in the Church of England. That means that through funerals and other ministry I have responsibility of care for people of all shades of Christian faith and for many of no faith who still call on the Church for help in difficult times.

I also work in training lay ministers who take funerals and have writen a book on preaching at funerals. This isn't just a plug! In that book, I wrote about some 'Christian' approaches to bereavement which can harm the process of grief, adjustment and healing. This problem isn't just confined to spiritualists or to psychic entertainers overstepping the mark.

However, there are real problems caused by this type of 'entertainment'. It is dealing with people at their most vulnerable, for the enjoyment/satisfaction of others. That makes me uneasy.

In terms of how these 'experiences' disrupt progress through grief, Richard Busch's article, referenced above, has a lot of wisdom. In my experience, 'healthy' grieving progresses through an acceptance that a past way of relating has been ended by death, through sorrow for the ending of that way of relating to a new one. For a Christian, this can be in confidence of resurrection hope, and in the sense of fellowship and prayer across the barrier of death. For an agnostic, it can be in valuing all that someone loved and lost has left behind in memories, an inspiration to the living. Either way, it frees the bereaved to go on living, perhaps making new relationships or growing personally in new ways.

The type of reassurance which 'mediums' etc. offer is different - it offers a sense that the relationship of bereaved and departed continues as a more distant version of what it once was - not as something new and different. In this way it 'freezes' the progress of bereavement at a stage which tends to diminish human life rather than free and enhance it.

Sorry it's a long post, but I think it's an important issue.

I was curious what people would say about John Edward. I predicted it would be mostly bad. I would like to thank everyone who responded to the post. There were a few that said they dislike what he does. Personally I see nothing wrong with what he does. I agree with Corinda that guys like that do more good than harm. The people he speaks with go away feeling relief. Maybe thats what they need. We all need something to give us comfort. And besides who even said the people he speaks to aren't stooges. They probably aren't but who knows. Like him or not you can learn alot about cold reading from watching him work. To do what he does takes nerve and cofidence , hes got them.
Standing up there talking to someones dead uncles brother in law is no different then a standard question and answering act where you tell someone the name of the man there daughter will marry. In reality it is all bulls**t. But people love it. If they didn't like it they would come to the show. Any how thanks for your "thoughts".

Anyone seen a show called Beyond Chance I believe it is called. I have never heard of it but a friend of mine used that show and Crossing Over in the same sentence. I think she said it was on Lifetime.

Jonathan Grant

My take on this: No one has ever gone poor by underestimating the public's intelligence... not my words, but I believe in the spirit of the text. I only try to discourage my friends and family from believing in such things as John Edwards. Do I think he is a fraud? Yes. Do I care? No. There are far too many other fields where people believe what they want to believe without any proof of its existence. I try to stay away from all organized groups of believers and just stand back and watch the fun. Learn from watching Edwards... heck, you've got some basic lessons in cold reading going on for free so make the best of them.
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Greg

As I've said, I don't care what others believe unless it is my friends or family... then I will turn them in the right direction. The implication from that show is that he did hear the story then used it to supposedly get a message and tried to pass it off as if he forgot he even heard it. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't... once again, I don't really care... I'm just watching from the sidelines and having a grand old time.
Sorry if I've ruffled any feathers... I'll stop my rants on this subject and continue to smile off camera.
Greg

I saw a documentary made by Randi, very interesting. For those who knows which one I mean, correct me if Im wrong, wasn't John Edwards exposed in that one. Using concealed radio equipment, and his assistant told him stuff people had written down upon cards before the show. That also appeared in another documentary, which featured other frauds, Darwin Ortiz explaining gambling cheats, and Magic Cafe's own Ian Rowland explaining some other stuff.
Im sorry that I dont know the titles of these documentaries, they translate them into swedish so I got no chance knowing their original title.

Aaaand, correct me if Im wrong and confused Edwards with some other psychic.

You're thinking of Peter Poppoff, a television evangelist.

Okay, let's take a twist here.

I haver some close friends who are very active in dog rescue and pet care. They've become enamored of an "animal communicator" who psychically advises them on their pets well being. They are not alone. Not only are many other pet owners they know using this service, but their veterinarians are relying on her for guidance as well. Her advice is having major impact on what are literally life-and-death decisions for these pets.

The woman has apparently had some very striking hits. Heaven only knows how many misses, they're never discussed. My friends know of my skepticism and will not hear a bad thing about her. I'm fairly well convinced that she's using combinations of cold reading and a good knowledge of animal behavior but there's no way to prove that.

I don't much care for Edward. But somehow this sort of thing strikes me as lower still.

Anybody have any experience with or thoughts on animal psychics?

As long as she takes Milk Bones as payment I'm pretty cool with that. I've always wondered why the mystic powers needed monetary compensation yet when told the easy solution like, "Just pick the lotto numbers." their answer: "I am not given this power to use for my own gain." My answer: "Okay, win the lotto, then give the money to the poor." Logic never works when you deal with blind faith.
Greg

" I'm getting a name begining with R.... Rover? He enjoyed chewing bones and chasing cars before he passed..."

Lesault.

In banachek's website there is something about John Edwards in the exposing part of the site.

Jonathan Grant

In banachek's website there is something about John Edwards in the exposing part of the site.

Jonathan Grant