What's the silliest paranormal belief?

[Leroy]

I was watching Unsolved Mysteries the other night and found myself shaking my head for hours.

I realize that there are a lot of weird things that people believe in, but the subject on Unsolved Mysteries was the ultimate in weirdness.

Somebody purchased a set of fertility statues, believed to possess some sort of power that could make women become pregnant.

He placed the two statues on each side of an office door. Within a few weeks one of the secretary's was pregnant, and in 13 months time thirteen women who had touched these statues become pregnant.

Word got out and this place of business was getting so many calls and visitors each day to see the statues that they had to move them to a local museum.

Apparently women who were having difficulty getting pregnant, became pregnant shortly after being exposed to these statues.

:D I could not believe my ears! These were seemingly intelligent people, yet they were willing to believe that a set of fertility statues had the power to help them become pregnant!

This got me to wondering - of the paranormal, what is the silliest thing any of you have heard of that some people actually believe.

[Starrman]

I was going to say Alien Abduction, but I guess that is really not paranormal. I think it is hooey, but not outside of the laws of science.

I have to go with Ouija boards, since it is a game invented by a game company not all that long ago. I have family members that brood over it like it is some ancient oracle. I love telling them it was invented in 1890 by an American, and was sold in novelty shops.

(Thanks Skeptic's Dictionary (http://www.skepdic.com) )

[VicDaring]

Ouija boards. The Gateway to the Spirit World....by Parker Brothers.

I'm always amused by the flocks of people who show up to gave lovingly at the image of the Virgin Mary in a dirty window or a pizza or whatever.

[SteveW]

Astral Projection is the silliest amoung many silly things. Travelling around via your astral self - who would believe?

Though the Night Gallery did it well when the guy gets mixed up and kills himself. Moral: Don't astral project ;)

[Marc]

Trancendental Meditation practitioners demonstrating their ability to levitate.

That's got to either leave you rolling on the floor laughing or wallowing in disgust.

[SFB]

Inedia, or breatharianism, astounds me.

http://skepdic.com/inedia.html

[Starrman]

Trancendental Meditation practitioners demonstrating their ability to levitate.

Is that the same as 'Yogic Flying'? If so, I want to change my answer to that! I saw that on TLC once and I almost had to be carried away, I was laughing so hard.

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by Starrman
I was going to say Alien Abduction, but I guess that is really not paranormal. I think it is hooey, but not outside of the laws of science.

I have to go with Ouija boards, since it is a game invented by a game company not all that long ago. I have family members that brood over it like it is some ancient oracle. I love telling them it was invented in 1890 by an American, and was sold in novelty shops.

(Thanks Skeptic's Dictionary (http://www.skepdic.com) )

Got a good one for you ... Ask your Ouija board believers why it doesn't work if the operators are blind-folded.?.

Oh, they haven't tried it that way? Suggest they give it a shot..

Of course they will need a sighted bystander to write down the results.

Be prepared for a lot of : " eeetttuuu oooiywljlqwjuqwl idrjdkls " and such.

Of course everyone knows that blind Ouija board operators produce cryptic messages that require another level of expertise to decipher..;)

[calladus]

Weirdest belief that I can think of -

Burying a statue of St. Joseph in your backyard in order to get your house to sell more quickly.

What I want to ask is, what if the house has changed hands several times, and there is already one (or two, or three) statues buryied throughout the yard? Do you then get a REALLY good price for your house?

Does it work for commercial property? What about for large lots that get split up into smaller individual sections? Will it keep working for each individual section, or only for the new section that it is currently in?

[tracer]

Originally posted by Diogenes
Of course everyone knows that blind Ouija board operators produce cryptic messages that require another level of expertise to decipher..;)
Don't knock it, it works for the Pentecostals (http://www.skepdic.com/glossol.html).

[Ruby]

Originally posted by Leroy
I was watching Unsolved Mysteries the other night and found myself shaking my head for hours.

I realize that there are a lot of weird things that people believe in, but the subject on Unsolved Mysteries was the ultimate in weirdness.

Somebody purchased a set of fertility statues, believed to possess some sort of power that could make women become pregnant.

He placed the two statues on each side of an office door. Within a few weeks one of the secretary's was pregnant, and in 13 months time thirteen women who had touched these statues become pregnant.

Word got out and this place of business was getting so many calls and visitors each day to see the statues that they had to move them to a local museum.

Apparently women who were having difficulty getting pregnant, became pregnant shortly after being exposed to these statues.

:D I could not believe my ears! These were seemingly intelligent people, yet they were willing to believe that a set of fertility statues had the power to help them become pregnant!

This got me to wondering - of the paranormal, what is the silliest thing any of you have heard of that some people actually believe.

I saw that show too! I used to respect Unsolved Mysteries, but now I don't know. I thought the belief in the statues was too ridiculous for words!!!

One of the most silliest shows on TV concerning the paranormal is the one with the pet *psychic*. What a joke!!! :eek:

[c0rbin]

I have a fertility totem as well...anyway...

To quote someone's sig line from long ago on this board: "So many cults, so few comets."

Which paranormal belief is the silliest?

I say $cientology because of the amount of investment required.

You pay thousands of dollars to exercise the ghost of aliens living in your conciousness who spend their existance holding you back from your full potential.

I think it qualifies as well because it hits so many woo-woo concepts in one stroke--mediums, aliens, concious potential--it's like a Fortean goldmine!

[Marc]

Originally posted by Starrman


Is that the same as 'Yogic Flying'? If so, I want to change my answer to that! I saw that on TLC once and I almost had to be carried away, I was laughing so hard.
Yup, think that is where I saw it too. TM is the 'spiritual movement' *cough*cult*cough* of the Maharishi Yogi.

[Marc]

Originally posted by calladus
Weirdest belief that I can think of -

Burying a statue of St. Joseph in your backyard in order to get your house to sell more quickly.

What I want to ask is, what if the house has changed hands several times, and there is already one (or two, or three) statues buryied throughout the yard? Do you then get a REALLY good price for your house?

Does it work for commercial property? What about for large lots that get split up into smaller individual sections? Will it keep working for each individual section, or only for the new section that it is currently in?
Does that mean if you see a house you like you should sneak into the back yard and dig up all the little statues there? Then can you get it for a lower price?

[Yahweh]

The silliest part of that Unsolved Mysteries show is Robert Stack. He's dead. Why did the Lifetime Channel pay so much money to reanimate his corpse and have it continue to host the show...

[Yahweh]

Its not uncommon to hear stories of statues impregating women (usually virgins... or supposed virgins). I bet there is a snopes.com article about it. I'm going to try to find it right now...

Edit to add: Cant find the article right now... I'll guess it doesnt exist... unless someone else can find it...

[Marc]

Originally posted by c0rbin
To quote someone's sig line from long ago on this board: "So many cults, so few comets."
as long ago as 2 minutes. look about 3 inches down ;)


I say $cientology because of the amount of investment required.

You pay thousands of dollars to exercise the ghost of aliens living in your conciousness who spend their existance holding you back from your full potential.

I think it qualifies as well because it hits so many woo-woo concepts in one stroke--mediums, aliens, concious potential--it's like a Fortean goldmine!
Hmmm... that is a big one, religion founded by bad sci-fi writer... But as much as they delude themselves does it really compare to 'levitation'? The evidence that it doesn't work is pretty much smacking them in the butt!

[Marc]

Originally posted by Yahweh
Its not uncommon to hear stories of statues impregating women (usually virgins... or supposed virgins).
They were not statues, they just lay there as if they were ;) :D

[c0rbin]

That sig font used to be...bigger, no?

[Skat Bo]

Originally posted by c0rbin

I say $cientology because of the amount of investment required.

You pay thousands of dollars to exercise the ghost of aliens living in your conciousness who spend their existance holding you back from your full potential.


I agree with you. They wonder around your house (The so called exorcist, that is) on a pleasant little tour. Every so often the stop and start to faint, but barely catch themselves.

"There's a great spiritual presence here. From a long time ago. Was your house here in the 1800's?"

"Why yes!"

Of curse, we're not supposed to notice the plaque above the door that says 'A loving home since 1849'.

[Soapy Sam]

Leroy, - On the fertility statues, I would point out that the drive to reproduce might itself be seen as irrational in some ways; it is also very strong in many people: Some desperate people will go to incredible lengths with IVF treatment and spend large sums. Compared with this, a superstition which involves little more than a "touch wood" action seems almost logical. If one element in infertility is stress and the act of touching a juju relieves the stress... what do you lose by trying?

At least it's testable. Fertility fetishes may not work, but they can be experimentally tested and proved not to.

I can think of dafter concepts.

Expecting humans to behave rationally, for instance.

[ceptimus]

Dowsing.


That doesn't sound silly enough for you eh?


Then how about, "Believing that you can find hidden or lost things by waving sticks about"

ceptimus.

[Interesting Ian]

Hypnotism.

[Soapy Sam]

OK, Ian, I'll bite.
Personally, I wouldn't even describe hypnotism as paranormal.
I see it as being akin to concentration (or absence of).
Why hypnotism?

[SFB]

Originally posted by Interesting Ian
Hypnotism.

Soapy, ya got me thinking....

While I'm generally ignorant of hypnosis (fire away Ian), I've always thought of hypnotism along these lines from http://skepdic.com/hypnosis.html:

"Hypnosis is a process involving a hypnotist and a subject who agrees to be hypnotized. Being hypnotized is usually characterized by (a) intense concentration, (b) extreme relaxation, and (c) high suggestibility."

It's the "extreme relaxation" and "high suggestibility" that would not allow me to ever be hypnotized. I see hypnotism as a trickery of the brain; a highly suggestable brain willing to be tricked, that is.

It's similar to tricking the mind in a magic show, perhaps....

[Interesting Ian]

Originally posted by Soapy Sam
OK, Ian, I'll bite.
Personally, I wouldn't even describe hypnotism as paranormal.
I see it as being akin to concentration (or absence of).
Why hypnotism?

All these alleged phenomenal abilities and weird behaviour people are said to exhibit under hypnotism :rolleyes: It's difficult to believe that people actually fall for this nonsense!

[dingler44]

Originally posted by Diogenes


Got a good one for you ... Ask your Ouija board believers why it doesn't work if the operators are blind-folded.?.

Oh, they haven't tried it that way? Suggest they give it a shot..

Of course they will need a sighted bystander to write down the results.

Be prepared for a lot of : " eeetttuuu oooiywljlqwjuqwl idrjdkls " and such.

Of course everyone knows that blind Ouija board operators produce cryptic messages that require another level of expertise to decipher..;)

I played with a Oujia board when I was in 8th grade, 12 years old. It was actually a lot of fun... since it had been strictly forbidden by my mother.

My buddy and I were amazed that we got answers to some very personal questions... but anything we asked that one of us didn't already know the answer to usually came out as jibberish. I also experimented with shutting my eyes and found the process broke down completely at that point.

Then my mom caught us Oujia-ing away and blew her top off. I pleaded that through my own use and experimenting I had found the thing to be quite silly. Nothing could ease her apprehension... she demanded the thing be thrown out. I kept it - hid it - on principle. :) Why do youngins have to be so defiant? little bastards...

[dingler44]

But to answer the question - I think channeling is definitely one of the silliest.

Just imagining these people PURPOSELY pretending to be someone else... to fulfill their own fantasies of the paranormal. Too cute... although if the person is a genuine schizophrenic or multiple personality type, I guess it's not funny.

Actually - I just caught Ruby's post and I'd have to agree - "pet psychics" are the silliest.

[Explorer]

Diogenes said:

'Got a good one for you ... Ask your Ouija board believers why it doesn't work if the operators are blind-folded.?.

Oh, they haven't tried it that way? Suggest they give it a shot..

Of course they will need a sighted bystander to write down the results.

Be prepared for a lot of : " eeetttuuu oooiywljlqwjuqwl idrjdkls " and such.

Of course everyone knows that blind Ouija board operators produce cryptic messages that require another level of expertise to decipher'

I have conducted Ouija experiments, and never for one moment thought that the glass (used in my case) was guided by some hitherto unknown spiritual force. The energy in the glass is derived undoubtedly from the motor actions from the human participants, and the subsequent movements observed by them and not by some unseen spirit. The 'messages' or 'feedback', are undoubtedly emanating from the brains of one or more of the participants. Nevertheless, the 'effect' is still quite stunning when conducted seriously, and says much about the unknown regions of the human brain, and for that it is an interesting pastime, not to be written off as 'silliness'. Having said, and believing all that, it follows that blindfolding the participants would mess up the whole procedure. That is only a laughing matter if you pre-judge the causes of the 'effect' without really knowing what you are talking about. I ignore what others on the fringe claim, and try to look at the issue objectively and rationally, if at all possible.

Regards

Explorer

[reprise]

Originally posted by Skat Bo


I agree with you. They wonder around your house (The so called exorcist, that is) on a pleasant little tour. Every so often the stop and start to faint, but barely catch themselves.

"There's a great spiritual presence here. From a long time ago. Was your house here in the 1800's?"

"Why yes!"

Of curse, we're not supposed to notice the plaque above the door that says 'A loving home since 1849'.

:confused:

Whatever other services Scientology might try to sell you, it has no direct equivalent of "ghost-busting". It's services are about clearing your mind and your body, not buildings.

[Yahweh]

Not enough people appreciate how funny alchemy is... (edit to add: Is alchemy paranormal or pseudoscience?)

Or the belief in the 5 elements (earth, air, fire, water, and ..... ok I cant remember the 5th... so there 4... I dont care, sue me)...

How pointless are animal (and human) sacrifices. Its a good show, but I dont condone animal cruelty...

[Soapy Sam]

Ian, maybe you would like to start a new thread on this one. My experience of observing hypnotism is limited to three (possibly four- it's many years ago) occasions. I saw no evidence of anything paranormal.
What I observed among people actually hypnotised was:-

Relaxation in what might have been expected to be a stressful situation.

A willingness to cooperate with (almost eagerness to please) the hypnotist.

An increased ability to ignore physical stimuli (resistance to pain, heat and cold, though not, interestingly, to being tickled!)

An apparently enhanced ability to concentrate. I say "apparently", because though they felt sure that they were concentrating better, the subjects test scores on memorised text were actually no better than when not hypnotised. That said, I suspect the ability to ignore some sensory input involves diverting attention elsewhere. This is akin to concentrating. It might be that concentration does improve under hypnosis, but not memory.

The sessions I attended were done by a psychology lecturer who used hypnosis as a "self help" tool for stress reduction in patients. (ie he did not use hypnotherapy as a tool for "analysis". In fact he was quite scathing about that.) I was not myself hypnotised.

As I say, I saw nothing paranormal. My general impression was that the hypnotic state is similar to what we all experience when focussed on one activity to the extent that we fail to notice time passing and ignore external stimuli. It seemed like a useful technique for a number of stress related conditions.

I'm taking your reply as serious. If you are being ironic, forgive my stupidity.

[calladus]

Originally posted by dingler44


I played with a Oujia board when I was in 8th grade, 12 years old. It was actually a lot of fun... since it had been strictly forbidden by my mother.

My buddy and I were amazed that we got answers to some very personal questions... but anything we asked that one of us didn't already know the answer to usually came out as jibberish. I also experimented with shutting my eyes and found the process broke down completely at that point.


Me and my friends played with the Oujia board when we were in our late teens - a couple of observations from my experience -

First, I agree that the board couldn't answer something that one of us didn't alreadly know - when we asked what the license plate number of the car down the street (out of our view) was, we got only gibberish.

One of our friends was a budding skeptic - claimed that he didn't believe any of that "Bulls**t". When he laid a finger on the glass, the glass stopped moving! (Power of negative thinking? LOL!)

In at least 3 or 4 instances, I tried to 'direct' the glass to get a spooky or neat answer, and every time I tried, I was successful. It wasn't enough to make me disbelieve completely, but it WAS enough to plant the seeds of doubt. I remembered this years later when I became a rational thinker.

Hmm - now I feel like buying a Oujia board just to make some 'scientific' experiments.

[Explorer]

calladus said:

'First, I agree that the board couldn't answer something that one of us didn't alreadly know - when we asked what the license plate number of the car down the street (out of our view) was, we got only gibberish.'

That is very relevant, I have to agree. In my own experiments in local history, I have had problems with surnames. First names, no problem at all. Also dates can be a problem too. When asking for a specific date, the board has been rather hesitant and unreliable, which is odd if a participant is trying to make it all up and 'forcing' the glass. A way around this is to change the question slightly. In one case a date for this woman's son's birthday was not forthcoming. However, when asked who was the monarch on the throne, Charles II came across without hesitation. Questions regarding her friends buried in the local churchyard were not checkable, as the text on most of the gravestones of the seventeenth century were eroded away. In another session regarding gravestones in a different churchyard, I was told that this particular stone had been moved to the edge, a common practice when graveyards get overcrowded. I checked out the churchyard and found plenty of stones moved to the edge, but sadly none, with the name I was looking for. Statements about the way people died was quite impressive. In one case this woman's son was a soldier and I suppose most people would think that if he died young (which was what we were told) then he would have died in battle. Surprisingly, we were told he was killed in a tavern brawl. Casually reading through a history book, long after the session, I read that it was quite common for people to be killed in English taverns during the seventeenth century. Not conclusive, but certainly this didn't come from my brain.

[volant]

Originally posted by Marc
Trancendental Meditation practitioners demonstrating their ability to levitate.

That's got to either leave you rolling on the floor laughing or wallowing in disgust.
Thats when they're hopping around correct? If so, it is hilarity at its finest.

For the original question... Acupuncture. C'mon, getting myself poked is suppose to heal me? eh! And getting your fortune told by someone who has to feel your butt(some might remember this from "The Daily Show.").

[The Whether Man]

I'm finding it hard to choose between rune stones, Tarot cards, tea leaf reading or the I Ching. In fact, I would nominate all types of -mancy.

As a side note, my father told me recently that someone had suggested to him that his cataract could be cured by massaging one of his fingernails and the tip of his little toe on his left foot. I did manage to keep a straight face. I will keep track of his condition.

[Stimpson J. Cat]

Yahweh,

Or the belief in the 5 elements (earth, air, fire, water, and ..... ok I cant remember the 5th... so there 4... I dont care, sue me)...

The fifth element is a hot, scantily clad, kung fu fighting chick.

Duh. :teacher:

Dr. Stupid

[Soapy Sam]

And Bruce Willis' best movie, IMHO.

[ntech]

I gotta go with pet psychic as well.

Although Ian posting to this thread with a contribution is quite funny.

[Sundog]

Either the weird belief that being a skeptic automatically makes you intelligent, or the equally strange belief that being intelligent automatically makes you a skeptic.

Woo-woo-woo-woo.

[ntech]

Originally posted by Sundog
belief that being intelligent automatically makes you a skeptic.




No, but it helps.

To get there, one must actually know how to read.

[jimlintott]

Silliest woo woo concept. Belief in the afterlife. Believing in an afterlife or heaven or reincarnation and the like give religion a foothold on your behaviour. You do want to go to heaven, right? It paves the way for the John Edwards and such to scam people by talking to the dead.

If you don't believe in an afterlife, talking to the dead seems pretty ridiculous. Without an afterlife even the idea of ghosts becomes silly.

[Interesting Ian]

Originally posted by The Whether Man
I'm finding it hard to choose between rune stones, Tarot cards, tea leaf reading or the I Ching. In fact, I would nominate all types of -mancy.



The I Ching certainly appears to work. Do you have any reason to suppose it doesn't?

[gnome]

Originally posted by Interesting Ian


The I Ching certainly appears to work. Do you have any reason to suppose it doesn't?

I'm bracing myself, but, how have you determined this?

What effect did you achieve that convinced you that it worked?

Details, details! :)

[Dogwood]

I used to be interested in the I Ching, Tarot and Runes and for a while found them to be very useful as you could read anything you choose into the vague meanings provided.

[kittynh]

Homeopathic medicine. It's WATER!

And seeing Jesus in a tortilla or other food. Well, that and believing that's how JEsus would communicate with you...

"I will send the world a sign! Ah, a tortilla!"

No, Jesus would rent space in Times Square.

[jj]

Originally posted by Interesting Ian


The I Ching certainly appears to work. Do you have any reason to suppose it doesn't?

No, but you haven't any evidence to produce to the idea it does work, do you?

If you do, go win the million. If not, cease your unsupported claims.

[Leroy]

Ouija boards

I've never seen one.

breatharianism

That's a new one for me.

pet *psychic

:roll: I had forgotten about her! Yes, that is on my list of silliest beliefs out there. I wonder how many times she has been bitten by these animals, I'd bet she edits a lot of things from her show.If one element in infertility is stress and the act of touching a juju relieves the stress... what do you lose by trying?

You raise a good point Soapy. I wondered about that myself. I had a cousin who tried to get pregnant for two years. She visited many doctors and spent a hugh sum of money. After two years she finally gave up on the idea of having kids. Thus the stress was gone. A month later she was pregnant. She has two children now.

rune stones

Rune stones?

Either the weird belief that being a skeptic automatically makes you intelligent, or the equally strange belief that being intelligent automatically makes you a skeptic.

That is a good point. I am dealing with a person on another thread who seems to have this idea.

[Hexxenhammer]

On the subject of Ouija Boards:
My friends and I used to goof around with one in high school. I thought it was fun, and I couldn't figure out how it worked, but I didn't think I was talking to dead people or demons.
Well, one night my buddy Scott and I were using the board in my basement and "Ouija", who was like the evil telephone operator of the dead, was getting uppity. We would be talking happily to some spirit and then out of nowhere curse words would start being spelled out. When asked "Who is this?" the pointer would shoot to the "OUIJA" at the top of the board. This was freaky, even if you didn't believe. Then the pointer started doing figure 8's very fast until it flew off the board (not as dramatic as it sounds, it didn't get any farther then it had momentum from us pushing it).
A couple of days later Scott calls me. Tells me I need to come to McDonalds (where he worked) and talk to his manager. Scott had told her about the experience and she was convinced (due to her long association with Satan prior to being born again) that my house was now haunted by evil spirits that escaped when the pointer tipped over.
Now I was totally incredulous about this. I knew my house wasn't haunted and now some freaky, born-again, ex-satanist chick wanted me to exorcise my basement. I didn't want to but Scott was really freaked out. He came over and we got back on the Ouija board. Scott told all of the demons in the basement to "Go home." they seemed to protest by spinning the pointer and swearing at us, but then the pointer stopped moving. It wouldn't start up again. Scott was satisfied we had gotten rid of them.
Yes Ouija boards are interesting. They bring out the believer in people because it's something they can see and touch.

[Psi Baba]

As for the silliest paranormal belief, I'm torn between the yogic flying and homeopathy. Yogic flying certainly looks the silliest and has the most entertainment value. But then, I bet it would be fun to watch a homeopath do all that diluting and succussing, thinking they're "making medicine." :rolleyes:

My opinion of breatharianism: There are only two kinds of breatharians--those who are lying and those who are dead.

Ouija, like dowsing, is a pinnacle of ideomotive self-delusion.

[Marc]

Originally posted by Psi Baba
As for the silliest paranormal belief, I'm torn between the yogic flying and homeopathy. Yogic flying certainly looks the silliest and has the most entertainment value. But then, I bet it would be fun to watch a homeopath do all that diluting and succussing, thinking they're "making medicine." :rolleyes:

Yea, but the person on the recieving end gets a bottle of pills or some 'medicine', takes it and later feels better. Maybe they are better and can easily attribute it to homeopathy. Yogic flying, the evidence that it doesn't work is litteraly smacking you in the butt repeatedly!!

[Hexxenhammer]

On the subject of Homeopathy and also pets, both of which have come up.
I saw some numbers a couple of weeks ago on how much more people are spending on pets than they were 10 years ago. There was some outrageous number of people who bought homeopathic medicine for their pets. So maybe someone who takes their dog to the pet psychic who prescribes homeopathic medicine and actually buys and gives it to the dog is the biggest woo woo believer there is.

Did anyone else see those #'s on pets? Specifically the homeopathy #?

[Explorer]

Hexxenhammer said of Ouija:

'I knew my house wasn't haunted and now some freaky, born-again, ex-satanist chick wanted me to exorcise my basement. I didn't want to but Scott was really freaked out. '

Ouija seems to be all things to all people. If you are of a mind to believe that it is a tool of satan, then that is what you may very well get from the board. If you are interested in local history like I am, then that is what I get. Poets use it for poetry and authors use it for writing. As I have said above, the effect must derive from our own brains and nowhere else.

[Leroy]

Besides the fertility statues, It boggles my mind to think people believe in magic/spells. I was surprised to hear businesses are making a killing on spell books and potions. I would be interested to know who these people are?

Then there's witchcraft, La-Ho-Chi, high energy hands on healing -Reiki? Palmreading, crystal healing.

I used to think that it stopped at psychics and mediums, and was very surprised to find that there are hundreds of cult subjects/beliefs.

[Martin]

I can't believe young-Earth creationism hasn't even got a mention yet.

[SquishyDave]

Originally posted by Leroy
It boggles my mind to think people believe in magic/spells. I was surprised to hear businesses are making a killing on spell books and potions. I would be interested to know who these people are?
Spells? Why would you say they aren't real, just the other day I cast magic missile several times, not to mention melfs acid arrow. Oh wait, that was in a computer game.....

But really there are too many to list, so many whacky things people believe, how about the guys that think they a vampyres. And remember vampyres exist, vampires don't, it's very important you don't mix the two up.:rolleyes:

[tim]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Leroy
[B]I was watching Unsolved Mysteries the other night and found myself shaking my head for hours.

I realize that there are a lot of weird things that people believe in, but the subject on Unsolved Mysteries was the ultimate in weirdness.

Somebody purchased a set of fertility statues, believed to possess some sort of power that could make women become pregnant.



How about a particular check-out till in a supermarket? Every woman of child bearing age in the supermarket became pregnant shorty after being allocated to till 9, or whatever it was.
Well, every woman who was trying for a child, and excluding those who didn't want kids etc. etc.

[Ossai]

SquishyDave
I prefer, in order: Darkness, Evard's Black Tentacles then Negative Energy Burst. :D

My vote for silliest belief would have to be split between young earth creationist and remote viewing along with it's spin-offs like remote healing and remote influence.

Ossai

[Leroy]

How about a particular check-out till in a supermarket? Every woman of child bearing age in the supermarket became pregnant shorty after being allocated to till 9, or whatever it was.
Well, every woman who was trying for a child, and excluding those who didn't want kids etc. etc.

Check out Till?

remote healing

I don't mean to be rude, but :dl:

[SquishyDave]

Originally posted by Ossai
I prefer, in order: Darkness, Evard's Black Tentacles then Negative Energy Burst. :D
I play in a group with my friend and brother, so area effect spells tend to get them too. :(

What really gets me is belief in herbs. It's hard to convince people that most herbs probably don't do anything, but because there is still a chance that they do actually work, just no proof of it, they still happily take the pills absolutely convinced. It's a pet peeve of mine, coz I can't convince anyone I know. Not yet anyway, I'm still getting warmed up.

[Ossai]

SquishyDave
I tend more toward control of the battle field than direct damage. Or you could just buff the party before hand with Ultravision and Negative energy protection (which now also protects vs Evard)

There was a brief segment on the local news here last night talking about people switching from pharmaceutical medication to all natural herbs. "It's all natural so it's safe." At least the reporter said to check with you doctor before switching.

Ossai

[plugh]

Alex Chiu. Hilarious.

http://www.alexchiu.com

Great, eternal life over the internet. In addition, if I spam for this twit, I get a set of free Immortality Rings. Noice!

[Candace]

Originally posted by SquishyDave

I play in a group with my friend and brother, so area effect spells tend to get them too. :(



And that's a bad thing? :)

Sepia's Snake Sigil. The first edition one. I nailed Soth with it once. Ahhhhh, the good old days....
After that, Chromatic Orb, then ANY kind of a surge spell. I love wild mages.

Er, you ARE talking gaming, right?:biggrin:

[SquishyDave]

Originally posted by Candace


And that's a bad thing? :)

Sepia's Snake Sigil. The first edition one. I nailed Soth with it once. Ahhhhh, the good old days....
After that, Chromatic Orb, then ANY kind of a surge spell. I love wild mages.

Er, you ARE talking gaming, right?:biggrin:
Er I am, I hope you guys are too. :) I'm no mage by the way, sorcerer to the bone.

[Nivek]

The belief that there is no paranormal or metaphysical.

[Leroy]

Posted by Nivek - The belief that there is no paranormal or metaphysical

Nivek [kevin?] If one has not experienced anything remotely paranormal in 45, or more, years of his or her life, and there isn't any concrete [scientific] evidence for anything paranormal, why would it be considered "Silly" not to believe in it?

[Camille]

The belief that orbs are ghosties. That, and the rules of interpretation that go along with it. For ex: a "face" in an orb is a sure sign that it is paranormal (the 3 dot syndrome)

[CWL]

Originally posted by Nivek
The belief that there is no paranormal or metaphysical.

The belief that there is. In other words anything which is real (and I firmly believe that anything which is real ultimately can be scientifically proven) cannot reasonably be classified as "paranormal" or "metaphysical".

[tracer]

Originally posted by Explorer
Ouija seems to be all things to all people.
A Ouija board prevented me from getting laid once. :mad:

[Iamme]

I wanna see someone get to the bottom of the truth about crop circles, myself. To me, the ramifications are enormous. IF crop circles are caused by other worldly radiation, where the plant stalks are conclusively proven to not be trampled (SOMEbody already knows this truth!!!!)...this opens the door then to the possibility of aliens...Chariots of the gods...the reason for the huge land murals in South America...the drawings on cave walls depicting space ships and men in space suits...and even the account in the Bible written by Ezekeil regarding seeing a wheel within a wheel, in the sky.
.
And then we could move on to the Roswell incident, and the real truth there.

[jim_scotti]

Originally posted by Iamme
I wanna see someone get to the bottom of the truth about crop circles, myself. To me, the ramifications are enormous. IF crop circles are caused by other worldly radiation, where the plant stalks are conclusively proven to not be trampled (SOMEbody already knows this truth!!!!)...this opens the door then to the possibility of aliens...Chariots of the gods...the reason for the huge land murals in South America...the drawings on cave walls depicting space ships and men in space suits...and even the account in the Bible written by Ezekeil regarding seeing a wheel within a wheel, in the sky.

Well, the blokes from England who started the whole Crop Circle thing came forward and confessed and even demonstrated how they did it. The copycaters out there continue to create them, and of course, the true believers skoff at the confession. Von Daniken's "Chariots of the Gods" book has been debunked pretty thoroughly as well....

.Originally posted by Iamme
And then we could move on to the Roswell incident, and the real truth there. [/B]

Well, if you look at the evidence objectively, it turns out to have been a classified baloon flight and a lot of stories fabricated usually to sell books and more recently souveniers at Roswell gift shops and tours of supposed crash sites (for $15 a head). Read Phillip Klass' book "The Real Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup" for an excellent analysis of the fraud.

Jim.

[Tmeto Mituko]

Taiwan fulling paranormal beliefes.


лл

[XRX]

Love.

[Cleon]

That's a toughie.

Homeopathy is definitely in my top 10. It's friggin' water!

Chiropractic--anyone who believes that a guy cracking their back will cure the flu is probably gullible enough to buy Enron stock.

Alien abductions--I mean, come on, aliens have perfected faster-than-light travel (or worse yet, actually travel for centuries!) for no other reason than to give people bad dreams and anal probes?

But for my money the weirdest thing people can possibly believe is the idea that people like Peter Popoff and Pat Robertson aren't blowing smoke up their ass.

[BNiles]

Forgive me if someone has already replied to this quoted post. I was reading the thread and just couldn't pass it by.

Originally posted by Explorer
calladus said:

'First, I agree that the board couldn't answer something that one of us didn't alreadly know - when we asked what the license plate number of the car down the street (out of our view) was, we got only gibberish.'

That is very relevant, I have to agree. In my own experiments in local history, I have had problems with surnames. First names, no problem at all. Also dates can be a problem too. When asking for a specific date, the board has been rather hesitant and unreliable, which is odd if a participant is trying to make it all up and 'forcing' the glass. A way around this is to change the question slightly. In one case a date for this woman's son's birthday was not forthcoming. However, when asked who was the monarch on the throne, Charles II came across without hesitation. Questions regarding her friends buried in the local churchyard were not checkable, as the text on most of the gravestones of the seventeenth century were eroded away. In another session regarding gravestones in a different churchyard, I was told that this particular stone had been moved to the edge, a common practice when graveyards get overcrowded. I checked out the churchyard and found plenty of stones moved to the edge, but sadly none, with the name I was looking for. Statements about the way people died was quite impressive. In one case this woman's son was a soldier and I suppose most people would think that if he died young (which was what we were told) then he would have died in battle. Surprisingly, we were told he was killed in a tavern brawl. Casually reading through a history book, long after the session, I read that it was quite common for people to be killed in English taverns during the seventeenth century. Not conclusive, but certainly this didn't come from my brain.

So you tested the board on local history (local to you I assume). Yet none of this info came from your brain? A young military man of 200 plus years ago who died in a bar....hmmm how odd. I was in the USMC for 8 years, and let me tell you, when I wasn't on the battlefield I was in a bar. No specific dates available? Of course not. You couldn't read them off of the old worn stones. You haven't stated one piece of detail that can be researched in anyway.

Lets sum up, shall we? You got the first name (but not the last) of a solider who died while Charles II was on the throne, and he was buried in an unmarked grave at the edge of the cemetery after he died in a bar fight. STOP THE PRESSES! I think we're on to something. (Like the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.)

Why don’t you ask something verifiable? Maybe, what was he buried with? Then you could exhume the grave and see.
:rolleyes: SHEEESH

[Armi Shanks]

I agree with Camille. The orbs thing....ffs. 99.5 % of orbs are attributal to dust, smoke, pollen, faults with cameras etc etc, and yet believers still bleat on about that 0.5% that cannot (at the present time) be explained. Does it not occur to them, that if the other 99.5% can be explained, and that there is no evidence linking 'orbs' to the paranormal, logically that 0.5% are likely to be anything but paranormal?

Fools.

Hello, btw. I'm new. Apologies for butting in.

[BNiles]

Originally posted by Armi Shanks
Hello, btw. I'm new. Apologies for butting in.

Hello....All rational thoughts are welcome. :)

[ntech]

I find belief in genesis is quite bizarre as well.

[BNiles]

Me too, but I don't think it qualifies as "paranormal".

[Duncan]

My vote goes to believing in psychic alien unicorn poltergeists that helped build atlantis and the pyramids using telekinesis, which they learned from bigfoot.

[ntech]

Originally posted by BNiles
Me too, but I don't think it qualifies as "paranormal".

It's only a matter of perception. There are more magic tricks in genesis than at a Penn & Teller show.

[tracer]

There are even more magic tricks in Exodus. Remember how, in The Ten Commandments, Yul Brynner saw right through Charlton Heston's cheap stage tricks?

[BNiles]

Yeah...I geuss I see your point. six in one hand or half a dozen in the other.

[Leroy]

My vote goes to believing in psychic alien unicorn poltergeists that helped build atlantis and the pyramids using telekinesis, which they learned from bigfoot.

Well Holy Cow! Why wouldn't you believe in that? :roll:

[Ladewig]

I think map dowsing is an order of magnitude sillier than field dowsing.

Photographing pixies. When I read Sherlock Holmes stories, I just pretend they were written by someone other than Sir ACD.

Anything related to Edgar Cayce.

Cloud busting.

_______________

After surveying all the responses, I have to assume the question is: what is the silliest paranormal belief not advocated by a regular board poster. A quick jump over to ***Million Dollar Challenge*** will show that what has been posted in this thread is just amateur stuff.

[XRX]

Originally posted by Ladewig
When I read Sherlock Holmes stories, I just pretend they were written by someone other than Sir ACD.



Ad hominem? *cough*

[gnome]

Originally posted by XRX

Ad hominem? *cough*

Well, it's hardly a logical fallacy if Laedwig's not making an argument... just stating an opinion.

I have as much resepect for his stories as the next guy, but I think his credulity regarding faerie photos makes "silly" a fair label...

[Ladewig]

Ladewig-
When I read Sherlock Holmes stories, I just pretend they were written by someone other than Sir ACD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

XRX-
Ad hominem? *cough*

Perhaps, I should have been more explicit. I have such a difficult time reconciling ACD's professional life ( a worldly, clever man who was capable of writing well-crafted mysteries that are still popular a century after they were written) with his private life (belief in the authenticity of photographs showing fairies caught in mid-flight (with not even a blurring of their wings)), that I put the latter concept out of my mind when reading the stories.

A pure Ad hominem would be "we should not believe any testimony from that man because he is a criminal/cat-hater/Michael Bolton fan." My statement was the opposite, "we should not believe that man's testimony despite his being a creative, intelligent man."

[XRX]

My statement was the opposite, "we should not believe that man's testimony despite his being a creative, intelligent man."
No. That wasn't your statement. That could be reasonably deduced from your statement, but your statement was
Photographing pixies. When I read Sherlock Holmes stories, I just pretend they were written by someone other than Sir ACD.

Arthur Conan Doyle's literary work is obviously appreciated by Ladewig. How ACD's personal beliefs should have any bearing on his stories, at least to a reader, is beyond by the comprehension of one as thick-witted as I.
But who can bear to appreciate his writing when the man was clearly so silly? Not Ladewig, who finds ACD's gullibility so disagreeable that when he reads Sherlock Holmes stories, he prefers to believe that someone not-so-goddamn-stupid had written them.

That Wagner was a jerk does not prevent me from listening to Die Walkure now and again.

Perhaps you meant to say, "My statement should have been the opposite..." Hm?

[XRX]

Originally posted by gnome

Well, it's hardly a logical fallacy if Laedwig's not making an argument... just stating an opinion.

"Ad hominem." Not "argumentum ad hominem."

[xouper]

XRX: "Ad hominem." Not "argumentum ad hominem."Since people on this forum often use the shorthand ad hominem to mean argumentum ad hominem it's quite reasonable to assume you were doing likewise. Especially since the alternative seems rather lame, and we don't want to assume you posted a lame comment, do we? By that I mean, if your objectiion wasn't about a logical fallacy, then what exactly was your point? Are you simply observing that Ladewig expressed an unfavorable opinion about Doyle?

[BPSCG]

Just about anything on the op-ed page of the New York Times. :roll:

Oatmeal soap. My beloved wife swears it's good for your skin, even though the amount of oatmeal in the list of ingredients of her favorite brand appears to be homeopathically (is that a word?) small. I'd ask her why, if it's so wondrous, she's just had her third pre-cancerous skin lesion in the last six months lasered off, but I enjoy sleeping in the same bed with her too much...

The only time I've ever literally thrown something at the TV (fortunately it was just a slipper) was the first - and last - time I saw the alleged pet psychic.

Pet Psychic (addressing the pet's owner): "And what's this lovely creature's name?"

Me: " "DON'T YOU KNOW??? IF YOU'RE SO #$^%ING PSYCHIC, WHY DON'T YOU ASK THE #$#!!^%ING DOG, YOU #$^%ING CROOK!!!

[xouper]

BPSCG: Pet Psychic (addressing the pet's owner): "And what's this lovely creature's name?"

Me: " "DON'T YOU KNOW??? IF YOU'RE SO #$^%ING PSYCHIC, WHY DON'T YOU ASK THE #$#!!^%ING DOG, YOU #$^%ING CROOK!!!Exactly. I wonder if that show has ever had to edit out that very comment from some pet owner.

[XRX]

Originally posted by xouper
Since people on this forum often use the shorthand ad hominem to mean argumentum ad hominem it's quite reasonable to assume you were doing likewise. Especially since the alternative seems rather lame, and we don't want to assume you posted a lame comment, do we? By that I mean, if your objectiion wasn't about a logical fallacy, then what exactly was your point? Are you simply observing that Ladewig expressed an unfavorable opinion about Doyle?



I am saying that the fact that Ladewig holds an unfavourable opinion of Doyle should not affect Ladewig's opinion of Doyle's work. Ladewig's opinion of Doyle's books clearly might suffer in light of his inability to accept the man's silliness, if he did not "pretend they were written by someone other than Sir ACD."



Especially since the alternative seems rather lame, and we don't want to assume you posted a lame comment, do we?

Explain how the alternative is lame.

'Against the person' vs 'argument against the person.' Can you not adapt to context?

There was no argument. It was goddamn stupid of you (all of you) to add the 'argumentum' in your heads just because you're used to it.

[c0rbin]

I am saying that the fact that Ladewig holds an unfavourable opinion of Doyle should not affect Ladewig's opinion of Doyle's work.

Hmmm...that's what I thought Ladewig was saying.

[pause]

I vote lame.

[XRX]

Yup.

[xouper]

XRX: I am saying that the fact that Ladewig holds an unfavourable opinion of Doyle should not affect Ladewig's opinion of Doyle's work.It seems obvious to me that Ladewig does not make that error in logic. Which, by the way, you have now admitted that your objection is indeed against a perceived argumentum ad hominem. I don't think you have to worry about what Ladewig thinks. He clearly understands what he is thinking far better than you seem to.

'Against the person' vs 'argument against the person.' Can you not adapt to context? There was no argument. It was goddamn stupid of you (all of you) to add the 'argumentum' in your heads just because you're used to it.After an uncivil comment like that, I think it's safe to dismiss you as someone not worth taking seriously. Good day, sir.

[nightwind]

Well I was going to say Alien abductions, but I noticed a News Weekly the other day in the grocery store, and they had printed the first ever picture of an alien abducting someone out of their bed. So I guess that's out. I'll think a while on it, and just hope that News Weekly doesn't eliminate my other ideas. Shucks they took Batboy also....

[Leroy]

Well I was going to say Alien abductions, but I noticed a News Weekly the other day in the grocery store, and they had printed the first ever picture of an alien abducting someone out of their bed. So I guess that's out. I'll think a while on it, and just hope that News Weekly doesn't eliminate my other ideas. Shucks they took Batboy also....

I saw that at the check out lane in Wally-Mart. I thought it was the stupidest thing I'd ever seen. Don't they know that aliens don't physically lift their victims, they just BEAM them up!:roll:

[gnome]

I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong with an ad hominem if it's not argumentum ad hominem, especially wrong enough to say it in latin? :P

Even though I helped start it, I nominate this line of discussion as the silliest thread tangent of the week...

Why don't we all get over it, starting with me.

[Margam]

I work part time as an EMT. I run into so many cops, nurses and other EMTs that swear that a full moon makes people nuts. When I ask them how it is possible that a phase of the moon effects behaviour they either respond that they don't know but it does anyhow- or that somehow the "gravitational forces' of the moon affects how people act. By the way, I have never noticed any difference. Some nights are busier than others regardless of the moon.

[Teetop]

I get a good laugh when thousands of people travel to a location to worship a stain on the side of a building or on a street- they worship with the belief that the stain is an image of the Virgin Mary.

[RonSceptic]

Originally posted by ntech
I find belief in genesis is quite bizarre as well.

Yes, especially after Steve Hackett left.

[RonSceptic]

Originally posted by Iamme
And then we could move on to the Roswell incident, and the real truth there.

The truth? You want the real truth? Here it is.........

The Roswell Fable (http://members.aol.com/tprinty/rwell.html)




Oh, and for the record, my vote for silliest belief has to go to the view that crop circles are made by extra terrestial beings.
:roll: