Browne: Psychic and spiritual teacher or Spiritual teacher offering psychic services?

[Questioninggeller]

It seems Browne's webpage changed since the Anderson Cooper show. I think I know why...


ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES
Islam Divided; Psychic Reality Check; Battle Under the Border
Aired January 30, 2007 - 22:00 ET
...
ANDERSON COOPER: But Sylvia was saying...

LINDA ROSSI: And Anderson, wait a minute. I would like to add here, first and foremost, that Sylvia is a teacher, a spiritual teacher and a humanitarian, and her...

COOPER: But actually, first and foremost on her web site it says psychic.

ROSSI: First and foremost she is a spiritual teacher.

COOPER: OK, that's actually second on her web site.

ROSSI: Part of that -- the psychic part is a part of that, but her major thrust in the world...

COOPER: Just so we're accurate, on her web site, when you Google her, and I just went to your web site. It says, "Sylvia Browne, psychic and spiritual teacher," so first and foremost she's a psychic.

ROSSI: OK. Well, first, she has -- you can't separate the psychic part from her spirituality.

COOPER: But she makes her money from being a psychic.
...


Source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/30/acd.01.html

So in January 2007 Anderson Cooper pointed out their on her website she claims to be, first and foremost, a psychic. However, now a yahoo.com search for Sylvia Browne turns up her official website with a description that she is a "Spiritual teacher offering psychic services."

Seems like she is trying to insulate herself from criticism. After all teacher's don't make money.... ;)

(EDT: Can an Admin fix the spelling in the title?)

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

To be totally and completely fair to Sylv, she was once drafted for jury duty and listed her occupation there as "spiritual teacher." This was about 5 years before Shawn Hornbeck was found so.

She refers to this in an interview with The Buffalo News. She jokes with the reporter that she had no idea what to even list as her occupation and Montel said to go with "spiritual teacher."

That's how the release form lists her, too: SB, spiritual teacher and psychic.

[Minarvia]

For ages her web page DID list her as a Psychic and Spiritual Teacher. Doesn't she realize that changing it immediately after Anderson Cooper makes her look like a waffling coward?

[PastBrowneFan]

Up until that Anderson Cooper interview, her website promoted her as "Psychic and Spiritual Teacher". After that interview, when AC pointed out that first and foremost she promotes herself as a psychic, she then changed the website.

Whenever Montel introduces her, her introduces her as "World Renowned Psychic SB", not "World Renowned Spiritual Teacher".

Throughout history, frauds and charlatans have changed their title and names to try to deflect scrutiny, and SB is just doing that now. Since it is proven that she fails as a psychic, she must take on the title of "Spiritual Teacher" instead. Just like when she changed her organization from the Nirvana Foundation to Novus Spiritus. An organization founded on fraud, and funded with fraudulant money is still a fraud, no matter what you call it (see The People vs. Sylvia Brown(e) http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/peoplevsbrown.shtml ) After this incident is when the "e" was added to Brown, thus the current, new and improved Browne.

Now, one must ask, does the psychic SB rake in $750 for a 20 minute reading, or does the Spiritual Teacher SB rake that money in? Does the psychic SB bring in untold millions off of her book royalties, or does the Spiritual Teacher SB bring in those book royalties? Does the psychic SB appear on Montel, or does the Spiritual Teacher SB appear on Montel?

Was it the psychic SB that lied to Shawn Hornbecks parents, or was that the Spiritual Teacher SB that lied to his parents? And why hasn't the Spiritual Teacher or the psychic come out and publicly apologized to those parents?

[Questioninggeller]

Does Sylvia believe in a God or Gods?

[PastBrowneFan]

Who knows what SB really believes in.

Now, as to what she writes about, in her "belief system" there are many Gods, but a Mother and a Father God for our universe.

She does say God has brothers and sisters, but they are in other universes, and God does has parents, so that would make for mutiple Gods.

Source: Novus Spiritus Q&A and the JOS series of books.

[Questioninggeller]

Who knows what SB really believes in.


She doesn't ever voice her true beliefs to her friends and/or top ministers?

[PastBrowneFan]

Well, she expressed her belief to her then husband Gary Dufresne, as he then recalled to RSL:

I said "Sylvia, how can you tell people this kind of stuff? You know it's not true, and some of these people actually are probably going to believe that." And she said - and I won't put it exactly the word that she said but she said - but "Screw 'em. Anybody who believes this stuff oughtta be taken." And that pretty much sums up Sylvia's philosophy about the psychic stuff. (http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/interview_dufresnes.shtml)

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

I frequently hear her identified as a spiritual teacher first, though. Both before and after Hornbeck.

Though I agree with you that it's mainly PR spin.

[JoeTheJuggler]

This whole discussion shows how right Dawkins is when he talks about the special place of religion (which "spiritual teacher" comes mighty close to). Is there any reason to think a "spiritual teacher" is any less a scoundrel than a "psychic"?

Does her church actually get tax exempt status?

[PastBrowneFan]

Yes, NS is tax exempt under the Federal 501(c)(3) status, although that status may be able to be called into question.............

[NotARepublican]

Calling it into question is one thing, into court another. Let's hope for the latter after the former.

----------
www.GodObsession.blogspot.com - The God-Obsessed Blog

[Questioninggeller]

I frequently hear her identified as a spiritual teacher first, though. Both before and after Hornbeck.
...


Yes, but the webpage description was an interesting change.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

If they're tax-emept, can you get a hold of their books? See what they're spending their victim''s money?

[Questioninggeller]

If they're tax-emept, can you get a hold of their books? See what they're spending their victim''s money?

Churches in the US do not have to reveal their expenses. Only non-profit charities (non-religious/churches) have to.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

What about a church that functions as a charity, like the Salvation Army?

Please tell me the Salvation Army has to reveal their expenses!

Speaking of them, I was shocked when I discovered that the SA is a church. I thought they were a charity that did alot of their work and fundraising through their thrift shops.

Imagine my suprise when I went to their website some years ago, looking for a place to donate some old clothes, and saw weddings being offered and criticism of stem-cell research.