Enlighten
17th November 2007, 10:33 PM
We converse with the dead, spiritualists say
By LISA ORKIN EMMANUEL
The Associated Press / ChicagoTribune.com
November 11, 2007
CASSADAGA, Fla. - The scent of incense hangs in the air as one passes between the columns saying "Welcome Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp." So does a musty odor.
The smells come from the small houses that line the narrow streets, the porches decorated with chimes and ornaments. The paint peels from many homes and some of the yards are unkempt and cluttered.
The spooky atmosphere is appropriate -- the Spiritualists who live here say they converse with the dead, that such communication is a scientific fact. A sign outside the 57-acre camp's bookstore says the town's 30 or so mediums and healers are certified authentic, although none appear willing to be tested by outsiders -- even for $1 million.
Balderdash, says James Randi, a Fort Lauderdale magician and professional debunker. "It's very convenient that they have a whole town to themselves and ... it's the only business in town," he said. Nor is he surprised that the mediums have many satisfied customers: "The average naive believer not only wants it to be true, but needs it to be true."
Randi said there are 15 different ways to move a table during a seance, starting with the red light, which blurs the eye's focus. The table can be rigged from the ceiling or the floor, he said. In some cases, the table is simply being pushed by the medium's feet.
...
Randi is guardian of a $1 million prize earmarked for anyone who can prove supernatural powers. He said many hundreds have tried over the years, but the results are always negative. "Spiritualists are not willing to be tested. They say it's the work of God and is not supposed to be tested. I require evidence," he said.
...
The reading was very "on point," said Fonseca, 29, of Orlando. "My mom is not eating right." Michael Shermer, the publisher of Skeptic magazine and executive director of the Skeptics Society, said psychics and Spiritualists don't have any real powers, although some may sincerely believe they do.
...
Full article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-ap-ghost,1,2536586.story
By LISA ORKIN EMMANUEL
The Associated Press / ChicagoTribune.com
November 11, 2007
CASSADAGA, Fla. - The scent of incense hangs in the air as one passes between the columns saying "Welcome Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp." So does a musty odor.
The smells come from the small houses that line the narrow streets, the porches decorated with chimes and ornaments. The paint peels from many homes and some of the yards are unkempt and cluttered.
The spooky atmosphere is appropriate -- the Spiritualists who live here say they converse with the dead, that such communication is a scientific fact. A sign outside the 57-acre camp's bookstore says the town's 30 or so mediums and healers are certified authentic, although none appear willing to be tested by outsiders -- even for $1 million.
Balderdash, says James Randi, a Fort Lauderdale magician and professional debunker. "It's very convenient that they have a whole town to themselves and ... it's the only business in town," he said. Nor is he surprised that the mediums have many satisfied customers: "The average naive believer not only wants it to be true, but needs it to be true."
Randi said there are 15 different ways to move a table during a seance, starting with the red light, which blurs the eye's focus. The table can be rigged from the ceiling or the floor, he said. In some cases, the table is simply being pushed by the medium's feet.
...
Randi is guardian of a $1 million prize earmarked for anyone who can prove supernatural powers. He said many hundreds have tried over the years, but the results are always negative. "Spiritualists are not willing to be tested. They say it's the work of God and is not supposed to be tested. I require evidence," he said.
...
The reading was very "on point," said Fonseca, 29, of Orlando. "My mom is not eating right." Michael Shermer, the publisher of Skeptic magazine and executive director of the Skeptics Society, said psychics and Spiritualists don't have any real powers, although some may sincerely believe they do.
...
Full article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-ap-ghost,1,2536586.story