Skeptics, What Would It Take?

There exist an foundation that is commited to providing information about paranormal claims called JREF. Please read this, is taken from their site.

"At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event. The JREF does not involve itself in the testing procedure, other than helping to design the protocol and approving the conditions under which a test will take place. All tests are designed with the participation and approval of the applicant. In most cases, the applicant will be asked to perform a relatively simple preliminary test of the claim, which if successful, will be followed by the formal test. Preliminary tests are usually conducted by associates of the JREF at the site where the applicant lives. Upon success in the preliminary testing process, the "applicant" becomes a "claimant."

To date, no one has passed the preliminary tests."

Not only have no one passed the preliminary tests, after I read some stuff on their site I found out that most of the persons claiming to have paranormal abilities and who at first handed in applications has by different means refused to do the tests, either by being impossible to contact or by refusing the conditions given by JREF, which all are fair and acceptable.

Link to the site and challange: JREF Paranormal Challange

What? Where are these studies? Were they peer reviewed? Were they blind/double blind studies? You're saying the results have been replicated?

People just performing a study doesn't make it credible.

That's the James Randi Paranormal Challenge, and it's not even open to the public.



So, if I had psychic powers, I couldn't take the challenge. Even if I lifted a table off of the ground using only my mind, I couldn't take the challenge, unless I made myself into a public spectacle first and got enough attention.

Really, who would agree to the challenge? It's an open invitation to be mocked. If I had true paranormal abilities, and the test was open to the public, I wouldn't bother with it. I'd probably be so stressed out before the test, due to reports on me and being calling me crazy or a charlatan or liar, that I'd mess up just because of that.

Also, some stuff doesn't always work when tested. In a Physics class I took, when we studied electricity, there were some experiments we tried that didn't go right at all, despite it being true science, proven to be right and all. The professor even said that not everything will go according to plan 100% of the time. If a person could see the future, is it certain that he would be able to control the power? Or would it just come to him? How do you test that?

But the challange has been going on since 1968, (even though the million has only been the reward since 1996), so 2007, when that condition was initiated, is pretty late.

Besides, these people claim that they have abilities, tells it to everyone, many of them have probably already done some bullshit tv-shows where they talk to ghosts and shit, and now they have a chance to lift a fucking table with their mind, proving to everybody that it's possible, and they refuse to do it? Even if people calls you crazy, this is your chance to prove them wrong.

And this is all kinds of paranormal abilities, I mean, telepathy or telekinesis should be easy for them to prove if they could use it.

The again, this is another part of what I think: as I said, I don't deny the possibility of paranormal abilities or phenomena. And I think that someone who actually had such abilities would not express it to the whole world, even if he/she could prove it. Reason being, if you proved it, you would probably be put in some lab as a guinea pig for the rest of your life.



Indeed, if you don't know what to do, just run through the city and throw some cars with your mind. Would probably get you the attention needed.

With a power like that, it isn't hard to gain attention.



Wait, why would you be stressed out, and no one says shit before you take the test; it doesn't have mass media coverage you know. Why don't you watch the preliminary test for yourself. The people are respected and no one starts shit (until the test ends and a few days after that the "psychic" starts bitching about how it was unfair even though they agreed to the test and actually helped design it).

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Maybe you could donate the money to charity.


Make another attempt.


With so much attention focused on you, it would be almost impossible for you to be "kidnapped" by the government/"mad scientists" and be tested on. People would notice your absence.

Perhaps you're right about that, but there is also the publics oppinion. People fear the unknown, and it's hard for me to think that the entire world is willing to let a guy who can rip a airplane apart with his mind run around free. Besides, attention or what so ever, "mad scientists" would still want to see if they can find out why you have those powers.

And yea, my example was a bit extreme, but even if you could just lift a pencil, the people tends to overreact in fear.

Religion is a bad metaphor for the topic because of the opinion and practices of individuals are sure to contradic.So my statement stays the same "To don't deny means yes or he agrees to the existence of paranormal beings so you can't say you won't believe what you already acknowledge

I'm sorry, but it does NOT mean that. "To not deny" in this case just means acknowledging the possibilities of the existance of paranormal phenomena. That is not the same as saying that they exist. Religion is a great example, many people do not believe in God (like myself), but I do not say that it's impossible that he might exists. 'Innocent until proven guilty' if you get what I mean. Though in God's case, it's impossible to prove whether he exists or not unless he himself would make an apperance that everybody would accept. It's the same with ghosts.

It's not even a metaphor. If you read it again I didn't even compare religion to the current topic but rather I used it as example of "acknowledgement without believing". In the first place I didn't attack your belief of the paranormal but commented on your notion of being acknowledged.

What we cannot deny is that there are things that can be called "unnatural" or unexplainable and we acknowledge that it might be paranormal. But in this sense does it mean we accept that it's paranormal? No, but rather what we're accepting is that there is a possibility that it might be paranormal, not that it's paranormal. So whether paranormal is real or not, my answer is I don't know. It might be, but then again it might be not. I'll have to see it to believe it.

Well I do Believe in them
Actually my Cousin Died 7 years ago
he was 13 years old He has a Leukemia
ever since then he was always Running Around in my Grandparents House
Morning,Lunch, Midnight but Didn't Run at the Evening though he run at 12:00 Well
He only run for 3 Seconds then he Vanish

Well that my Second
The First was For my Grand Father well i was Sleeping In the Living room ( Don't Ask why im Sleeping There Anyway) It was Midnight round 2:30
he show up near the Chair of the Computer
WELL i Stare it for 5 Minute's Then I Run to my Parents Room
Waking there up (I know it's Embarrassing but It was my First time )
then they say that He Hate When Someone still Awake in the Midnight so that's why he show Him Self but Even so i Respect my Grand Father I couldn't Hate him Because There's no Reason to do that Even though he show him self but i know he Miss us So much he want to Remind us......

The Third One Is in the Resort
It was my Recollection in my 4th Year high School
It was 8:30Pm All the 3rd year And 4th Year was on the Pool
There was a Huge Slide on the Pool Me And the Other Student Was
on the top of the Slide When one of the Third year was Shivering in Fear
and Said There's A woman in the Top of the Slide it was Near in me
i Didn't Sense There Presence Because I was Wet and Shivering Because It was Really Cold That but i Do Feel that Someone in There but it was a Weak Presence
Them she Collapse and began to Moving Wildly and Mumbling Like she was Posses or Something then 3 Female Student Began to Posses The Room Began to Move the Door in the
CR was Opening Slowly Then the Lights Was Turning On and Off and The Faucet Began To Running No Matter how We Close it it Never Turn off ( It's Like a Poltergeist)
But The Only room that Haven't been Happening any Paranormal Phenomenon Was My Group Room i was Wondering why My Room was not Affected Then The Teachers Call I Medium After that they Able to Return to Normal but they were Really Tired
And The Medium Said Why Our Room wasn't Been Affected Because of me
(Few Hours ago We Were On The Church The Teacher Send a Note From our Parents Secretly They Made a Note For Us When I was Reading it i Cry So Much I Run To The Room And Close it I Didn't able to Finish Reading it I cry for Almost 30 min when i was Crying i Felt Someone Looking at me but i seem that it was a bit Warm Feeling
(I Am a Emotional Guy No matter i held My Emotion in The real life when i read that Letter i Can't stop Crying Even now I can't Read that letter without Crying)



Anyway I already saw 3 Ghost in my life and That's My Experience
Im not Forcing You to Believe in my story im just Sharing it

My ghost hunting experiences have taught me a few things over the years. I ghost hunted because I was interested in the paranormal as many of you are.

Ghost aren't here to kill you as many seem to think and is what makes you scared of them. They may harm you if they're violent, which is an exception.

I don't know why ghosts exist, but I don't think it has anything to do with religious beliefs or to prove that god and the devil exist. I see ghosts as some kind of existence that may be connected with a 4th dimension. Over the years, I've only encountered only ONE apparition. I don't believe for a minute when people claim they see an apparition out of the blue, because it's an extremely rare case and most likely they are just hallucinating. This isn't always true though.

Seems like ghosts have a tie to the living because of something that strongly binds them to the world. People simply don't get "trapped" after death. Something is keeping them connected with the living world. I don't really know where the hell ghosts are going, either.

Maybe a ghost is just a form of energy that collects the sounds and shadows of humans that once lived for all I know.

Why would you let someone else's behavior influence what you believe?

Since most of the people you get to see and hear about who says that they have paraormal abilities or have seen ghosts are stupid fuck-ups. Now, I don't want you to think that I think so about all, alot of them are good people who I actually could believe, since what they say seems likely.

But ffs, all these guys appearing on TV and shit... Going to haunted houses and fucking "let ghosts enter their body so that they can be communicated with", and then they just make a stupid face and talk with a coarse voice... Gah, I couldn't believe in people like that even if I wanted too. And I certainly cannot believe a guy who says that seeing ghosts and getting a thrid eye has some kind of level system, and that it can be "gained" by some half-assed meditation and chanting incantations. Wth is this, an RPG?

No my dear Neko-chan, since it seems like that most ghosts only appear to stupid show-off people, I'd Prefer not to believe in them.

photographic evidence has never really been able to prove they existed, because of photoshop and etc. then there are really good people who can fix and add things onto videos, so that doesn't help either. at most, i say that the best way to prove they exist, is to just experience it yourself.