[chp]

THE MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE

The Million Dollar Challenge is a term we usually associate with the conjurer and entertainer James Randi who, like Houdini before him, is a skeptic and debunker of all things spiritual. He offers $1000000 to anyone that can demonstrate paranormal abilities under laboratory conditions and appears to take great pleasure in waving cheques in front of psychics, mediums and the like. His arch enemy is the spoon bending PK psychic Uri Geller.

A counter argument to this is that the existence of life after death is already proven. Proof of life after death is based mainly upon human testimony. For example, a sitter may be given evidence of mediumship that for them gives them absolute proof that it is their loved one communicating from the other side. Human testimony is used in a court of law to establish the truth. In some countries a person can be executed on the basis of human testimony.

So maybe the best judge of the truth of mediumship is not a stage conjurer but a Lawyer! And one has come forward to counter the Million Dollar Challenge of James Randi with a Million Dollar Challenge of his own.

I have had an email correspondence with retired Australian lawyer Victor Zammit for some time now and have cited some of his arguments in my own books. I also thoroughly recommend his book ?A Lawyer Presents the Case for the Afterlife? which presents irrefutable objective evidence including objective, empirical proof for the continuation of life after death.

$1,000,000 DOLLARS - Will James Randi take the Challenge?

Victor Zammit argues that the evidence taken as a whole gives absolute proof that life continues after death. These are not just theoretical arguments. Victor presents us with evidence that constitutes overwhelming and irrefutable empirical proof of the existence of the afterlife. In his book Victor says:

?When the objective evidence ? modern materializations, near death experiences, out-of-body experiences, after-death contacts, voices on tape, psychic laboratory experiments, the best mediums, the cross correspondences, the Scole Experiments, proxy sittings, poltergeists and all the other evidence contained in this work ? is seen collectively, the case for survival after death is absolutely stunning and irrefutable.?

Now Victor has presented the skeptics with his own Million Dollar Challenge. Watch the video and let Victor explain. Then come back and tell us what you think.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wG3bGqFr9uc

THE MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE

So what do you think? Is Victor Zammit?s case watertight? Will Randi, Dawkins and the rest take on the challenge? And what about the James Randi Million Dollar Challenge ? perhaps us TV psychics and mediums should throw the same argument back to them - "We'll take the Randi challenge once James Randi wins the Victor Zammit Million Dollar Challenge".

Zammit has thrown down the gauntlet - will the "rationalists", skeptics and conjurers take him on?

[markpearce]

Ok, so there a few things here.......


His arch enemy is the spoon bending PK psychic Uri Geller.
1) Uri Geller has been exposed as a fraud, so he definitely isn't psychic.

A counter argument to this is that the existance of life after death is already proven
2) Life after death hasn't been proven. Where and how has this been done? Surely the newspapers would have picked up on it?

For example, a sitter may be given evidence of mediumship that for them gives them absolute proof that it is their loved one communicating from the other side.
3) evidence of mediumship can be reproduced using 'cold reading' very easily.

Human testimony is used in a court of law to establish the truth.
4), there are many people who don't tell the truth in court - of which there is a criminal offence - purgery

In some countries a person can be executed on the basis of human testimony.
5) If somone is to be convicted there is usually additional hard evidence to add weight to the case.

6) the burden of proof shouldn't be on the James Randi. It's similar to me stating I can fly, then asking someone to prove I can't.

7) It is strange that noone in entire world has been able to claim the prize isn't it?

Cheers
Mark

[Sibyl]

Mark if you told me you could fly and asked me to prove you couldnt - all I have to do is push you off a high building and watch you fly!

I find it very sad that you are trying to debunk mediumship, spirit and Spiritualism.

I am a medium and have had, over the years, overwhelming evidence of spirit and the continuity of life but I have no intention of sharing my experiences with you; you must go and have your own experiences cos mine will mean absolutely nothing to you and I am sure you will try and explain away the unexplainable

If you investigated Spiritualism with a more open mind then I think you may find some of the answers that you are evidently seeking. Perhaps a visit to the Arthur Findlay College of Psychic Science might help

luv
vi

[markpearce]

Hi Vi,

Pushing me off a building seems a bit extreme! But I take it you get my point - it's very hard if not impossible for either side to prove or dissprove what they are saying. Also I think the points that were made are extremely valid - Uri Geller was one of the biggest frauds of all time!

Having said that I am sure that the experiences you have over the years have been remarkable, real and unexplainable. I've just replied back to you on another string about another topic, but it revolves around trance states and I've explained more fully in there my thought processes about how results can be achieved. Nevertheless, I have been to various reading, attended the spiritualist church and at one time was an unequivical believer. However, the more I have investigated, thought about it and read material available the more I have leant towards the other way.

The major problem I feel is that the psychic industry has problems insofar that it suffers greatly by having programmes such as Most Haunted, John Edwards, and Colin Fry - it reduces the industries credibility massively. Further to that is the problems with frauds. I think that everyone has to admit that there are frauds out there - after all a tidy living can be made - and some people will do anything for a few quid. Lastly is the problem that virtually all readings can be replicated in some way by using cold reading techniques. Simply by the nature of the business, pyschics have to clarify points, have to make sure they are going in the right direction. Without it normal conversation wouldn't be possible.

I've never heard of the College you mentioned, but I would welcome a visit down there - as I say I am very open minded - is there a website for it?

Cheers
Mark

[Sibyl]

Hi Mark

I have told u I can prove u cant fly!

Most Haunted has nothing to do with Spiritualism or even mediumship for that matter - it is classified as entertaining but it isnt even that and it does Spiritualism more harm than it will ever do it good.

All tv shows are edited.

for example:

I was running a seminar and had Craig Hamilton-Parker on the week as one of the mediums, the other was Mike Rowland (of Fairy Ring fame). We had tv cameras in cos they were filming Craig for a serious programme they were putting together for Everyman. I sat on the back row in the congregation when Craig was demonstrating mediumship. He found his sitter, established the communicator then proceeded to give her lots of information from this spirit person, including the fact that she had been bequeathed a mine in Mexico and that she had just received the letter from the solicitors regarding this. After the service the lady came up to Craig and took the letter out of her handbag and showed him how right he had been - hardly a cold reading. All this was televised but when the programme came out do you think this was included? You bet it wasnt. If anything Craig was made to look foolish in that programme. So when tv producers ask me to go on shows I refer them elsewhere or introduce them to the door

The Arthur Findlay College of Psychic Science is at Stansted Hall, Stansted, Essex and it does have its own website:

www.arthurfindlaycollege.org

There will be a list of college weeks on the site and who the Course Organiser is and what the week is covering and there are trance weeks you will be pleased to hear

It was on Physical Mediumship week about 15 years ago that I experienced materialisation but the medium responsible for this and who was probably the best medium in the world at that time, has now gone home to spirit - Gordon Higginson

Many of the UKs top mediums run weeks or work on different weeks at the college.

I have organised and run weeks at the college for about 20 years; at the moment I am involved in the weeks where we assess tomorrow's college tutors and if we caught them allowing students to ask questions or illicit information when giving a reading, they will fail; it is as simple as that.

luv
vi

[enna]

totally off topic - but may i give a reference for vi?
she is one of the most beautiful and lovely people i have ever had the pleasure of meeting - and as a tutor she is second to none - what i like most about vi , and in this i feel you wil agree --is that she always teaches us to question -- not just the little bits but everything - including her own teaching -

She told me a long time ago - believe yes - make sure you know why- question- think it through and if it doesn't work for you - then thats fine

i have learnt more from this woman in one week than from an army of teachers over 15 years


love n light
pam xxxxxxx

[chp]

Thanks for that Vi. I forgot all about that one. They decided in advance that they wanted Gordon as the accurate one, Jane and I as the silly ones, and Sharon O'Neil as the one who stabbs in the dark. (All of which is untrue as we are all good mediums.)

These TV programmes really do us very little credit sometimes and also tend to choose people who are not really suitable for TV (Including me perhaps) Others are chosen because they are gregarious individuals or are prepared to cheat to get impressive results. It is a sorry state but I do feel that one day one of the real mediums will get a proper hearing - Victor Zammit for example tells me that he is working with a remarkable physical medium. (But I've not seen this yet myself)

But we're going off topic. I will make a blog entry about this to trigger a more in-depth debate about this issue.

Craig

PS Totally agree with Enna?s post.

[Sibyl]

I must agree with your post Craig

I was once asked if I would do a video diary; this was when I was on PRISM with the scientists. I was to be given a video camera and film myself for weeks, especially whenever I was sitting in circle or going to church. I dont think they were really interested in watching me brush my teeth. I didnt get to do it cos the producer found out that Maurice Grosse, famous for investigating the Enfield Poltergeist, was available and they thought if they had Maurice out ghost-busting on film it would make for better viewing figures. So we then had Maurice turn up at PRISM meetings toting his video camera wandering round the table and talking into the camera while we were trying to discuss serious business.

I am sure it was a wonderful programme as Maurice was a very special man, who has sinced passed to spirit but tv dont want mediums to be ordinary, they want scary, spooky, weird and/or wonderful. I can only do ordinary.

luv
vi

[enna]

i know his is an old "sawhorse" but - until some of these producers get their collective heads round the fact that spiritualism isn't just " for entertainment purposes only " i sadly feel all we will see on tv and in the media are the showboating mediums or the fakers who are in it for the glamour and money.

i am more than sure there are many many mediums who struggle on paying out themselvs more than they earn to continue the work that they have set themselves. these wonderfull people give only good readings and work tirelessly for their churches / places of wordhip/ clients,,,,,, most of the platform mediums never even think of taking these challenges on because - they have a well i know that spirit work with me -why do i need to prove it to some high faluting tv show that wont give it a chance - mentality !

what bothers me ( tho not to the point of distraction ) is that no-one would dare to ask a christian to proove theirs beliefs -or a muslim - or a jew.................
so why should a spiritualist have to promenade themselves because of their belief system ?

i know that these programmes like most haunted , crossing over , psychic investigators are so some ( and maybe all ) contrived tripe - but they have had the effect of 'putting behinds on chairs' in places which proclaim spiritualism - and some of these people do stay to learn and grow - -lol sometimes bad does grow to good

the worst part of all this is - that programmes like those mentioned - if done properly would be interesting and wonderfull things to watch -- if we could have cameras set up to watch areas of activity and proper scientific judgement used - it may even advance the knowledge -- sadly though that isn't entertainment !

enna

oops just realised - i am most definately not tarring all tv/media mediums with the same brush - there are some out there getting the message across - but they too have to deal with the producers and editers who only want their particular bias to get air play

enna * retires with soapbox to the corner and blushes furioasly *

[Etheress]

I couldn't watch the video (I'm at work, shhh!), but if the proof is based mainly on human testimony it can hardly be called proof. Or at least, I wouldn't consider it proof.
In a court of law physical evidence takes precidence over witness testimony (you can't argue with DNA, fingerprints etc). So many things can affect a persons perception of what they are seeing/experiencing. Then there is outright lying.
Also, I think disproving something like life after death would be impossible.

To reference Sibyl's experience with Craig Hamilton Parker (who I don't know, and don't mean to insult, I'm just making an example here), I don't doubt Sibyl saw what she did (the lady with the letter reading) but I could easily doubt that it was legit. Maybe the woman with the letter was a plant, in cahoots with Craig to make him seem genuine (again, no insult meant, this is just an example). Sibyls experience was real and truthful, but the situation itself was fake.

What was the point I was trying to make? Um...oh yeah, you can't always trust what people tell you about their experiences.

PS, I hope I didn't offend anyone by refering to Sybil and Craig Hamilton Parker.