Sylvia Browne has left the building

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Diego
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Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Diego » November 21st, 2013, 10:25 am

Sylvia Browne died yesterday.

She had made/maintained a career as a psychic/medium for decades, receiving some very harsh press recently when it was revealed that after she had told parents that their missing children were dead, when they were, (thankfully) actually alive at the time.

(Time has always been the nemesis of prophecy...it is relentless and catches up with, and then leaves predictions/proclamations in the dust behind, as it constantly moves onward.)

Tom Pilling
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Tom Pilling » November 21st, 2013, 5:53 pm

Great news. Cheers.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 21st, 2013, 7:35 pm

Hustler, and should have been jailed. Good riddance.
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Mike Remington
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Mike Remington » November 21st, 2013, 9:29 pm

Was this predicted?
Has anyone talked to her since she left?

Brad Henderson
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Brad Henderson » November 22nd, 2013, 12:48 pm

There is a Christian Holiness church not far from me. On Fridays they hold prophetic services where church 'elders' channel the spirit and provide 'readings' for their members.

Should they be jailed and called hustlers?

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 22nd, 2013, 1:01 pm

Anyone who pretends to tell people what the future will hold for them is a hustler.

Anyone who charges money for doing it should be jailed after a trial.
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Brad Henderson
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Brad Henderson » November 22nd, 2013, 2:38 pm

even mr gellar who attended and spoke at the convention? There were no cops waiting for him. (best magic lecture ever - by the way.)

what about magicians like Richard Webster? I believe Stetson and Hillford make money doing readings? Shall we jail them?

But regarding the church - I failed to mention, the people giving the readings there are believers. They are not using (consciously) cold reading techniques.

Are they still hustlers?

and at what point does prayer become spell casting?

what about magicians who appear on tv using trickery, yet claiming this is nlp, or examples of an extra sense?


shall we jail the worlds religious leaders?
shall we see t-shirts that read 'free Stetson. free Webster?"

and yet we would trip over each other for the chance to spend time with a master of the short con, or someone who 'moved' at the table.

is it only some hustlers we think should go to jail - one's who are not our friends, who do not appear at our conventions, and who do not do card tricks?

just trying to find what the line is - it seems to be crooked and dotted.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 22nd, 2013, 2:50 pm

Personally, my belief is that giving people false information about specific events in their future, which may alter their behavior in ways that cannot be forseen, and therefore have unknown consequences, is a bad thing.
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Bill Mullins
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Bill Mullins » November 22nd, 2013, 2:54 pm

It may be a bad thing, but we end up tolerating it and other things done in the name of religion to make sure the government doesn't step on the churches we like.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 22nd, 2013, 2:59 pm

I think we should exclude accepted religions from the discussion. Religions are faith based institutions, and are therefore demonstrably differerent than an unaffiliated individual, like Ms. Browne.
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Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Jonathan Townsend » November 22nd, 2013, 3:05 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:I think we should exclude accepted religions from the discussion. Religions are faith based institutions, and are therefore demonstrably differerent than an unaffiliated individual, like Ms. Browne.


Belief in sprits, hierarchies and cities of otherworldly beings, human souls that are distinct from the living human... is faith based. A rose by any other name. IRRC spiritualism is a recognized religion in England.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Dumpster
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Dumpster » November 22nd, 2013, 3:08 pm

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Enter promo coupon HN27B to get it completely free.

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Smurf
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Smurf » November 22nd, 2013, 3:53 pm

I think the key phrase in Richard's condemnation is "Anyone who pretends..." with "pretends" being the word that ought to be fleshed out.

If someone (the performer) knows that the reality of what they are claiming doesn't correlate with the words and actions they use, then they are pretending.

In a dramatic performance of a fictional work, and in other similar venues, this is perfectly acceptable and fees can be charged without any problem.

If the viewers are led to believe that the words and actions of the performer are not "pretend" but are fully in tune with reality and they charge fees, then there is likely to be a problem if the discrepancy becomes known.

Certainly the viewpoint of the performer is critical: If the perfomer is actually an unbeliever in their own words/actions, then they ought to be censured. If they are true believers, perhaps mistaken or misguided, then they are not running a con - they are the blind leading the blind.

I tend to think the paranormal field has it's share of both true believers and charlatans, and this goes for established religions as well.

Roger M.
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Re: Sylvia Browne has left the building

Postby Roger M. » November 22nd, 2013, 6:32 pm

I worked with Ms. Browne many times over the years as she toured her show into my 1500 seat theater. We saw her and her "people" up close and personal many times...enough so as to become painfully aware that they were all just common scufflers of the con-man variety.

Her entire career was simply about hustling money off peoples ignorance, grief, or outright bad luck.

She was no different than the guy pushing peas and bottle tops around on top of a cardboard box in an alley somewhere.


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