I thought this may be of interest. A thread on the JREF forum on the morality of using mediums for grief.
See: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=226689
I thought the opening post was a good primer for a reasoned debate as it sets out a dilemma for skeptics:
Of the replies (#27 at the time of posting), none of them have really dealt with the issue at all. The "she has really gotten a hell of a lot of emotional comfort
from this" point being the crucial one.
It's not a question of whether mediums really communicate with the dead but what benefit people can get from the belief that they do.
Anyway, I just wondered what others thought about the type of responses the 'skeptics' on there gave.
See: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=226689
I thought the opening post was a good primer for a reasoned debate as it sets out a dilemma for skeptics:
And I left quite confused about what I thought about it all. I used to
think that mediums like this were just taking advantage of vulnerable
people, but she has really gotten a hell of a lot of emotional comfort
from this. She is considering going for a reading herself. I know its
all likely baloney using various suggestion and using peoples reactions
to get the right answers; but is this practise immoral or altruistic?
Of the replies (#27 at the time of posting), none of them have really dealt with the issue at all. The "she has really gotten a hell of a lot of emotional comfort
from this" point being the crucial one.
It's not a question of whether mediums really communicate with the dead but what benefit people can get from the belief that they do.
Anyway, I just wondered what others thought about the type of responses the 'skeptics' on there gave.