What Can Browne Do For You?

I'm not a philosophical naturalist. I do not think the physical universe is all there is, was, or ever will be. I do not think human beings are nothing more than molecules. I do not believe the mind and brain are synonymous. I do believe we are spiritual as well as physical beings - that there are real things that exist that are not comprised of matter, and one of those things is my spirit. I believe there are spirits and other realms of existence.

This doesn't mean I believe in every supernatural concept. If you don't want to read anything negative about psychics, you can skip the rest of this blog entry.

I do think that some people have received knowledge through supernatural means. I can't say for sure if people are currently receiving knowledge through supernatural means, but I strongly suspect that God and angels do still communicate with people on some level. I think I've mentioned here before that I believe God once put a very loud thought in my head.

But do some of us "naturally" have ESP or some other psychic abilities? I can't say "no" for sure. What I can say for sure is that as someone who believes the Bible is true and authoritative, God or His angels should be our source of gaining information supernaturally – not horoscopes, Ouija boards, or psychics. Why? Well, in addition to charlatans posing as psychics, I don't believe that all angels are good. I believe some have rebelled against God, chief among them being Satan (Lucifer), and I do believe that they are harmful and lie (by omission, commission, or otherwise) or would tell us things we shouldn't know. Only God is omniscient, and I doubt that fallen angels (demons) have the ability to know everything about the future, even if they can make really good guesses.

God has already given us everything we need to know to have a good life. He's given us the Bible. Jesus Christ lived and tauight among us as one of us. We have our mind and our senses. If there's something we need to know that we can only be told through supernatural intervention, God will find a way. Most of us don't spend enough time reading up and observing and studying and contemplating all that He has already made clear to us. Why search for hidden knowledge?

I believe that, in general, the spirits of the dead do not hang around to give us messages.

The reason I write all of this now is that a blog entry at the Orange County Register plugged a book tour by Sylvia Browne.

Sylvia Browne, one of the best-known psychics around, comes to Orange County next week on the book tour for her new memoir, "Psychic: My Life In Two Worlds."

We'll be talking to Browne in a day or two for a story on the book and her upcoming appearance, and since she’s willing to answer general questions about the future, we thought we’d let you ask what’s on your mind.

The website allows comments (they even asked for them in this case... or at least for questions). True to form, the Register readers came up with some good ones, starting with one from a fellow blogger at the website:

"The Watcher":

Ask her when she is going to step up and take James Randi’s Million Dollar Challenge. She said she would nearly 10 years ago but has sidestepped the issue continually.

Also, ask when she plans to get a prediction right.

According to Wikipedia, "A detailed three-year study of her predictions about 115 missing persons and murder cases has found that despite her repeated claims to be more than 85% correct, 'Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single case.'"

"Doug T.":

What is the Super Lotto number for next week?

"Dopey":

Where did I put my car keys?

"MUADIB":

When did you first come up with the idea to scam the rubes with your "psychic" schtik? and a follow up question.How do you sleep at night knowing that you have ripped off people with your "psychic" fraud?

"goldensunshine":

Ask her how she can wake up and go to sleep with herself everyday knowing that she is preying upon people who are grieving, missing a loved one or just in dire need? Ask her how she can charge a single mom a rate of $750 (or more) for a 20 minute reading to tell her lies about her missing child?

"Kevin":

If she were any good she would have emailed me with the answer already...