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Paranormal program on RTE1

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  • 29-10-2006 6:02pm
    #1
    IFX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 102 ✭✭


    Sunday RTE1 10.25, tonight, a story about Catherine Murphy who can communicate with the dead. Thought I'd pass on the info.


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    #2
    6th
    Registered Users Posts: 17,247 ✭✭✭✭6th


    She's a Boardsie and a very genuine one at that, I hope when people watch this they take her as the very normal and sincere woman she is.

    So any personal attacks or comments made about her are made about a fellow poster and I'm sure they will be treated in that way - I'd like to see this discusssed as opposed to just slated straight off.


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    #3
    davros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 857 ✭✭✭davros


    Thanks for the heads up, guys. And yes, a polite, fair discussion is always required.

    I'll be watching it myself.


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    #4
    davros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 857 ✭✭✭davros


    Without doubting Ms Murphy's sincerity or drawing any conclusions on the truth of her claims, there was absolutely zero evidence of the paranormal offered in this programme.

    Also, a very unfortunate impression was given that psychics can locate missing persons which is exactly the type of misinformation that drives vulnerable people into the hands of unscrupulous con artists.

    Please note that I'm not including Ms Murphy in that last category. In fact, she seems commendably reluctant to involve herself in such tragic cases.

    BTW, was that the paranormal board we were seeing on her PC? :)


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    #5
    6th
    Registered Users Posts: 17,247 ✭✭✭✭6th


    davros wrote:
    Without doubting Ms Murphy's sincerity or drawing any conclusions on the truth of her claims, there was absolutely zero evidence of the paranormal offered in this programme.

    This programme wasnt about providing proof of the paranormal but telling the story of someone who has to deal with an element of their life which many would consider paranormal. The thing is there are alot of people out there who arent interested in pushing what they believe is true - Catherine is one of these people.
    davros wrote:
    Also, a very unfortunate impression was given that psychics can locate missing persons which is exactly the type of misinformation that drives vulnerable people into the hands of unscrupulous con artists.

    It wasnt that she was giving the impression that she can, she was saying that she has. As she makes very clear it is not something she likes to do as its a very dodgy (her words) area as you are potentially messing with peoples lives - if more people had this consideration and reluctance there would be far fewer people taking advantage.
    davros wrote:
    Please note that I'm not including Ms Murphy in that last category. In fact, she seems commendably reluctant to involve herself in such tragic cases.

    Thats well understood, she is very reluctant. IMO she is a perfect representative of people who experience paranormal happens as she is so aware of the damage it can do and she is far from a self promoting fame seeker - we all know we have plenty of them!
    davros wrote:
    BTW, was that the paranormal board we were seeing on her PC? :)

    Yes it was, she is a regular user and brings alot to the forum. Nice to see her flying the Boardsie flag!


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    #6
    ISAW
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,142 ✭✭✭ISAW


    This programme wasnt about providing proof of the paranormal but telling the story of someone who has to deal with an element of their life which many would consider paranormal.

    I would be really really surprised if any programme anywhere provided proof of the paranormal. I dont deny it is possible but it seems no programme anywhere has produced any credible evidence. even enough to make me suspicious.
    The thing is there are alot of people out there who arent interested in pushing what they believe is true - Catherine is one of these people.

    so what? If they put on someone who believe they were possessed by Napeoleon Bonaparte it might also be interesting. It does not however prove anything about "possession".
    It wasnt that she was giving the impression that she can, she was saying that she has.

    again I dont believe this. what missing persons has she located?
    As she makes very clear it is not something she likes to do as its a very dodgy (her words) area as you are potentially messing with peoples lives

    Sure one can suggest ANY claim of a paranormal ability to commune with other spirits is messing with peoples lives.
    - if more people had this consideration and reluctance there would be far fewer people taking advantage.

    this is based on the assumption that the reluctant people have psychic powers. No evidence show s they DO! Look up "false negative" and "false positive". the Null hypothesis is paranormal powers do not exist. In the absence of evidence we do not assume it does exist and we just cant measure it. We assume it does NOT exist and any falsification of the null hypothesis will be evidence it DOES exist. I havent seen any evidence yet. I have seen ONE close example which would have passed randis preleminary test but it wouldnt have won the million dollar challenge.
    ... she is a perfect representative of people who experience paranormal happens as she is so aware of the damage it can do and she is far from a self promoting fame seeker...

    Whether or not someone with paranormal powers promotes themselves is beside the point. Whether the paranormal can be shown to happen is the point.
    Yes it was, she is a regular user and brings alot to the forum. Nice to see her flying the Boardsie flag!

    i doubt she intended to promote boards.ie


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    #7
    davros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 857 ✭✭✭davros


    6th wrote:
    This programme wasnt about providing proof of the paranormal but telling the story of someone who has to deal with an element of their life which many would consider paranormal.
    She was asked to demonstrate her abilities though, by walking through a couple of buildings, at least one of which is supposedly haunted. This was thoroughly unconvincing.
    6th wrote:
    It wasnt that she was giving the impression that she can, she was saying that she has.
    My impression was a bit different. As I heard it, she gets images or feelings which are sometimes right and sometimes wrong and a missing person case is just too serious a context to weigh in with what may well be the product of pure imagination.

    Right at the start, we were told that "Catherine likes old buildings", or something similar. Then we heard that she wanders around them trying to picture what went on in them. I love old buildings and ruins myself and I have often done the same thing on my hols. I've sometimes got a set of ruins all to myself and sat there for an hour just to try to imagine what it was like when populated. How is this unusual? I don't see why it's necessary to ascribe to the paranormal what is a very natural function of the mind. Nobody is communicating with me across the Great Divide. I'm just imagining what went on there in times past, no doubt helped by TV and movie recreations of history.


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