Mediumship demonstration

For what it’s worth, I told everyone their loved ones were safe, happy and no longer in pain and that they loved them.

I didn’t want to be involved in the business but I tried to at least give the folks some comfort since that was invariably what they were looking for.

I never agreed to see anybody twice and I always gave back the money and refused to see the person if I had the bad vibe.

Scammers are exploiters of the vulnerable. If they were doing it to comfort the bereaved why charge? Scammers are not altruistic.

I personally did it because my mother ordered me to, took the bookings, and I was under 16 and lived with her. I can’t speak for anyone else. I didn’t know these people in advance but no one comes to see a ‘psychic’ unless they have suffered a loss. She also booked parties at which I was sent to ‘perform’.

Very difficult to comment on this topic as it's a sensitive subject and it's easy to offend each other by accident.
When I was 12 , a few of us thought we'd have a go with a ouija board for a laugh during lunch hour at school.
After about a minute, I felt what I can only describe as a dark cloud going over me. I had no strong beliefs either way about whether or not it was real or whether it was good or evil.
I moved away and went to the back of the classroom and still felt it even worse than before. It felt as tough the cloud was chasing me. I started sort of crying/screaming quite loudly but no-one in the room noticed - it was as though I was invisible. After that, I certainly believed there could be a real force/entity behind such things.
About 2 years later (and totally unconnected to the ouija board incident), I was at a Scripture Union Camp (which I'd signed up to because it involved pony trekking) and, listening to the stories of Jesus and what he meant to some of the others there, I decided this was for me - it just clicked into place. I went home at the end of camp, went into my room and asked Jesus to come into my heart and to forgive the wrong things I'd done. No-one had said what, if anything, I should expect to feel on doing this.
I felt such an absolute certainty that he was there in my room as clearly as I've ever known anything. I felt the light and warmth of his presence and love and know that he has been with me every day since ( even when I've turned away and let him, myself or others down).
I cannot tell anyone else what to believe but can say that I've been blown away by his love time and time again. I've known people who have seen angels and spoken to people who have been miraculously healed. I also firmly believe demons are real.
Do I have all the answers? No
Do I understand why the world has so much war, evil, unkindness, and abuse - much of which has been carried out by those who claim to follow God or to perform the actions in his name? No
Do I know his presence every day and believe he loves every one of us? Yes
I think when it comes to mediums, there are frauds but also some who do know secrets past, present and future. I would not seek guidance from them and do not think it's consistent with my faith and I think such things can sometimes open a door to dark places.
There is quite possibly also a spiritual dimension that we sometimes get a glimpse of and know how others are feeling or get a sense of a loved one passing etc - these may not be directly good or evil, but just a touching of souls in the spiritual realm. I don't know.
Life can be very tough and unfair ( and there's plenty of experience among us on GN to prove it!) and we all need hope and comfort. All I can say is that, for me, I find that hope and comfort in relationship with God. He doesn't promise a trouble-free life, but I've found him to be there with me every step of the way.

I am not religious but like to think that I can be tolerant in my attitudes towards other people. I find it interesting if a Medium can come up with things that are so accurate and do wonder how they can know some of the most intricate of things. I do not like religion being shoved in my face but if that is that persons belief then so be it. This post has some interesting comments and some quite unpleasant, I have had my visits to Mediums and nothing specific has really been told to me although maybe a couple of things which you can think through afterwards and mould them to your thoughts. I do believe that some things cannot be explained whether it is a religious belief or not.

This has been an interesting discussion I have no strong beliefs even though I was brought up catholic. I like the idea of being a good person from religion and that's about it. I would say I am more attuned to nature and the earths noises than stories in books. I have had a couple of one to one readings one particularly stuck in my mind as 3 of us went and three things were said mine I was told my mum knew I was there as she was dying and she was glad I sat stroking her arm as she was very scared. Which was true. My friend 1 was told she chased her mum down the street and she was very confused which she did as her mum had dementia and friend 2 was told her husband was meticulous and house proud. The last one made no sense. A year or so later she got divorced and subsequently met another chap and remarried. New husband is ex RAF and everything is done perfectly be it cleaning and ironing. Another friend was told she would marry a man called Martin we laughed about it as neither of us knew any Martin's. several years later she did. Did she hunt Martin's? Who knows. My view is that there is an energy we are not tuning into properly but like a wireless occasionally you get snippets. You can't see electricity but it's there ....and it can make your life happy by giving light and warm or it can kill you ....

Gosh - here's a controversial thought and I am bound to be shot down in flames ..... If I ruled the world I would ban all organised religions. I think a lot of evil has been done in the name of religion, and it has been, and is used to control people, both individually and collectively, particularly men controlling women. In fact, I just can't get my head around why any woman would want to participate in something that says she's not good enough, can't control her own body or reproduction and must bow down to her husband and the local priest. My father in law was a vicar and he was a nasty piece of work but put him in a long robe, burn some incense and put him above a group of people in a church and he could put on a good show. He died last year, and it was telling that none of the family shed many tears but members of the congregation were bereft. To continue ... having got rid of all organised religion, I recognise that humans are "spiritual" and seek "something else", so I would teach children to meditate and do yoga, be mindful, and find the beauty within. Finding inner strength, self reliance and recognising that we are responsible for all our actions is an important lesson - none of them are "god's will". And it is hypocrisy to behave abominably all week then pray for forgiveness on Sunday. You don't need religion to have a moral compass. I've met a lot of religious people who were awful human beings - selfish, self righteous, discriminatory; and I have met a lot of non-religious people who were kind, generous and accepting. To go back to the original post, if you are curious about spiritualism then go to a spiritualist church a few times as an observer. You won't get "possessed". I wonder what has sparked your curiosity? I am sorry if I have upset or enraged anyone, but if you have your beliefs, then you must allow me to have mine. Or are you not as god-fearing and accepting of other human beings as you like to think?? "We are made of star stuff" (Carl Sagan) and "You and I are made of stardust. We are the stuff of exploded stars" (Bill Nye). To be made of the stuff of stars ... I find that much more empowering, beautiful, inspiring and comforting than the thought of a vengeful/loving, demanding/caring, angry/patient god figure - depending on whether you like the Old or New testament - having power over me. Be generous of spirit, don't discriminate against other people because they are different, commit random acts of kindness - not a terrible moral guide for an old atheist!!

HolySox

*AMF123 * "Also there are many examples of mediumship within the Bible" I wasn't aware the Bible endorses mediums. What it does say is:

Mosaic Law states DO NOT have anything to do with mediums, spiritists, diviners, etc in several places. e.g. Deut. 18:11, Lev. 20:6, Lev. 20:27, 1 Chron. 10:13

Ancient Egyptians consulted mediums - the Bible clearly calls this evil and not of God. (Isaiah 19:3)

The witch of Endor raises the spirit of Eli who didn't have anything kind to say to King Saul. Basically told him about his forthcoming death! 1 Samuel 28

The apostle Peter got so annoyed at a female slave who kept shouting at him when he was preaching that he exorcised the evil spirit out of her. It was the evil spirit that was giving her the gift of fortune-telling. Interestingly her owners got annoyed when they found out their slave had lost the gift as they could no longer earn money out of her fortune telling - so took Peter before the authorities. (Acts 16:18)

As Isaiah 8:19 put it "Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?" He says we should inquire of the Lord.

All this I agree with.
Lev 19 is quite specific
Do not turn to mediums (who pretend to consult the dead)or to spiritists (who have spirits of divination) ; do not seek them out to be defiled by them.I am the Lord

I'm a spiritualist & proud.Dont get to close ladies I could be Satan.??????

As a pagan, I get lumped into the evil clan too Bluebel. Its nice to meet a fellow traveller.

Personally, I blame Hollywood, lol.

Springchick

DiscoDancer1975
I am a spiritual person and I believe in the spiritual realms , we all go there when we Pass away . I believe that heaven is that spiritual realm where all Gods children return too when the material body deteriorates . The spirit or soul is what we really are , we are all part of this real home and call it what you like it’s a place where we are not judged like criminals in a court room , God loves and forgives everyone as we are all part of this existence on earth and we learn those lessons here where it’s often very tough and God allows us to make choices of our own , if they are good or bad as we as spiritual beings we can learn from our mistakes . There is no positive without a negative, no good without the bad , so we can know the difference. God made us in his image and gave us his spark of life to go forth and prosper , but to prosper we have to learn that our self’s . Love is the answer , whatever religion we follow it’s all the same beginning and ending . This is I believe wholeheartedly. I believe in the son of God , we are also his children but the bible does say to all of mankind to read his word and to Test the spirits to see if they are from God . We should always have an open mind as this is how we learn . ……….,..,. A spiritualist church is the best place to find proof of life after death , a medium does not talk to the dead , the dead talk to them . There are always charlatans and false profits , but having an open mind keeps on learning .

Thank you for your post to me. I just want you to know I haven’t ignored it, but have nothing to add. I wish you well.

Could I ask those who are quoting the Bible if they agree with every instruction or are they cherry picking?

If you believe that Satan leads people astray and anything outside of the Christian spiritual norm is unacceptable then where do you stand on slavery? After all the Bible is very precise in it's instructions to slaves and about their treatment.

* Exodus 21:1, “Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them. When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bear him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for life.”

This describes how to become a slave for life, and shows that it is completely acceptable to separate slaves from their families. It also shows that the Bible completely endorses the branding of slaves through mutilation.

* Leviticus 19:20, “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free.”

Here the Bible says it’s alright for men to have sex with slave woman which would not be considered as rape because the slave woman has no rights so the man will not be punished.

* Titus 2:9, “Bid slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to be refractory, nor to pilfer, but to show entire and true fidelity.

Once again, the Bible shows the idea and practice of slavery is OK.

ElaineRI55

Very difficult to comment on this topic as it's a sensitive subject and it's easy to offend each other by accident.
When I was 12 , a few of us thought we'd have a go with a ouija board for a laugh during lunch hour at school.
After about a minute, I felt what I can only describe as a dark cloud going over me. I had no strong beliefs either way about whether or not it was real or whether it was good or evil.
I moved away and went to the back of the classroom and still felt it even worse than before. It felt as tough the cloud was chasing me. I started sort of crying/screaming quite loudly but no-one in the room noticed - it was as though I was invisible. After that, I certainly believed there could be a real force/entity behind such things.
About 2 years later (and totally unconnected to the ouija board incident), I was at a Scripture Union Camp (which I'd signed up to because it involved pony trekking) and, listening to the stories of Jesus and what he meant to some of the others there, I decided this was for me - it just clicked into place. I went home at the end of camp, went into my room and asked Jesus to come into my heart and to forgive the wrong things I'd done. No-one had said what, if anything, I should expect to feel on doing this.
I felt such an absolute certainty that he was there in my room as clearly as I've ever known anything. I felt the light and warmth of his presence and love and know that he has been with me every day since ( even when I've turned away and let him, myself or others down).
I cannot tell anyone else what to believe but can say that I've been blown away by his love time and time again. I've known people who have seen angels and spoken to people who have been miraculously healed. I also firmly believe demons are real.
Do I have all the answers? No
Do I understand why the world has so much war, evil, unkindness, and abuse - much of which has been carried out by those who claim to follow God or to perform the actions in his name? No
Do I know his presence every day and believe he loves every one of us? Yes
I think when it comes to mediums, there are frauds but also some who do know secrets past, present and future. I would not seek guidance from them and do not think it's consistent with my faith and I think such things can sometimes open a door to dark places.
There is quite possibly also a spiritual dimension that we sometimes get a glimpse of and know how others are feeling or get a sense of a loved one passing etc - these may not be directly good or evil, but just a touching of souls in the spiritual realm. I don't know.
Life can be very tough and unfair ( and there's plenty of experience among us on GN to prove it!) and we all need hope and comfort. All I can say is that, for me, I find that hope and comfort in relationship with God. He doesn't promise a trouble-free life, but I've found him to be there with me every step of the way.

???. Well done, so lovely to hear. It sounds like you closed your ‘ doorway to danger’ as toad mentioned on page one, just in time.
You gave me a bit of a shock there to be honest. I had a friend called Elaine when I was at school. One day, she, her sister, and I got an ouija board out when we would have been about 12 too. It was in her house though. Straight away, I didn’t like it, and left. I never did like her house after that, and she and I were always falling out. Thought nothing of it at the time, kids always do.
Years later, met her again, before I was a Christian, ( that didn’t happen until I was 35), and another incident with our children pulled us apart again.
You’re right, God has never promised anything for this life, only the next, should we choose it. God bless.

ElaineRI55 Thank you for sharing your testimony. Echoed with me as well. Had a similar experience as a young person with friends wanting to hold a 'séance' one evening. Lights flickered, atmosphere changed, a presence was felt, we ran from the house! And again I asked Jesus into my life and since had many positive spiritual experiences - and also met people who have had negative experiences with the 'other side' who were glad to finally meet Jesus.

vampirequeen Slavery is, perhaps, a matter of perspective. The Bible says we are all slaves to sin. Regarding one human 'owning' another then I would point out that William Wilberforce led the abolition of slavery because of his faith as a Christian. He was called by God to do this.
Should we follow the Bible as a book of Law? Would be nice but the Bible also teaches that actually no-one is able!
Those that seek God can find Him through Jesus - and the Bible is merely a good 'reference book' to help them with this.
From my experience as a Christian I am aware there are dark forces out there working hard to lure people away from Jesus (and the eternal life he offers) so did quote some Bible verses that warn about mediums. I would prefer people read the Bible for themselves. As I said, if it says something to the contrary about mediums elsewhere in the Bible then please post it.

Wang Mang, first and only emperor of the Xin Dynasty, usurped the Chinese throne and instituted a series of sweeping reforms, including the abolition of slavery and radical land reform.

2 minutes on Wiki and this pops up. 9AD.

Ghost is my favourite film

Hear hear BlueRuby.

Caleo

Ghost is my favourite film

Especially the way they depict the bad man being dragged away by black shapes.

I don't NOT believe in ghosts, spirits, second sight. Wicca. I don't practice any religion but I'm open to persuasion. But any mediumship demonstration is so open to chicanery, fraud and exploitation that I would steer well clear personally. Not because I'm afraid of the devil, but because there's enough fraudulence and exploitation and manipulation in society to be going on with, without going looking for it.

I am still reading.

I have studied the Bible, HolySox. It is a mixture of myth, rules, history, fiction and four versions of the life of one man (none of which were written during his lifetime). There were other versions but it was decided in around 400AD that some accounts of his life should be left out so that it told the story that the Church wanted it to tell. Then St Jerome assembled all the books of the Bible translated into Latin and created the first Vulgate. As the books had originally been written in Aramaic and Greek this left the Vulgate open to translation errors.

I studied the Bible for years through the eyes of a believer, continued to study it as my faith waned and still look at it occasionally now. Some of the writings are beautiful whether you believe or not.

I worry about your suggestion that God is not perfect. Do you understand your God? If he is perfect then each statement he made or makes is as true today as when it was made. Therefore if he thought that slavery was OK he cannot change his mind unless, of course, he isn't a perfect being. You can't have it both ways. God can't have supported slavery then have led Wilberforce to condemn it....or did God make a mistake and have to correct it.

GillT57.... man in a dodgy cardigan ... ?? That really appealed to my sense of humour ,

marionk

Nothing starts an argument (war) as easily as religion!

Or politics, ?.

vampirequeen

I have studied the Bible, HolySox. It is a mixture of myth, rules, history, fiction and four versions of the life of one man (none of which were written during his lifetime). There were other versions but it was decided in around 400AD that some accounts of his life should be left out so that it told the story that the Church wanted it to tell. Then St Jerome assembled all the books of the Bible translated into Latin and created the first Vulgate. As the books had originally been written in Aramaic and Greek this left the Vulgate open to translation errors.

I studied the Bible for years through the eyes of a believer, continued to study it as my faith waned and still look at it occasionally now. Some of the writings are beautiful whether you believe or not.

I worry about your suggestion that God is not perfect. Do you understand your God? If he is perfect then each statement he made or makes is as true today as when it was made. Therefore if he thought that slavery was OK he cannot change his mind unless, of course, he isn't a perfect being. You can't have it both ways. God can't have supported slavery then have led Wilberforce to condemn it....or did God make a mistake and have to correct it.

vq - I don't understand why you think I am suggesting God is imperfect. He is perfect.
He gives us free choice (Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan and eat the fruit', Cain chose to kill Abel, etc.) Men chose to make slaves of other men - God merely uses this for His purpose when He desires. He brought the Israelites out of slavery but allowed them to go back into slavery when they were rebellious. Also, despite the efforts of Wilberforce slavery is still with us today - even here in the UK.

Reading the Bible doesn't make you a Christian. Maybe a 'theologian'. God's purpose is explained in the Bible but is only understand with the help of Jesus (Luke 24:45) - today by His Holy Spirit (John 16:5-11, 2 Cor. 3:15-16). So I believe there are spiritual forces around - Christians should experience the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Nothing in my life experience as a Christian nor from reading the Bible leads me to think the 'spirit' mediums communicate with is the Holy Spirit! Assuming the medium isn't simply a charlatan.
Apologies if this is disturbing to anyone on this thread - all I can say is please pray to Jesus for peace.