What do you think of James R andi’s views on religion and science? read details?
Religion is based upon blind faith supported by no evidence. Science is based upon confidence that results from evidence — and that confidence can be modified and/or reversed by further observations and experimentation. Science approaches truth, closer and closer, by hard dedicated work. Religion already has it all decided, and it’s "in the book. It’s dogma, unchangeable, and unaffected by reality and whatever facts we come upon in the real world.
– James R andi
Randi is a brilliant man in addition to being one of the best illusionists in the world. But he hates frauds, which is why Uri Geller sued Randi for exposing Geller’s tricks. Randi also torpedoed a Geller appearance on The Tonight Show by telling the staff how Geller was going to pretend to do things, and lots of glue was used under cups, etc, to make sure Geller failed. It was hilarious. He still has $1m offered to phony psychic Sylvia Browne to undergo a blind test of her alleged abilities. She accepted the offer and has yet to show but you won’t hear it on Montel.
Randi’s statement above is a fine summary of how I approach life.
Randi goes after frauds because he feels his original trade of magic/illusion has been infested by charlatans claiming to have special powers. Randi will not expose any of his honest friends within magic or mentalism, the same thing as a psychic except honest with their audiences that the cold readings they perform are the result of training and practice, not special gifts.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:08 am
James Randi is a good skeptic.
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January 21st, 2010 at 5:48 am
I think it’s pretty accurate.
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January 21st, 2010 at 5:58 am
There are times when a martini lunch affects our afternoon work.
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January 21st, 2010 at 6:04 am
I think very haighly of him,because he has,, , exposed healing rip offs by religious quacks. For example Kathy Kuhlman now dead.deceived many persons,until she was exposed. he did a lot of harm fleecing people of their money, and keeping her believers deceived, and not having them see Doctors. The result was that many people died because of that. He also exposed Uri Geller who claimed he could bend spoons with his mind. So both on a practical and theoretical level he has saved people as well as exposing religious superstitions, I had the privilege of meeting him at one of his lecture. A number of his books are available from Prometheus Publishers, Ithaca New York, which is the publishing arm of the Center for Inquiry a Humanist Organization which does similar work
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http://www.cfi.org
January 21st, 2010 at 6:29 am
Randi is a brilliant man in addition to being one of the best illusionists in the world. But he hates frauds, which is why Uri Geller sued Randi for exposing Geller’s tricks. Randi also torpedoed a Geller appearance on The Tonight Show by telling the staff how Geller was going to pretend to do things, and lots of glue was used under cups, etc, to make sure Geller failed. It was hilarious. He still has $1m offered to phony psychic Sylvia Browne to undergo a blind test of her alleged abilities. She accepted the offer and has yet to show but you won’t hear it on Montel.
Randi’s statement above is a fine summary of how I approach life.
Randi goes after frauds because he feels his original trade of magic/illusion has been infested by charlatans claiming to have special powers. Randi will not expose any of his honest friends within magic or mentalism, the same thing as a psychic except honest with their audiences that the cold readings they perform are the result of training and practice, not special gifts.
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January 21st, 2010 at 6:34 am
1) Religion is based upon blind faith supported by no evidence.
Easily invalidated. For example, The Bible is certainly evidence for Christianity and Judaism. Whether or not "JR" considers it valid evidence is not consequential, because obviously it *is* evidence.
2) Science is based upon confidence that results from evidence — and that confidence can be modified and/or reversed by further observations and experimentation.
Hmmm…."science is based on confidence that results from evidence — and that confidence can be modified and/or reversed". Doesn’t sound very confident to me, and I have a real, live degree in Physics.
3) Science approaches truth, closer and closer, by hard dedicated work. Religion already has it all decided, and it’s "in the book.
False. Most Christians believe no such thing. Certainly, very few Christians believe "it’s all in the book".
Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com
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