Is believing in the paranormal dangerous?

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Is it worth researching and trying to open people their eyes, when it's clear most people are not willing to challenge their own beliefs?

When taking into account that many ppl fail to search for medical attention when something is wrong with them, because a pseudo science got a hold of them when they are most vulnerable. Or a religious belief got a hold of them like the faith healers.

Or the many mediums that claim to know things about their client and strike sensitive nerves concerning dead relatives and such, while asking for a lot of money.

So, should we just not bother with all those cases because if they wanna belief then it's their "choice" ?

Or is it worth it to fight against it and make ppl see how detrimental it all is, a lot of the time, and how pseudo sciences take advantage of the impressionable?

Edited October 8, 2012 by Render

[+and-then]

Is it worth researching and trying to open people their eyes, when it's clear most people are not willing to challenge their own beliefs?

When taking into account that many ppl fail to search for medical attention when something is wrong with them, because a pseudo science got a hold of them when they are most vulnerable. Or a religious belief got a hold of them like the faith healers.

Or the many mediums that claim to know things about their client and strike sensitive nerves concerning dead relatives and such, while asking for a lot of money.

So, should we just not bother with all those cases because if they wanna belief then it's their "choice" ?

Or is it worth it to fight against it and make ppl see how detrimental it all is, a lot of the time, and how pseudo sciences take advantage of the impressionable?

If I understand you you have equated the paranormal with belief in God. That is dangerous imo.

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If I understand you you have equated the paranormal with belief in God. That is dangerous imo.

par·a·nor·mal/ˌparəˈnôrməl/

Adjective:

Denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.

faith heal·ing

Noun:

Healing achieved by religious belief and prayer, rather than by medical treatment.

Faith healing is healing through spiritual means. Believers assert that the healing of a person can be brought about by religious faith through prayer and/or rituals that, according to adherents, stimulate a divine presence and power toward correcting disease and disability. Belief in divine intervention in illness or healing is related to religious belie

pseu·do·sci·ence/ˌso͞odōˈsīəns/

Noun: A collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.

It's all related.

Maybe you got the wrong idea because i posted it in the paranormal section.

But since there is no pseudo science section , here we are.

[Keel M.]

So, should we just not bother with all those cases because if they wanna belief then it's their "choice" ?

Unless it is harming you personally, why should you care what others think? I don't know where you live, but in my country, we are free to believe whatever we want. Would you want someone telling you what to do? I bet you wouldn't. No one likes to be told what to do on any level - and most of the time people have to experience something for themselves before they realise that what they were told was true.

[Hasina]

Really, as long as it doesn't end up hurting or getting someone killed, I guess it's okay. There's some gray area I'll admit, where it's just harmful to intellectual thinking instead of physical harm, but for the most part, do what you personally want, just don't force it on anyone, especially your children.

[Rafterman]

But unfortunately belief in this silliness does, in fact, hurt and kill a lot of people - many of whom are children who have done nothing but be born to idiots for parents.

Give this website a quick perusal for examples:

http://whatstheharm.net/

[Keel M.]

No, it really only hurts people who don't believe and have aneurysms over those who do.

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No, it really only hurts people who don't believe and have aneurysms over those who do.

I take it you didn't look at the link Rafterman provided.

So again:

Homeopathy couple jailed over daughter's death

http://www.guardian....h-couple-jailed

Alternative remedies 'dangerous' for kids says report

http://www.bbc.co.uk...health-12060507

Boy died due to faith healer parents

http://www.unexplain...howtopic=234208

Quebec woman was ‘cooked to death’ at retreat, coroner says

Lavigne died in hospital after she and eight others in a personal-development seminar called Dying in Consciousness were covered with mud, wrapped in plastic, put under blankets and immobilized with their heads in cardboard boxes for about nine hours, under instructions to hyperventilate.

http://news.national...t-coroner-says/

Malaysian toddler killed in 'exorcism' ritual

http://www.telegraph...ism-ritual.html

Dangers of pseudoscience

Bertrand Russell argued that individual actions are based upon the beliefs of the person acting, and if the beliefs are unsupported by evidence, then such beliefs can lead to destructive actions.^[25] James Randi also often writes on the issue of fraud by psychics and faith healers.^[26] Critics of alternative medicine often point to bad advice given by unqualified practitioners, leading to serious injury or death. Richard Dawkins points to religion as a source of violence (notably in his book, The God Delusion), and considers creationism a threat to biology.^[27] Some skeptics, such as the members of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast, oppose certain cults and new religious movements because of their concern about what they consider false miracles performed or endorsed by the leadership of the group.^[28] They often criticize belief systems which they believe to be idiosyncratic, bizarre or irrational

http://en.wikipedia....ific_skepticism

Surely you must be aware of all the problems that arise with all these beliefs. So to just say "let everyone just believe in what they want because it never causes any harm" doesn't really make sense and is a rather shortsighted view of the world.

What about the tarot card reader that tells you have an illness and prepares you to live with it, and you just have to take his/her word for it? And ppl that are more open to be easily influenced could be more receptive to psychosomatic illnesses.

For example, the book The Secrets of the Hand by Maria Gardini, an explanation and defense of the “art” of palmistry, argues that reading a person’s palm provides not only highly accurate, but also unalterable information about the future — a person’s fate cannot be changed. Thus, part of a palmist’s job is to help the client psychologically and emotionally prepare by accepting the inevitable.

What about the medium or reader or alternative "healer" that tells you you don't need to take your antipsychotic medication because you don't need it?

What about the medium who keeps telling parents that their child is still alive and out there, like the Maddie McCain issue. Can you have any empathy for what they must be going through?

You don't see any problem in this at all?

Should we just not care about all these impressionable people? Where sometimes they end up regretting it themselves big time because they realise it is suddenly too late to get proper care because they spent all their time going down the street of spiritualism and pseudoscience.

Does parapsychology do any harm? Any false belief might be innocuous or it might be harmful. At the very least, false beliefs can do harm by diverting our attention away from reality. This prevents us from properly dealing with what is true and factual — for example, a person who goes to a psychic and is told to take herbs is diverted from the reality of their condition, a reality that a licensed physician could explain to them and help them with.

False beliefs can also lead us to fundamentally misunderstand reality. The belief that our fates are controlled by the stars or some other mysterious force may prevent us from taking risks, trying new things, or even just attempting to improve our lives in some fashion. After all, if our destinies are already mapped out in the heavens or on our palms, what is the point? What will be, will be, and there is no need to try to change what’s going on.

Parapsychology probably doesn’t have to do any harm, but in the end that’s exactly what it appears to do anyway. Parapsychology makes claims about the nature of reality and because of that, it matters a great deal whether any of it is true or not. We need to know what is real and what is not because, in the long run, that’s the best way for us to avoid harm and live better lives.

http://atheism.about...logy/a/harm.htm

Edited October 8, 2012 by Render

[Keel M.]

Why not just take control of parenting of all children everywhere simply based on the fact that you know better?

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Why not just take control of parenting of all children everywhere simply based on the fact that you know better?

So you are in fact stating that we shouldn't bother with all those people, even children?

Edited October 8, 2012 by Render

[Keel M.]

Yep.

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Harsh.

[Keel M.]

Life is harsh. Or hadn't you caught on to that yet?

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Life is harsh. Or hadn't you caught on to that yet?

Well I guess I don't feel the need to be bitter and fatalistic about it just yet.

[Jinxdom]

Believing in the paranormal isn't dangerous alone. You throw being an idiot and lack of common sense in the mix on top of any belief then it becomes dangerous. Stupidity is the problem. If you take away their silly belief then they will most likely do something else quite stupid and deadly without it. Case and point.... warning labels, Darwin awards and 1000 ways to die.

[Ronztrek]

"Is believing in the paranormal dangerous?"

It's not dangerous, it's just a bad 'idea'. That includes "not believing". Accept simply that you do not know (if so be the case). Anything beyond that is merely entertaining delusional thoughts. If truth need be known(the apparent paranormal or higher dimensions), then rely always and only on direct experience. In absence of the experiencer of course. Pay attention.

[White Crane Feather]

It has it's drawbacks and benefits like anything else. I could ask if completely trusting "scientific" institutions is a good idea, or if completely trusting education institutions is a good idea. It's the extremes that get people into trouble.

[Spky777]

I found that ppl that have been scared or are sensative to noises will quickly realize that there is something wrong (haunting). However, ppl that don't believe or are not of faith are rarely bothered at the begining.

What happened is that everyone in the end got the message that there was something there.