Derren Brown Miracles for sale

[JackClap]

Anyone watch Derren Brown: Miracles for sale?

 

Excellent program. To be brief, it's an experiment that is intended to expose the fraud of faith healers. 

 

I thought it was fasinating how easily people could be duped into believing they have been cured, some are so thoroughly convinced it was the work of god channeling his power through some chosen individual that they even give up necessay medical treatment, which has even resulted in eventual death, depending upon severity of the illness. These fraudsters get away with these deceptions quite regulary without being properly investigated. Quite often the person being "cured" isn't a true volunteer but someone in on the act, or is someone who is already leaning heavily towards the notion because of their faith and belief that miracles have occured in the past and therefore can occur in the present. Very often the faith healers pretend to have no way of knowing the names or illness from those they are supposedly treating. Yet that is merely a lie. They usually find out from prayer cards etc and then selectively pick those whose information he has memorised or otherwise learns about via some ear piece. Regulary during a performance they command the devil etc to leave the person and to eliminate them of their demons. Often it is loud, dramtic and adrenaline inducing. 

Often they strike the individual so to make it appear as if the power of Jesus is being shot through them and into the reciepent.  Very often during a show they ask for donations, apparently because doing Gods work requires sums of cash, and very often believers are ready to sign a check to support the fraudster. People who have found that they are actually no better off and inquiry as to the reason why, are told they lack the faith or it requires more...money. Clearly this is an utter disgrace. 

 

Btw, this isn't an attack on anyone's religious beliefs

 

Just wondering if anyone has personally experienced or witnessed faith healers first hand?

[Pepin]

I am a huge fan of Derren Brown. I've seen just about everything he has done. This series was quite good and very accessible to those on the other side. He has a fantastic method of making arguments, and it is also quite artful. I actually set up a seance that was inspired by one of Derren's programs "Seance" and had this whole subliminal plan set up, and it was really working quite well... Until some "ghost hunter expert douche idiot squared" came in and ruined everything by telling me and everything that I was doing it wrong and proceeded to interrupt me and try to take over at any opportunity. "Ghosts don't communicate through ouija boards, that's a myth, watch how its down with this candle".

 

I've somewhat seen this sort of faith healing, but it has been pretty lack luster, at most being a small magic trick. At my ex's grandmother's house, randomly she was like "let me use rakki on your burnt arm" to my ex and she didn't know what she was talking about but had it done out of some insistence, and on the drive back she was like "yeah, that rakki stuff was pretty messed up, and my arm still hurts".

 

What I've seen far more of are personal stories of healing. Like I was in pain, I prayed, and now I feel better.

[JackClap]

Thanks for sharing Pepin. Practically every member of my family is Christian bar myself. I've learned not to flaunt that fact if it can be helped, otherwise if I'm seen as apparently deviating too far of the Christian trail I'm putting myself at risk of being teamed up against. This happened to a few years ago and was a very unpleasent and disappointing experience. I've heard of many stories relayed to me from one of my family members (usually my aunt-who was at one point fanatical) about people who have asked the great lord to heal them and lo and behold their prays where heard and their wishes granted. I'd have to say I've personally listened to each case with a touch of skepticism and amusment over the miraculous source of these recoveries, after all, most of the stories are not easy to either verify or dispprove as I usually dont know the people. I've found there is a propensity of believers to not rationally investigate these supposed cures from God for concern that a perfectly sound scientific explanation can be uncovered that casts doubt on the claim it was a miracle. So it's easier to merely agree that prayer works..after all he/she was praying? Thats proof right there no?! Obviously for the easily fooled it is. I do think people can cause themselves to become ill-I think it is called psychomatic illnesses or something. In my opinion, I think a lot of people merely can't be bothered or dont have the time looking for a rational explanation behind each instance, and it's usually easier to consider someone or something else did it. Basically they dont want to accept responsibility. It's like the saying, what you dont know can't hurt you...yet when was being ignorant and fooled in the search for wisdom and enlightenment something to be considered desirable?

[Pepin]

I'm quite sorry about your family circumstance. It sucks to feel on edge about this sort of topic.

 

I'd agree with your post. There are so many factors that go into these sorts of events. What makes it worse is that the placebo effect in regards to medical issues is actually quite effective.