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Join Date: Feb 2008
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I’m quite delighted to find a forum on agnosticism. Although I would not normally post to any forums, I feel it is a necessity since even the most agnostic of persons, scientists, is at a loss to answer my questions. So, I do this somewhat reluctantly but with hopes to gain some insight into the matter.
Before I begin querying, I would like to give a brief background as to how I became agnostic. I was raised Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school; however, I never felt any true attachment to this god or the church. I specifically remember sitting in church as a little girl (7 or 8) and thinking to myself, “there is no proof that god exists, why should I believe?” As I grew older (13 or 14), I did some ‘soul searching.’ I studied everything to find truth. It was at this time that I realized I didn’t believe in any god, but I could find truth in the teachings of all religions. Furthermore, I never labeled myself as an agnostic until later (18 or 19). In college I studied behavioral science and completed original research on Weberian theory and religious belief. Since I was not religious, I could remain objective throughout the study. At this time, I also read a book called Many Lives, Many Masters. This book still confuses me, mainly because the author is a medical doctor who recorded the hypnosis. His findings contradict science. It’s still debatable as to whether he is a ‘quack’ or whether he is just as confused as others who read his book. At any rate, he still remains an MD in Miami and is highly respected. Ah, I’m digressing. Sorry, I do that often and must stop myself in order to get back to the matter at hand. After undergrad, I worked as an assistant instructor and tutor at a local college where I taught cognitive science and psychology. I want back to school after a few years and studied information technology. I now hold an MS in Information Resource Management. I work closely with a university where I am commissioned to develop technical documents such as procedures, policies, and conduct application audits. In addition, I am starting a business that will develop technical documentation for businesses and organizations. Now that formalities are out of the way, I’ll ask my questions.
Yesterday morning, I emailed a document to my colleague from my office (not located on campus, 20mi. away). Afterwards, I got into the shower, and, while I was washing my hair, I heard in my head my colleague say, “Oh, this is from Krista.” Next, I heard another voice say, “Are you busy?” My colleague said, “No, come in Amanda.” Amanda said, “How did I do on my paper?” Well, that’s all I heard.
I came in today and told this colleague what I heard; although, I was not so straightforward in telling him just what I heard? First, I told him I know he received the document. Next, I asked him about Amanda. He said she was one of his students and said nothing more about her. I then told him I know that he said, “oh, this is from Krista” in a very monotone voice and he sounded tired. Then I told him Amanda came in right after he received my document. I told him she asked if he was busy, I told him that he said no, and that she asked about her paper. When I told him, he was surprised. He was asking if I tapped the room. I told him that if I did tap the room I would know much more than some girl asking about her paper.
He and I talked over coffee this morning, and I told him about my ‘skill’ and how I often verify what I hear with the people who are involved without disclosing that I ‘heard something’. I rarely tell people about my ‘skill’ because it’s weird, even for me, but I figured I’d take a chance with my colleague. We talked about ESP and telepathy, and discussed some of the research that has been conducted in this para-psychological area. We then talked to some professors in the biology and chemistry departments. We are looking for any answer regarding this matter. We know about the mind reading study that was done with the cards and colors, but the participants concentrated on the fact that a message was being sent and were in close proximity to each other.
Some important facts: I don’t know Amanda, I’ve never met Amanda, I’ve never talked to Amanda, Amanda is a new transfer student who began attending the university less than a month ago, Amanda has never visited the office before (he asked her about this), I did not tap the room, I don’t have a mental disorder, I’m not mentally unstable, I was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
What is even more troubling and confusing is the fact that this happens all the time. At least once a month, I hear something. I cannot call upon it, it just happens. Oftentimes, I hear things that are irrelevant (stupid information that really has no purpose for me knowing it). I even hear the inflection of the voices. One time I stood in the DMV line and heard every thought from the lady standing behind me. I felt like running away since I had heard these thoughts over a period of 2 hours. But, hey, it’s the DMV line. I wouldn’t leave to save my life since I would have to wait another two hours when I came back, lol. It also works the other way. One time I was sitting on the toilet at my parents’ house while they were away on vacation, noticed there was no tissue paper, and thought to myself, “I wish Eric (my boyfriend) would get me some toilet paper from the closet.” A minute later, he knocked on the door and said, “did you need toilet paper?” He would not have known we were out since we just arrived and nobody was there to tell him we were out. Oh, yes, I must tell you he has this ‘skill’ as well, and it works much like my ‘skill.’ He hears useless, irrelevant information. And in case you were wondering, we don’t communicate in this manner. We can’t. Neither he nor I can call upon it. It just happens. We verify it without disclosing the fact we ‘hear voices,’ then wonder why in the world we hear nonsense such as, Jim is letting the dog out, Amanda wants to know about her paper, or Mike wants to go to bed but can’t since he’s waiting for a phone call from with his mother. These are just examples of stupid information that I’ve verified.
Again, I’m agnostic and my boyfriend is also agnostic. I need some scientific data to explain it. My colleague and I are looking for some reasonable explanation. He is in awe regarding this matter. He still can’t believe I heard Amanda yesterday, but realizes I would have no other way of knowing this information. He and I both await a response. Any insights? Sorry about the length.
Last edited by Cultural Relativist : 02-29-2008 at 01:09 PM.
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