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A LAWYER REBUTS RABBI SHMULEY BOTEACH

Opening statement

Rabbi Shmuleh Boteach, hereinafter called, the Rabbi. Rabbi Boteach’s rather unfair scathing and derisive language against psychics and mediums generally has inevitably brought about a dissonance and a disturbance. Hopefully, with care, understanding and reasonableness, we will be able to come to mutual agreement about the greatest, most important phenomenon in human history as we explore the question - do we on the physical earth have the ability to communicate meaningfully with our loved ones and those who are in the afterlife?

I am not here to tell him that it is wrong for him to be a rabbi or that his Jewish religion is necessarily wrong or is inferior to other religions. With one exception I will not try to change his beliefs and his values or his behavior. But when he, without authority, tries to unfairly and negatively intrude into my area of expertise in the strongest way, he provokes me – and others, to respond appropriately.

The only point of contention is that close content analysis of what he is stating in the media about psychic phenomena and the afterlife (psi) shows he is using his authority, status and dominating power as a rabbi perhaps inadvertently, to mislead, misinform and misdirect fellow Jews and others. Hereinafter is my explanation.

He is now on record for using unqualifiedly, highly negative, cynical and derisive language whenever he deals with psychics in the media and elsewhere. He completely dismisses all psychics claiming that their messages are trivial, irrelevant and of no importance.

He willfully ignores and deliberately disregards some of the most inspirational eloquence transmitted from the other side by some of the higher spiritual afterlife entities, spiritual eloquence that has stunned the world with the revelation of what really happens to us when we cross over, something which he as a Rabbi appears not to know about.

So procedurally I ask the rabbi, by what AUTHORITY does he say those negative things against psychics and the afterlife?

He does NOT have any objective or scientific or empirical authority at all. He has only subjective authority. His subjective, religious authority is based purely on personal beliefs, believing and accepting without proof - what somebody else told him to believe and is respected only by those who want to believe what he says.

He tries to give the impression that what he says has the force of science or empiricism (empiricism: using scientific method to measure phenomena). But religion can never ever have the force of science or empiricism. Never.

He is only expressing a personal belief, a personal view which cannot be scientifically or empirically tested for its validity. His religion is purely an accident of birth. If he was born in a Muslim country he would be campaigning just as hard for the traditional teachings of Islam; if he was born in India he would probably be a radical Hindu, whereas being scientific or empirical would lead him to be independent of ‘accidents of birth.’

The Rabbi needs to understand that beliefs unsupported by evidence do not have objective substance and/or superiority over other religions. He can never directly or indirectly imply that his beliefs ought to be accepted the way science or empirically elicited information is accepted. This is because he is dealing with religion, not science or empiricism.

He studied the Jewish religion – which is thousands of years old - and he must have studied it in depth to get paid for teaching the Jewish faith and for opposing any information not consistent with his early conditioning, with his religious learning and with his own cherished, personal beliefs. He thinks he is right and everybody else is wrong –the way other religionists think they are right and everybody else wrong.

It is only fair to point out that compared with our tough, highly developed, empirical mind of to-day, the mentality of the people in the days where the Jewish religious writings and the religious experiences allegedly took place– some three thousands years ago in the Middle East– was primitive, highly superstitious, underdeveloped and un-testing.

Accordingly, he as a rabbi, the Pope as a Catholic Christian leader and Dr Billy Graham as a Protestant leader –all religious leaders, do not and can never ever have real authority recognized on a universal level. His authority cannot be independently substantiated or tested for truth. His restricted authority comes from the tradition he mentioned, history and sub-culture accepted only by those who want to follow his teachings.

Further, he shows that even his own subjective authority is very limited: he does not show he rebutted the twenty three areas of objective evidence for the afterlife - see my research A LAWYER PRESENTS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE AFTERLIFE, www.victorsammit.com . This means he does not come from a position of strength, of empiricism, or substance. He comes from an extremely weak position.

When religion clashed with science and empiricism, religion was ALWAYS invalidated. No one on earth would dispute that. No one.

Incidentally, there is nothing particularly brilliant in following tradition. The negative aspect of it is that he is repeating his parents’ mistakes and any false teachings of thousands of years ago - and he becomes subservient to unquestioning obedience. I state the mind has to continue to question everything in the environment – that’s how evolution, progress and refinement take place.

This may shock him, and will shock others – but I will show that there is a great deal of empirical psychic evidence which makes the existence of psychic phenomena objective and empirical. Whilst initially it is anticipated that this will inevitably disturb him and he will tend to reject it and go into denial, ultimately, if he has a fair mind and investigates the empirically elicited evidence, he will agree that psychic evidence is objective and makes nugatory all inconsistent religious beliefs.

He has already conceded the existence of the paranormal and that non-physical energy exists when he claims the genuineness of what the psychic Uri Geller repeatedly demonstrated to him in person. That was psychic, non-physical energy interfering with physical energy. The paranormal and afterlife phenomena are all about the operation of non-physical energy.

REBUTTALS

Rabbi Boteach: a) “You know Larry (King), every single medium who I have conversed with always offers the information along the lines of your grandfather forgives you for accidentally mowing him with your Hummer. Well, that’s nice but it’s always the same.”

and

b) “I’ve never had a (psychic) reading, Larry(King) … I really believe that psychics are unfortunately preying on the most primal of all human fears.”

Here we see, first hand, the first serious problem of this rabbi. He first tries to use derisive and condescending language to indirectly poke fun at mediums – imputing they talk trivialities, irrelevancies. In the second quote b) Boteach admits and concedes that he has NEVER gone to a gifted medium for a reading. The above stated a) and b) quotes, I submit, are representative of the Rabbi’s own and the extreme Jewish conservative beliefs and attitudes towards psychic phenomena and afterlife matters. Inevitably, the reasonable minded person will think that the Rabbi is pre-judging the issue. Also, that the Rabbi comes across as hostile, is in complete denial and perhaps unconsciously trying to justify his own religious teaching.

How can the Rabbi condemn mediumship, negatively influencing too many people in one breath while at the same time conceding he has never had a reading by any medium?

To be fair and reasonable about mediums – one has to go to a ‘gifted’ medium in the first place. This can be ascertained by the level of accurate readings a medium has given. Instead of going to or quoting an auntie Flo who claims she is a bit of a psychic – and there are hundreds of these mediocre semi-amateur mediums – why not formally test the gifted mediumship of John Edward or James Van Praagh as other professional empiricists have done?

Secondly, if one has to be really intelligent, genuine and sincere about evaluating mediums, why not investigate what Professor Gary Schwartz did in his empirical testing of some of the top mediums in the United States?

These empirical psi (psychic) results inexorably did not and could NOT have come by chance. This will inevitably be frightening for the Rabbi. But empiricism (using scientific method to measure phenomena) is most fundamental to any discussion of the validity of mediumship.

Is there an inner fear, that he will find out the truth about empirical mediumship? That communicating with entities from the other side has great value, has superior ‘utility’ in teaching? … That it produces empirical evidence that we survive physical death? That love, known to us as the most powerful force in the universe survives physical death? That we still can contact our loved ones immediately after crossing over? That what this Rabbi has told us about the afterlife is not quite correct? That we could become victims of most horrific problems in the afterlife which he did not tell people about? That we have to sharpen up our own life on earth to prepare for greater things in the afterlife? That it is not beliefs, not religion, not hearsay, not culture, not tradition but what good selfless deeds we perform and how much we truly love that will be critical on crossing over.

Thirdly, if he can only perceive the paranormal with true empirical equanimity, if he truly can be intellectually, psychologically and emotionally impartial, if he can put his deeply conditioned subjective religion aside for one moment and study the great psychics of the recent past he will discover how skeptical scientists were stunned about the brilliant mediumship of Leonore Piper and others for example ‘Respected Scientists Who Investigated’ – my above stated book, chapter 2.).

Further, whilst he regularly quotes and makes fun of messages from the lower Astral region, why is it that he fails to mention the very highly spiritual afterlife transmissions of A COURSE IN MIRACLES? The joint team was a Jewish Professor, Helen Schucman, and Professor William Thetford, Professors of Medical Psychology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. The writings of ‘A Course in Miracles’ is hugely superior to anything we have ever come across in traditional religions. And there are many more afterlife transmission which come across, spiritually, far superior to traditional beliefs. His failure to mention such substantive afterlife transmission raises some very serious doubts about his honesty.

Fourthly, why not, using the initiative he has displayed, seek out the number of Jews who experienced significant evidential communication with their loved ones who crossed over? The genuine ones will tell him it was the greatest experience in their life. They will say that the experience changed their life completely. That life now has true meaning and that they feel confident about the greater life to come. Why not investigate the brilliant writing of those positive professors who studied empirical psi at the highest level and accepted the paranormal? Why not investigate also those sincere and honest and genuine people who experienced a NDE or an OBE and see how for most these psychic experiences have completely changed their lives for the better? Much of this he can read in my abovementioned afterlife research.

Fifthly, when this Rabbi learns the true facts about the afterlife in context of the paranormal, this Rabbi will learn, through empirical and other studies, that there are different levels or realms in the afterlife – from the lowest to the highest. Spirits coming from those areas close to earth, the lower Astral level, speak a lot of the banalities the Rabbi talks about when he tries to denigrate mediumship.

Empirically elicited mediumship states that we as human beings do NOT change one iota on crossing over to the afterlife – we retain our character, our level of intelligence and understanding the world, our fears, our hopes, our desires – all these fully intact in our memory on crossing over.

This means that some dull witted person on crossing over will remain – for a time – dull witted. Now if this dull witted person gets caught in the lower Astral and communicates with those on earth – we get nothing but someone being dull witted.

Why has not this Rabbi read those afterlife entities with the highest credibility who come from the higher vibrational realms of the afterlife – where immediately he will see there is beautiful inspirational eloquence, where there is serious talk about our destiny, our struggles, our problems and our future in the afterlife realms – and what really happens to us when we cross over? And the many serious problems relatively many people have on crossing over and why they have these very serious problems? (He can find the right sources on my website and in my book- chapter 27 - mentioned above).

Sixthly, in addition to the above, is this Rabbi not aware that there are some twenty three areas of objective admissible evidence for the existence of the afterlife- objective empirical evidence that no scientist, no empiricist, no theologian, rabbi or priest or philosopher in the last eight years was able to rebut?– (see the said book above). Does not that elicit curiosity, some genuine desire in the Rabbi to find the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in relation to how we are to live on this plant earth and to learn what REALLY happens when we inevitably have to cross over? Does this Rabbi fear the truth, that his beliefs may mislead, misdirect, misinform or that his religious beliefs are terribly inferior, or invalid or inapplicable or irrelevant?

Empirically elicited information tells us that humans on earth must have self-responsibility - we are responsible for all our own actions and omissions. Failure to discover the truth, inevitably will be met with a huge negative backlash, especially when we do have free will to go with the flow or to be courageous and find the truth whatever the price we have to pay. Does the Rabbi have the stomach to face empirical information which tells him that he is wrong in his afterlife beliefs?

# Rabbi Boteach, “I have yet to find a single psychic medium who can offer any information of any public utility or real personal usefulness. For example, where’s Osama bin Laden? Why can’t anyone on our panel tell us where Osama bin Laden is? I mean this guy killed 3,000 Americans. If they have the power to see and speak to the dead who are all knowing and omniscient, then it’s almost criminal for them to withhold that information.”

First, when Rabbi Boteach attacks psychics he has to be empirical about psychics. This Rabbi has to be intellectually discriminating, discerning and be in a position to make a distinction between empirical mediumship and the non-empirical, lower end of those who are half baked about mediumship. He himself conceded during the interview that he NEVER ever investigated psychics and NEVER ever had a reading from a gifted psychic – this Rabbi bundled all psychics into one bag. So, his perception of psychics is negatively prejudiced and comes from his own negative environmental and anti-psychic negative religious partiality.

Secondly, as to Osama bin Laden, there has to be absolute proof that bin Laden is alive. Is this Rabbi telling us just to assume that Bin Laden is not dead? Assumptions as we all know are highly speculative, unreliable and highly abstract. Gifted psychics would want definitive evidence of a targeted subject.

Thirdly, just because a psychic can communicate with spirits it does NOT mean the spirit is omniscient and infallible. That is stupidity pushed to its extreme and shows colossal ignorance of afterlife matters. As above stated, on crossing over the dumb witted will remain dumb witted – for an indefinite period of time. Whoever stated from the empirical psi experts that on crossing over we become omniscient and infallible? Nobody! Why then is this Rabbi making things up to suit his argument and to mislead people?
Empirically elicited information states that average persons on crossing over remain as they were on earth, (for an indefinite period of time). NOTHING changes! If some clerk or salesman, or executive or anybody else from New York crosses over, what gives this new spirit in the afterlife any power to know where Osama bin Laden is? The information transmitted from the afterlife is that we change from the physical to becoming a spirit – and that NOTHING else changes on crossing over. This again, shows the Rabbi has NOT done any serious reading about the afterlife- and by what he says, he is misleading and misdirecting a large number of people.
Fourthly, highly gifted remote viewers (click on BOOK top right, click on chapter 17 on my website, see above) have the best chance of identifying where bin Laden is. But uninformed skeptics like this Rabbi successfully lobbied the government to STOP financing remote viewers. They ignored results of brilliant remote viewer Joseph McMoneagle who identified the Phantom class Russian nuclear submarine and drew an accurate picture of it – before anyone else from the West knew of its existence. This is similar with bombs in Iraq. There are sometimes contingencies which are not accessible by any spirit. But psychic Chris Robinson who worked on an intermittent basis for the British espionage service MI5 correctly predicted where Irish terrorists IRA would plant bombs in London.

Fifthly: As psychic Van Praagh asked, if this Rabbi Boteach, a religious man of God talks to God all the time and inevitably, it is alleged, God talks to Boteach often, why is it that God does not tell this Rabbi where bin Laden is hiding or where the next bomb is going to explode in Iraq?

Conclusion : It is just amazing that those who attack gifted psychics are coming from complete and total ignorance. I suggest that the Rabbi study the above referred 23 areas of empirical evidence for the afterlife – click on BOOK top right. Then if he wants any clarification, I will be more than happy to clarify anything for him.

# The Rabbi: “Let me tell you the world of the souls is utterly immaterial for you and me. We have to feed the hungry, clothe the naked. We have to cure disease.” And,
“You could make your father immortal by living according to his values.”

Put a mirror to what is happening to-day … what do we see? We see even in the West that religion has failed humanity – that is why so many millions are voting with their feet and are slamming the doors shut on synagogues, on the churches and temples and becoming secularists.

This is because religions are completely irrelevant to the urgent needs of to-day. Because people to-day do not want to accept beliefs without evidence.

Some say the wealthiest nations have enough money to feed the world many times over – but they won’t. Extreme materialism is bringing about huge problems. There is vicious racism and injustice. We have wars; we see insurgents rise against foreign rulers. More immediately, there is increase in alcoholism, in gambling, in violence, in marriage and partnership breakdown. Illegal drug taking is virtually out of control. Terrorism raised its ugly head – and yet this Rabbi tells us we must follow religious teachings and follow the ‘tradition’ of our fathers not accepting that religion is not fulfilling the urgent needs of to-day.

Religion has failed us. Now the immaterial world – especially the communication which comes from highly credible, enlightened high spirits (NOT the ones this Rabbi tells us about all the time which come from the lower, darker Astral level) tells us that they see millions of souls – including the religionists - crossing over completely unprepared for conditions in the afterlife – they learnt virtually nothing to equip them for the new life. Religion virtually achieved nothing of value for the individual. And this Rabbi tells us we must follow ‘tradition’, and religion and the beliefs of our fathers?

Highly credible afterlife transmissions from the higher realms tell us where we are going wrong. They try to give us advice – they tell us that materialism is the enemy of spirituality. That we have to become less selfish, become more loving, to do good, to actively help those in need.

# The Rabbi: “My problem is I feel that these psychics with all due respect are preying on people’s vulnerability. You know you lose a loved one and you want to connect with them and the real message that I think a religious person would give to you is, look, your father’s lost but instead of trying to speak to his spirit you can perpetuate his good deeds on this earth. …”

There are some psychics who are absolute frauds and quacks – as there are frauds and quacks in other professions including in religion. There are others who are not psychics, but pose as psychics and try to squeeze as much money as they can. There are the weak but genuine psychics and the mediocre and then most rarely the most gifted psychics.

If one wants a reading, it will be critical for anyone to find a medium with an objective reputation for accuracy, spirituality, honesty, sincerity and high integrity. The Rabbi bundles all quacks, frauds and psychics of all kind into one bag. Why? Because he tries to justify and to rationalize his own beliefs. He must know there are gifted, honest mediums. Most people know that. But to make no distinction between the highly gifted, the highly spiritual and the cheat is truly unfair, unjust, inequitable and highly unspiritual.

# The Rabbi: “Religion doesn’t claim to know anything about what God said unless it was given by a legitimate prophet, usually thousands of years ago. All a rabbi needs is someone who’s committed to …leading a moral life.”

Here is a most fundamental problem not only for the Rabbi, but for all religious leaders and theologians around the world who rely on Biblical scriptures thousands of years old. First, what is a ‘legitimate prophet’ and why does he think they only existed thousands of years ago? Biblical scholars inform us – something not in dispute – that all original Biblical texts – do NOT exist. Biblical scholars also tell us that we do not know who the real prophets and the real writers were of the Old Testament – and the New Testament. Yes, names were allocated to different writings, but there is no evidence that those named really wrote them. There is no evidence that after the Book of the Law was destroyed by the Romans that Erasmus’ version was accurate, that it had no major interpolations and other fundamental changes deletions and additions.

Further, if we go with the flow, in the ancient Biblical writings we come across a lot of psychic incidents – even in the Jewish context. For example, it has already been submitted that Moses was a medium himself. If his conduct was superimposed on to-day’s world he would be clairaudient, a classic mental as well as a materialization medium.

A most devastating book, The Psychic Stream, by Arthur Findlay, an expert in Biblical scholarship, states that all religious beliefs, all the supposedly miraculous, all the materializations, all the hearing of the ‘heavenly’ entities, all the ‘magic’ one reads in the literature of Judaism and other religions arose from experiences with psychic phenomena which are the same today as they were thousands of years ago. For example, the voices heard by the medium and clairaudient Deborah who led the Israelites to victory are no different to the voices that inspired Joan of Arc; the story of Gideon is that of a clairaudient, clairvoyant and materialization medium’ – and there are many, many more examples of psychic explanation for what the Rabbi and the orthodox Jews believe in.

In other words, science and empiricism can explain the substance of all religious wonder, no doubt about that.

Conclusion: The Rabbi has his beliefs and I do not want to intrude into his beliefs; that’s his business and what he wants to do with his life. But when he misinforms people about empirical mediumship, that is most unfair and most unreasonable. Accordingly, I suggest that he study the empirical paranormal and the evidence for the afterlife. He should be informed that he is misleading too many people when he unfairly attacks gifted psychics. With absolute certainty, the afterlife matters are extremely important and the consequences are huge.

Victor Zammit February 2006

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