I Just Watched Jerome Bixby’s “The Man from Earth” Movie

Upon the insistence of several of the posters to my blogs and forums, especially this one, I went ahead and ordered the DVD of The Man From Earth. And as I was watching this movie, I was astonished at how many parallels this movie had with the story I had been telling on my blogs and forums. I was equally amazed at all of the reactions the “friends” were having as they were hearing the story from someone they knew and greatly respected.

In case you have not heard about this movie, let me give you a quick description. It is about a professor who, at his going away party, reveals that he is really a 14,000 year old immortal. Then to the total disbelief of his friends, he describes events he witnessed throughout his 14,000 year life.

I have been telling a story about meeting an immortal who is nearly 2,800 years old. Just as there are many similarities between my story and this fictional movie, there are equally as many differences between the two.

I am not going into the differences here; however after reading the many comments to my blogs; especially this one, i am going to post a better “Summary of the Facts” concerning my 2,800 year old friend. Stay Tuned for this post.

Dealing with Pseudoskeptics, Disinformants, and Fraudulent Debunkers

After posting my story about finding a 2,800 year old man, I have become barraged by several people who claim to be skeptics. I believe skeptism is good for any topic, for I too am a skeptic. However the attacking of a discussion without merit under the cloak of a skeptic is not real skeptism but rather pseudoskepticism.

Wikipedia defines the term pseudoskepticism (or pseudo-skepticism) as “denotes thinking that appears to be skeptical but is not. The term is most commonly encountered in the form popularized by Marcello Truzzi, through his Journal of Scientific Exploration, where he defined pseudoskeptics as those who take “the negative rather than an agnostic position but still call themselves ’skeptics’”These pseudoskeptics reveal themselves by not focusing on discussing the facts but by derailing or disheartening the researcher or claimant; often with quick judgments and name-calling without evidence to back up their counterclaims.

From Wikipedia about pseudoskepticism:

“In science, the burden of proof falls upon the claimant; and the more extraordinary a claim, the heavier is the burden of proof demanded. The true skeptic takes an agnostic position, one that says the claim is not proved rather than disproved. He asserts that the claimant has not borne the burden of proof and that science must continue to build its cognitive map of reality without incorporating the extraordinary claim as a new “fact.” Since the true skeptic does not assert a claim, he has no burden to prove anything. He just goes on using the established theories of “conventional science” as usual. But if a critic asserts that there is evidence for disproof, that he has a negative hypothesis –saying, for instance, that a seeming psi result was actually due to an artifact–he is making a claim and therefore also has to bear a burden of proof.”The tendency is to deny, rather than doubt:. Double standards in the application of criticism. The making of judgments without full inquiry

. Tendency to discredit, rather than investigate

. Use of ridicule or ad hominem attacks in lieu of arguments

. Pejorative labeling of proponents as ‘promoters’, ‘pseudoscientists’ or practitioners of ‘pathological science.

. Presenting insufficient evidence or proof

. Assuming criticism requires no burden of proof

. Making unsubstantiated counter-claims

. Counter-claims based on plausibility rather than empirical evidence

. Suggesting that unconvincing evidence is grounds for dismissing it

Keep in mind, the true skeptic is a welcome asset to real research. The pseudoskeptic contributes nothing to research, but instead attempts to stifle the research in progress. Before examining or discussing the topic, the pseudoskeptic decries absurdity with shouts of “where’s the proof” and “show me the evidence”; even if there has been evidence already presented. For these disinformants, there is never enough proof or absolute proof; even though they can never offer any proof to back their counterclaims.

Posted by Ben Abba at 11:57 PM 0 comments

 

Friday, January 18, 2008

Where’s the Proof (Part 4)

I contend that in our day and age, it is impossible to absolutely, positively prove anything. I believe that Americans did land on the moon; yet there are many skeptics who have claimed there is no absolute, undeniable proof that the moon landing was not faked by our government. There is no absolute, positive proof that OJ murdered his wife or that UFOs exist; yet a majority of the people on this planet believe both are true. If you look around and find your local neighborhood atheist they will tell you either Jesus Christ did not survive his crucifixion or that there is no absolute, undeniable proof that he ever existed. Yet I bet many would argue strongly against either statement. By definition, most atheists believe there is no such thing as God; yet I contend many would argue that point vigorously.There is no absolute, undeniable proof that global warming is actually taking place; and there is no absolute, positive proof that it is not. Further, there is no absolute, undeniable proof that homo sapiens evolved from apes; and there is no absolute, positive proof that human evolution did not take place. Likewise, I believe it is impossible to to prove, without a shadow of doubt that someone is an immortal; and it is equally impossible to prove someone that real immortals do not exist.I also believe it is not my purpose in life to prove, undeniably, that immortals do live among us. This is why I was not going to even bother to tell anyone about the immortal that I found. However, as I continued to research this remarkable man and heard his stories, it became very clear to me that I had to tell the world that I found such a man and present his stories; even if I cannot offer scientific evidence that this man is older than 150 years.I found an interesting quote on the web: “Truth is what opposites have in common”. Hopefully believing man did walk on the moon is not the only truth we have in common.

Where’s the Proof?

I am often asked “What proof do I have that such a person exists”?

Right now I have come to this forum to present the question of “what if” such a person really exists, and if so that immortals do exist, what questions should I ask such a person about historical events. In other words I am giving opening arguments for the case of immortality; and not giving a full case for such in 1,000 words or less. If I handed you a smoking gun without any context would you convict anyone of a crime? Of course not; because even absolute proof requires context to substantiate it.

I am not presenting evidence here because I fell that this is not the format to present physical evidence and even if I could, I know it will not be enough. And I am not here to ask you to believe in anything; I am simply asking for your advice on what facts are important and how to present them as I collect them about this unique man. As time permits, I am blogging some of my findings here or my other blog Do-Immortals-Really-Exist.com. I feel it will take me many days to present all that needs to be presented; but since I know most people like the 5 minute, sound clip, answers, I will do my best to summarize where I am in my research so far.

1. I have yet to find any scientific proof that he is an immortal; however I have found a substantial amount of statistical evidence that he is.

2. I found and approached “him” using advanced research techniques. These techniques are what some people and a few of our government agencies use to find suspects and missing persons today. It would take days to go into the details on which exact technique I used and how I use them, so for brevity sake may I say I used anomalies as “clues” to create a profile to track down my “target” suspect (i.e. a 65 year old man with a 70 year old son).

3. None of these clues by themselves are absolute evidence of anything, but put together they form a profile of someone who is older than 120 years. I found several people (at least 5) that were older than 120 years using these techniques and from this profiling, the man in Mediterranean Sea area appeared to me to be the oldest. 3. After several years on approaching him and speaking with him, I was able to gain his trust enough for him to describe his past and his experiences. From this I gained a lot of data to check out using more of my research tools to verify. This includes historical events; several that are unwritten. A particular historical item that has caught my attention is his first photograph taken with the famous Madame Curie. I have not found this photograph yet because I have had difficulty locating old French photographs from that era. I am asking for help, including for those in this forum, for finding such a photograph because it supposedly shows him just as he appears today. Again, not absolute proof, but if such a picture exists, it would certainly raise many eyebrows if compared with a photograph of him today.

4. I have also checked to see if he had any antiques from years past. One such item is a 2,500 year old “coin” which he still possesses. From my research it appears to me to be a legitimate “coin” from 2,500 years ago. Again, still not absolute proof, but what are the chances that someone you picked at random would have a “coin” that resembles other known 2,500 year old “coins”?

5. I have asked him to speak in his native tongue; which is an ancient form of Aramaic. I am not an expert in Aramaic, but it does sound like Aramaic to me. I am in the process of trying to find an expert in the ancient versions of Aramaic. Again this is not absolute proof of anything; but what are the chances of picking a person at random who can speak and in an ancient Aramaic tongue; especially when there are only a handful of people in the world who can speak and understand it today?

So statistically speaking, what are the chances that you could pick out a stranger on the street and that person could speak an ancient dialect of Aramaic, own a 2,500 year old coin and a rusted set of Templar Knight armor, and know things about ancient history that are not available on Google. Statistically speaking, everyone reading this would have a better chance of winning a lottery on the same day then such an encounter would occur. I will keep posting my proof here as I have time to present it.

Regardless of what religion we belong to, many of us believe there is truth in our biblical texts. To those of you who do believe there is truth in the New Testament or Old Testament or the Torah or the Koran; there are several passages in these books that imply that physical immortality is a possibility.

After I found this 2,800 year old gentleman, and became fully aware of whom he really is, I went back to look at these biblical texts to say what they about this man. To my absolute shock and amazement, I found passages in all 4 of these books that, when put into their proper context; explicitly describe this man as an immortal. There is even a verse in the Gospel that strongly implies that Jesus Christ knew this immortal, personally. Since that day of discovery, I now have a permanent case of goose bumps whenever I think about what I have uncovered here.

I have also been told, depending on your religious beliefs, that a certain group of men will return when either the Temple of Jerusalem is rebuilt or when it is Judgment Day. The gentleman that I have been talking about is one of these men.

I am not at liberty to detail these passages today or tell you whom this man is yet; however someday I fully intend to. And when that blessed day arrives, and I am allowed to shed the light of truth onto these verses; I fully expect those who believe that their sacred bibles are 100% true, will be as shocked and amazed as I have become.

So when it comes to proof, I believe proof is in the heart of the beholder. If your heart says its true, then it will be. If your heart says it isn’t so, then it will never be true, no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary.

Again, there is no absolute, positive proof here, but the preponderance of circumstantial evidence is growing every day. So I am also asking everyone for questions that I should ask this incredible man about his past. Even if I cannot prove his true age, I certainly can present his eyewitness observations of the birth of our western civilization.

How Can Anyone Believe That a 2,800 Man Really Exists ?

I received a question on one of my forums today. Let me try to paraphrase it for everyone: “Who in their right mind would believe … that anyone could live as much as 2,800 years”.

Here is one of many answers to that question:

… This is similar to what I told a friend of mine about walking barefoot over a hot bed of coals. That was until her and I went to a Tony Robbins seminar and where we both walked several feet over a bed of very fresh, hot coals. Now I have to believe it is possible to walk barefoot on hot coals. Not just because I saw people walking barefoot, safely, over a hot bed of coals; but because I DID IT!

Now, no one can ever change my mind that walking barefoot on hot coals is possible. Whenever I hear someone say that it is impossible to do so, I simply invite them to find a Tony Robbins event and try it themselves. If they give me some lame excuse not to even try and investigate this simple truth; then I know the real impossibility is convince them of anything. I am not connected with the Tony Robbins organization in any way; but my fire walk with him surely opened my eyes to an even bigger reality.

… Thus is similar to what many told President John F. Kennedy when he told the world, Americans would safely land a man on the moon and bring him back safely. Can anyone of you remember about how America was laughed at for even conceiving the thought of going to the moon? That was until we all heard those famous words “One small step for man … One giant step for mankind”.

… That is similar to what many told the Wright brothers when they were building their first airplane. There were a lot of naysayers back then. If they didn’t believe man could fly, I wonder what they all thought about man going to the moon?

… That is similar to what many told Christopher Columbus about crossing the Atlantic and discovering America. Ok, so Columbus was not the first to reach America; but back in his time, many thought he was nuts to sail West. Ever hear of the “flat earth people”? They ruled the world back then.

… That is similar to what many told Christ, including his Apostles, when he said he was going to die and rise again in 3 days. Since it is the eve of when we celebrate Christ’s birth, I just had to add this to the list. After all, he was constantly surrounded by as many naysayers as he had followers. Still, he proved many of them wrong; didn’t he?

…Need I say anymore?

The truth is I wanted to know the truth and not what others believe is the truth; so I found the means to find a person over 150 years living today. And I found more than one. Well people will always say that it is nuts to believe anyone could live past 150 years; I have to believe. I have met these people and they really exist in my reality. So I invite you all to listen to my experiences and their stories and judge for yourself or do your own research. If you prefer to do neither, then there lies the real impossibility.

If you want to find out more of my research, check out my other blog at Do-Immortals-Really-Exist.com.