What is the Catholic churche's teaching on people like Syliva Brown who is a psychic?

[Chazzman]

My girlfrind was watching Montel and saw this lady ( Sylvia Brown) who claims to be able to give answers to the audience members about their dead relatives?? she says people can choose to come back after dying and come back as another person...and she can tell them things about their deceased relatives etc...

I say it's not of God...although she talks about God.

does anyone know what the Catholic churche's positiion is on this?? She believes this lady has the 'gift'...I say she is misleading people??

could anyone comment please?

[Shadow Phoenix]

My girlfrind was watching Montel and saw this lady ( Sylvia Brown) who claims to be able to give answers to the audience members about their dead relatives?? she says people can choose to come back after dying and come back as another person...and she can tell them things about their deceased relatives etc...

I say it's not of God...although she talks about God.

does anyone know what the Catholic churche's positiion is on this?? She believes this lady has the 'gift'...I say she is misleading people??

could anyone comment please?

Hiya Chazzman. Let's look at your question.

First off, I find this question quite ironic. Why? Not because of you, but because of me. Where I work at, we just started talking one day about this lady and it's becoming a running joke since then. The humorous part was that I pointed that I don't remember hearing her ever give bad news.

I remember hearing about how on one episode she told someone who they were in a "past life" and Montel said "Other people make stuff up but she's telling the truth!" I wanted to say, "Really Montel? How do you know that? How do you know she's not making stuff up either?"

My position on her? She's phony. You can go check her church's website and you can see the stance she takes on numerous issues. The articles at the Society of Spiritus Novus are simply ideas taken straight out of Gnosticism.

Could she do unusual things? Sure. What does that prove? I would say it's more likely to be of demonic powers than Christian powers. Remember that because something is supernatural does not automatically mean that it is good. On the other hand, there have been reports of her that have been proven to be false. At this, I am thankful for the one who goes by "The Amazing Randi." (Not to be confused with Amazing Rando on this site.)

I would say a good look at the question of reincarnation can be found in J.P. Moreland and Gary Habermas's book "Immortality: The Other Side of Death." (Sometimes called Beyond Death depending on the edition.)

I will state though that I am not a Catholic, though I doubt their position would differ much. If you want a Catholic though, that will be no problem.

Hope this helps!

[Hail Mary]

Here's two paragraphs from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I wish I could say I found it myself, but I found it here:
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0007fea4.asp


"All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ’unveil’ the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomenon of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

"All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others—even if this were for the sake of restoring their health—are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it" (CCC 2116–2117).