What is remote viewing?

Answer

Remote viewing (RV) was a term with a scientific sound used to refer to a specific form of clairvoyance or extrasensory perception (ESP). According to Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience, remote viewing is defined as “the clairvoyant observation of remote or concealed objects with the inner eye, or through alleged out-of-body experiences.” For instance, if an object is locked in a container in another room, a remote viewer can supposedly describe the object’s appearance, texture, smell, etc., without needing to be physically present in the room or open the container. In spiritualist literature, terms like telesthesia or traveling clairvoyance are used to explain remote viewing.

The term “remote viewing” was introduced by Stanford physicists and parapsychology researchers Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff during their research in the 1970s. Puthoff was a practicing Scientologist before and during this research. Subsequent scientists found enough flaws in their work to relegate the concept of remote viewing to the realm of pseudoscience.

Various governments worldwide have conducted experiments on paranormal phenomena, including remote viewing. The idea of using a remote viewer to gather intelligence on another country’s secrets was appealing. The U.S. government’s exploration of remote viewing was known as the Stargate Project, which received funding from 1975 to 1995. The project was eventually terminated as it did not yield any valuable information or military applications.

There are numerous advocates and practitioners of remote viewing and other paranormal practices. While the supporting “evidence” is usually anecdotal, belief in RV continues to endure. The ties of remote viewing to spiritualist groups, Eastern mysticism, and other non-Christian belief systems are fundamental and enlightening.

At the core of these philosophies lies the belief that humans are gods in an incompletely evolved state and possess untapped powers.What needs to be tapped to solve the world’s problems. Remote viewing is seen as one of many potential abilities of the human mind. In these philosophies, there is no God, no fall, no need for a Savior, no evil or sin. Man is his own savior.

Deuteronomy 18:9–12 states, “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you . . . who practices divinations or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices, the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.”

To say that this passage is a strong warning against involvement in any occult practice is an understatement. God is serious about whom and what we put our faith in. But the warning is also a recognition that there is more to this world than we experience with our five senses. But the only true source of power is God—not ourselves, not Satan, not occult practices. Jesus worked miracles in His ministry, including what some might call remote viewing (John 1:47-49). But was Jesus’ knowledge of Nathaniel a sign of Jesus’ great mind power? No. It was a demonstration of His divine nature, as Nathaniel himself readily recognized, saying, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel” (verse 49).

Paranormal activities like ESP, clairvoyance, remote viewing, etc., are a counterfeit of God’s work, empowered by the enemy of our souls in an attempt to deceive. First John 4:1 gives this timely advice: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”