In Derren Brown's Messiah, Brown poses as a man with supernatural powers to psychics, a Christian, Atheists, a New Age author, an author on alien abduction, and someone who claims to be able to talk to the dead. He attempts to prove that experts in their fields do not vet the information they give to people. Only one expert, a Christian evangelist, refused to endorse him, because he wanted a second meeting.
Whether we believe in psychic ability, crystal energy, alien abduction, talking to the dead, or Christianity, we are rightly or wrongly buying into a very powerful belief system. Now I am not interested in attack anyone's belief, but I think as intelligent human beings we should be prepared to question our beliefs and the people who encourage us to make our life decisions based on the information they give us. That's what this show is about...You're sharp enough to question what I do, because you know I deal in illusion. It's all about questioning. But there are beliefs we are not encouraged to question and these are often the beliefs upon which we are asked to make important life decisions. These are the areas where we should test and look for misinformation and where the big names in those fields should apply the same rigor, because often we are making those life decisions based on the information we get from those people. - Mentalist Derren Brown - Messiah
People's beliefs are not the issue, it is the way we relate to those beliefs and certainly the people out there who have those beliefs, the people who are getting their information, and forming those beliefs and living those lives; they're not the people "to have a go at them" or to laugh at. The people who are putting the beliefs out there, the industry behind them as it were. [We're] just taking a look at them. ~ Mentalist Derren Brown - Messiah
