Ted Owens..?

Question

Ted Owen claimed to be the world's most gifted psychic. He could control the weather and create lightning on demand. He predicted strange phenomena, but said he had caused them to happen after having conversations with 'Space Intelligences'.
Community of parapsychologists was reluctant to work with him. Why? Didn't they take him seriously? Was it because he could be vicious? Or did they think that the world was not ready for Owens' kind of supernatural talents?

Answer 1

The community of parapsychologist like any other community of scientist do not speak with one voice nor hold a standard set of beliefs about what to study or how to study it. I have included a link for you below to the Parapsychological Association so you may familiarize yourself with the various types of research in the field.

In fact Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD. wrote an entire book called
"The PK Man: A True Story of Mind Over Matter" about Ted Owens.

Other more experimentally minded parapsychologist would have wanted him to take PK test (like the PEAR lab) or ESP tests and other tests with easily controllable variables. The weather and lightning are not easily controlled variables.
How one would experimentally confirm he was having telepathic communication with aliens is perhaps a problem for which they could not formulate a testable hypothesis.
How would you suggest this be tested?

Answer 2

I am not familiar with this particular nut, but I think I can hypothesize with why investigators didn't want to work with him. They probably didn't believe him, because they knew it was impossible for him to have such powers. Another reason they might have avoided him is a reluctance to declare anything paranormal for fear of the damage caused by a subsequent debunking.

Answer 3

Ted Owens, like all "psychics" was a self deluded phony. He was never tested in rigorous conditions, and many of his "achievements" were self-reported and never verified.

Answer 4

They knew he was a phony.