From the newspapers

- 1 August 1987

Paranormal power

SIR, M L Lester (Post, Sept 26) says “The New Zealand Skeptics Society has repeatedly claimed that there is a widespread (nationwide) problem here in New Zealand with fake psychics, mediums, charlatans, magicians and so on”.

In an earlier letter (Post, Sept 16) M L Lester said “I would ask the Skeptics to quote specific examples, otherwise they should stop all this ballyhoo and stirring.” I think the debate (if that’s the word) would be assisted if M L Lester himself was specific in his charges against the New Zealand Skeptics. I have never heard any of their spokesmen complain about magicians. On the contrary magicians have often been the allies of sceptics.

The rest of M L Lester’s remark sounds like an exaggeration to me and I would like to see his evidence for it.

Of course whether something is a problem or not is more a value-judgment than a matter of empirical fact. The exploitation of people’s gullibility is wrong in my view. The questioning of those who claim paranormal powers is a welcome counterbalance to the uncritical.

SIR, As a Christian and for the good and prosperity of the country of New Zealand I appeal to the authorities to cease the shipping of live sheep to Iran for sacrificial purposes. God has blessed our land with an abundance of meat and produce, so let not that which He has blessed us with be used as sacrifices to the God of Iran. The sacrifices under the Levitical law are done away with in Jesus Christ and the New Testament. Anyone under the law (the Old Testament) are still under God’s curse, because it was not possible for sinful man to fulfil the whole law. Jesus our Passover (the lamb of God) bas been sacrificed for us, therefore we keep the feast (Communion Table). We are not under God’s law but under God’s grace (1 Cor 5 v 7, Romans 6 v 14).

D Friend

Skeptics

SIR, I write in the hope of reassuring Joho Milne (Post, Oct 2) and Martin Lester (Post, Oct 10) about. the aims of the Skeptics. We are not out to “make fun of peoples’ beliefs.” Rather, we want more information to be available the general public. We want to see claims of psychic ability properly and seriously tested. If such claims stand up to testing, then people’s faith in them. will be increased not decreased. We are happy to encourage people to enjoy their ideas, even where these may seem fanciful to others,

Some groups can be expected to oppose our activities. These include “scientific” creationists who would like to misuse science to get their particular religion introduced as science into secondary schools, Iridologists would rather we did not publicise the failure of iridology in carefully conducted tests in West Germany. Water diviners woud rather we did not advertise their failures in Australian tests (I personally was surprised they didn’t do better than chance). People who falsely make claims of psychic powers, to make money from the bereaved or others in crisis, might also resent being asked to show they can actually do what they claim.

We are sceptical also about our own activities

and scientific abilities and we welcome constructive criticism. We are not “witch hunters.” We work with ideas and words not flame. In fact it was the sceptics who saved the witches. The “true believers” wanted to burn them,

Perhaps our views could be summarised by saying that we want to be tolerant of faith and intolerant of nonsense and we welcome discussion on what the difference is.

Gordon Hewitt, chairperson, Wellington Skeptics.

Entitled to their faith

SIR. I would like to offer my full support to Joha Milne in his battle with the Skeptics (Post, Oct 2), and would hope that many more New Zealanders will rally to John’s support. It is not difficult to see what this group is really all about.

A short time ago, a friend of mine dared criticise the New Zealand Skeptics Society, and was asked to declare what he considered their real motives were. My friend said he believed they were out to publicly ridicule and make fun of people’s beliefs, and this I think sums up their activities.

Ordinary people in this country who like to go to church on Sunday, or pray now and again in times of bereavement or other crisis, or just those who prefer to live their lives with a little hope and faith, should be very wary and mindful of sceptics who cannot see past their test-tubes and white-walled laboratories.

Martin Lester

The Paranormal

Sir, — I too was interested in Dr Marks’ Skeptic’s Society, and wonder how much research was done, and over what period of time. “I have been associated with the Spiritualist Church (emphasis on church) for more than 30 years, and have seen many mediums at work within the church. Genuine mediums do not “perform” for money ever, or come forward for a cash offer. To do so means the loss of their developed power. Hence, “showbiz” people usually resort to fakery.

I wonder if Dr Marks knows of the Highland folk in Scotland who have “the gift of the second sight”? Hopefully one day he may have a meaningful spiritual experience that will make him a fuller, richer (spiritually) person. The world is full of surprises.

[Dr Marks is now living in England, The chairman, New Zealand Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Dr D. Dutton, replies: “Research into spirit mediums goes back more than a century. In 100 years, mediumship has increasingly shown itself to be a depressing morass of fakery and self-delusion. It is not something which we view as inspiring to spiritual persons eager to know the truth. Nevertheless, hope is eternal, which is why we have assembled an enormous cash offer for anyone who can demonstrate clairvoyant abilities. Nothing crass in this: by all means, the money can go to the clairvoyant’s favourite charity or church. If there are any sincere, legitimate spirit mediums in New Zealand, surely they could overcome their shyness long enough to benefit a worthy charity. Why not? Why has not a single spirit medium in this country come forward to be tested?” - Ed.]

Granny MacSpook

Strange World

We have been bombarded with media reports on the activities of a group calling itself NZ Sceptics Society. The Sunday Times published a feature on them earlier this year. The group has issued bent spoon awards to journalists and 13 offering large sums of money to show that psychicism and like is a load of bunkum. The group is aligned with similar groups overseas, notably the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal headed by Michigan sociologist Paul Kurtz which has already used the tar-brush attack on astrology and parapsychology.

I suppose one should admire these sceptics’ determination to expose frauds and fakes but I find their obsession to discredit anything remotely paranormal bordering on paranoiac.

It would be a dreary old world if we didn’t have some of “the strange, the bizarre and the unexpected” as Robert L Ripley so aptly puts it. The NZ Sceptics Society consists mainly of university lecturers and other intellectual types, who seem determined to admonish anyone who has belief in anything, which cannot be scientifically proven. They should give people credit lor some intelligence and approach the paranormal with less fear and more of an open mind.

There have already been discoveries and happenings which science can’t explain, and no doubt there will be more. Regardless of what the Sceptics may think this is a strange world we live in.

Martin Lester

Proving scepticism

I think Duncan Hall’s riders to the aims of the New Zealand Sceptics’ Society (ST 31/8) would be more acceptable, were it not for the contrary (and sometimes misleading) statements issued by the group. For example Det David Marks recently claimed that the majority of New Zealanders are gullible on paranormal matters and are being ripped off in great numbers by magicians, charlatans, mediums, psychics and so on.

Dr Dutton, the new chairperson-secretary of the group, has made public statements claiming that the country is literally swarming with these “undesirables”. I have found little evidence to support either of these claims, and incidentally, neither Marks nor Dutton are New Zealanders.

Perhaps the sceptics would gain greater public support if they informed us of “proven” instances where fraud and deception is taking place, and allowed for the lwa to take its proper course and prosecute in these areas.

Martin Lester

Space Spirit

Credo, August 10, featured an interview with a medium who claimed to have a ‘space control”. Spiritualism is not as far as one knows less likely to be true than any other religion, but it differs from most in making testable claims. It is a great pity that the interviewer made no effort to exploit this.

The major claim of the medium was that his control, a being from another universe, had special knowledge not possessed by the medium. This claim should have been tested. Why were some questions not asked in Russian and Chinese? An intelligent being from another universe would presumably learn not only English but all other major languages.

The truly universal language, however, is mathematics. Both interviewer and “‘space control” had the mistaken belief that although space control’s universe had five dimensions, this one only has three. In fact a universe with only three dimensions would be so far different from ours as to be beyond most people’s comprehension. (A K Dewdney had published a fictional description of such a universe, but he has exceptional imagination.) A number of scientists have suggested that our universe has more than five mn sions and an intelligent being from another universe would obviously be able to make a useful contribution to this debate.

I suggest this as a general rule: if we find an entity ignorant of mathematics, we can safely conclude that we have been visited by an intergalactic moron and any apparently profound statements may be safely ignored.

Jim Ring (Nelson)

Wooden spoons

The NZ Woman’s Weekly was recently awarded a bent spoon by a rather nefarious group of academics called the NZ Sceptics. May I suggest the Weekly return the compliment, by awarding a wooden spoon to this group, for the year’s best example of an insult to people’s intelligence.

R.D., Wellington

Sir, — It is disappointing to hear from Miss S. Stevens (September 3) that “spiritually advanced” persons who believe they have psychic abilities are uninterested in the enormous cash offers available for anyone who can demonstrate such powers, Strange indeed that psychic powers can easily be summoned for a client to part with $25 or $50 for a “psychic reading” yet evaporate as soon as our committee offers $160,000 for a successful demonstration under controlled conditions. It is very much in the interests of the Skeptics to prove that someone has psychic or paranormal powers — & momentous scientific discovery, worth every penny of the cash award. The money can go to the psychic’s or Clairvoyant’s favourite charity or church; what could be more attractive to a “spiritually advanced” person? Since making our offer, only one self-proclaimed psychic, Colin Amery, bas come forward to be tested. No clairvoyant or spirit medium in New Zealand has volunteered.

Dr DENIS DUTTON,

Chairman,

New Zealand Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, Inc.

September 3, 1986,

Sir—Miss S. Stevens (September 3) promotes a totally unacceptable argument in favour of the unqualified acceptance of spoon-benders and other quacks. Thank goodness for the N.Z. Skeptics and the work they are doing In exposing the facts about psychic practitioners. Of course, the classic defence of psychic cultists is that they and their adherents are the only ones qualified to judge — a sort of incestuous self-appraisal. Unfortunately, these people are so blind to reason that even when exposed they cling to their beliefs, They can have their intellectual self-deception. All power to B. H. Howard and the N.Z. Skeptics. When can I join?—

Yours, etc.,

JOHN WELCH,

Picton,

September 3, 1986.