Skeptics make charitable offer

- 1 May 1988

— times, Aug 30 1987

The New Zealand Skeptics are offering $10,000 for a paranormal person.

The group, which is skeptical of any claim that cannot be scientifically proven, is holding its second annual conference in Wellington this weekend.

Chairman Denis Dutton said yesterday that the last time his group raised the challenge it offered a reward. But the group had been told that paranormal people did not perform for money. This time the $10,000 would go to a charity of the successful paranormal’s choice.

The Skeptics were particularly keen to attract self-proclaimed practitioners of telepathy, clairvoyancy, telekinesis, mediumship, psychic surgery and levitation, he said.

The Skeptics would apply a series of tests to the paranormal’s performance based on degree of difficulty.

If the person was demonstrating something that a normal person would have, say, a 10 per cent chance of success, those claiming to be paranormal would only have to obtain 15 per cent success to be believed, Dr Dutton said.

His offer was entirely serious and he would be absolutely delighted to find somebody who could demonstrate genuine paranormal powers, he said.

Skeptic Keith Lockett, one of 10 speakers at the conference, gave what he said were tricks faith healers used in the name of God, making massive profits in the process.

He spoke yesterday about faith healing American-style.

Such “healers” had enormous budgets and made no attempt to disguise their wealth, Mr Lockett said.

Rather, they worked on the theory that flashy cars and big dollars showed that God approved of their work and efficiency.

With a staff often numbering more than 100 they would plan a healing session by approaching every minister in the area, depositing flashy prayer cards and posters, and using sophisticated computer mailing techniques to write letters to every known Christian using people’s first names several times in such letters.

At the meeting many believers would arrive early, particularly the sick, and would be given prayer cards to fill out so they could be prayed for every day for a month.

The cards were quickly collected and telephone books used to find addresses of the sick by the slick team of evangelist staff.

Things would begin to liven up with crooning, hired choirs, and spiritual chants to set the mood, whipping up crowd excitement while behind the scenes work was shaping up.

The evangelist himself would appear, cleanly suited, stern but modest, and backed by staff planted in the audience, lip reading abilities, names and addresses of the sick, perhaps sophisticated radio systems tuned in to his earplug, and a good medical knowledge.

Whatever the technique, it was designed to con the audience, Mr Lockett said.

And away things went. The evangelist could feel a George present … yes, George the voice would boom louder and louder. George would start to come forward and the curer would start to see a picture of George’s troubled kidney.

George, some numbers are coming to me, the healer would say. Here comes a six, oh, and I can see a two. Gosh, George’s street number is 62.

Had George ever spoken to the healer before? No. How amazing, extraordinary, the healer is being told by God.

And on to the healing, Mr Lockett said.

Those “healed” would find a way to interpret an unsuccessful cure so as not to discredit the healer, or he would be cured for five minutes perhaps and could come back next time to try again. Those who said they were still sick obviously did not believe.

Mr Lockett said some American Skeptics could not work out how one healer was making contact with his audience staff, till they realised he was wearing a hearing aid.

The Skeptics went to the healer’s next session with sophisticated radio equipment. They tuned in to hear the evangelist’s wife saying: “Hello, Pete, I love you. Can you hear me? If you can’t we’re in trouble.”

Mr Lockett assured those at yesterday’s conference that all his tales and quotes were for real.

He is a Christian and teaches physics at New Plymouth Girls High School.

He said healers sometimes set amounts they wanted from donations and would tell those who questioned the figure, such as $100, that if they did not pay they were sinning.

Mr Lockett said the tales and techniques used by American faith healers were endless but it was a con trick and was creeping into New Zealand.

New Zealand has had several faith healers arriving from overseas in recent years. Last year Canadian evangelist Leighton Ford drew large audiences, such as 5000 people in Wellington.

He proposed that the Skeptics write to Justice Minister Geoffrey Palmer seeking legislation to make it illegal to practise any form of medicine without some form of qualification.

The Skeptics at the conference seemed skeptical yesterday about such legislation and the chances of its success, generally agreeing with Dr Dutton that there were already laws in place protecting consumers.

The problem, according to Dr Dutton, was that religion was being increasingly used as a front for conmen’s activities.

Faith healers would claim that they were practising religion rather than medicine, and such claims often successfully avoided the law.

An example was a recent change to New Zealand legislation that now said it was illegal to offer psychic advice with the intent to deceive.

The “intent to deceive” had been included in the legislation and meant con people could successfully argue in court that their rationale was based on religion, Dr Dutton said.