EDITORIAL

(Investigator 160, 2015 Janaury)

Investigator is starting 2015 with many interesting articles:

Harry Edwards introduces us to Cayce Therapies and finishes his article with a quote that sums up Cayce Therapies as "hogwash".

Kevin Rogers writes on Mind and Brain and finds that people do have free choice, moral accountability, the ability to think real thoughts, and are conscious of their personal identity.

Dr Potter on Manufacturing Mythology takes a sweeping look at  "mythology" — our ancient ancestors, the Old Testament, worship of celestial bodies, Jesus, the New Testament and the Church.

Anonymous in Bhutan, Happiness and the Bible outlines Bhutan’s agenda of Gross National Happiness and compares it with the Bible and the psychology of happiness.

Laurie Eddie presents the identifying signs of The Sociopathic Personality and explains how to cope if you live with a sociopath.

B Stett writes on Armageddon Rapidly Approaching and suggests  that Armageddon did not "rapidly approach" after all.

Kirk Straughen replies to Anon  on whether God could be omniscient. And Dr Bergman writing on Creation says "Faith must be based on accurate knowledge."

Do you want to make it rain and fill the reservoirs with water or perhaps even create a tsunami? Frank Russo explains how. His Rainmaking Process Proposal has gone for evaluation to the CSIRO. The Investigator version is slightly condensed.  

Several further articles not published are scheduled for #161.

Twenty years of investigation are behind us and 1500 articles on religion, the supernatural and the paranormal have been published. See for yourself by examining the Index starting page 43.

This is Investigator Number 120 – welcome to it.

Harry Edwards examines Spirits – particularly manifestations produced by Spiritualists – and concludes, "The evidence [is] tenuous indeed and a travesty of serious research."

From Laurie Eddie we have a tract produced by Australian skeptics explaining how clairvoyant readings come up with seemingly insightful information. Read it and be fooled no longer.

John H Williams criticises predictions based on millennial dates such as 1000, 2000 and 6000.

Anonymous answers Bible critics who claim that the Old Testament does not predict a resurrection on the third day and that the New Testament is wrong in stating it does.

Kirk Straughen shows that the "Golden Rule" occurs in many religions, not just in Christianity.

One well-wisher has expressed hope that Investigator will go on to reach 200 editions. While success can’t be promised, we can nevertheless go for it.

Welcome to another fact-filled edition of Investigator, investigating religion, the supernatural and the paranormal.

From Harry Edwards we have Seances. Edwards says, "rational and acceptable explanations have been given for the supernatural claims made."

Bob Potter writes on Zionism and the Holocaust and explains how, "the major objective of the world Zionist movement was not in conflict with Hitler’s racist policies."

Laurie Eddie in Changing Thinking Patterns explains how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can change distorted or unwanted thought patterns.

B Stett in Conservapedia examines a Christian-based Internet encyclopedia created to rival Wikipedia.

Anonymous, in Holy or Horrible?, discusses the current "avalanche of books" authored by prominent atheists criticising faith, religion and the Bible.

Kirk Straughen in The Abolition of Sati in India examines the factors responsible for the abandonment of the practice.

Investigator Magazine gives believers in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal fair opportunity to debate their critics and settle their disagreements.

In our 110 editions many topics have been debated and settled, sometimes with certainty and sometimes only probably.

This time we have the following:

Laurie Eddie is an Adelaide psychologist, recently retired, whose patients included gamblers. Mr Eddie contributed a pamphlet from his clinic about problem gambling.

Harry Edwards writes on Extraterrestrial Intelligence. The article is from his book published some time ago and therefore lacks information on recent developments. Nevertheless his conclusion on whether ET will show up – "I for one will not be holding my breath" – remains valid.

B Stett discusses Indoctrination in Jehovah's Witnesses and focuses on the importance of information-control and of repetition.

John H Williams, a highschool teacher in South Australia and a university graduate in geology, discusses "catastrophism" in geology. He rejects the notion that catastrophism implies geology is moving toward creationism.

Anonymous in Genesis and Human Origins replies to Kirk Straughen and claims Genesis has one creation story not two. In another article he assures us that "The Devil" is nasty and therefore "Justly Maligned".

University zoology includes discussion of what some now called "irreducible complexity" and whether this implies bigger evolutionary jumps than mutation and natural selection could explain.

Such discussion is part of science. However, if what's unknown is attributed to a supernatural agency then we have not science but religious belief.

John H Williams (p. 48) provides a short piece about the current creation/evolution trial in Kansas. And Anonymous (p. 36)  distinguishes creationism from intelligent-design and explains what's wrong with the former.

Harry Edwards discusses Near Death Experiences. He rejects the idea that the experience occurs when a mechanism that releases the soul at death is prematurely triggered.

John H Williams in Providentially argues that good outcomes during life do not prove that God gave a helping hand but are "providential". (p. 10)

B Stett in Bible Movies discusses the Hays Code that guided movie makers, and provides a list of movies about Bible characters and early Christianity.

Kirk Straughen continues the disagreement about "The Problem of Evil". (p. 34)

Investigator 107 has lots of material that not everyone will fully agree with. However, that's normal and unavoidable – because Investigator seeks to find out who's correct and who's wrong when people disagree in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal.

In this edition:

Harry Edwards discusses Hypnosis. He says: "There appears to be little consensus in law for the validity of hypnosis."

Dr Bob Potter in Demonology In The Modern World explains why people working to assist others with mental problems need to be aware of the patients'/clients' beliefs including beliefs in demons and witchcraft.

The central claim of Islam is, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is his prophet." The Book of Mormon in contrast foretells a "choice" prophet and translator named "Joseph". The Bahais, however, believe that their founder, Baha'ullah, is the return of Christ – which Mormons, Muslims and Christians disagree with. And the Bible has Jesus saying, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me."
Can such rival claims be investigated scientifically? Anonymous explains how. (Page 26)

John H Williams and Kirk Straughen respond to Ken DeMyer's (#106) argument for a young Universe. They argue that science is correct, and the Earth and Universe really are billions of years old and not 6,000 years.

B Stett says that Gamblers Mostly Lose, and explains why this is so.

Once again Investigator has lots of interesting and controversial material from some of your favourite writers. There's much to enjoy, therefore settle down and begin.

In this edition:

Harry Edwards sums up the life of Madame Blavatsky founder of the Theosophical Society. We find out she's: "one of the most accomplished imposters of history."

Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Every tenth anniversary after World War II there's renewed debate in the media about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. An Investigator article on this topic appeared ten years ago and is now  revised.

Demons. My TV Guide, describing Erotic Ghost Story (1990) which showed on April 23, says, "A demon, disguised as a poor scholar, seduces three beautiful wolves." I'm quoting correctly, but wondering whether the TV Guide got it wrong. Investigator's debate about demons is now  fading – see p. 5 – but Edwards introduces a new variant by claiming "The Devil" has been misrepresented (p. 44).

Astrology. Kirk Straughen presents The Origin of Astrology and explains why: "The predictive powers of astrology are illusionary."

Goliath. Anonymous discusses various Bible giants particularly the Goliath versus David episode. He argues, not surprisingly, that the Bible again is accurate.

Starting with the next edition Investigator subscriptions will be $20 within Australia; for overseas it will be $25 or US$20. If anyone wants to renew at the previous price, it will be accepted.
 

Welcome to Investigator Number104.

This edition includes a test of your alertness and insight. Under one subheading is some false information which does not belong there because it was deliberately fabricated. See whether you can spot it. If you do, send a letter for publication and inform other readers.

Also in this edition:

Harry Edwards contributes information about Rosemary Brown, an English psychic who claimed she produces music with help from the spirits of dead composers. Edwards concludes the works came from Brown's subconscious without supernatural help.

The Turk by B Stett gives the history and inner workings of a chess-playing "automaton" that amazed audiences in Europe and North America for almost 60 years.

Kirk Straughen of Queensland presents a Dialogue in which he answers some of the arguments used by believers in religion.

Anonymous, of South Australia, in More On Demons continues the Demon debate. In a separate article, he explains why an omnipotent God can't prevent "evil" such as the December 26 tsunami.

We also have short articles by David Nicholls and Bob Potter.

800 articles and letters from Investigator – about religion, the supernatural, the paranormal and the skeptics – are now on the Internet.

The 800 articles coincide with many of the beliefs people argue and even fight over and which motivate many of our decisions and much of our behaviour. Potentially, people can make better decisions by finding out who wins when skeptics and believers give their evidence and argue out their discrepant views. This is Investigator's Rational – see page 30.

We also, in Number 100, have an Index of everything since the first edition in July 1988.

This has left space for only a few short articles. Contributors include Harry Edwards on Fairies, Anonymous on Birth the Bible Way, and Jerry Bergman on JW Books in Academic Libraries. K Straughen and D Nicholls continue with the Transmission of Scripture debate, and L Eddie authorized reprinting of a skeptics tract about Scientific Method.

A history of Investigator published in #50 concluded, "Now that fifty editions have been published, dare we hope for 100?" The "hope" evidently was justified. The aim now is to keep going while it's possible.

The 800 articles can be accessed at:  www.adam.com.au/bstett/

The Investigator websites now have over 600 articles on religion, the supernatural and the paranormal.

Occasionally requests are received to publish Investigator articles on other websites or even in books. Such requests are not decided by the editor but are passed on to the authors of the articles concerned.

In the current edition:

Harry Edwards explains "Automatic Writing". This occurs when the hand producing the writing or painting "is not consciously directed by that person's mind." (p. 8)

Tomas Hu Douts seeks reasons for Islamic "Fanaticism & Violence". He adds that, "the vast majority of Muslims do not appear to be bloodthirsty fanatics hungering for the destruction of the West."

Laurie Eddie investigates the sources of the Atlantis legend. Another writer wrote about Atlantis last year, but Mr Eddie's effort supplies additional details.

B Stett shows that if you gamble you "Risk Being A Loser" and the odds of you being a loser are in your favor. (p. 33)

Jerry Bergman provides a summary of the life and beliefs of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun - who apparently believed the Bible!

There have been further literary contributions to the 1 1/2-year long creation/evolution debate. However, that debate finished in #95. I remind writers of the requirement expressed in the Editorial of #94:

Welcome to Investigator No. 95.

The 1 ½-year debate about evolution and creation draws to a close in this edition. The final comments appear in the Letters section.

Also in this edition:

Harry Edwards in Psychic Detectives discusses psychics who claim to have helped the police to solve crimes. He finds their claims to be exaggerated and in reality they, "cost the taxpayer money by diverting police attention from the facts of the case thus wasting valuable investigation time."

B Stett discusses the House of Princes. This house was prepared in 1929 for the ancient Bible heroes like Abraham, Daniel and Samson. These ancients were supposed to return from the dead in the 1930s, rule the world, and put an end to sickness, poverty, suffering and death.

Frank Russo queries how Joseph Smith – the founder of the Mormons – lifted and transported the "golden plates" that became the Book of Mormon. Gold is quite dense and if the plates were one cubic foot they would have weighed half a ton!

Bob Potter in Darwin's Black Box criticises some points in Michael Behe's new book by that name. Behe is a big name in creationism.

Jerry Bergman in The Great Galileo Myth untangles the roles of the Catholic Church and of the academic community in the rejection of Galileo's discovery that the planets revolve round the Sun.

Anonymous presents more evidence the Bible is correct and only seems wrong when: (1) It's misunderstood; (2) Science hasn't caught up to it.

Welcome to the November 2003 edition of Investigator Magazine.

Harry Edwards examines palmistry. He concludes, "Scientific tests show conclusively that there is no correlation between the lines on one's hands and future or past events."

Laurie Eddie has supplied another skeptics tract, wherein he examines the claims of Erich von Daniken about alien visits to Earth. Mr Eddie finds that von Daniken's claims are "complete and utter rubbish."

John H Williams replies to J Bergman's recent piece on evolution and says it wasn't specific enough.

Dean Dowling replies to "Isaiah's Virgin". He wonders whether present Jews believe their yet to arrive Messiah will arrive by a virgin birth.

B Stett investigates a topic that many still wonder about, i.e. Santa Claus, and attempts to arrive at "the truth".

Kirk Straughen in Perspectives on Atheism and Religion explains that his conclusions are the result of study and thought – not indoctrination.

Anonymous presents Terrorism and the Bible. He summarises recent current events and argues the Bible is against terrorism.

Some long-running debates are also still spluttering on – Adam and Neanderthals, Bible ethics, and Holman versus Atheist et al.

Investigator's editor, although preferring a limit of two or three rounds, has never halted a debate. The writers themselves – whether supporting or criticising religion or the paranormal – have always made their own decision to stop. This practice, it's hoped, has given a fair balance of the evidence and counter evidence available.

In this edition:

We have two items from Harry Edwards – Graphology and Eyeless Vision. The latter, says Mr Edwards, is fraud and the former works, if at all, when the subject supplies a photo and "biographical content" in addition to the handwriting sample.

Jerry Bergman explains his conversion from Atheism to Theism. He emphasizes the inability of evolutionists to demonstrate vestigial organs.

Tomas Hu-Douts criticises Christian and Islamic fundamentalism and proposes that, "The Old Testament was a mine of harsh texts."

Anonymous analyses a text The Skeptic magazine called "the most horrifying of all". He argues it was benign compared to what ordinarily went on and that it actually afforded protection to women.

Laurie Eddie discusses Feng Shui and, after some consideration, calls it Feng Phooey.

B Stett presents the JW claim that their doctrines are influenced by dead JWs in heaven. He compares this to New Age "channeling".

We also have further disagreement on several other topics.

If all this disagreement is stressful to you, read J Holman's Hints to Make Your Life Less Stressful.
 

Investigator Magazine investigates. Therefore it's for people who don't have all the answers but are still learning. It's of less interest if you already know everything.

What we investigate are topics in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal (including medical claims that apparently flout science).

In this edition:

Stigmata is a chapter from Harry Edwards' book A Skeptics Guide to the New Age. Edwards explains most occurrences of stigmata as physical effects of  "religious ecstatic states".

Dr Sydney Bockner of Adelaide discusses The Rise and Fall of Psychotherapy. Despite listing five main criticisms he says, "Freud's work cannot be dismissed as of no significance."

From Kirk Straughen we have Part 2 of Is Creationism The Answer? His conclusion, which I quote here at the risk of spoiling your suspense, is "Creationism is not the answer."

Anonymous replies to Kirk Straughen on Adam and Eve and gives six reasons which together, he says, constitute, "evidence for divine origins of humans." He also continues what began as a debate about prayer but which became a discussion of why there is evil if God is good.

B Stett (1) Summarises a TV report on Homeopathy [often spelt Homoeopathy]; (2) Discusses weeping statues; and (3) Explains why JWs decline public debates.

Investigator is for people who are skeptical or believers or neutral in topics in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal AND who are gutsy enough to face contrary evidence.

In this edition:

Sai Baba is an Indian psychic whose followers make remarkable claims about him. Harry Edwards lists some of the alleged miracles of Sai Baba and says they are, "simple magic tricks performed by magicians world-wide."

Dr Sydney Bockner of Adelaide, in You can't change your sex, explains why "sex change is impossible."

Bob Potter says Laurie Eddie's article (#87), on The Real Story of Christmas, "magnificently covered much ground". Now in #88 Dr Potter covers additional ground.

"Anonymous" in Skymap and the Christmas Star uses computer technology to support his Christmas Star thesis described in Investigator 81. He also challenges Laurie Eddie's (#87) interpretation of similarities between the Gospels and other religions.

In December, 2002, Bigfoot was declared "Dead". To commemorate this, an article is reprinted from Investigator #8 wherein it was argued that Bigfoot is "nonsense".  (pp. 37-39)

Kirk Straughen asks Is Creationism the Answer? He gives reasons for concluding it's not. In particular Creationism is based on faith whereas, "science is based on the testimony of nature which is accessible to all people and therefore its theories are capable of being tested."

If, occasionally, an Investigator article makes you angry because you disagree with it read The Asininity of Anger by Joseph Holman.