UCL change tack: Colquhoun is back

David Colquhoun is a man well known in UK sceptic circles. By day, he’s a professor of pharmacology at University College of London (UCL), a well respected UK university, and by night he runs an excellent web site, primarily known for its informed and entertaining articles on medical quackery.

DC’s Improbable Science Page

As a layman, we can find it difficult to separate truth from pseudo-science. I have a decent background in electronics, hence my ease at taking-apart audiophile claims, but when it comes to medicine it becomes very difficult. This is where David’s site, among others comes in to play.

For a long time, UCL allowed him to host the site on their servers. This came to an end after UCL’s provost received a complaint from regarding his criticism of a herbal product, also some copyright concerns were raised. Now, the complainant could have simply contacted David directly, providing evidence for their claims and asking him to remove offending content. That would be the reasonable and scientific approach but they decided to appeal to a higher authority.

Thankfully this attracted a lot of interest, from Ben Goldacre among others. The story has a happy ending. UCL have agreed that his site will be restored to its former home.

It’s unfortunate that a public service such as his was threatened in this way but it’s a disturbing trend. I won’t debate the merits of the copyright claims but legal action is having a nasty effect on the sceptical community. A sceptical writer could publish an article about a loony medical treatment. The makers of the treatment then threaten legal action, perhaps beginning with a solicitor’s letter.

It’s a fact of life that people will buy shit, no matter how stupid the idea is. The popularity of homeopathy, psychics and mediums is proof of this. Any one of us can come up with bogus claims and make money from them. If you’re not feeling very creative, just complete a weekend course in reflexology or aromatherapy and wait for the money to roll in. You’ll even get a pretty certificate to stick on your wall. It really is that easy as long as you’re deluded or smart, devious and willing to make money from the delusions of others.

Even if the case would be thrown out of court, there’s still the expense of engaging a solicitor to handle the case. There’s the time needed if it actually goes to court. It’s fortunate in this case that the community rallied together in support. The ultimate end result is that David’s site has been getting mentions in the press.

Coverage of the story:

DC’s site

Moved to tears by the beauty of blogs

UCL makes good!

Science Bloggers Unite: An Open Letter to the Provost of UCL

The Guardian: A quackbuster gets busted in the chops for (properly) writing “gobbledygook”

The War Against Gobbledygook

Sylvia Browne: I can’t read Germans

Robert Lancaster has an article that dissembles Sylvia Browne’s 1989 appearance on a TV show called “Exploring Psychic Powers Live!”.

Sylvia Browne on Exploring Psychic Powers Live!

This is an appearance in which she failed miserably and afterwards claimed that she was set-up because, in her words “…they were all German, and they couldn’t understand one word I said. And that was a setup, as you well know.”

Robert has posted a link to the video of this appearance and it’s pretty clear that the audience were not German. According to James Randi who was there at the time, there was one German who was also fluent in English.

The terms of the test being conducted on the show meant that Sylvia couldn’t solicit information from the audience, they could respond simply with yes or no. Of course, this condition makes it very difficult for a cold-reader to do much but it shouldn’t be a problem for a genuine psychic.

I’m going to look at the transcript from the site and examine what happened. The transcript is taken from Robert’s article and includes his annotations.

Sylvia introduces herself by saying “What I’m going to do tonight is I’m going to go through this audience, and I’m going to do readings. And the only thing that I want you to do is to validate or invalidate anything that I say. Because a lot of times things can be in the future.”

Although she reinforces the rules of the test, she immediately gives herself a get-out clause. Some of what she says may appear untrue since she could be describing a future event. Based on this disclaimer, it is almost impossible for Sylvia to fail unless we follow the lives of all the participants until death.

Here’s the first reading.

[Brown chooses a woman at the far end of the front row.]

Brown: This lady over here. You’ve never met me before, have you? [the woman shakes her head "no."] There is a young male in your life that has very, very puppy dog eyes.

[At this point, the camera mistakenly shows a long close-up of the wrong woman.]

Brown: You know what I mean? The eyes droop down at the corners… He is going to come back into your life and then leave your life and come back into your life. This looks like a direct connection to you. He’s kinda slender, he’s athletic-looking, he has sort of large bones. Ummm, and this is going to cause you a great deal of problems. Do you understand what this is about? Do you understand what I’m saying?

Woman #1: Uh-huh. Yes I do.

Brown: And what part?

Woman #1: Umm… The… person coming back and forth and cause problems.

Brown: Who is that to you?

Woman #1: [pause, shakes her head] I think it’s somebody I know, I’ve met recently.

Brown: That keeps coming back and forth. [the woman nods her head "yes."]

Note the vague nature of this boy. I think that most people would recognise the young male being described by Sylvia. The participant comments that it’s someone she met recently so it’s most likely not even a relative. Sylvia created a vague character and it’s not surprising that the woman searched her memory to find a match. By the way, the participant seems to be a native English speaker - you can watch the video yourself to confirm that.

The next attempt wasn’t quite as successful. On to the second participant.

Brown: All right, there’s somebody here too, this lady right next to you. [turns to audience behind her] I’ll get over to you in just a minute. [turns back to second woman] Uhhh, the name Bill keeps coming through so strong from you. Do you know anyone at this point by the name of Bill?

Woman #2: No, I don’t.

Brown: There’s a heavy-set, full-faced man with jowls, very, very blue eyes that really has something to do with real estate or property that’s going to help you. This is aside from the Bill, because this William is also another person.

[The woman shakes her head "no."]

Brown: And this has to do with a two-layered property. In other words, an upstairs and a downstairs.

Woman #2: No, I…

Brown: Not at this point.

Woman #2: [shakes her head "no"] Not at this point.

Brown: Okay. ‘Cause this person is going to be very significant to you by the name of William. All right? [the woman nods her head "yes.] Because a lot of times these things can be in the future.

Strike one, the woman does not know anyone called Bill. Strike two, the woman doesn’t know this other man by the name of William. Sylvia mentions a two-story property but the woman knows nothing about this. That’s surprising since a lot of people would answer yes and then volunteer information that would allow the cold-reader to make more accurate predictions. That wasn’t allowed in this case so Sylvia remains in the dark. This participant sounds very much like a native English speaker.

Sylvia finishes by invoking her deus ex machina, claiming that William could be a man in her future.

Sylvia then moves on to the German.

Brown: [turns to a man behind her] Let’s go, let’s go to you. There is a two-year, two and a half-year period in which it looks like you are going to be - I don’t want to say without a job, but there’s a flat period in which you’re not doing what you want to do. [the man is smiling] And that’s going to cause you a lot of dissension. And it’s a two-and-a-half-year period, then you’re going to get into a lot of marketing and sales work. And this marketing and sales work has to do with three other men that you’re going to be training.

Man #1: I understand you not so good, I am a German.

Brown: I don’t care whether you’re German, you still work or not work, don’t you? [the man laughs] I mean, we do that in France, or in Germany, or wherever, don’t we?

Man #1: I’m [unintelligible] speak English, and I understand your words.

Brown: Okay. Two years of no working that you like.

Man #1: Yes.

Brown: Okay. [To rest of audience] That’s my German. [laughter] Okay. [back to man] Then you’re going to be traveling and doing some telemarketing work. Marketing and sales.

Man #1: Yes.

Brown: Yes. Is that yes for me, or yes for you?

Man #1: Yes for me. [laughs]

Presumably, this conversation is the basis of Sylvia’s claim that the show was rigged and all the audience were German. Clearly that isn’t the case so far. Even if we assume that Sylvia’s spirit guide Francine doesn’t understand German, where is Sylvia getting her initial reading from? She confidently provides information but only complains after the show that there was a communication issue. Sylvia herself said “I don’t care if your German”. Note again the vague nature of the reading and the fact that it’s a future event.

Brown: Okay, let’s see, who else? [Walks up aisle. To young woman] Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. [the woman laughs] She’s sitting here saying “Please don’t let her call on me.” All right. Who is Kathy?

Woman #3: I don’t know.

Brown: This girl by the name of Kathy has dark, curly hair, and she is a friend that looks like she’s going to be in school with you. She has very, very beautiful blue eyes, and she does a lot of paperwork with you - which looks like school, ’cause everybody young is in school usually. This person is… by the name of Kathy. Also looks like you are going to get into some sort of therapy work.

Woman #3: [shakes her head "no."] I don’t know, that doesn’t sound familiar.

Brown: Do you know what you’re going to do?

Woman #3: Yes.

Brown: Okay, but it doesn’t have anything to do with therapy. [the woman shakes her head "no."] But it looks like you’re going to be dealing with people that have to do with therapy. In other words, advising people, helping people, talking to people. Okay? [the woman raises her eyebrows in a doubtful expression.] All right.

This attempt was a total wash-out, despite the woman being a native English speaker. Strike one, Kathy doesn’t exist and the woman is not getting in to some sort of therapy work. Sylvia, trying to gather information asks the strange question Do you know what you’re going to do? You really cannot come up with a more open question than this. To a question like this, the only response is 42.

Sylvia finishes by stating that this is a future event and then provides a remarkably vague definition of therapy. Based on Sylvia’s definition of therapy, a job in Internet tech support would fit the bill, as would counselling suicidal teens. Quite a broad range. On to the next customer.

Brown: Let’s see, who else? [walks to a young man] Umm, it looks like you’re going to get into show business.

Man #2: Uh, no.

Brown: No, well you don’t know that yet, you’re not psychic. [laughter] But it looks like you’re going to do something in show business that’s going to be really wonderful for you.

Just plain wrong, unless the man rather unexpectedly breaks in to show-business. This man sounds like a native English speaker.

With that, Sylvia closes by reminding us that she isn’t God. Honestly, I don’t understand how anyone could watch the movie, read the transcript and still credit Sylvia as having psychic powers.

For a fair and balanced analysis of Sylvia’s antics, please visit..

Church and state. What did the founding fathers want?

I wrote a fairly long story for you but it’s a bit to weighty for this page. If you’re interested in reading an alternative history of America, come have a look.

Church and state separation : The alternative history of America

This is a response to the Wall of Separation documentary.

Jesus - Prince of Peace

Jesus really is a great man/demi-god. It’s difficult to speak to a devout Christian without them mentioning what a great guy he is. It’s hard to understand how loving he is without hearing his words and stories of his deeds. Let’s begin.

Describing the end of the world.

“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Mark 13:40-41

Jesus responding to a plea from a Canaanite woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon.

“So Jesus answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”
Mathew 15:24

The woman persists so the saviour of mankind delivers this response.

“It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
Matthew 15:26

The prince of peace explains why he’s visiting us.

“I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”
Luke 12:49-53

Jesus provides guidance in family relations.

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:26

Jesus is hungry and looking for figs out of season

“And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
“
Mark 11:13-14

“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.”
Mark 11:20-21

Those are a few small quotes but I hope they help paint a clearer picture of Jesus. Perhaps people pray to the ‘baby Jesus’ because the adult Jesus was a bit of a jerk sometimes.

All of the above quotations are of course open to interpretation, and herein lies a serious problem with the Bible. If God inspired the Bible, by guiding the hands of the human writers then we have two possibilities. Either Jesus inherited some of his dad’s strangely human traits, irrational anger for example, or these things are all metaphors. If we accept the latter explanation, we have to wonder why an omniscient god would go to such great lengths to confuse the hell out of his followers.

Jesus was perhaps a nice man by the standards of his time but he is certainly not by our standards. Wouldn’t the son of a God set a timeless example?

Charity clothing collections. The scam continues

The problem

In Ireland the UK, criminals are printing charity collection stickers and posting them through doors. Gullible residents dutifully fill bags with old clothing and leave it outside for the criminals to collect and use for their personal gain. Charities are the victims here since they commonly rely on this method themselves in finding goods to sell in their shops. The scam is no different to stealing a charity box from the counter of your local pub.

How do you know which stickers are fake and which ones are from real charities? Here are some signs that you can look out for. Note these signs don’t guarantee the sticker is fraudulent; it may have been issued by a poorly organised charity. Either way, they don’t deserve your help.

1) Their plan is to send your old clothes abroad

Real charities rarely do this. Real charities collect clothes to sell in their charity shops. It’s rare to ship clothes abroad since it’s too expensive and in many cases, it’s impractical. Does someone in Sudan need a little strapless cocktail dress? Does it make sense to ship a Ted Baker suit to Afghanistan when you could sell it locally and use the proceeds to buy 20 more practical outfits.

2) Mobile phone number

Most of these labels contain only piece of contact information - a mobile phone number. There are two possible reasons for this. The ‘charity’ may be very small or poorly organised. If this is the case, you’re probably better-off giving your donation to a charity that will make more efficient use of your old clothes.

3) No name or address

It seems odd but most of these leaflets have no charity/company name on them. Presumably this is to make it harder for suspicious people to do a web search for them. No reputable charity is going to avoid including a name, let alone an address on their stickers.

4) Bogus ‘Reg No.’

Ireland currently does not have a charity registrar, this creates some scope for abuse. Most charities will incorporate and be given a company registration number or a CHY number if they have applied for tax-exemption. In looking at these stickers, I am yet to find a single valid number.

5) Bad English

The quality of English found in the early days of this scam was absolutely hysterical. These days, most leaflets are written in reasonably good English. Beware of poorly written leaflets. No reputable (or competent) charity will be publishing stickers and leaflets in broken English.

6) No presense on the web

Considering how easy it is to build a web site, it’s surprising when a charity doesn’t have a web site. Very few of these leaflets actually list the name of the ‘charity’ so it’s difficult to search for them. A search for a name, phone number or registration number typically finds no results.

What can I do then?

Do not, under any circumstances respond to these leaflets unless they are a well-known charity. Charities such as Trocaire will indentify themselves clearly on the bag/sticker and will provide contact details. Everytime you respond to a bogus request, you are handing money to criminals. If you really want to help a charity, locate a charity shop and ask them how you can donate to their cause?

How do I tell whether or not these are bogus?

Donncha O’Caoimh has some scanned images of these stickers and some pretty decent detective work posting in this article.

“Do not delay, how to spot a fake charity flyer

I think it’s a good idea if we have samples of these stickers so people will find them if they search in Google. Here is a list of the stickers I’ve seen circulating in Cork. Note that I am not stating that these are fraudulent, I am publishing the information and some analysis - it’s up to you to decide for yourself whether or not they are legitimate. If you have additional information regarding any of these organisations, please contact me by leaving a comment.

1 - Small red sticker with white text
Name: Second Hand Rose
Contact number(s): 0857269882/040442813 (a rare example of a land-line)
Registration number(s): IE63989735
Analysis: The land-line number is based in Wicklow There is a company in Wicklow by the name of Second Hand Rose. According to Companies Registration Office, the company registration number is 378973. Note how similar this is to the registration number provided on the sticker? This is either a scam or a badly organised charity since they say that they will ship all donated clothes overseas - see my earlier comments about the strapless cocktail dress and ask yourself whether their claim makes sense?
Sample text:
“DEAR HOUSEHOLDER
Please donate all types of wearable Ladies, Gents, Childrens [sic] clothing, blankets, shoes, etc [sic], that you no further use for.
All clothes are shipped to under-developed countries to improve their lives and welfare.”

2 - Green text on a white sticker with an image of a child playing with building blocks
Name: No name supplied
Contact number(s): +353851323551 (Irish mobile number)
Registration number(s): 84040771
Analysis: This is a fairly generic sticker. No name, poor contact details and the usual claims about sending clothes to poor people. This is a scam or a badly organised charity.
Sample text:
“UNWANTED CLOTHING COLLECTION PROGRAMME
We urgently need clothing that you and your family may never wear again.
1. All types of clean & dry Ladies, Gents and Children’s Clothing.
2. All household textiles - Bedlinen [sic], Curtains & Towels.
3. All kinds of clean and dry underwear - Ladies, Gents & Children’s.
4. Shoes - Ladies, Gents & Cildren [sic].”

3 - Green text on a white sticker. Includes a cartoon picture of three children in their teens.
Name: No name supplied
Contact number(s): 0851033456 (Irish mobile number)
Registration number(s): 5655565A
Analysis: The registration number follows no format I’ve seen and it’s yet another mobile phone number. No company name or postal address. It’s a scam or a very badly organised charity. This sticker is uniquely nonsensical and they make the following claim:

“All your donated goods will be distributed in developing countries, some of them will be sold in charity shops to cover our collection costs but other items will be delivered to families who really need them and can make good use of these things.”

The English is a little odd, it feels like you’re reading in circles or that someone is trying very hard to make you believe that this is a good cause. The main issue is in what they say about charity shops. Why on earth would they ship clothes to the developing world, to be sold in charity shops? Are there any charity shops in Ethiopia and does it make sense to ship clothes all that way in order to sell them?

Even if it’s just piss-poor English and they mean that they will sell some clothes in charity shops in Ireland, it still means that their claim to send ‘all your donated goods’ to developing countries is a downright lie. Are they incompetent or fraudulent?

Sample text:
“USED, UNWANTED, SPARE CLOTHES COLLECTION
HAVE YOU GOT UNWANTED CLOTHES LYING AROUND TAKING UP YOUR SPACE?
We urgently need your help to support children and their parents who live in poverty. Please donate all types of wearable Ladies, Gents, Children’s clothing, paired footwear, bed linen and that you have no further use for.
All your donated goods will be distributed in developing countries, some of them will be sold in charity shops to cover our collection costs but other items will be delivered to families who really need them and can make good use of these things.”

4 - Yellow sticker with red and green text and an shamrock motif.
Name: No name supplied
Contact number(s): 0857419432 (Irish mobile number)
Registration number(s): 5655565A (this same number was used in example number 3)
Analysis: Pretty bad English, specifically referring to Lithuania. A scam or a very badly organised charity. Reading the text, the aim of this charity is to provide the poor with ‘expensive clothes’. A strange goal but I suppose if you’re hungry and cold, it won’t be quite so bad if you look fabulous.
Sample text:
“SECOND HAND CLOTHES COLLECTION
TO IMPROVE LIVES AND WELFARE FOR POOR PEOPLE [sic]
Dear householder,
We would be thankful if you could donated unwanted spare and old [sic]
ALL TYPES OF CLOTHING
PAIRED SHOES
ALL HOUSEHOLD TEXTILES
All these items will be distributed to Lithuania and other countries. Not every family in other countries can afford to buy new, expensive clothes.”

The eternal wisdom of God #8: What to do if someone does not accept Jesus?

This is an ongoing series designed to share the wisdom of God with you. If the Bible is to be considered legitimate, we should be able to read it and say to ourselves “Wow, this is so insightful it must be the eternal wisdom of the divine creator”. The guidance must be so amazing that it could not simply have been written by some loin-clothed bronze-age lunatic, it can only be the word of God.

“A colleague at work has told me that he does not want Jesus to reign over him as his lord and saviour. He is a nice guy otherwise, but I want to know what I should do as a good Christian?”

Jesus himself provided an answer to this question. We turn to Luke 19:26-27

For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay [them] before me.

The answer is quite clear. As a good Christian, you must bring your colleague before Jesus and then kill him. Since Jesus doesn’t make house-calls anymore, I suppose stabbing them to death in a church is the closest thing you can manage.

Prince of peace my arse. You don’t often hear this particular passage when preachers are telling you that Jesus is all-loving and that we have free-will. It seems you have the right to accept him or be murdered by his fan-club.

Alive again. Ireland’s premier newspaper for paranoid Catholics

The latest copy of Alive, the Catholic newspaper has arrived on my doorstep, unsolicited of course. As is usual for this rag, it’s a monthly journey in to paranoia, fundamentalism and a unique interpretation of the truth. There’s a lot to cover so I’ll break this up in to a few posts. Let’s start by looking at a few headlines.

UK: It’s easier to get rid of a spouse then an employee

Shock horror. Divorce is of course against the will of their god but to the rest of us, it’s simply a way to end an unfortunate marriage. Of course it should be easier to get a divorce than to sack someone. I don’t want an employer to be able to simply let me go for no valid reason, and I don’t want to be trapped in a loveless or abusive marriage.

If Catholics want to remain married, even in dire situations, then that is their business. However, marriage from a legal point of view should be treated no differently than any other contract. I personally consider my marriage to be very important, the best thing I ever did, but I don’t need the state to enforce that feeling. If Christianity is real and there are so many Christians in the world, why is divorce so common anong Christians? Most importantly, if they are so bad at being married, why should the state keep them together?

Church leaves field clear for new religion

This is such a poor article that I will present the text and rebuttals to the flimsy points. The article of the text has not been edited, other than being split in to sections. The article was in the “Editor’s Jottings” section. Incidentally, this makes little difference since the whole ‘newspaper’ reads like one long editorial.

The notion that religion is a private matter and that believers should not try to influence the values or laws of society is being pushed by the Secular Ascendancy of Ireland

I’m not sure how to respond to this. I’ve tried to find out what this “Secular Ascendancy of Ireland” is but to no avail. However, I believe they could be referring to the recent Northern Ireland legislation to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. If that is correct then the editor is either lying or just misunderstanding the purpose of the law. There is no attempt to stop believers from influencing the values or laws of society, providing they make a rational and fair argument.

Asking to be able to discriminate against a group in society purely because their god hates gays is neither rational nor fair. Being religious does not automatically turn a piss-poor and offensive request in to a good one.

Public life it says, should be a neutral zone, where people of all religions leave aside their differences and live in harmony. it sounds attractive, especially as it offers peace and maximum freedom to each person.

Hmm, that sounds quite positive. Maybe this is building up to something?

But a closer look reveals that this secularism is, in fact, really another religion, radically hostile to Christianity. And the sham promise of peace and freedom is just a slick way to market it

Yep, I knew there would be a but. Arguing that secularism is a religion is a very old, tired and easily shot-down argument. Russell’s teapot provides a good response.

“If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.”

Secularism is simply the belief that decisions should be made based on facts and reason. When we draft a law, it must be based on fact, reason, evidence and not religious beliefs. If a religious belief happens to be backed up by facts and evidence, i.e. murder should be illegal, then there is no reason why a secular law can’t adopt the same belief as a religion. Are we on equal ground when you claim that this teapot exists and I claim that it doesn’t?

It needs to be unmasked but that is an immense task, as the new faith has soaked in to many areas of Irish life.

Its fundamental belief, often kept hidden, focusses on God. It holds, as dogma, that God does not exist, or if he does he is irrelevant to how we live. This belief, and it is a belief affects everything

The first paragraph is would make McCarthy proud. A giant conspiracy against us decent folk! However, the second paragraph is partially correct. Secularism frankly does not care about gods. I will not lie awake wondering whether or not god exists, if he does I’m sure he’ll let me know. The truth is that gods are irrelevant to the way we live, as a society. Individuals are entitled to their curious beliefs, we all have some strange ones, but society should not be bound by them. Remove this safeguard and it’s bad for religious and non-religious alike. What happens when your government doesn’t support the same god as yourself? A neutral position safeguards us all.

The human being becomes the supreme being. Freedom is reduced to genes. Life loses its meaning. Hope of eternal life is replaced by the culture of despair and death.

Ah, now we get back to the claim that it’s impossible to be happy or moral without the help of the gods. Also, we see the old canard regarding genes and a loss of freewill.

In a secular society, humans do not become the ’supreme being’. We are simply people. We may be superior in some ways yet sadly deficient in others. The editor may want to ask God why most mammals can produce their own vitamin C internally, yet humans have to consume it in order to maintain normal body function? In that respect, I doff my hat to the dog sitting outside my house because it is superior, at least in the production of vitamin C.

Anyone who truly believes that genes are the be-all and end-all of human behaviour knows nothing about biology. Genes are certainly important but they don’t provide a blueprint for human behaviour. Most of that is picked-up along the way as we grow up. Our experiences shape us. Richard Dawkins provides a good example when he points out that our genes want us to reproduce yet we defy them by wearing condoms. The might power of the gene has been overcome by a thin latex device.

If you need a belief in eternal life to avoid despair then you are missing something important in your life. Secularism isn’t about having no hope for eternity, it’s about facing your life as an adult and accepting reality. The editor could just as well argue that state-sanctioned belief in Santa is necessary to stop us despairing during the winter.

From all this flows a new morality - there is no longer an objective good and evil. Rather, “my right to chose” becomes the supreme value.

This is rather a good thing. Good and evil do tend to be relative. Some consider it evil to enjoy a beer, I do not. That’s the reality of it. I defy anyone to introduce me to someone who is honestly describable as good or evil. We are complicated things. The man who kicks a dog down the street today could be donating blood tomorrow.

The state has no role in determining what is good and what is evil. Debates about good and evil belong in philosphy 101. The state is there to enforce rules regarding what is acceptable for society.

In Ireland The Irish Times is one of the most enthusiastic converts to the new religion, conned perhaps by its shoddy notion of freedom.

From the Times it has spread to the rest of the national media, which have become its leading apostles. But they’re always careful to hide the religious dimension under the cloak of an appeal to “reason”.

The Irish Times is a newspaper, the editor of Alive may wish to buy a copy to see a newspaper operates - useful tips abound. Again, secularism is not a religion. Regards hiding the ‘religious dimension’, that is nonsense. Frankly we don’t care what you believe as long as you don’t try to push your the inane requests of your sky god on to us. Believe if you must that slavery is okay but don’t expect the rest of us to accept that simply because it’s in your holy book. Let me re-iterate that, we do not care about your religion as long as don’t use it to deprive us of our human rights.

And many Catholics have adopted many of its teachings, without perhaps realising how deeply they contradict their Christian beliefs

Obviously the editor has no problems with the contradictions in the Bible.The fact is that society changes. 40 years ago it was acceptable for a good catholic priest to beat the living daylights out of a young boy, but that is no-longer the case. No Christian follows the Bible literally, all are guilty of chosing the parts that they think don’t apply anymore. For example, how many Christians do the following?

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16:15

This is the word of Jesus yet I see few Catholics drinking poison or magically healing the sick. I’ve seen even fewer Christians casting our demons. Most are just like you and me, people doing what normal people do. Face the fact that Christianity itself is a mess of contradictions. It’s a 2000 year old game of Chinese whispers except this isn’t a harmless game.

The issue is presented as a clash between faith and reason. it is not. It is, rather, a clash between two religions, each appealing to reason, but with secularism clinging to a shrunken, wizened notion of reason.

And with that the article finishes. I’ve already explained why secularism isn’t a religion so I won’t address that again. Let’s look at the claim the Christianity is based on reason while secularism is not.

The claim that Christianity is based on reason is a strange one. Is there a sensible reason why Catholics believe in Transubstantiation - the act of turning bread and wine in to the flesh and blood of their dead saviour? Is there any hint of reason in the claim that there is a sky god who requires our worship and love?

Consider the following claims.

“I believe that we are the product of natural processes. We live, we die and there is no evidence to suggest an eternal life. If proof emerges, I will examine it but for now I see no reason to believe in gods.”

“I believe we were all created by a god and there is a plan for us all. Although life seems to be pretty random and no-one has ever seen this god or any of his helpers, I believe he exists. I believe in Transubstantiation, demons, angels and eternal life for those who love and worship this god. If I pray, I will receive anything I ask for because I have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe!”

One of the above statements is based on reason. The other is a total departure from it, in fact it’s a total retreat in to self-comforting delusion.

Religion is not based on reason, it is based on self-delusion. Self-delusion is not a sound way to run society, imagine if we were all subject to our individual delusions. You would not be allowed to leave a house unless you turn your lights off and on three times due to my belief that the world will end if you fail to complete that ritual. People with brown hair will be banned from cafes because I believe that they bring disease. It’s a pretty horrible world that the editor wants to see.

Montel Williams - Torturing The Desperate

The president who can cure HIV/AIDS

President Yahya Jammeh, the President of Gambia, has been widely condemned for claiming that he can cure HIV/AIDs by administering a mix of secret herbs to the head of the sufferer while reciting verses from the Koran.

This is bad enough but the president also requires that his patients cease taking conventional medicine. Not only is he giving them false hope, he is actively shorting their lives. The president also claims to be able to cure Asthma and is going to begin work on curing diabetics. Will no due respect, he is clearly delusional and dangerous.

What does this have to do with Montel? Not much but we’ll come back to this later to help illustrate a point. So, on to Montel…

Montel: Gullible dupe or willing accomplice?

Stop Sylvia Browne has a very interesting article containing an excerpt from an Interview in which Montel participated. During this interview, he admits that he doesn’t believe that Sylvia Browne has psychic powers. He believes that “this woman has a little bit more intuition than most people I know” but that’s hardly a basis for allowing her to use his show to provide false information to some very desperate people.

Open Letter to Montel Williams: An Answer?

So what does this have to do with the African guy?

The president and Syvlia have much in common. Both claim to have supernatural powers - they are both liars or deluded. Sylvia is not psychic and the president is not able to magically cure people. Both raise false hopes and damage their patients. While the president is busy shorting the life expectancies of his patients, Sylvia is causing distraught parents to waste time searching for missing loved ones in the wrong places.

Montel is happy to have Sylvia on his show so why not the president? HIV/AIDS is a terrible condition so why not have a regular spot on his show in which the president treats those suffering from HIV/AIDS?

What can I do to stop this callous piece of shit?

If you read Robert Lancaster’s article, you’ll already know that writing to Montel is pointless. Instead you can direct your letters to the networks that carry Montel’s show. Contact his sponsors and the charities that he is involved with. Explain to all of them why you believe that his show is exploitative and damaging to the most vulnerable people in society. Ask them how they can possibly consider it ethical to be associated with such vermin?

Montel does a lot of work for charity - providing time and money in large measures. He is a remarkably active man which is all the more impressive considering he was diagnosed as suffering from muscular dystrophy. However, good deeds do not change the fact that he facilitates the exploitation and suffering of vulnerable people.

UK Religion and Your Tax Money

You are truly fortunate for this article may save your soul. After fasting for 3 days, consuming only large amounts of cider, I received a divine revelation. The world and all who dwell within it were created by a space lizard name Elgio (Peace and blessings be upon her tail). Like Christian belief in God, this idea has no basis in fact. I don’t need facts because I have a heart, I know my faith to be true. This is why you should believe me, we also have a very popular social night on Thursdays.

Despite many people writing me off as some kind of crank, quite a few have gathered to worship the true god. The religion is growing, churches are springing up and leaflets being handed to people on the street.

This isn’t cheap. We have churches to run and pamphlets to print. We must take care of the living expenses of our ministers - how can they spread the word if they’re stuck behind a desk? What use would I be without my Ceremonial Gold Hat of Elgio (Oh loving god, please hurtest us not too much when you burn us) and a gold chair?

The good news is that my followers and I are going to have someone helping us pay the bills. That person is you.

Step 1 - Charitable Status

First I will register as charity by visiting the Charity Commission web site. This page explains the criteria.

Advancement of Religion

Example objects:

To advance the [ insert basis of faith] [faith] [religion] for the benefit of the public in accordance with [the statements of belief appearing in the schedule] [the following doctrines: …]
“The advancement of the [insert basis of faith] religion mainly, but not exclusively, by means of broadcasting [insert basis of faith] messages of an evangelistic and teaching nature.”
To advance the [insert basis of faith] religion in [insert area of benefit] for the benefit of the public through the holding of prayer meetings, lectures [public celebration of religious festivals] producing and/or distributing literature on [insert basis of faith] to enlighten others about the [insert basis of faith] religion.
Activities a charity for these purposes might be carrying out:

Providing services of worship; religious teaching; facilities or services to allow believers to practice their faith or follow its doctrines; producing or making available literature explaining the doctrines involved and how to find out more about them. Distribution of sacred texts.

Advancement of religion, distribution of sacred texts? That is exactly what we do! Let’s call ourselves the Children of Elgio - CoE for short. The CoE will carry out some charitable work. As we hand out soup, we’ll be distributing pamphlets. We’ll be travelling around the country spreading the good news of Elgio. This will certainly benefit the people of England since Elgio is the only true god - we’re saving their souls!

Give me my money!

Now we’re registered as a charity, it’s time to head to Inland Revenue with my mooching sack in-hand. We will get tax relief on various sources of income. Despite the fact that our religion’s primary stated goal is to spread the word of Elgio, it is considered in the public interest that we receive help in doing so. Did I mention that Elgio discriminates against gays and disabled people? Ah well, it’s not worth dwelling on, remember those nice soup kitchens we run. Surely that makes up the hurt feelings of those abominations.

I’m not really paying for this, you’re just paying less tax

The tax breaks amount to a governmental subsidy for my religion. I live a fairly comfortable life since my followers dig deep to keep me living in a rather nice house. The tax that I do not pay means that you have to pay more. I think we’ll even open a school, I do admire Tony Blair’s idea of religious academies. Our religion will have to stump up some money but you will provide the bulk of the funding so we can teach children that Elgio created the world 33 years ago. This evolution thing is clever but clearly just as much a matter of faith as the CoE creation story.

The future?

Obviously CoE isn’t quite as big or as long established as religions like Christianity. We do hope to change this however. Here are some perks enjoyed by Christians that we hope to soon have.

1) Church of England bishops are automatically provided a certain number of seats in The House of Lords - one of the chambers that governs the country. I personally chose the bishops in our religion. One day, these bishops shall also sit in The House of Lords. You won’t elect them, I will. Some have suggested that unellected clerics from a religion that preaches hate against certain minorities is an idea so stupid that you would not take it seriously in a work of fiction. To these people I respond simply by quoting from our sacred book. How can someone not be swayed by this divine wisdom?

“Sayeth ye that ye not be known to that which creepeth for in mine eyes it is what begat the salt that shineth upon the ground.”

Sean 14:29

2) The Christian god is obviously false, I know that in my heart, but Elgio and Yahweh have much in common, except Elgio actually exists. Elgio is all-powerful. She knows everything that has happened and will happen. She created the universe and the world with no help, not even from a building contractor. Yahweh provided the following advice for dealing with blasphemers.

One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father got into a fight with one of the Israelite men. During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the LORD’s name. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother’s name was Shelomith. She was the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. They put the man in custody until the LORD’s will in the matter should become clear. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard him to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death. Say to the people of Israel: Those who blaspheme God will suffer the consequences of their guilt and be punished. Anyone who blasphemes the LORD’s name must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the LORD’s name will surely die.

(Leviticus 24:10-16 NLT)

Elgio sees things in the same way. Blasphemy must be punished by death. Unfortunately Elgio (Peace and financial security be upon her), like Yahweh, relies on us to deal with blasphemers on her behalf. Yahweh is protected by a blasphemy law and we want this to be extended to cover Elgio (Blessed be her mercy as she slays the unbelievers and their unborn).

While explaining the mercy of Elgio (Oh scaliest and most merciful one who smites the children of our enemies), an unbeliever accosted me with some questions. Observer the shallowness of his intellect and the depth of my answers.

Q) Why doesn’t Elgio just kill the blasphemers. Isn’t it odd that she’s pissed-off with these people yet relies on you to do the job for her?
A) Silence heretic, who are you to question the will of Elgio (Oh lordiest lord of all lords in lorddom) since you shall burn for asking such questions.

Q) But if she’s all-powerful, how come we never see her doing anything?
A) I believe the response to your first question also applies here.

As you can see, I put him in his place. He was so overcome with the power of my argument, he just sighed and walked out of the room with saying another word.

I thank you for taking the time to read our story. One day, you will of your own free will come to accept Elgio (Oh really big and powerful one) or you will burn for eternity.

Always remember this. Elgio (Loving and just god who tells us never to kill unless we want to) loves all of us unless we’re chosen to be gay or disabled. This is what you’re helping to fund.

Novus Spiritus. Is it time to call shennanigans?

I’m very slowly working on some research regarding Novus Spiritus - the religion that Sylvia Browne appears to have pulled out of her arse - with the assistance of her curiously inconsistent spirit guide ‘Francine’.

In the mean-time, Robert Lancaster has posted some excellent articles regarding this religion.

When is a diamond not a diamond? When it’s a cubic zirconia sold as a diamond.

From the horse’s mouth - A Novus board member responds.

Control that Scientology would be proud of.

It’s strange that a religion founded by Sylvia Browne could be attracting this kind of controversy. Why hasn’t Francine warned Sylvia?