@Box Justify@<:s><:#P9476505,P5064619><:f180,,>Copyright </i> 1997, Bay Area Skeptics, 17722 Buti Park Ct., Castro Valley, CA 94546. Reprints must credit "<+">BASIS<-">, Newsletter of Bay Area Skeptics." Opinions expressed in <+">BASIS<-"> are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of BAS, its board, or its advisors.
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<:s><+B><:f320,BSwis721 BT,>Bay Area Skeptics
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@First Par@<:s>Page 4 BAY AREA SKEPTICS INFORMATION SHEET December 1997
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<:s><+B><+!><:f,BSwis721 BT,>Advisors
@Adisor Name@<:s><-!><:f,,>William J. Bennetta
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Scientific Consultant
@Adisor Name@<:s>Dean Edell, M.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>ABC Medical Reporter
@Adisor Name@<:s>Andrew Fraknoi, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Astronomical Society of the Pacific
@Adisor Name@<:s>Donald Goldsmith
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Astronomer and Attorney
@Adisor Name@<:s>Earl Hautala
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Research Chemist
@Adisor Name@<:s>Mark Hodes
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Educational Consultant
@Adisor Name@<:s>Alexander Jason
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Investigative Consultant
@Adisor Name@<:s>Thomas H. Jukes, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>University of California , Berkeley
@Adisor Name@<:s>Lawrence S. Lerner, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Cal State University, Long Bearch
@Adisor Name@<:s>John E. McCosker, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Director, Steinhart Aquarium
@Adisor Name@<:s>Kit Moser
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Science Writer
@Adisor Name@<:s>Richard J. Ofshe, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>University of California , Berkeley
@Adisor Name@<:s>Kevin Padian, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>University of California , Berkeley
@Adisor Name@<:s>James Randi
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Magician, Author, Lecuturer
@Adisor Name@<:s>Francis Rigney, M.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Pacific Presbyterian Med. Center
@Adisor Name@<:s>Wallace I. Sampson, M.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Stanford University
@Adisor Name@<:s>Terry Sandbek, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Clinical Psychologist
@Adisor Name@<:s>Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D.
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Anthropologist
@Adisor Name@<:s>Robert Sheaffer
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Author, UFO Expert
@Adisor Name@<:s>Ray Spangenburg
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Science Writer
@Adisor Name@<:s>Robert A. Steiner, CPA
@Advisor Pos@<:s>Magician, Public Speaker, Writer
@Adisor Name@<:s>Jill C. Tarter
@Advisor Pos@<:s>SETI Institute
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<:s><:I0,0,0,0><+!><:f280,,>BAY AREA SKEPTICS
<:s><:I0,0,0,0><-!><:f,,>17722 Buti Park Ct.
<:s><:I0,0,0,0>Castro Valley, CA 94546
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<:s><:I0,0,0,0><:f, Garamond-Normal,>The title of the talk at our November 19, 1997, meeting was . . .
<:s><:I0,0,0,0><+!><:f, Garamond-Normal,>How Right Is the Religious Right?
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Austin Miles, Christian minister-chaplain, was our speaker. He is author of several books, including the blockbuster best-seller <+">Don't Call Me Brother<-">. I am on safe ground when I say that Austin Miles is both interesting and controversial. No one who attended the November 1997 Bay Area Skeptics (BAS) meeting has even a shred of doubt about that.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>So far, so good. Interesting speakers are the lifeblood of BAS. That fact keeps skeptics, believers, doubters, New Agers, and people with all shades of philosophical opinion attending our meetings.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Rev. Miles discussed cults, and the devastating effect they have not only on the cult members, but also on their families, friends, and society as a whole.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>He told us that the enemy in life is not God, not the church, and not religion. "The enemy is man -- corrupt, greedy, power-seeking man." He went on to say that the enemy is the one who cloaks himself or herself in a particular group's identity, but is ignorant of the message of the group.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Rev. Miles told us that "a real Christian is a good neighbor", and that an extremist is an extremist, regardless of whether the person is a Christian, an atheist, or a humanist.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>His rules for success in life included the following:
<:s><+C><:I0,0,216,0><:B<*1>><:f,,> A freethinker should never have a closed mind.
<:s><+C><:I0,0,216,0><:B<*1>> To be successful in life, you must master two things: the thing that you love, and the thing that you hate.
<:s><+C><:I0,0,216,0><:B<*1>> Just because something is unexplainable does not prove that it does not exist.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Next came what I consider to be the defining point of the meeting -- the assertions by Rev. Miles that effectively drew the battle lines.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>He told us that just a few decades ago the main problems of teachers with students in school were such things as talking in class, chewing gum, and running in the halls. Today, the problems are such things as rape, robbery, and assault. He then pointed out a correlation that many audience members inferred was an assertion of causation:
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>"Back then, we had prayer in school; today, we do not."
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>He explained how he believed that not only is prayer in school harmless, but also that it helps. The audience reaction was immediate and intense.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Several people pointed out that there are <+">numerous<-"> differences between today and a few decades ago that could easily explain the difference in problems in the schools.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>One person informed us that "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance about the same time, and that one could with equal logic and justification state that perhaps <+">that<-"> caused the change in behavior.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Another person correctly informed the group that prayer in school had been ruled by the Supreme Court to be in violation of the Constitution of the United States.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>An audience member stated that any prayer would necessarily be discriminatory: "There is no such thing as a generic prayer." The person went on to explain that when one prays, there must be an object of the prayer -- some one or some thing to whom or to which the people pray. That is necessarily denominational, and excludes some religions, and <+">any<-"> prayer excludes <+">all<-"> unbelievers and <+">all<-"> agnostics.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Others challenged Rev. Miles to name the studies that prove that his cited differences do indeed exist. He did not name any study.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>It was at this high emotional pitch in the meeting that Rev. Miles asserted what he perceives to be "arrogance in the scientific community." That escalated both the emotional pitch and the decibels in the room.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>An audience member called for a definition of a Christian. Rev. Miles responded: "One who lives the love of Christ."
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Another audience member asserted that most persecutions come from religious people.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Someone else said that most religions are big business: "They are there to make money."
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Then, someone began quoting what that person believed it said in the <+">Bible<-">. Then came more quotations, and more arguments about interpretations of the <+">Bible<-">.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>One person boldly stated that <+">all<-"> quotations stated that evening as being from the <+">Bible<-"> were in error. That person gave us his credentials: He has an e-mail Guide to the <+">Bible<-">, and spoke with great authority.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>As a point of miscellaneous information, I had a follow-up e-mail exchange with that self-anointed expert, wherein I proved -- <+">even to his satisfaction<-"> -- the correctness of what I had said, and that what he had, falsely and in ignorance, told a room full of people was wrong!
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>To summarize:
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Some people in attendance believe that Rev. Austin Miles addressed to almost no degree the title of his talk (chosen by him): How Right Is the Religious Right?
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Some believe that the talk turned into a session of proselytizing for Christianity.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Rev. Austin Miles's talk certainly got the adrenaline flowing in the audience.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>At a few points, the meeting got a tad out of hand. It is difficult to set <+">formal rules<-"> to preclude that, in the future. Bay Area Skeptics has been holding monthly meetings for fifteen years, and a case can be made that the meetings got slightly -- just slightly -- out of hand four or five times. That works out to about once every three years.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>We encourage questions, comments, and discussion, including disagreement with the speaker or others. Please keep your comments issue-oriented. The speaker will decide whether questions and comments will be allowed during the talk, or whether the audience should hold questions and comments until the discussion period at the end of the presentation.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Our rules, such as they are, can be summed up in just four words: Please Show Common Courtesy.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Back to the November meeting:
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>I introduced Rev. Miles, and by any reasonable standard it was my place to act as moderator.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>The first "interruption", which at least one person believes "opened the floodgates" for the meeting to get out of hand, was when someone addressed a comment to Austin Miles.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>First, I do not believe the meeting got anywhere near as much out of hand as a few people believe it did.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Did the meeting bring forth excitement, enthusiasm, and emotions? You bet it did! However, that is not all bad. The feedback I got from many people is that the meeting was exciting and interesting, and they are glad that they attended.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Could the meeting have been handled better? Although we can easily concede that it was not perfect, given the highly charged emotional content of the talk, I am not sure how things could have necessarily been improved. With issue-oriented comments (which most, but not all, were), one approach is to allow the discussion to freely run. The alternative approach is, depending upon your point of view, either <+">keeping order<-"> or <+">squelching the free exchange of ideas<-">.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>All right, here was my problem, and the decision I had to make. I ask each reader to think about what <+">you<-"> would have done in my circumstances.
@Outline8@<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Our speaker, Austin Miles is an accomplished public speaker. He is a Christian minister-chaplain, has conducted hundreds of religious services, is a renowned ringmaster, has been ringmaster for hundreds of circus performances throughout the world, was Historic Narrator for the Royal Lipizzan Stallion Show National Tour, has made numerous appearances on television (including "Larry King Live" and "Entertainment Tonight"), and has been Master of Ceremonies for special events at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the United Nations, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and two events at the White House.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>When the audience member made the comment, Austin Miles immediately recognized the person making the comment, called her by name, and commenced to address the comment she made.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>I have seen many speakers, and I have done it myself, simply say something along the lines of: "Please hold questions and comments until later. At the end I shall allow enough time for discussion. Thank you." From my observation, that works every time: easily and gracefully, with never a hassle.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>If I, as moderator, had spoken up to stop the exchange in progress, it would have been Austin Miles whom I would have had to interrupt --- I would have halted the flow of conversation by throwing a roadblock in the middle of a response that our speaker chose to make.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>All right, how many of you, acting as moderator, would have interrupted the proceedings and interrupted the speaker at that point?
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>My assumption at the time, and it is still my assumption, is that when there is a highly skilled speaker, it is appropriate for the speaker, not the moderator, to make the decision whether and when the speaker will address comments and questions. It is not the duty of the moderator to override the decision the speaker has made. Nor is it the duty of the moderator to interrupt the speaker and to prevent him or her from addressing a comment that the speaker has chosen to address.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>A word to the students and newcomers who attended our meeting: Bay Area Skeptics welcomes you, and we welcome your participation in our discussion. When you do participate, your ideas should always be met with courtesy. We apologize for any lack of courtesy that you felt at our recent meeting. Such behavior is a rarity at a BAS meeting, and it comes from very few people.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>You must understand that when you do participate, your ideas probably will not be met with universal acceptance. You must expect that your ideas will be weighed, evaluated, and challenged. That is part of Bay Area Skeptics, and that is how we all learn. Free-wheeling discussion and argument contribute a great deal to the increase of human knowledge.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>I apologize to both Rev. Miles and the audience for the fact that the meeting might have gotten a tad out of hand.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Thank you so much to Rev. Austin Miles for an excellent presentation. You held the attention of the audience, and you got us thinking. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the purpose of the meetings of Bay Area Skeptics! We encourage the open, free, and enthusiastic exchange of ideas.
<:s><+C><:I0,0,0,0><+"><:f280, Garamond-Normal,>Skeptics are the most gullible people, because they don't know what to believe.<:f, Garamond-Normal,>
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>It is with great sadness that I report that Don Morris died on August 6, 1997, at the age of 55.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Don activated with Bay Area Skeptics near the very beginning. For years he participated in virtually every event.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Bay Area Skeptics played a large part in hosting the CSICOP Convention at Stanford University in November, 1984. Don and his wife Susie had active roles in making that event a success.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Don took over managing the LA TRUTH line (Bay Area Skeptics's information line) in 1984, when the telephone line was moved into his home. The line resides in that location to this day.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Above all, what I remember about Don -- and this has been confirmed by everyone I have spoken to -- is his ever joyful, happy, optimistic spirit. It was a pleasure to work with him on projects, and it was a pleasure just to talk with him.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>People who disagreed with Don on philosophical points related to skepticism often were taken aback when they found themselves arguing with someone who was logical, brilliant, reasonable, and an altogether pleasant human being.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Don leaves his wife Susie and their eight-year-old son Oliver<:f,,>.
<:s><+C><:I0,0,0,0><+"><:f180, Garamond-Normal,><[>Ed. note: This article is reprinted by kind permission of KASES FILE, the journal of the Kentucky Association of Science Educators and Skeptics, Vol. 10, No. 1.]
<:s><+B><:f360, Garamond-Normal,>The Kookie Jar
<:s><:f, Garamond-Normal,>by Robert A. Baker
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,> In case you haven't heard of Fang Shui (pronounced "fung shway"), you're not alone, but according to the <+">New York Times's<-"> recent report (courtesy of Wayne Davis), it is the latest rage among the well-healed with more time and money than common sense on their hands. This scam is based on the ancient Asian folk belief that the way objects are arranged and placed in one's home will affect chi (pronounced "chee"), i.e., invisible fields of electromagnetic energy which the Chinese and other Asians believe determines your vitality, fortune and love life.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>For some reason, this folklore has caught on with a number of Americans who have been spending a lot of dollars to hundreds of Fang Shui masters and consultants who will, for a modest fee, come to your home and advise you on where to put your cat's litter box to enhance kitty's and your well-being and future prospects.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Thousands of people, the most respected Fang Shui say, are taking weekend courses and promising to change the fortunes and love lives of eager clients through consultations that can cost as much as $1000 an hour," according to Molly O'Neill, the author of the <+">Times<-"> report of January 9 entitled "Fang Shui or Fang Phooey." These Asian con artists have consulted on real estate developments in the United States for well over a decade -- mostly to Asian investors, but just recently, ordinary Americans have managed to squeeze themselves into the coaches of this gravy train.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Fang Shui consultants and gurus are now showing up in nearly every American city, and articles in <+">Architectural Digest<-"> and other magazines are dispensing advice on how to rearrange the chi in your home. Seems like installing wind chimes, table-top waterfalls, painting the walls green, and hanging eight-sided mirrors also help revive your flagging libido.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Believe it or not, these fang phooey hucksters claim that putting a pink rose in your bathroom will perk up your love life. Ms. O'Neill reports that, on the advice of one of the "wind and water" seers, she moved her cats' litter box to another corner of the bathroom and installed a number of potted plants. Although the cats loved the jungle in their privy, they now use a living room plant as their dumping ground.
<:s><+C><:f, Garamond-Normal,>Skeptics should not be discouraged, however, at this willingness on the part of a moronic public to be swindled and suckered by anything with a reputed ancient origin. In no way is this gullibility new. Take heart in the fact that if your ever do decide to give up your integrity, there's a veritable mountain of gold out there for the taking if you put on a turban, adopt an accent, invent some hidden universal energy source, and refer to yourself as the great Wang Dang, who sprang from the root of all knowledge. In a month, you'll make a mint.
<:s><+B><:S+288><:f280, Garamond-Normal,>News from the Field:
<:s><+B><:S+288><:f280, Garamond-Normal,> Dispatches from Our Far-flung Correspondents<:f240, Garamond-Normal,> <;>
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