Quackery & Mayhem
Religious Right Watch
As Nation Grieves, Clerics Blame, Excoriate Americans For Bringing About Bombings, AANews, December 31, 2001
Witch Hunt: Why The Religious Right Is Crusading To Exorcise Harry Potter Books From Public Schools And Libraries, By Rob Boston, Church-State Magazine, March, 2002
Lions And Tigers And Censors – Oh My!: The Campaign To Ban The Wizard Of Oz, By Rob Boston, Church-State Magazine, March, 2002
Democracy Now radio discussion on the hateful comments from Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, blaming gays, liberals, abortionists, feminists, and others for the September 11th WTC tragedy. (Real Audio) Democracy Now Radio (September 26, 2001)
FRODO, HARRY, AND GOD ... In the Battle of Good & Evil,
by Amanda Chesworth
Efficacy of Prayer
See Skeptic Magazine [Issues: Mar/Apr & May/June, 2000]
Can Science Prove that Prayer Works? Article at:
http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/avalos_17_3.htmlTrying to Make a Case for Faith Healing. Article at:
http://www.americanatheist.org/spr97/T2/faithhealing.htmlThe Power of Prayer (Follow-up): Article at:
http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-05/prayer.htmlSome Thoughts About Faith Healing, by Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Should Religion and Spiritual Concerns be More Influential in American Healthcare? by Dr. Tim Gorski
TEMPLETON: BEHIND THE BOGUS CLAIMS OF FAITH & HEALING, by Kevin Sourcy, RN, AANews
Studies and other claims linking religious faith and physical well being proliferate throughout popular culture. Health professional and writer Kevin Courcey examines the role of the Templeton Foundation in many of these "studies."
Psychics & Faith Healing Scams
Indian police crack down on fake holy men, By Jayashree Lengade, Reuters
"In tradition-bound India, if someone claims to be able to exorcise ghosts, levitate or pull a gold chain out of thin air, it does not take long for him to become known as a 'godman'."How Psychics and Mediums Work: A Case Study of James van Praagh, by Michael Shermer
Announcing the new "Miss Cleo Watch" Web page
CSICOP turns its skeptical eye onto the "Miss Cleo" psychic hotline. Go to www.csicop.org/misscleo to get the latest scoop on the legal plights of Access Resource Services, Inc., the company responsible for the Miss Cleo enterprise and accused of bilking callers out of thousands of dollars by attorneys general across the United States.
The Ugly Side of Religion
'Sorcerer'
killed in Mexico, BBC World Service, 9/16/02
"Officials in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas say at least
four indigenous people were killed and five injured when a group of men
attacked a house in the town of Chamula."
Islamic Court Upholds Stoning for Nigerian Mother, New York Times, 8/20/02
Killing for 'Mother' Kali, by Alex Perry Atapur, TIME
"For the magic to work, the killing had to be done just right. If the goddess were to grant Khudu Karmakar the awesome powers he expected from a virgin's death, the victim had to be willing, had to know what was happening, watch the knife, and not stop it. But even tranquilizers couldn't lull 15-year-old Manju Kumari to her fate."
Week-old Girl Raped in South Africa, Reuters, 7/30/02
"A week-old baby girl has been raped in South Africa, making her the youngest victim in a spate of child rapes fuelled by the myth that sex with a virgin cures AIDS, police say."
Grandmother faces 10 years for 'unforgivable' abuse, By Bill Hethcock The Gazette, 7/13/02
Of Terror and Mayhem, by Massimo Pigliucci
Kennywood Storm Victim Remembered, by Ann Rogers-Melnick, Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, 6/2/02
Some would say chance took Stephanie Wilkerson to Kennywood Park, where she died Friday when the roof above a ride collapsed during a sudden, terrible storm. But her mother believes it was the hand of God, opening the door to heaven through a park that her daughter loved.
Sect Member Says He Believed Miracle Would Save Starving Son, By Denise Lavoie, The Associated Press 6/12/02
The Andrea Yates Files
Time Magazine article: Andrea Yates, by Timothy Roche
Andrea Yates is the Texas mother who murdered her five young children, claiming that she did so because "God" told her that they were all "possessed by demons." And this Bible rhetoric is something her husband, Rusty, continues to project, claiming that his wife was "too weak" to ward off the Devil! It is a chilling tale of how extreme religious ideologies can deteriorate into acts of "God-inspired" atrocities, just as they have for thousands of years.
Psychiatrist: Yates Said She Drowned Children to Protect Them From Damnation, Fox News
BEHIND THE YATES KILLINGS: STERN RELIGION, PATRIARCHIAL TEACHINGS AND A RANTING STREET EVANGELIST, AANews
Resources
James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF)
Massimo's Skeptic and Humanist Web