Welcome to edition 121 of Investigator Magazine with articles that demonstrate great knowledge and careful research.

Harry Edwards writes on Aromatherapy and warns of “possible dangerous and deleterious side effects”.

Kirk Straughen considers Pyramids — construction;  prophecies based on the Great Pyramid; and paranormal claims about “pyramid power”.

B Stett adds Another Great One to his list of The Greats of History.

Dr Potter traces Christian Origins to Iran, arguing that 6th century BC Jewish exiles in Babylon returned to Jerusalem with Zoroastrian beliefs.

Anonymous defends a difficult Bible story to defend rationally — that a Jewish virgin gave birth after encountering an angel.

John H Williams in There Are Atheists in Foxholes refutes the proposition that atheists convert when in danger of dying.

Jerry Bergman consults the Pew Survey and shows that JWs tend to be female, poorly educated, of lower income, and are more likely to leave their religion than members of other religions.
 
 

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.

Therefore, to enthusiastic investigators among the readers I say, “Keep on investigating!”
 
 

Investigator Magazine is a forum for presenting, reporting and debating claims in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal.

Investigations and claims are presented in writing so others can check them and improve or refute them if they disagree. The editor is not expert in all topics investigated and should not be expected to defend any of it especially in an on-the-spot situation. Read what happened in Happy New Year (p. 14) — and let no one be upset if I decline next time.

Also in this edition:

Harry Edwards presents UFOs. He finds that many past reports of flying saucers were from “crackpots and charlatans”. Other UFOs have mundane explanations such as space junk, planets, hoaxes and hot air balloons

SA psychologist Laurie Eddie presents Hypnosis. He explains what hypnosis is and popular fallacies about it.

Kirk Straughen in The Bible and the Witchcraft Delusions says “magic will not work because nature is non-conscious, and therefore cannot respond to spoken words…”

Anonymous in Offence and Free Speech agrees somewhat with Dr Potter (#117) that “There is no right not to be offended”.

John Williams discusses the “Christmyth” story of Mary’s virgin birth and her meeting with the angel Gabriel. Williams concludes that it “never happened” and was “retrospectively spun”.

With the next edition of Investigator we complete 20 years. An updated Index will use up half the magazine. Therefore if you wish to be published in #120, short articles are more likely to fit in.
 
 

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.

The nerve centre of Investigator is a cramped back-yard shed where sometimes papers disappear and get forgotten. Therefore if any articles you’ve sent in some time ago have not been published please inquire about it.
 
 

Investigator continues to investigate:

Psychic Archaeology is about using divination on supposed “energy fields” and “photo fields” to discover new archaeological sites. The author, Harry Edwards, is skeptical and says that any straight line drawn between two random points on a large-scale map “is almost certain to bisect a building, a significant site or feature.” Edwards also gives us Part 3 of Life After Death.

Bob Potter reviews Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion.

Anonymous in The Bible Consistent explains some “inconsistencies” in the Bible. He also replies to Dean Dowling (Maleus Maleficarum #112) and argues that the Bible cannot be blamed for the European witch persecutions because it teaches against such actions but was ignored.

Kirk Straughen accuses the Bible and the God it describes of “Barbarity” for promoting adultery, falsehood, genocide, injustice and rape.

B Stett presents the story of former Jehovah’s Witness Jose Martin Perez.
 
 

When two chess players are evenly matched it requires many games to decide who’s better. Similarly with some questions investigated in Investigator Magazine — they require many debates, or many rounds in one debate, to get a result.

For example, the question of the accuracy and importance of the Bible.

The front cover of Investigator 69 said: Skeptics Versus The Bible — Debate To Continue Into 3rd Millennium. We are now well into the 3rd Millennium but still without a final agreed-on verdict.

The protagonists have covered such topics as Adam & Eve, the Genesis creation story, the Devil’s existence, racism, wolves, ethics, birth, Star of Bethlehem, transmission of Scripture, biology, eagles, fiery serpents, Ten Plagues of Egypt, theodicy and creationism to name a few. No one has yet landed the knockout punch.

The writers, however, show no signs of giving up. This time (#112) we’re into witchcraft trials, sheep, and the resurrection of the dead besides continuing several unfinished debates. A response by Anon to History Rewritten (#111) and a report by Kirk Straughen on Biblical Barbarity have both been deferred due to lack of space.

Getting away from the Bible and adding variety to the current edition is Harry Edwards on Psychic Animals, B Stett on Life in 1954, and John H Williams on Starting A Cult.

If you notice editing mistakes please notify the editor so that the Internet version will be correct. Five mistakes have been detected in #111. Paragraphs 2 & 3 on page 16 should be indented; the reference “New Scientist” on p. 23 should be “Scientific American”; “Mark 1:19” on p. 24 should be “Mark 1:9”; “Straition” on p. 40 should be “Striation”; and “pleas” on p. 46 should be “please”.
 
 

This is Investigator 111 about religion, the supernatural and the paranormal. Again we have plenty of disagreement which the writers produced by hard mental work.

Therefore enjoy the following:

Harry Edwards summarizes the prophetic career of Jeane Dixon. He lists many of her prophetic “boo boos” and points out that she consistently refused to be “the subject of any controlled tests”. Edwards also discusses Life After Death, and continues the “Devil Maligned” debate.

John Williams for once agrees with Anonymous (see p. 18), updates his previous comments on radiometric dating (p. 29), answers DeMyer on biology (p. 35), and also makes a protest (p. 5).

Greg Neyman answers the AIG claim that there was only one Ice Age which occurred after Noah’s Flood. He says his evidence is: “enough evidence to disprove the global flood model”.

Anonymous continues his Bible investigations. He argues that Africans are human, and racists who said otherwise not only contradicted the Bible but are now refuted by genetics. He also pits Jesus against biologists in a dispute about wolves and says Jesus wins.

We also have short items by Dean Dowling, Frank Russo, B Stett, Kirk Straughen and Ken DeMyer.
 
 

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”.

Greg Neyman in Petrified Deception explains petrification and how some creationists have gotten it wrong.
 
 

Welcome to more controversy as we continue to investigate disagreements in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal.

In this edition Greg Neyman makes his Investigator debut with two items from his Old Earth Ministries website. Mr Neyman is a university graduate in geology, a Christian who accepts his scientific training, and says of Young Earth Creationist argumentation: “get out your geologist hammer and smash it to pieces.”

Harry Edwards examines Tarot cards and attributes any seeming success with the cards to the P. T. Barnum effect, which: “convinces the subject to believe that a vague stock spiel, with few if any specifics, is an accurate description of their own individual personality.”

Amityville Horror by B Stett examines this so-called “true story” and concludes that the main horror is that it’s false.

John H Williams in Tiktaalic says the fossil evidence for evolution is improving: “Tiktaalic is one more piece in a rapidly-filling jigsaw puzzle, a crucial link between fish and the appearance of amphibians…”

Anonymous, in Head and Heart, refers to the ancient Greek belief that thinking and consciousness occur in the stomach and he examines what the Bible says about this. He also replies to Straughen and (apparently) closes the “Tsunamis and God” debate.

Ken DeMyer claims Geology [is] Moving Towards Creationist Ideas and supports this with a series of quotations.

In this edition’s main article—Genesis and Human Origins—Kirk Straughen argues that Genesis has two contradictory creation stories plus “moral inconsistencies”.
 
 

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)

We also examine the Internet search engine Copernic for its ability to turn up Investigator articles. There’s been criticism that we’re examining too many obscure search engines, therefore in July we’ll do Google.
 
 

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.

The above articles plus several shorter ones will give you much to think about until the next edition.
 
 

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.

Start reading and enjoy and see how much you agree with. Or if you’re contentious, see how much you disagree with.
 

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:

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 1½-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.

For more reading try the Investigator website. It has over 550 articles published in Investigator since 1988:   www.adam.com.au/bstett/
 

Welcome to another Investigator edition examining religion, the supernatural and the paranormal. This time we have five or six weighty articles besides minor ones:

Harry Edwards presents information on Transcendental Meditation. He focuses on their claim to “overcome the effects of gravity”. He points out that no one has collected James Randi’s “prize of $10,000 to be paid to any person who can demonstrate the power of true levitation…”

Kirk Straughen asks Are Aliens Visiting Earth? He concludes, “We have no evidence to suggest an alien civilization exists in close proximity to our solar system…” He suggests that science fiction novels and comics influenced the public to believe otherwise.

“Anonymous” explains How The Bible Revised The [Encyclopedia] Britannica. This topic appeared in Investigator previously but is now presented in more detail.

B Stett discusses a TV program that presented and explained fifteen tricks psychics use to fool people. Read Psychics Exposed.

An Internet reader of Investigator, Kenneth DeMyer, suggests that James Bartley — the modern “Jonah” mentioned in Investigator’s Jonah debate — was a hoax. See letter page 4. DeMyer also supplied the following web address dealing with the cud-chewing of the hyrax (which is also a previous Investigator topic):

I’m intervening, for the first time, in an Investigator debate and calling a halt. (See page 50) When disagreeing on a topic—which should be in religion, the supernatural or the paranormal — debaters need to ask themselves, “Am I supplying evidence on the topic under discussion?” Also recommended for re-reading is A Guide to Argument in #86.
 

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.

One writer in this Investigator edition has researched his opponent’s past and incorporated the findings into their debate. Rarely if ever, however, will digging up a writer’s history help to settle controversial questions in religion, the supernatural or the paranormal. Privacy should be respected and the current debate not viewed as a precedent.
 

Investigator gives skeptics and true believers opportunity to settle their differences in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal by discussion and debate.

Sometimes, however, this intention doesn’t succeed. For example, one observer says that Investigator’s current debate on evolution has “little about evolution.” (p. 7) In fact the debate has reached crisis point with two participants threatening to pull out. The front cover picture is meant to represent this standoff. One participant complains of  “Whingeing Diatribes” and his opponent says that his “Rivals’ Rambling Repertoire” is “rancorous”. (Pages 48 & 40)

New contributor Eric Bruton sets a milder tone and calls another article on evolution — one not part of the debate — “encouraging”. (p. 4)

Also in this edition:

Harry Edwards presents Therapeutic Touch. He concedes Therapeutic Touch is beneficial but that no “mysterious healing force” is involved.

Psychologist Laurie Eddie has supplied a pamphlet he authored on the topic of Ouija Boards. He finds there is nothing supernatural about ouija boards but that in some circumstances they can still be dangerous.

Kirk Straughen discusses the origin of the Atlantis legend. We learn that, “Plato’s account of Atlantis appears to be a product of his own imagination…”

Bob Potter of England shares an Open Letter he wrote to a nephew who attends the Assemblies of God in Canberra. Dr Potter wants people to take control of their lives and not have them “determined by so-called God-inspired leaders.”

Anonymous discusses Isaiah’s Virgin. He argues the Old Testament predicted a virgin birth and that this was clear to its readers centuries before Jesus arrived.
 
 

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.

Josef Holman responds on evolution to “Atheist” and John H Williams.
 

In Investigator Magazine the writers investigate topics in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal and they try to sort out who’s right and who’s wrong.

In this edition:

Harry Edwards presents the Mantic Arts which relate to divination, soothsaying and prophecy. He lists and defines scores of these arts.

Kirk Straughen and John H Williams continue the “Adam & Eve & Neanderthals” debate and disagree with Anonymous on whether “Mitochondrial Eve” is connected with Eve of the Bible.  Mr Straughen also responds to “God and Evil” which topic began in Investigator 79 as a different topic—the question of whether prayers are ever answered.

Atheist and John H Williams respond to Josef Holman on evolution. They claim that his list of scientists (#86) who oppose the theory is not adequate evidence.

Josef Holman in “Good Health Through The Bible” argues that the writings of Moses contain, “many injunctions which relate to health and which people ignore to their peril.” (See page 43)

Anonymous presents an overview of the Old Testament book of Isaiah. He argues the book is reliable and Isaiah’s prophecies are of two sorts i.e. in two categories:
1. The immediate future from Isaiah’s time;  2. The distant future.

Jerry Bergman presents a list of various Christian interpretations of God and “Trinity”.
 

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.
 

The Investigator website says, “Beliefs that survive skeptical scrutiny are more likely to be worthwhile than those that don’t… It’s easy to ‘blow your trumpet’ if opposers are excluded and prevented from replying. But it’s difficult if there is open access to informed others who disagree.”

Investigator Magazine therefore invites skeptics, true believers and impartial observers to present their evidence in topics in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal. The hope is that:
* Some controversial questions will be settled;
* Beliefs that hurt people will be exposed as harmful.

In the previous edition Harry Edwards gave a broad definition of what a psychic is. This time he contributes an article about Joan of Arc — who fits the definition — and explains the source of her voices and visions.

Kirk Straughen gives brief replies to Anonymous on Neanderthals and on God and Evil.

“Anonymous” uses the lull in debate to write about The Bible on Lions. He presents another apparent case of the Bible pre-empting modern scientists in a scientific discovery.

Dr Sydney Bockner contributes two items that previously appeared in pamphlets published by the SA Skeptics — Hypnosis and Alien Encounters. He shows that, “Experimental evidence obtained under scientific conditions does not support the extravagant claims made about the hypnotic state.”

Past Investigator debate touched on whether the Bible writers borrowed ideas from other ancient religions. Laurie Eddie in The Real Story of Christmas now presents this topic in more detail.

Rado Vleugel explains why he changed from being a devout Jehovah’s Witness “pioneer”, commended in The Watchtower as a fine example, to maintaining an anti-JW website.  Read Rado Vleugel’s Story.
 
 

Many editors have an “axe to grind” and make sure that evidence contrary to their standard position does not get fair appraisal. Their aim is to leave little room for doubt. Investigator in contrast leaves much in doubt. Conflicting views are sought on principle and readers decide for themselves whether anyone has made a convincing case.

In this edition:

Harry Edwards defines “Psychic”. The definition is broad and includes Joan of Arc, Edgar Cayce, Jeane Dixon, Uri Geller, Nostradamus, etc.

Anonymous writes about Adam and Eve. He accepts both creation and evolution but concludes: “Clearly it’s more scientific at present to attribute our ancestry to ‘Adam and Eve’ than to Neanderthals.” He also continues the Prayer Debate this time focusing on “Coincidence”.

B Stett has revised his article Kuru: Demon, Gene or Virus? He rules out the Demon/Sorcery hypothesis for the disease and attributes it to “Prions”—rogue forms of proteins that multiply by inducing malign change in normal protein they come in contact with.

Law of Karma is from a Skeptics’ tract by Laurie Eddie. He argues that the Law of Karma is no more a law than the Law of the Jungle. He says its concepts are, “completely at odds with Western scientific thought.”

Josef Holman tackles Creation Versus Evolution by quoting What Some Scientists Said.  He seeks to demonstrate, “the impossibility of evolution as an explanation for the existence of life on Earth.”

Jerry Bergman summarises the results of a survey of religion in America and shows that, “Jehovah’s Witnesses have an extremely low socioeconomic status.”

And there’s much more: Runes; Gambling; Guide to Argument, etc.
 

Investigator tries to get believers in religion, the supernatural and the paranormal to settle their differences with skeptics by debate. If most articles are skeptical it’s because true believers are often backward in coming forward.

In this edition:

Harry Edwards writes on the New Age. He says that New Age lectures discourage “critical thinking and analyses fundamental to scientific and rational processes…” He says that by misinformation the New Age makes the gullible public vulnerable to financial and emotional ripoffs, various other hazards, and sometimes even death.

“Anonymous” again promotes the message that the Bible is right and people who disregard it are wrong. This time he tackles Child Sexual Abuse and Religion. The currency of this topic is seen by the following news report:
 

John H Williams writes on the Misbeliefs of cults and castigates their “nonsensical and irrational beliefs…” He and Kirk Straughen also reply to Anonymous’ article (#84) on prayer.

B Stett examines a book that was popular in1918, The Finished Mystery. He investigates whether its content fulfils what its promoters implied for it—infallible accuracy.

Lance Storm of the University of Adelaide describes an investigation into The effects of…Attitudes Toward Gambling on ESP Performance…
 
 

There's a saying which goes: "If you can't stand the heat, leave the kitchen." In a magazine that invites skeptics and true believers to "settle their differences" — that is by discussion and debate — there is risk of a little "heat".

However, don't leave. Try to enjoy it — perhaps your efforts will solve questions that people have debated for centuries.

In this edition:

Laurie Eddie discusses the origin and nature of Ayurvedic Medicine, reveals its differences with modern scientific medicine, and highlights its "fatal flaw" — that it was "based upon many superstitious beliefs…"

Harry Edwards gives us two articles — Mentalism and Metaphysical Degrees.  In Mentalism (= mental magic) Mr Edwards explains how some common tricks are done.

John H Williams replies again to Jerry Bergman.  In #82 Dr Bergman gave A Brief History of the Modern American Creation Movement. This was originally written 9 years ago. Therefore Williams presents some of the more recent events involving creationism.

Anonymous takes the Astronomy, Geology, and Creation debate, which started in #79, a step further and fits the "six days of creation" into the evolutionary framework.

B Stett discusses the JW effort—now discontinued—to provide Comfort for the Jews and concludes: "JWs do not provide genuine Comfort for the Jews nor for anyone else."

Josef Holman replies to his two opponents on the efficacy of prayer and Kirk Straughen discusses The Perception of Auras.
 

Welcome to more information on religion, the supernatural and the paranormal.  In this edition:

Harry Edwards gives us “Lunacy”. He says: “much of the research which purports to show a correlation between the moon and human behavior, inevitably discloses bias on the part of the researcher and faulty data analysis.”

Kirk Straughen gives his “Final Reply” in the debate about “The Bible on Slavery”. (p. 10) Is this the end of this topic? No — enter Dr Potter. By letter Bob Potter said: “Investigator 80 arrived yesterday. This irritated my wife considerably as I spent yesterday afternoon writing the enclosure, provoked (?!) by Anonymous.”  See page 34.

Anonymous (p. 18) pins down the identity of the Star of Bethlehem. After wading through ambiguous evidence from Josephus, Roman history and astronomy he concludes that the Bible: “gave the correct and simple answer all along.”

Pas Cutri appeared in Investigator Readers in No. 80. This time he discusses the Borley Rectory Hoax.

From time to time Investigator’s centrespread consists of the home page of a website. This time it’s a site about the paranormal, permission given by one Stephen Wagner.

If you notice editing errors in your articles please notify the editor so that if your article goes on the Investigator website it can go on error-free. The letter on page 4 of No. 80, for example, omitted the writer’s name — Josef Holman. Also the first line, which refers back to a previous edition, should have said “No. 79” not “No. 73”.

The Investigator website now has more than 300 articles that previously appeared in the magazine.   www.adam.com.au/bstett/