Concerning Herbert Armstrong

There have been a lot of comments regarding the influence of HWA based on a posting by Church of God the Eternal - which stated a position concerning Herbert Armstrong that has not been, so much as we know, admitted or even alluded to by any Armstrong Church of God until now.Of course, this raises banter which ranges from why we are even talking about HWA from nearly every angle of position, it seems. 

Comments regarding the influence of HWA include this:  

How could the church have ever expected fruit from these visits when Herbert was too embarrassed to talk about Jesus. “A strong hand from someplace” is a crock of steaming bullshit. All Herbert was ever concerned with was the publicity and the photo ops, it certainly was never witinissing (sic) about Christ. What witness was it to help build The Globe Theatre in London or the Reagan Library with tithe money? Even Prince Charles found him embarrassing.

And this:

Tonto is right! The church dropped millions of dollars on AICF that never broke even. Performers were wined and dined with the finest of foods and Dom Perigon champagne. None of them and none of the public ever joined the church because of AICF. In fact, I saw them many times standing in the student center mocking the booklets on display. It was all about shedding the "cult" label and trying to look charitable and mainstream.

And then, we have NCK, who states: (Spelling errors highlighted)

What utter nonsense by tbe uneducated. Some of the distuctions hwa was awarded with are not for sale.

I spent many postings explaining who gave them and for what reasons. And still you come up with a crappy posting by somw splinter of whom non ever engaged with real people of consequence. I will resume my poatings on the handover of okinawa, the american king of thailand, the britiah king of jordan, the anerican 5 block embassy in tiny neoal, marcos investmwnts in new york, ambassador college on the swiss italian border next to the cia predecessor. etc etc etc You utter inconsequential ninkompoops.

The american emissaries thanking hwa for the Syria mari digs as they reflected well on the american people in a russian sphere of influence.

Japanese diplomacy and foreign investment in East Africa, Israel, South America,american covert support for the apartheid systen to keep South Africa in the Western Fold, worldwide sponsoring ig operating costs for cia radio stations programming western news and promoting western culture.

And I am not even starting.

You are so incredibly ignorant.

NCK professes to be a very wealthy, educated lawyer. One thing lawyers are trained to focus on specifically is attention to detail, of which there clearly was none with the above post. I am assuming Distuction meant distinction, don't know of a SOMW splinter, never heard of a poating before, am absolutely positive that at least countries would be capitalized properly as well as acronyms, and not sure what a ninkompoop is. But I do know what a nincompoop is, which is what this post looks like a bunch of because it is so poorly formatted. If this was an anger post, the hurried typing is unbecoming of a professional lawyer. 

Secondly, NCK accuses Gary (and others here, I'm sure) of being uneducated and ignorant, and nonsense. That in itself is ridiculous, as Gary was right there in the midst of it all and probably knows things you had no idea on. But all of this is neither here nor there because your posting (as horrible as it is) proves the point I have been trying to make. 

It does not matter if the claims of some of the commenters here regarding the wasteful spending (it was), ego-driven world travelling tour (it was), and extravagant spending (there was a lot of that) were true, OR if NCK's claims have any merit at all. In fact, let's just take a moment to imagine that NCK's claims are in fact, factual.

Let's imagine that HWA was deeply influential in the state of World Affairs, deeply entrenched in some sort of governmental operations on a global scale. Let's imagine his claims are even half-way accurate. What then would this prove? 

Remember what was preached by HWA. He told his people to "Come out of this world", and to be "set apart" from the world. If - and let's just say if - what NCK says is true - then all that would prove is that not only was HWA IN the world, purely caught up BY the world, but in fact, WAS the very world that he convinced everyone in the Church he was against. In fact, IF NCK's claims were true as he alleges, then not only would he BE the world, he would be everything he taught against - the very definition of the wickedness he claims to have been called to be the End-Time Apostle to actually end wickedness, setting up the return of Jesus Christ where he would reign under Christ. 

So, let's then get this state from a religious standpoint, not a worldly standpoint. Here we have a man who actually was, according to NCK, some sort of world operative deeply entrenched in world affairs. If true, he was NOT an Apostle, a complete and total religious fraud, and a first-class deceiver. If true, then this would prove that everything that happened was absolute nonsense in a religious standpoint. It would verify that he was always a businessman only - but even further then a businessman - a thoroughly entrenched figure in the world he condemned so thoroughly and rigidly. 

No matter how you look at it, in the eyes of those of us who were a part of the Fundraising Arm (the Church) who compile all angles of evidence (including NCK's), there are certain things that cannot be disputed any way you look. 

1. Herbert Armstrong was a businessman, first and foremost. He admitted to this many times in the Autobiography, in letters, and in writings all throughout his life. This is what he was. 

2. Herbert Armstrong was of the world. His attitude, demeanor, rage, temper, focus, and fruits verify this time and time again. Whether or not you believe the majority of the commentators here or NCK - Herbert Armstrong was worldly. 

3. Herbert Armstrong's god was prestige, fame, fortune, and money. Regardless of how you spin it - or how you attempt to figure out his life from whichever angle you attempt to go down - this was his legacy - to build up an empire for himself. 

Now, back to the religious standpoint which is what all of this is points to.

Regardless of whether NCK is correct, or Tonto is correct, or all the other commentators are correct - no matter what angle you look at so long as all the facts are considered - the evidence stands that religiously, HWA was completely and absolutely irrelevant in the world religious regime. HWA did nothing to further the Gospel or to proclaim the Gospel in any long-lasting, effective way. Religiously, HWA changed absolutely nothing. HWA, religiously, did not even put a dent in the world empires of Organized Corporate Christianity. HWA did NOT usher in the Return of Jesus Christ. HWA did NOT precede the Great Tribulation. HWA's Worldwide Church of God did NOT take any long-term role of impact in the lives of 99.9% of all of Professing Christianity. HWA's Worldwide Church of God did NOT restore any "Gospel" that had not been preached in 1900 years to any point of international relevance. 

Indeed, from the standpoint of Religion (and not any other perspective), HWA was a complete, absolute, total failure in every sense of the word. HWA was as much of the world as any other Corporate Businessman or CEO. And his Church was as much of the world as any Corporate Business, complete with scandal, intrigue and drama inside and out. For Christians, this is the part that matters - not whether or not HWA was this or that in the worldly sense. What matters to Christians is the spiritual impact of Herbert Armstrong, not the physical. Even so, believe me, as many ex-members can clearly attest to, the physical impact was negatively enormous to those who believed his spiritual claims as a spiritual leader of a spiritual church, so-called. 

Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God was a farce and a scam - no matter how you look at it. Those who perpetrate his farce and scam refuse to look at the realities and are in denial to the realities to this very day - whether it's false prophesies or speculations, fear-mongering, scare-tactics, abuse, dictatorial tactics or autocratic tendencies - the spiritual aspect of the Worldwide Church of God was fully and completely dead, fueled by a worldly conceit, a worldly passion of success, a worldly ego and an inability to believe evidentiary truth in favor of his own delusional truth. This is the Herbert Armstrong that ex-members look at. This is the Herbert Armstrong legacy that we all remember. 

Whether or not he was this or that in the worldly scene? That is neither here, nor is it there. Because what he claimed to be - spiritually and religiously - is not who he was. And that is the Herbert Armstrong that we as ex-members trusted, believed we knew, and supported with our livelihoods.  What he was was a liar, narcissistic scam artist and first-class con who was out to make something great of himself - and to hell with anyone who dared get in his way of his self-centered vision to Make Himself Great. And this is what Herbert Armstrong was all about - himself.

submitted by SHT

Was visiting world leaders one of the most ineffectual things HWA ever did?

The strong hand from someplace 

Church of God the Eternal has admitted one thing about Herbert Armstrong's trips to world leaders that I have never seen other COG's admit. This will sure frost the butts of certain self-appointed "men" who salivate at the mear mention of HWA's name.

From 1968 to the mid-1980s, did those national leaders receive a bone-chilling warning about the imminent return of Christ, with His new government soon to dethrone those current kings, presidents, and prime ministers? Did Mr. Armstrong speak to them the way Elijah spoke to King Ahab, and as John the Baptist spoke to King Herod? Was the entire world warned with mighty signs and miracles about their national sins and the need for repentance? Has there even yet been the kind of “witness” comparable to that which God prophesied will occur before the arrival of His Son? No such warning message was ever proclaimed by Mr. Armstrong to kings, and we have not even yet seen the fulfilment of that prophecy of a true warning Work. Instead, with Mr Armstrong’s visits to heads-of-state, diplomacy was the order of the day, including expensive gifts to dignitaries, and only a very veiled message about Jesus Christ—often without ever using His name! Is that really what we saw from Elijah and from John the Baptist? Is that truly the way we think God is going to make final preparation for Christ’s return?

So again, in evaluating Mr. Armstrong’s very strong and sincere belief in 1968 that God had tasked him with a brand new commission, what do the fruits actually show in hindsight? The nations were not warned as God promised He will do, and Jesus Christ did not return following the conclusion of years of those international state visits. According to Mr. Armstrong’s own standard of proof, this aspect of his work does not pass muster.

Besides warning the world before Christ’s imminent return, visiting heads-of-state was also expected to “open doors” to allow the Worldwide Church of God more access to preach the Gospel to these leaders’ peoples. But God had already opened doors for radio broadcasts and print publications in most of these areas, even without visiting their national leaders (like King Leopold of Belgium). But what about the bonds he forged with leaders in countries like Japan, especially? The hope was that this personal rapport with the Japanese Prime Minister and other officials would “open the door” for eventual church congregations in Japan. But that never happened! There were a whole lot of state banquets and formal meetings with dignitaries across Asia, but those contacts never produced congregations! The one country in that region where the church flourished was in the Philippines (a Catholic country), and that work had been accomplished beginning in the early 1960s, long before visiting world leaders became a goal."

And in every other country where the church had been previously shut out from operating (like most of the Buddhist nations), even after years of hob-knobbing with Buddhist dignitaries, the church mostly was still shut out from forming congregations there! So once again, what were the real fruits? The claim was made repeatedly that this activity would “open doors.” But the Gospel of Jesus Christ was never really preached there, and the church did not gain any significant foothold because of those meetings. No fruits!

Is Herbert Armstrong Necessary For Salvation?

According to the Kitchen's, Yes!

If you go to God in prayer and Bible Study, and fasting, you can have a relationship with God! What Mr. Armstrong taught will bring you closer to Christ and God the Father, feeding you the spiritual ministering we all need as begotten children of God. His preaching and ministering will strengthen your Bible Studies, and your relationship with God! It will not weaken it.

Now, we can have a relationship with God without knowing of Herbert W Armstrong, but once the knowledge comes into our mind and God reveals to us that He did indeed send forth and anointed a man to proclaim His message and to minister unto us His Words, we are compelled to obey God amd what He says in His Word concerning this. If we deny the man whom God sends, we deny the God who sent Him, and are in fact rejecting the very Word of God because God's Word has much to say about how we should obey the servant of God.
Read Hosea 4:6.

Sp what we are in fact saying, is that you can be strengthened and flourishing spiritually, MORE WITH Herbert W Armstrong than without him. We are talling about the next step in conversion, and how we are to qualify to marry Jesus Christ and rule forever in the Kingdom of God!

There are wolves seeking to keep you from that next step, and working feverishly to remove any mention of Herbert W Armstrong, the apostle of Christ in our time, all in order to destroy your spiritually. They call it man worship, but they really want your support, and do not want you to do the right thing and support Christ's apostlr. Read 3 John about diotrephes.

Gerald Flurry's Wastes Well Over $80,000 In Tithe Money On 8 Prospective Members

Even Flurry is saying this now. That they have a little time left and that members should get their affairs in order. It’s amazing also to note that his last flight to Tampa for a Public Appearance Campaign was delayed since the airplane had a malfunction and he had to charter another plane to take him there. The PAC was a failure with only about 60 nonmembers attending and 8 signed up for a follow up bible study. The cost to repair the plane was $80,000 and to charter the other one in addition to this......so he really needs more money to fly him around to feel important.

January 28, 2019 at 9:47 AM

Wes White: Lesson From Albert Speer’s Daughter

Lesson From Albert Speer’s Daughter

By Wes White

During World War II, Albert Speer (German Armaments Minister) was known as Hitler’s Architect.  He and the Fuhrer spent countless hours poring over their postwar plans to rebuild Berlin.  Hitler considered Speer a friend, confidant, and peer.   The Allies sent Speer to prison for twenty years after the war.  

            Speer’s daughter, Hilde Schramm, still lives today. Even in her old age, she remembers the times that she and her family spent socializing with Hitler.  She was nine years old when the war ended.  Today, Schramm rejects Nazism and recognizes the cancer on humanity that the Third Reich was.  

            Further, she wants no benefit from her father’s position in Nazi Germany.  For example, she inherited several paintings that had been collected by her father. It was determined that those paintings probably had not been looted from Jews.  Nevertheless, she did not want them.  So she sold them and gave the money from the sale to support Jewish women’s creative projects in Germany.  She has spent her life trying to give back or make some small amount of restitution for what her father and the other Nazis had done to millions of innocent people.   She knows that, for the first nine years of her life, she lived well as a result of Hitler’s evil regime. 

            As a former Armstrongite, I find Schramm’s story compelling.  And sobering. It makes me ponder certain aspects of my life.

            I came into the WCG in 1971.  I paid tithes for three years.  I then attended Ambassador College for three years.  Upon graduation, I was put on the college faculty for three years.  In 1981, I came to my senses and resigned from my position.  I resigned from the church two years later. 

            Here is why I bring up these dates.  Financially speaking, I benefited greatly from my involvement in WCG.  My three college years were subsidized by the tithes and offerings of thousands of church brethren.  I am fully aware that many widows’ mites helped me through college.  And there is no way that my three years of tithing from 1971 – 1974 covered the subsidy of my tuition from 1974 – 1977.  On the balance sheet of my personal finances, I came out way ahead when comparing what I GAVE financially to what I GOT financially between the time period of 1971 thru 1977.

And none of this equation takes into account the benefits (which were many) and salary I received between 1977 and 1981.  Unlike the thousands of people who were unfairly gouged by the WCG, I can never complain of being a victim.  

I can’t even claim emotional abuse.  Even while a student and instructor at the college, I was the kind of guy who would say (usually in a nice way), “Screw you.  That’s not gonna happen.”  That’s one of the reasons I didn’t last long in that organization. So I have zero to complain about when it comes to my WCG experience. 

Like Schramm who wants no financial benefits from Nazism after its fall, I want no financial benefits from Armstrongism now that it has fallen.  I have not been on any church payroll since 1981.  

Like Schramm, I don’t need to add to my feelings of guilt. 

Like Schramm who feels a sense of obligation to those who suffered from Nazism, I feel a sense of obligation to those who suffered from Armstrongism. 

The purpose of this post is NOT to suggest that those of you who benefited from Armstrongism owe a debt to those who were bled dry financially and emotionally.  I don’t know your circumstances.  I can’t judge anyone else’s actions in this matter.

Sure, there is no doubt that many received much more from Armstrongism than they gave.  Is my hope that those people are somehow (in their own small way) trying to achieve some degree of restitution for those who were oppressed.  Again, it is not my job to identify those persons who, in the end, found themselves on the plus side of the ledger when it came to these benefits. Nor is it my job to judge any efforts they may be taking to try to make things even a little bit right.  We can only do so much within the limitations of reality. 

For those of you who ended up on the short end of the stick after being in the Armstrong organization, please be aware that there are some who recognize the need for restitution and healing.  Those of us who feel guilt will never be able to completely make things right for Armstrongism’s victims.  For example, some people who were mistreated and gouged are long dead.  Their full restitution and healing will have to come in the Kingdom.  

Finally, I believe it is totally inappropriate when people suggest that those who have been hurt “need to just get over it.”  Or “they need to move on.”  Or, “they need to heal.”  Only the victim himself can make the decision as to when it’s time to move on.  No one else can make that decision for him.  It is wrong for anyone else to try to make that decision for him. 

              I have publicly apologized for my evil acts such as condemning interracial dating & marriage, promoting a three-tithe system, teaching end-time theology, advocating authoritarian church government, etc.   I am also sorry that I financially benefited from the sufferings of others.  One of the ways I try to help those victims is by participating in this blog site.  I feel it is important to tell the injured, “It’s not you.  It was that organization that was messed up.  You were well-meaning in your quest to follow God.  Don’t blame yourself that you were taken advantage of by dysfunctional people who lied and stole repeatedly.”  

And, if my attempt to provide some comfort causes today’s arrogant church leaders to accuse me of “sleeping with the enemy,” so be it.  To those who make that statement, I ask, “When will you learn an even minuscule amount of love from the teachings of Jesus?”

            Let’s try to show some compassion for those who struggle with their Armstrongite experience. 

See more on Hilde Schramm:

Nazi architect Speer’s daughter sold his paintings to fund Jewish women’s causes

Speer's daughter and the Syrian refugees

DAUGHTER OF NAZI OFFICIAL HONORED FOR HELPING JEWS

Dave Pack: Part 144 of the Craziest Sermon Series Ever Given

Below is the latest that was sent to me about Dave Pack.  It contains part of Dave's sermon from the Feast, #144.  In that sermon he said that he knew for a fact that there were only 2 weeks to 6 months left before the creature he calls "christ" was to return, apparently to walk the grounds of Wadsworth, Ohio as "it" communes with Dave in planning the third coming.

He has once again commanded his followers to sell all of their possessions, including homes, and send him their money. He has been saying that for quite a while that the final push is here, yet he goes on spending money on himself and other RCG elites.

Somebody forwarded to me part 144 of the Craziest Sermon Series Ever Given. 

Here is a link: 

This one was given at the Feast. He opens with it being the final part. But of course he is continuing to this day... The prophecy crack binge continues. 

At about 2 hours in he makes the case that the church only has about 2 weeks to 6 months before Christ comes. 

In that timing context, it's fascinating to hear his latest attempt to get brethren to sell all. It's right near the end at 2:30 mark. 

"Release Your Assets to God! Sell all as you are waiting for the Lord. Even if the Work has no time to use it. Won't change my salary. Won't build any more buildings. But it'll help you! Probably won't help us. But it'll help you! God's looking at your heart."

So he literally has their best interest in mind, right!? He can't even do anything with the money because there is not enough time. He has their best interest in mind as he is fleecing them for their savings, 401Ks, equity in home, etc., etc.. What a magnanimous gesture. 

In the last year they have built more gorgeous homes, built new barns, bought horses, purchased properties, paved everywhere, and on and on.  

Bullshit. (Pardon my french.)

Dave Pack: Sell your house and give me all the proceeds

When Bible Prophecy is Your Thing...

Finding the Path Back to the Present 

Sam Harris

“All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and
not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms
of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”
― Eckhart Tolle,

LCG Assures Us That They Have The Most Humble Leaders Who Never Seek Personal Aggrandizement

It is such a relief to know that there is at least one COG movement that has no one in leadership positions that seek self-aggrandizement.  They have the most humble men who serve with such humility that even Jesus is impressed...at least when they take the time to talk to him.

But of course, what Winnail is talking about below is actually aimed at the members to encourage them to not seek lofty positions, because we all know that not one single man in leadership positions in LCG have EVER sought self-aggrandizement. Nope! Never has the church seen such humble men than those in LCG.  Woo Hoo!

What Motivates You? In our world today, many people are motivated by a personal quest for a position, power, prestige, pleasure or a paycheck—and failure to be acknowledged or acclaimed is hard for some to deal with. Sometimes this attitude even spills over into the Church and local congregations when individuals jostle for positions and seek to be noticed or be given positions and responsibilities. However, Jesus sternly admonished the religious leaders of His day against seeking prominent positions and relishing public recognition (Matthew 23:6–7). In place of these self-seeking motives, Jesus emphasized to His disciples the importance of genuine humble service, “whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). The Apostles Paul and Peter also warned against seeking offices in the Church for personal aggrandizement, and instead, they urged Christians to be examples to others by serving with humility (1 Timothy 6:5; 1 Peter 5:2–6). As we strive to come out of this world, we need to understand that when we eliminate selfish motives and develop a genuine desire to serve others as Jesus Christ did, then God can use us to be more effective instruments in His hands (Philippians 2:3–12).
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

We All Wonder: Why Are So Many COG Members Attracted To Such Crazy Men As We Have Leading COG's today? :)

Why People Believe Weird Things

About the book

In this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory, New Age hokum, and alien abduction. A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, “Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things,” Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science.

Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Weird Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them.

“Humans are pattern-seeking story-telling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns, whether they exist or not.”
― Michael Shermer 

“There are many sources of spirituality; religion may be the most common, but it is by no means the only. Anything that generates a sense of awe may be a source of spirituality. Science does this in spades.”
― Michael Shermer

“Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons.”

― Michael Shermer 

"This page is quoted from chapter three of Michael Shermer's book Why People Believe Weird Things. The chapter, titled How Thinking Goes Wrong, contains a list of "Twenty-five Fallacies That Lead Us to Believe Weird Things". These 25 Fallacies cover nearly every aspect of how non-skeptics, non-critical thinkers, pseudoscientists, and yes, even scientists, fail in their thinking processes and end up accepting conclusions based on incorrect assertions and false logic. Also presented are Hume's Maxim and Spinoza's Dictum, both important tools used in critical thinking."

http://skywise711.com/Skeptic/WPBWT/index.html#23

From  Why People Believe Weird Things

Heresy Does Not Equal Correctness

(Nor does perceived "persecution" Gerry, Dave, Bob, Ron and all you minor players who believe weird, self centered and deviant theology)

"They laughed at Copernicus. They laughed at the Wright brothers. Yes, well, they laughed at the Marx brothers. Being laughed at does not mean you are right. Wilhelm Reich compared himself to Peer Gynt, the unconventional genius out of step with society, and misunderstood and ridiculed as a heretic until proven right: "Whatever you have done to me or will do to me in the future, whether you glorify me as a genius or put me in a mental institution, whether you adore me as your savior or hang me as a spy, sooner or later necessity will force you to comprehend that I have discovered the laws of living" (in Gardner 1952, p.259). Reprinted in the January/February 1996 issue of the Journal of Historical Review, the organ of Holocaust denial, is a famous quote from the nineteenth-century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, which is quoted often by those on the margins: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident." But "all truth" does not pass through these stages. Lots of true ideas are accepted without ridicule or opposition, violent or otherwise. Einstein's theory of relativity was largely ignored until 1919, when experimental evidence proved him right. He was not ridiculed, and no one violently opposed his ideas. The Schopenhauer quote is just a rationalization, a fancy way for those who are ridiculed or violently opposed to say, "See, I must be right". Not so.

    History is replete with tales of the lone scientist working in spite of his peers and flying in the face of the doctrines of his or her own field of study. Most of them turned out to be wrong and we do not remember their names. For every Galileo shown the instruments of torture for advocating a scientific truth, there are a thousand (or ten thousand) unknowns whose "truths" never pass muster with other scientists. The scientific community cannot be expected to test every fantastic claim that comes along, especially when so many are logically inconsistent. If you want to do science, you have to learn to play the game of science. This involves getting to know the scientists in your field, exchanging data and ideas with colleagues informally, and formally presenting your results in conference papers, peer-reviewed journals, books, and the like."

Michael Shermer

Burden of Proof

Who has to prove what to whom? The person making the extraordinary claim has the burden of proving to the experts and to the community at large that his or her belief has more validity than the one almost everyone else accepts. You have to lobby for your opinion to be heard. Then you have to marshal experts on your side so you can convince the majority to support your claim over the one they have always supported. Finally, when you are in the majority, the burden of proof switches to the outsider who wants to challenge you with his or her unusual claim. Evolutionists had the burden of proof for half a century after Darwin, but now the burden of proof is on creationists. It is up to creationists to show why the theory of evolution is wrong and why creationism is right, and it is not up to the evolutionists to defend evolution. The burden of proof is on the Holocaust deniers to prove the Holocaust did not happen, not on Holocaust historians to prove that it did. The rationale for this is that mountains of evidence prove that both evolution and the Holocaust are facts. In other words, it is not enough to have the evidence. You must convince others of the validity of your evidence. And when you are an outsider this is the price you pay, regardless of whether you are right or wrong.

Michael Shermer

Bold Statements Do Not Make Claims True

"And yes Brethren...I am an Apostle"

Something is probably pseudoscientific if enormous claims are made for its power and veracity but supportive evidence is scarce as hen's teeth. L. Ron Hubbard, for example, opens his Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, with this statement: "The creation of Dianetics is a milestone for man comparable to his discovery of fire and superior to all his invention of the wheel and arch" (in Gardner 1952, p.263). Sexual energy guru Wilhelm Reich called his theory of Orgonomy "a revolution in biology and psychology comparable to the Copernican Revolution" (in Garnder 1952, p.259). I have a think file of papers and letters from obscure authors filled with such outlandish claims (I call it the "Theories of Everything" file). Scientists sometimes make this mistake, too, as we saw at 1:00 P.M., on March 23, 1989, when Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann held a press conference to announce to the world that they had made cold nuclear fusion work. Gary Taube's excellent book about the cold fusion debacle, appropriately named Bad Science (1993), thoroughly examines the implications of this incident. Maybe fifty years of physics will be proved wrong by one experiment, but don't throw out your furnace until that experiment has been replicated. The moral is that the more extraordinary the claim, the more extraordinarily well-tested the evidence must be.

Michael Shermer

Unexplained Is Not Inexplicable

 Many people are overconfident enough to think that if they cannot explain something, it must be inexplicable and therefore a true mystery of the paranormal. An amateur archeologist declares that because he cannot figure out how the pyramids were built, they must have been constructed by space aliens. Even those who are more reasonable at least think that if the experts cannot explain something, it must be inexplicable. Feats such as the bending of spoons, firewalking, or mental telepathy are often thought to be of a paranormal or mystical natures because most people cannot explain them. When they are explained, most people respond, "Yes, of course" or "That's obvious once you see it." Firewalking is a case in point. People speculate endlessly about supernatural powers over pain and heat, or mysterious brain chemicals that block pain and prevent burning. The simple explanation is that the capacity of light and fluffy coals to contain heat is very low, and the conductivity of heat from the light and fluffy coals to your feet is very poor. As long as you don't stand around on the coals, you will not get burned. (Think of a cake in a 450° oven. The air, the cake, and the pan are all at 450°F, but only the metal pan will burn your hand. Air has a very low heat capacity and also low conductivity, so you can put your hand in the oven long enough to touch the cake and pan. The heat capacity of the cake is a lot higher than air, but since it has low conductivity you can briefly touch it without getting burned. The metal pan has a heat capacity similar to the cake, but high conductivity too. If you touch it, you will get burned.) This is why magicians do not tell their secrets. Most of their tricks are, in principle, relatively simple (although many are extremely difficult to execute) and knowing the secret takes the magic out of the trick.

    There are many genuine unsolved mysteries in the universe and it is okay to say, "We do not yet know but someday perhaps we will." The problem is that most of us find it more comforting to have certainty, even if it is premature, than to live with unsolved or unexplained mysteries.

Michael Shermer