Life Without Faith

I have a confession to make. It's quite embarrassing and my male readers might demand I turn in my Man Card. Regardless, I must admit, I watch The View. I know, I know…in my defense, I TiVo it and only watch the beginning segment called, Hot Topics. I find the diversity of “views” gives me a pretty accurate reading of the American pulse. And I got to admit I think each of the hosts—like all women—have something unique and beautiful about them.

Today, the entire show was dedicated to Ghosts and talking to the dead. Of course, being a skeptic, I had to watch. Plus, the announcer claimed they had an expert who was going to provide scientific evidence that could change the minds of the skeptical. Finally, my questions could be answered.

Here’s a run down of the show:

The show opened, as usual, with the ladies sitting around their table. They discussed whether each of them believed in ghosts. It was unanimous; they all believed there had to be something beyond this life. Why? They didn’t say. Whoopi, usually the most level headed, disappointed me by revealing that she was friends with Silvia Brown’s illegitimate son, John Edwards. She also said that if someone wanted to believe in paranormal stuff, it would happen for them (sounds like The Secret). Based on this knowledge, I now have faith that the next time I go to the restroom, I will crap golden eggs. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

The beautiful and funny Sherri Shepherd (who once confessed that she didn’t know and never even thought about whether the world was flat) stated that she didn’t believe in ghosts but believed in angels and demons. No discussion on the validity of this statement. She has made it clear in the past that you couldn’t question someone’s faith. This is despite the fact that believing in angels and demons is as rational (and delusional) as believing in leprechauns and fairies.

The next segment of the show had moved to the couch. This means its guest time, and the first guest was psycho psychic James Van Praagh. In his interview, he revealed that Heath Ledger appeared behind him in the mirror while he was shaving. Ledger said that he missed his daughter and had f*cked up. Wow, now that wasn’t predictable. He must be genuine. But wait, he also said that Brittney Spears was troubled. Jesus this guy's amazing!

Van Praagh also did two semi-cold readings for audience members. I say semi-cold because the individuals were pre-chosen? Perhaps, to give an assistant of Van Praagh time to research the names. Or possibly the lucky audience members had emailed Van Praagh and told him they were attending the show. It wasn’t a secret that he was going to be there. The readings were a joke. He used the standard tricks. He fed off the verbal and physical clues given to him by the chosen. He also used the trusty bait and switch trick with his questions. He asked a woman about "her daughter" and then changed it to the “deceased’s daughter.” He also used his super-powers to detect a woman had ties with New Jersey. Stupid me had to deduct this fact from the woman's accent.

The next segment had a couple guys from the Ghost Hunter show. They were as useless as their crappy program. Isn't it amazing how the ghosts only appear off camera. They must use the same paranormal ability as Bigfoot when he makes film of him all blurry. The guys bragged that they don’t charge for their services. How noble of them. Oh yeah, as if every freaking contractors on every freaking DYI and HGTV show doesn't charge for their services either. I’m pretty sure they get paid FROM THEIR SHOWS!

The final segment had the Director of the Office of Paranormal Investigations. His name was Lloyd. Lloyd was the “paranormal scientist” (oxymoron anyone?), advertised as the guy with the proof. The first thing Lloyd said was that there was NO PROOF of the paranormal. Lloyd said that the evidence was in the experience of people. What the hell kind of science is that? He also said that his technological gadgets were not designed to detect ghosts because no one knows how to detect ghosts. That was all he had and there was no evidence. Show over.

Now granted, I know The View is not a “news” program. However, the producers organized the show in such a way as to give the appearance of being objective (ala Fox News). I’m sure it was for ratings, but the show could have been just as interesting with actual skeptics who have applied The Scientific Method to the paranormal. James Randi would have been an exciting guest. He was always great on Johnny Carson. He could have brought out one of those giant checks ready to give away that million dollars. It would have been awesome if the show featured one of the many magicians (like Chris Angel) who use tactics of psychics to do cold readings. Who knows, with a different show, The View could have helped the thousands of nieve and elderly who are scammed by these charlatans every year.

Finally I want to point out something Joy Behar said. Apparently during one of the breaks, she asked Van Praagh if George Carlin would visit him like Heath Ledger. His answer was, “No.” Why, because Carlin wasn’t a believer. This just goes to show you that we atheists and skeptics can’t escape the bigotry. It seems the only thing crazy theists and psychics agree on is that we are beneath them both. It’s a damn shame.

Brother Richard

With all the crazy theists making news lately, I have not spent much time talking about community. Let me make up for some lost time by giving you four:

1. Brother Hemant (Friendly Atheist) brought my attention to a new non-believing social site: Atheist Nexus. This site shows a lot of promise. If you decide to sign up, be sure to add me as a friend.

2. My dear friend, Sister Maria (Masala Skeptic), has pointed out several great events for us skeptics in Atlanta. We've got another Skeptics in the Pub this Saturday, and Lori Lipman Brown will be in town Sunday. On top of all that, Dragon*Con is going to have a dedicated track on skepticism this year. As Maria points out, "So, my fellow Atlantans, no more complaining about living in the south and not getting any skeptical activities in the area. For the next few months are truly chock full. I'll be taking full advantage of it, and I expect you all to do the same. Hope to see you there!"

3. Also, my fellow Atlantans, This Wednesday will be the third MeetUp of GUST (Gwinnett: Understanding Secular Truths). It has been a lot of fun. If you can, check it out.

4. Finally, on our links page, we have created a section for FreeThinking Teens. This was inpired by Teen Skepchick. If you (or someone you know) is a teen blogger, contact us and we will provide a link to your site.

VanityFair.com has posted another intriguing article by irRev. Christopher Hitchens. It is entitled, Believe Me, It’s Torture. It details Hitch's dramatic encounter with water boarding and his personal disgust when individuals claim it is not torture.

Here's an excerpt:

"...and then I felt the mask come down again. Steeling myself to remember what it had been like last time, and to learn from the previous panic attack, I fought down the first, and some of the second, wave of nausea and terror but soon found that I was an abject prisoner of my gag reflex. The interrogators would hardly have had time to ask me any questions, and I knew that I would quite readily have agreed to supply any answer. I still feel ashamed when I think about it. Also, in case it’s of interest, I have since woken up trying to push the bedcovers off my face, and if I do anything that makes me short of breath I find myself clawing at the air with a horrible sensation of smothering and claustrophobia."

Also, below is a video of his experience. Warning, it is quite disturbing:

Rebecca Watson and all the great women of SkepChick have created a new site for younger "teen" women. (I was going to call them "chicks" because they call themselves "chicks," but I wasn't sure if it was like the "N Word," and can only be said within said group. Shoot, maybe I should have said "C Word" like I had to say "N Word?").

All joking aside, The site is called Teen Skepchick. I encourage all you parents out there with a young "woman" in your house to encourage them to get involved. I know my 15 year old finds it difficult sometimes being the only rational person among her peers. This site should provide some good comradery.