.jpg)
A review of "Why Do Ghosts Wear Clothes?"
This was a somewhat unexpected e-pamphlet. After
reading his irreverent-skeptical attack on Falung Gong, I assumed that the
author, M E Brines, is an irreverent skeptic, although probably not a secret
Chinese agent on the attack, as charged by the other reviewers of “Falung Gong:
The Force is with us”. After reading this tract, I realized that Brines is
actually a fairly orthodox (lower case “o”) Christian!
The author argues that the “spirits of the dead” encountered at haunted places or during séances are really demons in the service of Satan, that the Bible is God's message to humanity, and that the Apocalypse is coming. His pamphlet is really a kind of mini-apologetic during the course of which he attempts to demonstrate by “scientific” means that mediums do have contact with discarnate entities, that these entities are really demonic and that similar cases are alluded to in the Bible.
To Brines, science isn't necessarily naturalistic, although it must be strictly empirical and experimental. I happen to agree that this is a possible definition. Defined in this way, parapsychology is a science. (Another possible definition is that science must be naturalistic, but that true non-naturalistic knowledge is possible as well.) Another good point made by Brines is that skeptics often dismiss the *evidence* for the supernatural if it contradicts the initial *theory* of the same. Thus, if it can be shown that a medium doesn't communicate with the dead, all paranormal events surrounding the medium are simply declared to be hoaxes. He is right that this is absurd, since the facts can be real but demand a different theory (perhaps telepathy, or perhaps even demons).
Unfortunately, I can't say that I liked the rest of the pamphlet. It's too much “Bible Belt fundamentalism” and contain a number of sloppy mistakes and bizarre claims. Aleister Crowley is said to be an important representative of modern Spiritualism, and Brines claims that Crowley was the leader of the Golden Dawn until 1947! He also claims that Gerald Gardner had at one point been a Golden Dawn leader?! This kind of sloppiness is unfortunately typical of many evangelical enthusiasts. Naturally, Theosophy's founder “Blavatski” (everyone else spells her name Blavatsky) is accused of somehow being behind esoteric Nazism. Everyone outside the fold simply *must* be a Satanist! The author also dabbles in C S Lewis fandom the bad way.
Ultimately, the author's main thesis can perhaps be “scientifically disproven” by pointing out that Christians are neither more nor less moral (or immoral) than non-Christians, which is strange if all non-Christian spirits are evil demons, since by their fruits shall ye know them, etc. Nor are Christians more right than non-Christians, since modern science has proven evolution and an old earth, which is also strange if the Bible is an infallible revelation from God.
But what about the question asked in the title? Why *do* ghosts wear clothes? No idea, just as I don't know why Jesus wore the garments of a gardener after his resurrection…
The author argues that the “spirits of the dead” encountered at haunted places or during séances are really demons in the service of Satan, that the Bible is God's message to humanity, and that the Apocalypse is coming. His pamphlet is really a kind of mini-apologetic during the course of which he attempts to demonstrate by “scientific” means that mediums do have contact with discarnate entities, that these entities are really demonic and that similar cases are alluded to in the Bible.
To Brines, science isn't necessarily naturalistic, although it must be strictly empirical and experimental. I happen to agree that this is a possible definition. Defined in this way, parapsychology is a science. (Another possible definition is that science must be naturalistic, but that true non-naturalistic knowledge is possible as well.) Another good point made by Brines is that skeptics often dismiss the *evidence* for the supernatural if it contradicts the initial *theory* of the same. Thus, if it can be shown that a medium doesn't communicate with the dead, all paranormal events surrounding the medium are simply declared to be hoaxes. He is right that this is absurd, since the facts can be real but demand a different theory (perhaps telepathy, or perhaps even demons).
Unfortunately, I can't say that I liked the rest of the pamphlet. It's too much “Bible Belt fundamentalism” and contain a number of sloppy mistakes and bizarre claims. Aleister Crowley is said to be an important representative of modern Spiritualism, and Brines claims that Crowley was the leader of the Golden Dawn until 1947! He also claims that Gerald Gardner had at one point been a Golden Dawn leader?! This kind of sloppiness is unfortunately typical of many evangelical enthusiasts. Naturally, Theosophy's founder “Blavatski” (everyone else spells her name Blavatsky) is accused of somehow being behind esoteric Nazism. Everyone outside the fold simply *must* be a Satanist! The author also dabbles in C S Lewis fandom the bad way.
Ultimately, the author's main thesis can perhaps be “scientifically disproven” by pointing out that Christians are neither more nor less moral (or immoral) than non-Christians, which is strange if all non-Christian spirits are evil demons, since by their fruits shall ye know them, etc. Nor are Christians more right than non-Christians, since modern science has proven evolution and an old earth, which is also strange if the Bible is an infallible revelation from God.
But what about the question asked in the title? Why *do* ghosts wear clothes? No idea, just as I don't know why Jesus wore the garments of a gardener after his resurrection…
No comments:
Post a Comment