Supporting Science, Reason and the Separation of Church and State Issue #11 May 17, 2011

People can catch on fire... but can it really happen when there is no external source of ignition?

Today we're going to point our skeptical eye at one of the mainstays of the paranormal: spontaneous human combustion (SHC). The idea is that people can, while simply minding their own business, burst into flames, with no external source of ignition. It's not a medically recognized phenomena, and no explanation exists that can reasonably account for any but a few of the many stories. Thus, it's found a firm home in the world of the strange, that subdivision of Earthly phenomena that is studied and promoted by only a few fringe researchers and outsiders. That doesn't mean it's wrong though; and we're going to look at it as closely as we can.

Spontaneous human combustion is a little different from most paranormal phenomena, in that it's a claim of no external source for the fire. That people have burned up is the fact that's not in question; the question is the theory of whatcaused them to burn. In this case, believers are asserting that there was no conventional cause. Their job is, in effect, to prove a negative. Proving a negative is different from the null hypothesis. The null hypothesis for an unexplained fire is simply to say that no cause is known, which is different from stating authoritatively that there is no cause. Thus, the burden of proof still rests on the claimant, even in this case. Science does not allow us to make the jump from "the cause of the fire is unknown," therefore "the cause is known and it's spontaneous human combustion." Science allows unanswered questions; indeed, science exists because of unanswered questions. The lack of an answer proves only that we don't know something yet, it does not prove the existence of the paranormal.

Stories of SHC generally fall into one of two categories. The first type is the discovery of a body that burned while nobody was present, usually almost completely to ashes but for a few bits like the hands or feet. Even bones are burned away. The second type is a dinner party or some other event, where many witnesses all see one person suddenly go up into flames for no evident reason, and the flames are usually extinguished before the person can be killed. For each of these two types, there are a few very prominently repeated examples that you'll find on the Internet or in books. We'll give two examples of each.

Since this is my show, I'm going to invoke Host's Privilege and formally declare the two kinds. Spontaneous Human Combustion of the First Kind is when there are no witnesses to what happened:

• 
  The most famous such case is that of 67-year-old Mary Reeser, whose remains were found by a friend in her St. Petersburg, FL home in 1951. Only her foot remained, still in its slipper, while the rest of her body had been reduced completely to ashes, along with the chair in which she'd been sitting. Her case is sometimes referred to as "the cinder woman".
  
• 
  Another example you're likely to find in the books is that of 92-year-old John Bentley. A meter reader found Bentley's foreleg and his walker straddled atop a hole burned into his bathroom floor, and Bentley's ashes on the floor of the basement below.
  

Most sources cite something like 300 such cases of the First Kind, and they all follow this same basic pattern. A person, usually elderly, often overweight, frequently mobility challenged, is found burned almost completely to ashes, bones and all. Their surroundings show scorching but are usually not burned.

Read the rest of this article here: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4258

Atheists tackle religion at O.C. 'godless' conference

KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
IRVINE – The atheist group that helped erect a "godless" billboard in Westminster hosted its second annual Orange County conference Sunday, attracting about 85 people from as far away as Seattle to analyze the influence of religion on U.S. society and to work toward promoting rational, critical thinking.

Inside a conference room at the Irvine Hilton, speakers made the case that parts of the Bible appeared to be works of fiction, that published studies showing a positive correlation between health and religion are based on faulty science, and that the "mindless, yahoo" patriotism in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is akin to the way religious extremists gain support for their causes.

Bruce Gleason of Villa Park, a member of the Orange County Coalition of Reason, is interviewed by a news reporter in front of the group's “godless billboard” in Westminster earlier this month. The Orange County Freethought Alliance, part of the coalition, hosted its second annual atheist and agnostic conference Sunday in Irvine.

The all-day conference was hosted by the Orange County Freethought Alliance, part of a coalition of atheist and agnostic groups that put up a billboard earlier this month on Beach Boulevard proclaiming: "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."

"We're the last vestige of the civil rights movement," said conference organizer Bruce Gleason of Villa Park, founder of the Orange County Freethought Alliance, part of the Orange County Coalition for Reason. "We don't hate religion. We despise the idea that you can take away certain rights for other people."

Gleason said he hoped Sunday's conference would spark like-minded people in Orange County to band together to fight against what he called the "hazards" of religion, such as its role in blocking government funding for embryonic stem cell research, incorporating Creationism and intelligent-design theories into school science lessons, and using taxpayer dollars to support school voucher programs, which allow parents to enroll their kids in religious schools.

The "godless" billboard, which encourages passersby to visit OrangeCoR.org, has already resulted in several hundred emails of interest from Orange County residents who want to learn more, Gleason noted – and has helped raise the profile of Sunday's conference.

"It's bringing an awareness there are a significant number of atheists and agnostics in Orange County," said conference attendee Kristopher Augsburger, 28, of Irvine, who attended with twin brother Shawn. "It can help people who are trying to leave organized religion."

The "godless" billboard sparked debate across Orange County, with some critical of its message and others optimistic it might help steer people toward – rather than away from – religion.

UC Irvine postdoctoral scientific researcher Jennifer Koontz, who spoke Sunday about scientific studies that have found a positive correlation between health and religion, said such research was primarily being funded by religious institutions, and was based on faulty scientific methodology.

"They are just being pushed out into research for a religious agenda," said Koontz, explaining that she has analyzed the data from about 200 of them. "... A lot of times, editors (for scientific journals) are really busy and cannot check up on all the facts. They don't want to say, 'Don't publish it because it's religion.'"

Koontz cited one study that concluded religious commitment correlated with lower blood pressure, even though the study actually asked participants if they believed they were going to be "bewitched."

Koontz has been working to replicate such studies, except she is trying to use sound scientific methodologies, including asking clear survey questions, she said. Based on her initial findings, there is no such correlation between health and religion, Koontz noted.

On Sunday, speaker Tim Callahan, author of two books that analyze the veracity of the Bible, said several parts of the Bible appear to be pure works of fiction, such as the books of Ruth, Esther and Job. They contain all the hallmarks of good parables – clear philosophical themes, repetition of motifs, poetic justice, an omniscient point of view – and yet seem illogical or unlikely to have happened in real life, he said.

"You either have to believe it's fiction or divinely inspired," he said.

Also Sunday, Mission Viejo high school teacher James Corbett, who rocketed into the national spotlight three years ago after a former student successfully sued him for disparaging Christianity in class, told conference attendees to be wary of "mindless, yahoo" patriotism, such as that seen after 9/11, because it was similar to the mindset that can lead rational people to become religious extremists.

"Most of the suicide bombers are not religious fanatics," said Corbett, who teaches European history at Capistrano Valley High School. "What they did was not completely unreasonable. We need to understand why they do what they do. ... We can't just all salute the flag."

Download 1.88 Mb.

Share with your friends: