– Date – October 16, 2012
– Send your cool ‘SCIENCE!’ shout-outs to
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– Theme song by Steve Seamans of the Daisy Dillman Band. Get the song HERE.
– Thank you to everyone who has been purchasing books, Skepticality stuff, or using our Amazon link to help us!

Skepticism, Past and Future

– The Fox Sisters spawned an entire religion (Spiritualism) but later confessed fraud on October 21, 1888.
– The Forer Effect explains how horoscopes work. Bertram Forer was born October 24, 1914.
– Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" of October 30, 1938 is the quintessential media hoax.
– The mockumentary "Opération lune" first aired on French & German TV on October 16, 2002.
– The famous duck-rabbit optical illusion was first published 120 years ago on October 23, 1892.
– FourMatch was introduced in September, Tim spoke about how skeptics might make use of it on Virtual Skeptics #7.
– PunditTracker was also introduced in September, and Tim explained more about it on Virtual Skeptics #8.
– Seth Kalichman's grant to establish an Anti-Vaccine Surveillance and Alert System was announced earlier this year.
– Tim now writes a blog post every morning on news of new tools and techniques for skeptics called Morning Toolbox.
– CSICON is October 25 to 28 in Nashville and Tim will be there.
– Skeptic History facts are posted daily on social media find out where on this page at Tim’s blog.

Unnatural Virtue

– Mind Over Matter has been studied by scientists since 1882.
– The idea that the mind can cause effects in the external world is an old one, goes back at least as far as the gospels and gave rise to the New Thought or Mind-Cure movement of the 19th century.
– Gave rise to the power of positive thinking movement and the New Age healer movement.
– Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866) is known as the father of New Thought, New England clockmaker and a follower of the methods of Anton Mesmer (1734-1815).
– Quimby called his healing practice by many names, including Christian Science, which was appropriated by one of his patients, Mary Baker Eddy.
– After Quimby's death, one of Eddy's students, Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849–1925), organized New Thought and turned it into a national movement.
– Others who spread the ideas of New Thought were co-founder of the Unity movement, Myrtle Page Fillmore (1845-1931)
– Founder of Home of Truth, Annie Rix Militz (1856-1924).
– Founders of the Church of Divine Science Malinda Elliott Cramer (1844-1906) and Nona L. Brooks (1861-1945).
– William James called New Thought "a deliberately optimistic scheme of life" and saw it as opposing the evangelical appeal to fear.
– Despite the claims, evidence indicates that there is no connection between personality traits like optimism and good health.
– It doesn't seem that a fighting spirit is enough to save your life.
– The Skeptics Dictionary and Skeptic's Dictionary for Kids.
– A paperback edition of Unnatural Acts: Critical Thinking, Skepticism, and Science Exposed! is now available from Lulu.com. For more info, click here. The eBook is still available.

The Odds Must Be Crazy

– The Odds Must Be Crazy.
– This week's featured story is, "Sooper Seekrit Safe Word"
– Story was submitted by friend of the site, Ross Blocher, of Oh No, Ross & Carrie! fame
– Please visit the story link for a more detailed analysis and to add your comments
– Additional thoughts and considerations provided by Barbara Drescher.
– Our producer and audio engineer is Brian Hart.
– Our theme music comes to us courtesy of Brian Keith Dalton, AKA Mr. Deity.
– Please visit The Independent Investigations Group Los Angeles.
– The Odds Must Be Crazy can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
– Wendy Hughes is on Twitter.
– Jarrett Kaufman is on Twitter.
– Barbara Drescher is on Twitter.
– Brian Hart is on Twitter.
– Brian Keith Dalton is on Twitter.

Threesome With Jesus – Interview – Dr. Darrell Ray

– Dr. Darrel Ray former preacher turned phychologist and anthropologist
– Was a Presbyterian preacher for a short time
– Difference between a liberal sermon and a fundamentalist sermons
– Maybe the use of the Jefferson Bible
– Author of 'The God Virus'
– Inspired by Richard Dawkins and Memetics in the 'Virus of the Mind'
– Newest book, 'Sex and God'
– As Derek mentioned, even a blogger had the idea to read the book in public
– Religion seems to be obsessed with our sex lives
– Male dominated religions are obsessed with controlling women
– The Bible is full of 'anti' sexual concepts.
– Why are there no references to the deciples having wives?
– It is odd for a Rabbi not to be married.
– Almost every religion oppresses women in some way.
– The religious sexual mindset leads to bad thinking such as Todd Aiken and rape shaming.
– Religious people have the highest number of abortions.
– When you give people open access to birth control, abortions plummet.
– Darrel Ray was involved in a large survey about sexuality which was given to thousands of secular and non believers.
– The only place that you are 'trained' to go to rid yourself of sin is always back at the place you learned about the sin to begin with.
– The number one group which feels the most guilty about sex are Mormons.
– The group with the least guilt over sex is Unitarians.
– Unitarians have a very good sex education program.
– In strict religious relationships, every time you have sex, you have a threesome with Jesus.
– Would you be able to have sex with Jesus watching?
– Too 'Fu*ked up to Fu*k', the podcast episode.
– Religion harms women more than anyone, yet they are the ones who tend to go to church the most.
– The LBGTQ community are a good example of how we can fight against the evil of religious sexual oppression.
– Darrel has been interviewed by Richard Dawkins for his upcoming BBC documentary on sex and death.
– Sexual sin seems to have the worst punishments in religion.
– Darrel also started the 'Secular Therapist Project'.
– It is like a dating site so that therapists and clients can find each other easily.
– Imagine a therapist from Pat Roberts Regent University.