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"The unnamed woman, with a long history of involvement with Satanic groups, was observed by a team of priest, deacons, several lay assistants, psychiatrists, nuns, some of whom also had medical and psychiatric training, levitating six inches off the ground while objects flew off shelves in the same room, according to Dr. Richard E. Gallagher, who documented the case in the February issue of the New Oxford Review."
First your source is a bit shady, never heard of it, and it doesn't look very reputable. Now assuming there is any truth at all to this story. She could be just crazy. Also if a priest or nun or such tells you, you are possessed, some people will just believe it because they are suggestible. As far as the levitation, there are a number of ways to fake a levitation, and secondly no video or photography evidence is provided, so how could the account in any way be corroborated. Also do you even believe what you are posting? I don't think most Christians believe in levitation as a real phenomena or do they?
How does an atheist explain a well documented case of demonic possession?
We first ask you to produce the peer reviewed evidence carried out by qualified scientific personnel to support the case.....rather than evidence from priests, nuns, deacons and lay personnel.
How does an atheist explain a well documented case of demonic possession?
We first ask you to produce the peer reviewed evidence carried out by qualified scientific personnel to support the case.....rather than evidence from priests, nuns, deacons and lay personnel.
One of the people involved with this case was Dr. Richard E. Gallagher. Who is a board-certified psychiatrist in private practice in Hawthorne, New York, and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at New York Medical College. He is also on the faculties of Columbia University Psychoanalytic Institute. He is also a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University, magna *** laude in Classics, and trained in Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine.
I have no doubt that Dr. Richard E. Gallagher is well qualified. Of course, you ignored that he was the one who did the study, and somehow only focused on the priests, nuns, deacons, and lay personnel.
It appears to me, when someone does not what to believe something, such details they often overlook.
"Wait... what about these wires, and why the dim lighting and loud chanting?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rafius
How does an atheist explain a well documented case of demonic possession?
We first ask you to produce the peer reviewed evidence carried out by qualified scientific personnel to support the case.....rather than evidence from priests, nuns, deacons and lay personnel.
And I thought I'd have to say this. It's obvious, Tom. I do note, however, reading your links as I always do, that this is a pretty scary site, full of demonic chit-chat and religious tripe. And the author of the paper, if you'll care to delve a little deeper, is described thusly:
"Dr. Gallagher is the only American psychiatrist to have been a consistent U.S. delegate to the International Association of Exorcists, and has addressed its plenary session. "
Ahh yes; The International Association of Exorcists!
So now, first, you have to believe in that stuff from the get-go, right?. Any bias there? That alone sorta raises the Skepticism Number well into the 99% range, I'd say. But nonetheless, as Rafius says, let's have a few credible observers visit there, like Rafius and I, with our cameras.
Simple, huh? This is the Final Answer to your OP question, pure and simple. Of course, you KNOW what we'd actually find, and thus, QED, as we scientists say. (Google it, Tom. You'll get you answer!)
First your source is a bit shady, never heard of it, and it doesn't look very reputable. Now assuming there is any truth at all to this story. She could be just crazy. Also if a priest or nun or such tells you, you are possessed, some people will just believe it because they are suggestible. As far as the levitation, there are a number of ways to fake a levitation, and secondly no video or photography evidence is provided, so how could the account in any way be corroborated. Also do you even believe what you are posting? I don't think most Christians believe in levitation as a real phenomena or do they?
Well you can always make an arguement for faking evidence. And you can always say a publication is not reputable. However, that being said. The person who did the study was Dr. Richard E. Gallagher. Who is a board-certified psychiatrist in private practice in Hawthorne, New York, and Associate professor of Clinical Psychiatry at New York Medical College. He is also on the faculties of the Columbia University Psychoanalytic Institute. He is also a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University, magna *** laude in Classics, and trained in Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine.
It is very doubtful that man with his kind of credentials would be a participant in some kind of hoax. Levitation is something experienced by those who are under demonic possession. Such Levitation is experienced in areas around the world where the dark arts are in use. Consider the link below.
These accounts always call for some proper investigation and yet when the poster claims all sorts of impeccable research credentials, they turn out to be a Fundypedia type newsrag and a dodgy cultthink doctor.
The poster does not make himself look very good by this rushing into print with very doubtful sources waved about with a lot of 'proven by science' hoopla. It merely underlines the case for atheism being right to need better proof than the dodgy anedotal claims of the diluvians, arkeologists, grail -hunters and demonic - posession bods.
It isn't closed - mindedness on the part of atheism or even science. If this case had turned out (or even turns out) to have any properly verified features, then there would have been proper research to find out how it's happening. There would have been no question of us all looking (electronically) at one another and gasping: 'Well damb, Campbell was right all along. there is a God, satan, fossil ark and east gate prophecy" and toddle off down to the local Godshop.
Doesn't work that way. What ought to happen is that poster might begin to understand that there are very good reasons why science distrusts bigfoot claims - because there have been so many hoaxes before. Instead we just get a bit of "Well then..what about this..?" rummaging about for a scarey gnome-type video clip.
I'm saying this not to be mocking or to try to warn atheists - we already know why extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence - but to try to explain to the poster that dodgy evidence just makes the claims look dodgy.
And I thought I'd have to say this. It's obvious, Tom. I do note, however, reading your links as I always do, that this is a pretty scary site, full of demonic chit-chat and religious tripe. And the author of the paper, if you'll care to delve a little deeper, is described thusly:
"Dr. Gallagher is the only American psychiatrist to have been a consistent U.S. delegate to the International Association of Exorcists, and has addressed its plenary session. "
Ahh yes; The International Association of Exorcists!
So now, first, you have to believe in that stuff from the get-go, right?. Any bias there? That alone sorta raises the Skepticism Number well into the 99% range, I'd say. But nonetheless, as Rafius says, let's have a few credible observers visit there, like Rafius and I, with our cameras.
Simple, huh? This is the Final Answer to your OP question, pure and simple. Of course, you KNOW what we'd actually find, and thus, QED, as we scientists say. (Google it, Tom. You'll get you answer!)
And of course if you don't believe, then you will ignore. And that is what todays science dose best. They ignore anything they cannot explain, and pretend it does not exist. I would suggest, if your really intrested in the truth, why don't you contact Dr. Gallagher. I myself have personally had encounters with demons, so no one has to convince me of their reality.
Of course im my case, they just appeared as shadow people, and enjoyed shaking my bed, ect. The case histories for Demonic possession are numerous and well documented. Consider the link below.
This is as doubtful as any of the others. A Hag -ridden catholic who became convinced of her own posession, some superstitious priests who went along with it and thoroughly deserved their conviction for negligent manslaughter.
Just chucking stuff like that at us makes no case at all other than for Faith -based gullibility.
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"Wait... what about these wires, and why the dim lighting and loud chanting?"
