Mark Twain's skepticism - Letters to the Editor

Your January/February 2002 issue has Mark Twain on the cover. He was not just a skeptic about phrenology, but also about the Bible. His skeptical writings were collected and organized by Howard Baetzhold and Joseph McCullough and published in The Bible According to Mark Twain (Simon & Schuster, 1996). I enjoyed immensely your articles on religion that centered on the theme of science and religion. I like the fact that SKEPTICAL INQUIRER stands up to the very pernicious superstition spiritualism in its many guises, though more should be written on religion.

I have a Web site which contains a smattering of articles I've collected on the historical foundation of religion, and other articles of interests to skeptics. There is a gem on New Age beliefs, published in 1979. The address is http://jeromekahn123.tripod.com/enlightenment/.

Jerry Kahn

www.jeromekahn69@hotmail.com

On my magic forum, there is presently a long-running thread on the subject of the "Torn and Restored Newspaper." This led to someone quoting a well-respected memory expert and playing-card magician as saying, "I wouldn't want to hang around with the people who really believe I can restore the paper." What this ultimately and more generically implies is that he wouldn't want to associate with people who really believe in magic, for a belief in real magic is a form of psychosis!

And yet...as hard-core atheist and brilliant literary wit Mark Twain observed with regard to religionists:

"You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, burning bushes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones that need help?"

Larry Thornton, magician

Calgary, Alberta

Canada

COPYRIGHT 2002 Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group