What is Going On Under DIA? Part III

The conspiracy theorists are at it again. The alleged secret tunnels and buildings under DIA – future home to the nation’s elite during the coming apocalypse - are now making news again as it is alleged that President Obama will seek refuge in this facility during the approach of Comet Elenin on September 27. But before we get into that quagmire let us examine one of the more interesting “evidences” used by conspiracy theorists to prove that something strange is going on under DIA – the murals.

The murals seem to depict disturbing images of a future apocalypse where children are the primary victims. The conspiracy theorists have used these images to claim they represent a hint of the horrible evils to come. For example, one of the murals depicts three dead women in open caskets – a Black woman, a Native American woman, and a blonde Caucasian girl. In another mural, children from different countries seem to be holding clusters of weapons wrapped in their nation’s flags. Another mural shows an imposing, militaristic figure with an automatic weapon in one hand and a sword in the other prepared to fight. In this same mural, a woman is shown holding her limp dead baby.

Do these images show a coming apocalypse as directed by the New World Order? Do these images show the influence of Nazis, Free Masons and military entities as they prepare  to usher in the 2^nd coming of Christ? Is this a warning of a tremendous evil to come?

No. Not at all. While these images show disturbing images of war, death and destruction with children as the primary victims, they are not intended to depict a specific future event. Instead, these images are intended to show that children – in general - are afflicted with evils of all kinds in this world as the result of war and it is their caretakers who are to blame. Their parents are the source of war.

How do we know this?  It is all made clear in a copy of a letter that appears almost unnoticed in one of the murals. This letter, written by a 14 year-old girl who died in 1943 at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, reads as follows:

I once was a little child who longed for other worlds,

But I am no more a child for I have known fear,

I have learned to hate, how tragic then is youth

Which lives with enemies, with gallows ropes. 

Yet, I still believe I only sleep today, that I’ll wake up, 

A child again, and start to laugh and play.

So there we have it. Once again the conspiracy theorist have gotten it all wrong. The DIA murals serve only one purpose – to cry out for a better world for our children. A world without death and violence. It is a message not of fear and death but of hope.

Stan Monroe 

Future Haunted House for Sale!

Are you looking for a bargain on a used house? Consider the property at 2791 Calkins Place in Broomfield. It is now for sale after sitting vacant for nearly two years. Why?

On September 12, 2009 a 36-year-old woman and her 46-year-old ex-husband were found shot and killed in the home in an apparent murder/suicide. Three children under 5 years of age were in the home at the time of the killings along with a male acquaintance of the woman. This acquaintance apparently called the police.

The house is listed for $264,500 which is a little low for the neighborhood – probably due to the poor condition of the yard – but seemingly high considering the nasty history of the property. But why should it be that way?

We all know how it works. When people die in particularly violent ways, their spirits tend to hang around the scene of the crime to torment future inhabitants. They open and close doors, make the floors creak, and cause vases to fall from their tables. And, of course, they restrict their activities to the evening hours. We all know this, right?

According to a CBS News Poll, nearly half of all Americans – 48% - believe in ghosts. Women are more likely to believe in ghosts than men – 56% for women and 38% for men. In addition, according to the poll, 22% of Americans actually believe they have seen or felt the presence of a ghost.

These are staggering numbers considering there is absolutely no evidence that ghosts exist. In fact, for all practical purposes, ghosts are imaginary. And yet, this imaginary belief has real-world consequences that can be reflected in the actual sales prospects of this house in Broomfield.

Would I be bothered to buy a house with such a sinister history? Not at all. We would have hellacious Halloween parties and we would give guided tours of the scene of the crime. And, year-round, I would greet visitors at the door with a zombie mask and fake blood running down my face. But the reality is that if we were to buy this house at a cut rate price due to its history, we would have an equally difficult time trying to resell it due to the same history.

And all because of an imaginary set of beliefs held by half of all Americans. A house with a violent past is doomed to sit vacant or sell at a bargain price because half of our neighbors believe that this residence may be the home of ghosts. Is this home at 2791 Calkins place haunted? Not in any real sense, but for all practical purposes – yes.

Stan Monroe

Miraculous Feat of Engineering? Nope!

How did the Neolithic inhabitants of England create Stonehenge? How did they raise horizontal lintel stones - weighing up to 30 tons each -  22 feet into the air and place them on top of the vertical sarsen stones? These people must have had special knowledge or even help from aliens. Wrong. They were dumber than a box of rocks and this explains how they did it.

Even today, the construction of Stonehenge seems a monumental task. Many of the heaviest stones were transported from quarries 25 miles away and the task of raising these huge stones high into the sky without modern tools seems impossible. So we make the mistake of assuming that our ignorance of the exact methods implies extreme knowledge or secret abilities on the part of the ancients. Instead, in order to understand how they did it, perhaps we should turn the question on its head. How would you build Stonehenge if you had kumquats for brains? If you think about this for ten minutes, I bet that the answer will come to you. Go ahead; take ten minutes to think about it…

Time’s up. We know that these ancient builders had only simple tools including ropes, log rollers, pails, shovels and picks. But did the ancients have anything else that we do not possess in our modern age? Of course they did. The ancients had three key ingredients in abundance – time, labor and capital. It is known that many ancient societies – including the Egyptians for example - built projects over generations and employed nearly endless slave (or conscription) labor. The same is true of the Stonehenge builders. These were not 12-month projects with limits on capital, labor and time. The ancient Stonehenge builders had 1) endless time, 2) endless labor, and 3) endless capital in the form of available building materials - stone. (And remember – the purpose of a tool is to multiply labor. If you have endless labor, tools become largely unnecessary.)

OK, so how would you raise a 30-ton horizontal stone 22 feet into the air if the only tools you had were ropes, shovels, pails and picks? After the vertical stones have been raised and placed into their proper locations, you give thousands of slaves shovels and pails and you bury the site under a massive mound of dirt and rock creating a 360-degree ramp of dirt. It is that simple. It may take 100 years to do this, but the ancients did not care much for time. Once the site is buried, thousands of slaves using ropes and log rollers then drag the 50-ton stones to the top of the mound and then place them on the vertical stones. Finally, you spend another hundred years and countless slave labor hours removing the mound. After generations of back-breaking work, Stonehenge is complete when the mound has been removed – one pail at a time.

Knowledge accumulates – we know more about the universe now than we did 3,000 years ago. We make a grave mistake when we assume that our ancient ancestors possessed knowledge and abilities that we do not possess. And this is why we make a mistake when we worship their monuments, healing practices or religious writings. They did little more than fumble around in the dark. Do not get me wrong, they accomplished much with their limited knowledge, but their abilities were far from miraculous.

Does Asparagus Prevent or Cure Cancer?

I have recently been involved with efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society through their annual Relay for Life event and other programs. However, I recently had an interesting conversation with a very good friend who suggested that we were “wasting our time working with the American Cancer Society.” She went on to explain that a cure for cancer has existed for years and that ACS is hiding this information from the public. “Asparagus cures and prevents cancer” she said. She further indicated that she had a relative who had full-blown pancreatic cancer who was completely healed through the use of asparagus therapy.

Of course, upon hearing this, red flags when up all over the place. Miracle cure? Conspiracy? Is it possible that asparagus prevents and cures cancer and this information has been kept from the public because “they” do not want you to know about it? It was time to investigate.

It turns out that a story making these exact claims first started circulating the internet in October of 2006 according to Snopes.com. The article – which is lengthy – begins as follows:

Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article, entitled, `Asparagus for cancer' printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979. I will share it here, just as it was shared with me:

"I am a biochemist, and have specialized in the relation of diet to health for over 50 years. Several years ago, I learned of the discovery of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked with him on his project, and we have accumulated a number of favorable case histories. Here are a few examples.

Case No. 1, man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Etc…

According to numerous sources, the article - “Asparagus for Cancer” cited above from 1979 - does not exist although a similar article was published in a 1974 edition of Prevention magazine. In addition, these sources have been unable to discern the identity of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. And, as a Doctor of Dental Science, it is not clear that he would have the appropriate expertise to make the claims presented in the article above. However, the ultimate question is this: Does asparagus prevent or cure cancer?

No. Clinical studies have tested this proposition and there is no evidence that it is true. To be sure, asparagus does have health value. The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board calls it "one of the most nutritionally well-balanced vegetables in existence" because  it is high in content of folic acid, potassium, thiamin, and fiber.  In other words, asparagus may be darn good for you, but it cannot prevent or cure cancer. The "miracle cure" claim is bogus.

And this is what it all boils down to. It is one thing to say that asparagus has health benefits, which apparently it does, but it is another thing to use testimonial evidence to make the claim that it cures or prevents cancer. As I have said before, it is all about the evidence. Where are the clinical studies that show these miraculous benefits? Where is the peer-reviewed research? Such conclusive evidence is nonexistent and unless we buy into the idea that universities and corporate research institutions are part of a massive cover-up of this important information (which would be impossible, by the way) we must put this proposition in the trash bin of bad ideas.

Stan Monroe

If You Don't Like The Weather...

With the snow falling in the Denver area over the past couple days, it brings to mind a popular saying from around here, “If you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait five minutes.” But, believe it or not, this phrase is not unique to Colorado – it is said almost everywhere as this recent Google search illustrates:

If you don't like the weather in Texas... Just blink! 

If You Don't Like The Weather in Chicago. wait a minute. 

If you don't like the weather in Michigan, wait five minutes.

If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.

And remember, if you don't like the weather in St. Louis, just wait ten minutes. 

Yup, if you don't like the weather in Texas, wait five minutes -- it'll change!

If you don't like the weather in Melbourne, just wait five minutes.

If you don't like the weather in Washington, well, just wait a minute.

If you don't like the weather in Boston, just wait a minute. 

If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute and it'll change. 

If you don't like the weather in Missouri just wait 5 minutes.

If you don't like the weather in Buffalo, wait five minutes.

If you don't like the weather in the Sierra…wait a minute.

Everybody knows that if you don't like the weather in British Columbia, all you have to do is to wait five minutes. 

If you don't like the weather in Florida, stick around for a few minutes, it'll change.

I guess it's true what they say here "if you don't like the weather in Utah, wait 20 minutes". 

If you don't like the weather in North Carolina, wait a day. 

We also say, 'If you don't like the weather in Scotland, then hang around for twenty minutes”. 

Yep, I guess the weather changes rather quickly just about everywhere!

Source: http://ralphriver.blogspot.com/2006/03/if-you-dont-like-weather.html

Stan Monroe

Did Elizabeth Taylor Really Have Violet Eyes?

Screen legend, Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away earlier this year, was known for her acting ability, glamorous lifestyle, and eight marriages. But one of her most striking features was her beautiful violet eyes. But were they actually violet?

Most official accounts indicate that Taylor’s eyes were actually deep blue in color that appeared purple through enhanced lighting and makeup. In fact, truly violet eyes can only happen in albinos. The fact that her eyes were actually deep blue was documented in a Harper’s Bazaar column from November of 1979.

However, she had one additional distinctive eye feature – Taylor had a double row of eyelashes. The double row of eyelashes resulted from a mutation of the FOXC2 gene that results in abnormal tissue development in embryos.

Stan Monroe  

What is Going On Under DIA: Part II

The Backstory

It was in August of 2010 while on a business trip to New Jersey that I first heard this bizarre tale. While talking to a gate agent at DIA he told me stories of a vast conspiracy involving the New World Order (NWO) and its secret headquarters located in massive buildings and tunnels under Denver International Airport. Of course, I was completely shocked as I had not heard this before. Remarkably, according to this gentleman, these stories began circulating as early as 1995 when Denver International Airport opened.

What Evil Lurks Beneath DIA?

The New World Order under DIA? So what? Well, for many, this is the code-phrase for a world-dominating organization that will usher in the End Times and the Rapture as mentioned in the Bible. It is a belief that individual countries will willingly give up their sovereignty to an all-powerful world government. According to Pat Robertson in his best-selling book, The New World Order, the NWO will be controlled by Wall Street, the Federal Reserve, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission. Others believe it will be led by the Free Masons, the Illuminati, and even the Vatican. The core Fundamentalist view is that the NWO will eventually lead to the rise of the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and ultimately, the return of Jesus.

Is This Horse Evil? Many Think So!

So the idea that the NWO might be headquartered under DIA would be considered a big deal by some. The specific claims, however, vary widely from the slightly strange to the out-and-out bizarre. Some of the specific claims as they regard DIA are as follows:

1.       A secret complex of buildings and tunnels under DIA serves as headquarters for the New World Order.

2.       Denver is home to the NWO West Sector. Atlanta, Georgia is home to the NWO East Sector.

3.       This complex includes at least five underground buildings. One is 150 feet tall.

4.       These headquarters are at least eight levels deep.

5.       These headquarters include an 88.5 square-mile base. (DIA is only 53 square-miles in area on the surface.)

6.       These headquarters include a 4.5 square-mile underground city.

7.       This complex is operated, in part, by the Free Masons, the Illuminati, the Nazis, the Vatican and Britain to name a few.

8.      Symbols and murals at DIA reflect Nazi themes, including the claim that the footprint of DIA forms a swastika when viewed from above.

9.       Activities at DIA may be related to Operation Paperclip. “This was a plan wherein Nazis were brought into the U.S. to be brought back into power after being financed and having their appearances altered.”

10.   The underground complex is also controlled by other secret societies including the Skull and Bones Society.

11.    Reptilian alien beings known as the Babylon Brotherhood direct a slave-labor concentration camp under DIA.

12.    This slave labor camp includes child slaves.

13.    Thousands of children are eaten by their alien overlords every year.

14.    The Babylon Brotherhood is made up of aliens called Draconians.

15.    The Draconians are half-human shape-shifters.

16.    The Draconians share a bloodline with Native Americans.

17.    The aliens are also known as Big-Eyed Greys and the Reptilians.

18.   The aliens look like “baby Godzillas” with short teeth, slanted eyes, and smell “hideous”.

19.    The aliens may be demons in disguise.

20.   George W. Bush, the Queen of England and Kris Kristopherson are all Draconians.

21.    The capstone at DIA includes a “directional beacon” to “bring (alien) ships right into the (terminal).”       

22.   Ghosts of a mother and a baby haunt the underground tunnels.

23.   Murals depict plants used to produce mind-altering drugs.

24.   Reports of alien abductions world-wide are related to DIA.

25.   Reports of psychic phenomena world-wide are related to DIA.

26.   Reports of crop-circle phenomena world-wide are related to DIA.

27.   The NWO East Sector is located under Olympic Village in Atlanta.

28.   Activities under DIA relate to the death of Jon Benet Ramsey.

29.   Activities under DIA relate to the Columbine Massacre.

30.   DIA is connected to NORAD via an extensive underground tunnel system.

Yes, we are talking about a conspiracy of Biblical proportions. It seems that just about every possible supernatural, paranormal and extraterrestrial phenomenon imaginable is somehow connected to this DIA conspiracy. Even the red-eyed, blue Mustang at the entrance to DIA is implicated in this conspiracy! Forgive my language, but DIA is allegedly home to some very strange shit! 

Is DIA Shaped Like a Swastika?

This is the stuff movies and books are made of, but is it true? What is the evidence? Claims are little more than hot air if they are not supported by empirical evidence. As Carl Sagan once said, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Does this extraordinary evidence exist? This will be the topic of Part III. Stay Tuned!

Stan Monroe

What is Going On Under DIA? Part I

Is the New World Order located under DIA? I was recently given  access to secret tunnels under Denver International Airport that are not open to the public. Thanks to my inside source, John Hedrick, we spent hours driving the tunnels under the Jeppesen Terminal and all three concourses – A, B and C - in an electric golf cart. In addition, thanks to John, we explored areas BEYOND these four main structures and this is where it gets interesting.

For today, some photos from this exploration. Keep in mind that these may be the first published photos ever of these restricted areas. (A recent check of Google and Yahoo revealed that photos of these tunnels and underground caverns areas apparently do not exist.) CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE.

One of the claims made by conspiracy theorists is that “these shafts are huge and run along adjacent to the tramline on both sides. So, there are two of these huge shafts large enough to fit a two-lane highway in there. There are every few openings into and out of the tram shaft, but at the end of them, going out into this 50 square miles of acreage is a huge steel door that would facilitate the entrance of a great big truck.” This is that tunnel. On the other side of the wall on the left is the train tunnel and, straight ahead, there is indeed a huge steel door in the distance behind me. Where does it go? What is its purpose? More on this later… 

Another claim is that the open area under DIA is massively large - large enough for a city. I can't argue with that. Much of the reason is that it houses the failed BAE Automated Baggage System. I was amazed at the amount of BAE carnage located throughout the underground system. Dead conveyors, elevators, carts, baggage bins, etc litter the tunnels. In the photo above the overhead conveyors are remnants of this "advanced" system that never worked and was abandoned.

This door is monitored by a security camera at the upper left. What is behind this door? What evil lurks behind its cold, metal frame?

More photos and videos to come. This investigation has only just begun...


Stan Monroe

EASTER SERMON: Is the Shroud of Turin Authentic?

The Shroud of Turin is the most scientifically tested religious relic in existence. Decades of radiocarbon dating, pigment testing, material testing, biological studies and medical forensics have been performed on this fabric. Has science proved that it is authentic? Has science proved that the image on the Shroud represents that of only one person – Jesus of Nazareth? 

Some claim that it has. The arguments go something like this, “Scientists cannot prove that it is a fraud” and “Scientists cannot figure out how the image got onto the linen fabric, therefore, it must be supernaturally authentic.” The first argument is certainly true and the second statement is true in the sense that scientists do not know conclusively how the image got onto the fabric. Therefore, we must conclude that the image on the Shroud is that of Jesus, right? 

No. We must remember three key features of the scientific method that are relevant here. First, those who claim that the Shroud is authentic have the burden of proof, not the skeptics, therefore, the first statement is scientifically invalid. Scientists do not have to prove that it is a fraud – and they can’t. It is believers who must prove the authenticity of the claim by providing positive evidence to support the claim. Second, to say that there is no scientific explanation for the image, and therefore, it must be authentic is a textbook example of the logical fallacy known as the “argument from ignorance.” Proponents tend to take the position that the Shroud is authentic until proven otherwise. This is unscientific. The Shroud must be considered a fraud until proven otherwise. It cannot be considered authentic by default. And third, testimonial claims regarding supernatural events are unscientific. It does not matter how many people say it is a supernatural artifact and it doesn't matter how many people sincerely believe it. Only positive, empirical evidence in support of the proposition matters from a scientific perspective.

So, in order to prove that the Shroud of Turin represents the image of Jesus, proponents would have to provide evidence to prove four key elements of this claim. First, they would have to prove that Jesus actually existed. (For the purpose of this discussion we will grant this.) Second, they would have to prove that the Shroud dates back to the time of Jesus. Third, they would have to prove that of the thousands of people executed by the Romans in the first century, this Shroud came from only one of these people – Jesus – at the exclusion of all others. And fourth, they would have to prove that the Resurrection of Jesus is a factual, historical event. Now here is the stunning fact. None of the scientific studies conducted thus far back up these claims. The evidence does not support the claim that the Shroud of Turin ever wrapped the body of Jesus.

The focus of scientific studies has been on determining the date of the fabric. Proponents have failed to prove that it came from the time of Jesus, and more importantly, they have provided not a single shred of evidence to support the key idea that, of the thousands of people crucified in ancient times, that it came from only one person – Jesus. Keep in mind that just because the image on the Shroud shows the kind of injuries described in the Bible, the Bible is a collection of testimonial claims and cannot be used as evidence for or against authenticity. Second, if the Shroud is a fraud, then the forger simply created an image that included all the elements described in the biblical narrative. Scientific studies have not proven that the image came from only one person – Jesus.

But the next crucial question is this – is the Resurrection a scientifically/historically verified event? Do we know with any reasonable certainty that Jesus was miraculously raised from the dead and still lives to this day? No. As stated before, the biblical claims that this event occurred are nothing more than claims – the testimonials presented in the Bible do not serve as evidence that this supernatural event actually occurred any more than the claims of modern televangelists serve as evidence that any supernatural events occur today.

But if the Resurrection actually occurred it would be easy to prove, after all, Jesus would be factually alive today. He might be conducting speaking tours, have his own YouTube channel, and have more FaceBook friends than Lady Gaga and President Obama combined. In other words, we have no evidence that Jesus is alive today and there is certainly no evidence that he survived death 2,000 years ago.

So, in a nutshell, while dozens of studies have been conducted on the Shroud, not a single bit of evidence shows that the image represents just one person – Jesus - and no empirical evidence exists to show that the image is the result of a supernatural event – the Resurrection. Proponents who wish to prove that the Shroud of Turin is authentic have a long road to travel on this one.

What Your Pastor Won't Tell You: Paul Did Not Write Ephesians

When your pastor quotes from the various epistles of Paul during his Sunday morning sermons, you naturally expect that Paul wrote these words. Why would it be otherwise? But in fact, it is otherwise. For six of the letters attributed to Paul - Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus – it is doubtful that Paul wrote these. In fact, these are likely to be forgeries.

Ephesians - Early Manuscript

When looking at the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, for example, the consensus view among biblical scholars is that Paul did not write it. That’s right. Experts of all faiths and denominations have come to this conclusion and this problem is taught in seminaries. In fact, your pastor is likely aware of this problem but, for obvious reasons, is keeping his mouth shut about it.


For example, According to the New American Bible: "Since the early nineteenth century much of critical scholarship has considered the letter's style and use of words (especially when compared with Colossians), its concept of the church, and other points of doctrine put forward by the writer as grounds for serious doubt about authorship by Paul."

A number of specific peculiarities rule out the idea that Paul wrote Ephesians. Among these peculiarities are:

§  The language and style are different from the known Pauline works. Ephesians contains 40 new words, e.g. 1:3 "heavenly places"; "family, or fatherhood" (3:15). 1:19 has four different words for "power"; Eph & Col use a different word for "reconcile" from Paul's word (Col 1:20, 22; Eph 2:16).

§  Eph copies Col at many places. Eph has 155 verses, 73 of which are copied from Col: e.g. Eph 4:1-2 = Col 3:12-13. Eph 5:19-2 = Col 3:16-17, Eph 6:21-22 = Col 4:7-8.

§  Eph takes many key ideas from Col.  including Wisdom and Mystery. The word of truth. Gospel of salvation. Saints of God.

§  Eph also refers to most of the other letters of Paul. In many ways it seems like a summary of Paul's ideas, written by a disciple of his, and brought up to date for the Church of his own time.

§  Metaphors, or illustrations in Paul are turned into actual objective realities in Eph (and sometimes in Col also). E.g. faith, gospel, word of God, reconciliation, salvation, our resurrection and glorification, the Church as the Body of Christ, Minister, Saints of God.

§  Eph shows that the Church is becoming an advanced and powerful universal institution (rather like the Church today). In Paul's time there was no universal Church in that sense, but only informal gatherings of individual believing communities.

§  Eph contains no mention of charismatic gifts. It looks as if they have disappeared from the church, to be replaced by ordained ministers.

§  Eph shows Jesus acting on his own account and by his own authority. In Paul's letters, Jesus always acts on God's behalf and with God's authority.

The puzzling part is this. While there is wide consensus that Paul did not write this book  and near universal consensus that he did not write books such as 1 and 2 Timothy, why the secrecy? It is likely that your pastor knows this, but is not willing to pass this information on to members of the flock. It seems to me that any detailed and meaningful conversation regarding the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians must begin with a discussion of Paul’s doubtful authorship. This should be a part of Bible Study 101 and not a topic that is brought up by busy-body skeptics.

So while I may be accused of speaking Satan’s lies, we should ask ourselves who is actually lying here. If we know that these words were not written by Paul, why do we continue to quote these words as if they were? Someone from antiquity wrote these words while claiming to be Paul and this little thing called science has called them out. My suggestion. The next time you hear your pastor say, “According to Paul in Ephesians…” you should lift up your hand and challenge him by saying, “Did Paul actually write that?”  MORE INFO...

Does the Human Soul Weigh 21 Grams?

Despite the notion that “faith” is the belief in people, concepts or things in the absence of evidence or in the face of contradictory evidence,  people of faith quietly hope that their beliefs will be vindicated through legitimate, scientific means. This is why expeditions to find Noah’s Ark occur on a regular basis and why stories of “documented” miracles regularly spread through the internet.

As such, people of faith are inclined to enthusiastically spread memes that purport to show evidence of supernatural phenomena from the world of medicine.  One such instance centers on the idea that the weight of the human soul can be measured via the scientific method. Has this occurred? Has this claim been investigated using the full weight of scientific reasoning? Has science proved that the human soul has weight?

The modern basis for this belief originated with an experiment by Dr. Duncan MacDougal of Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1907. After he and a team of doctors performed weight measurements on six dying subjects, he determined that the weight of an average soul was 21 grams. Using a specific methodology and publishing the results, he found that the average human body weighed 21 grams less after death than before. And there you have it – proof that the human soul can be measured with the tools of science and shown to exist!

ORIGINAL PAPER BY DR. MACDOUGAL

Not so fast. As it turned out, Dr. MacDougal’s methods were shoddy and soon proven to be inaccurate. First, the sample size was much too small – only six subjects. Second, the doctor and his assistants were unable to detect the exact moments of death – a key factor in these experiments. Third, his methods for measuring weight changes were crude and unreliable. Fourth, his methods failed to account for other, more pedestrian, explanations for unexplained weight loss. And finally, his findings were never duplicated in follow-up experiments performed by other scientists – a key requirement of the scientific method.

Now of course, people of faith will raise many objections upon reading this. “Well, maybe the weight of the soul is beyond science.” This is false, of course, because weight-changes in material objects are exactly what science is qualified to measure. “Well, the standards of science are too strict for supernatural claims.” Scientific standards of inquiry, which have resulted in everything from the eradication of polio to the rise of smartphones, should not be relaxed when confronted with supernatural claims. “Science cannot prove that the soul doesn’t exist.” True, science can only show that specific claims regarding the soul are false. And all supernatural claims, when put to the test, fail to convince. Not a single supernatural claim has withstood scrutiny. Ever.

   

Does the soul weigh 21 grams? The evidence does not support this conclusion.   MORE INFO: Does The Human Soul Have Weight?

Paul is Dead?

Wow, I cannot believe the "Paul is dead" rumor is still alive. Many believe that Paul McCartney of the Beatles died in 1966 even though he (or an impostor) recently met with President Obama. COMMENTARY: Paul McCartney - like Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones - may look like he has been dead for decades, but he is still quite alive.  PHOTO GALLERY - Paul Is Dead Conspiracy

Paul may look dead but...