The Association for Rational Thought News
The Voice of Cincinnati's Skeptics

Volume 3, No. 3
February, 1994

The Association for Rational Thought is a new organization
committed to encouraging rational, well-informed evaluation
of fringe-science, pseudoscience, and paranormal claims.
A.R.T. encourages the investigation of paranormal and
pseudoscientific claims from a responsible, scientific
viewpoint and the distribution of the results of such
investigations to the public. You are cordially invited to
become a member of A.R.T. Membership information is included
in this newsletter.


Come to the February Meeting!
The meeting will be held on Saturday, Feb. 12, 10:00 A.M.,
at the Bethesda Blue Ash Medical Building (directions on the
back page of the newsletter). Lunch and lively conversation
at the James Tavern across the street from the Medical
Building after the meeting. The public is invited.

Skeptical Blurbs Begin Media Assault
In January, Media Resources Coordinator Lance Moody launched
Skeptical Blurbs, a project aimed at providing the news
media with accurate, timely information on paranormal
claims.

The first use of Skeptical Blurbs occurred on January 8,
when the news teams at WXIX and WKRC Television received
information from the system concerning visions of the Virgin
Mary.

The one page "blurb" contained a concise history of Mary
sightings, a survey of the typical scenario, and the
conclusion that no evidence existed to support the claim
that Mary is actually speaking to her followers. Sources
were included in the fax transmission.

A.R.T. members are urged to keep a close eye on local TV,
radio and newspapers. When you find a story that makes
paranormal claims, note the time, date, media source, and
name of the reporter, and call Lance Moody at 733-1332.

Lance will search the Skeptical Blurb data base for a
statement of scientific perspectives on the paranormal claim
and forward the statement immediately by fax to the reporter
or media source. The blurb he sends includes a description
of A.R.T. and phone numbers to call for more information, in
addition to information on the paranormal claim. At present
we have blurbs for: visions of Mary, Creationism, satanic
ritual abuse, near death experiences, unidentified flying
objects, mind reading (mentalism) repressed memories, and
astrology.

Skeptical Blurbs can grow into a powerful tool for
countering paranormal claims in the news media, but only
with the strong support of individual members.

Skeptical Blurbs needs your  help in writing the statements
that will be sent to the media. These topics are now in
search of an author:

Psychic Detectives--Faith Healers--Bigfoot--Loch Ness
Monster--Hypnotherapy--Graphology--Biorhythms--The Bermuda
Triangle--Alien Abductions--Facilitated Communication--Any
Other Paranormal or Pseudoscientific Claim.

Leaf through your old Skeptical Inquirers, pick a topic,
read an article or two, and write a brief summary of the
skeptical position on the issue. Brief means two or three
very short paragraphs, no more than one-half to three-
quarters of a page single-spaced. Add two or three
references from the Skeptical Inquirer  for further reading.

Mail your summaries to:
Lance Moody
65 Orchard Knoll Dr.
Cincinnati, OH 45215-3943
Send your blurb in today.ÑLance Moody, Media Resources
Coordinator.

Understanding "Mary Sightings"
Members of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, 5300
Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, expect a  series of visions of
Mary to occur near Falmouth, Kentucky, on the eighth of each
month January through June of this year. Further information
is included below in January Membership Meeting.

A good source for information about this phenomenon is
Sandra Zimdars-Swartz's book Encountering Mary: Visions of
Mary from La Sallette to Medjugorje (1991). The author
offers a thorough, sympathetic, and nonapologetic
investigation of contemporary sources describing modern
visions of Mary in Europe. This is a summary of her views:

Mary is held by Christians to be the mother of Jesus. She is
especially revered by Roman Catholics. Alleged visions of
Mary occur wherever Roman Catholicism is widespread. No
evidence other than the visionaries' reports has ever been
found to support the claim that Mary appeared and spoke to
her followers. There are no photographs, no audio or
videotapes. The Roman Catholic church has actively and
consistently refused to recognize the authenticity of most
visions of Mary. It has recognized a small number of
healings as "miraculous,' and rejected the vast majority of
claims as unfounded. The church has also rejected claims of
rosaries turning to gold and other similar claims.

Official rejection of visions of Mary has done little to
quell the phenomenon, which appears to be a Roman Catholic
folk custom built on the notion that Mary is a sympathetic
and powerful figure, responsive to human suffering and able
to influence God. The need of devout Roman Catholic lay
people for a strong and sympathetic source of help in time
of trouble appears to drive the custom.

These events typically share the following common elements:

The visionaries are women or young girls, rarely a young
boy.

The event occurs at an outdoor site, often marked by a tree,
cave, or other natural landmark.

The event occurs in rural areas in times of economic and
social distress.

The person who claims to have seen Mary does not just return
from a walk one day and say that she has seen Mary. Careful
evaluation of contemporary sources suggest that the
visionary reports only having seen "a figure" or "a lady."
The idea that the object seen is Mary is an interpretation
added to the story by friends and relatives.

The visionary comes to believe that Mary will appear to her
at the site of the original vision and will have "messages"
for her.

The visionary, accompanied by friends, relatives and other
members of the Roman Catholic community in which the vision
occurs, visits the site and reports the "messages" to those
around her. Only the visionary sees Mary or hears her
messages.

The messages typically urge the hearers to pray more because
there is much evil in the world. Often commands specify what
prayers are to be said.

In a few cases the site becomes a permanent shrine, e. g.
Lourdes, where devout Roman Catholics come to pray for
release from sickness. Often claims are made that sickness
has been healed at these sites.

The supporters of the visionary often appeal to local Roman
Catholic clergy to recognize the legitimacy of the visions
and messages. Roman Catholic clergy are generally reluctant
to do so because such recognition undermines the authority
of the church. On the other hand, they are reluctant to
disparage the obvious devotion of the faithful. Thus visions
create difficult problems for the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

In addition, recent visions in the United States have
typically been accompanied by an assortment of claims of
miracles other than healing, for example, silver rosaries
which miraculously change to gold, and Polaroid pictures of
the sun, which are claimed to show "the doorway to Heaven."

Many books and articles have been written about visions of
Mary, but the vast majority of this literature is apologetic
and devotional. Finding scholarly, nonapologetic material is
difficult. Here are three good sources:

Sandra Zimdars-Swartz. Encountering Mary: Visions of Mary
from La Salette to Medjugorje. New York: Avon, 1991. A
scholarly, nonapologetic, highly readable attempt to
understand modern European visions of Mary through
examination of contemporary sources.

Marina Warner. Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and Cult of
the Virgin Mary. New York: Knopf, 1976. A nonapologetic,
thorough introduction to the worship, doctrine and imagery
of Mary.

Ann Taves. The Household of Faith: Roman Catholic Devotions
in Mid-Nineteenth Century America. Notre Dame, IN:
University of Notre Dame Press, 1986. A scholarly
description of the cultural and religious context in which
visions of Mary occur.--Virginia Jergens.

Cincinnati Skeptics and Religion
The relationship between skepticism and religion may be
troublesome to skeptics' groups, especially in the absence
of an established policy. In this article, submitted to the
newsletter by Lance Moody, Mark Hodes proposes a policy on
religion for the Bay Area (San Francisco) Skeptics.

What do you think of this policy? Do you think A.R.T. would
benefit from such a policy? What do you think A.R.T.'s
policy toward religion should be? Send your ideas to A.R.T.
Newsletter, c/o V. H. Jergens, Ed., 1032 Grandin Ridge
Drive, Cincinnati OH 45208 by February 19 for inclusion in
the next newsletter.

Bay Area Skeptics and Religion
Bay Area Skeptics is a diverse organization. Our Board of
Directors, consultants, and subscribers include men and
women of differing religious and non-religious persuasions,
persons affiliated with religious institutions and persons
not so affiliated. The position of Bay Area Skeptics on
religion is, simply, that we have no position. The claims
and attitudes of religious organizations and individuals,
with few exceptions, are neither offered nor taken to lie in
the domains in which scientific inquiry is effective or
applicable. Therefore such claims generally do not engage
our attention.

Exceptions, however, do occur, and they fall into two
overlapping categories:

I. Religious claims whose proponents assert scientific
justification for their truth.
II. Religious claims that, if unchallenged, exact grievous
societal costs.

This is a touchy subject involving, at the least, highly
subjective judgment, if not downright prejudice. Allow me to
illustrate these categories with three specific examples:

1. The Shroud of Turin is a paradigm for Category I. The
Shroud is a linen wrap that surfaced in France in the 1350s,
and carries an image supposed to have been scorched into the
fabric by radiative emission from the crucified body of
Jesus. In 1978 a team of dozens of American and European
scientists subjected the Shroud to an impressive battery of
sophisticated tests, and were widely reported to have
proclaimed the Shroud authentic!

Once the question of the Shroud's authenticity had entered
the scientific literature, that question and earlier work on
it became fair game for the critical evaluation that attends
all surprising and significant results in science. The more
surprising the outcome, the more meticulous and compulsive
the scrutiny it receives. This is the conservative side of
science, but note that this same scrutiny leads sometimes to
the astonishingly rapid acceptance of those rare
revolutionary ideas that stand up to it. As the purpose of
this essay is not to review the Shroud literature, I refer
you to the notes for further information.

2. A topic that spans categories I and II is Creationism, so-
called Creation Science. Creationists offer what they
profess to regard as empirical justification for their
beliefs. This places them in Category I. However, they
misrepresent the nature of their beliefs, seek to promulgate
their dogma in public school classes, and pursue political
means to effect this goal. The costs to society of weakening
the science curriculum are manifold and manifest. In a
broader context, the Constitutionally mandated separation of
church and state is as crucial a safeguard as freedom of
speech, and is a foundation of academic freedom. The case
against Creationism has been made elsewhere, and so I refer
you again to the notes.

3. The sensitive subject of faith healers falls squarely in
Category II. Faith healers' numbers are legion, and their
annual "take" is exceeded only by the extravagance of their
claims. Peter Popoff, the subject of other articles in this
issue [of the Bay Area Skeptics publication] is not
exceptional either in his apparently cynical exploitation of
those who place their faith in him, nor in his apparent lack
of regard for the unnecessary health risks to which his
followers may be exposed. Here the connection with religion
is wholly incidental. The substance of our criticism is not
against anyone's religious beliefs, but what may be the use
of stage magic of the mentalist genre, clothed as a
religious service, to perpetrate possible medical fraud.
Again, religion PER SE is not the issue.

Certainly situations will arise in which our intuitions will
differ as to whether to become involved. Ambiguity is among
the usual costs of dealing with complex issues. My point is
that Bay Area Skeptics is neither antagonistic toward nor
supportive of religion in general, or the religious beliefs
of individuals in general. We do take interest in
controversial subjects that enter the scientific literature,
and in areas where the penalties for uncritically holding
beliefs are unconscionably severe.--Mark Hodes, Bay Area
Skeptics.

Notes:
1. A good place to start reading about the Shroud of Turin
is "The Skeptical Inquirer", vol. VI, #3, Spring, 1982. This
issue contains carefully researched articles by Maavin M.
Mueller and Steven D. Schafersman, each including a large
bibliography.

2. For the case against Creationism I suggest Godfrey,
Laurie R. (ed.), "Scientists Confront Creationism", W.W.
Norton & Co., New York, 1983. This volume, introduced by
Richard C. Lewontin, contains essays by 15 distinguished
scientists, including Stephen Jay Gould. The essays carry
individual bibliographies, and the collection includes a
detailed cumulative index.

Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
According to the masthead on the newsletter, A.R.T.
"encourages the investigation of paranormal and
pseudoscientific claims."

It's fun to review how N-rays were "discovered" and
debunked. Astrology and flying saucers are safe targets.
Religion can be picked on without risk.

There's a whole field of quack science that is more
dangerous to life and liberty. Environmentalism contains
lots of good science; unfortunately it also contains lots of
quackery.

Roy Auerbach described several laws of quack science. Do we
dare check some environmental fads using Roy's laws? What if
we discover that many "politically correct" ideas are
quackery?

For example: Asbestos comes in three basic kinds; the most
common is "white" asbestos. It has not been found to create
any lung problems, anywhere. A very good book, The Asbestos
Racket, by Michael J. Bennett, tells a lot of horror stories
about the damage caused by outlawing asbestos.

Our forests are increasing faster than logging can possibly
strip them. Who is telling this to the school kids?

Global warming is not happening. The ozone is safe.

The problem with these issues is that they touch politics.
Government is supporting quack science. I think A.R.T.
should be aware of this field of quackery, not necessarily
to do anything about it, just to know what's going
on.ÑEverett DeJager, A.R.T. Member.

To the Editor:
I find much in Everett DeJager's letter that I agree and
empathize with. I would restate his last paragraph to say
that issues of engineering and science which enter the
political arena attract emotional overtones, political
agendas, and greed. These very human forces often drown out
any reasoned discourse or attempts to deal with a problem
rationally. As an example, decisions about issues such as
the production of power in this country through the use of
nuclear reactors are not arrived at logically. The great
frustration here is that such issues, unlike the vast
majority of political issues, could possibly be analyzed to
determine the best course of action.

Everett DeJager presents a diverse list of issues as
examples of environmental quackery. Of these, I can speak
with some knowledge about the issues of climate and I do not
think we see eye to eye on these.

There is currently a mini-trend in global warming. No one
can say for sure if this trend is influenced by man-made
changes to the atmosphere. Climatic modeling of the earth is
by no means a precise science today. What is irrefutable is
that we are significantly affecting the earth's atmosphere
and are increasing trace gases such as carbon dioxide. I
agree that there has been too much alarmism about the
climate, but I think there is cause for genuine concern.

There is pretty solid evidence supporting ozone depletion in
the atmosphere and that this is a man-made effect. Yes,
there are a few contrary voices, but these voices are
speaking with other agendas. The facts appear fairly
convincing. Remember, certainty is not something easily come
by in science, but everything points to this effect being
real and man-made.

What is less certain is the consequences of the ozone hole.
The only clear cut effect of the increase in ultraviolet
will be an increase in skin cancer. No doubt, plant and
animal life will be affected but how and to what degree no
one knows.--Roy Auerbach, A.R.T. Membership Secretary.

The A.R.T. News  welcomes letters from readers. Send your
letter to: Letters to the Editor, A.R.T. News, V. H.
Jergens, 1032 Grandin Ridge Drive, Cincinnati OH 45208.
Limit your letters to 250 words or less and include your
name, complete address and phone number. Typed letters are
preferred. Those selected for publication may be shortened
for space reasons.

December Membership Meeting
Fourteen members met December 11 at the Blue Ash Medical
Building. President Keith Brabender asked members to submit
ideas for meeting topics. Kathy Russell, Brad Bonham, Peggy
Borger, Dick McGrath and Ruth Ann West volunteered to help
Newsletter editor Virginia Jergens assemble and sort the
February newsletter. Dick Shepherd and Virginia Jergens
invited A.R.T. members to a Dec. 17 meeting at their house
focused on the possibility of forming an American Humanist
Association chapter in Cincinnati. Lance Moody summed up
recent changes in the public's view of repressed memories,
memories of long past events which are discovered in the
course of psychotherapy. He reported that the concept of a
false memory syndrome, in which a person develops, often
with the inadvertent assistance of a psychotherapist,
OmemoriesO of events which did not in fact occur, is gaining
ground. More people are willing to believe that recovered
memories may be either true or fabricated.

Mary Sighting Predicted
Peggy Borger summarized a Channel 12 broadcast that reported
that visions of Mary were expected on January 8 in Falmouth,
Kentucky, and once a month on the eighth of the month for
six months thereafter. Members who are interested in
observing the event may call her at 351-0921 for more
information. Such events offer excellent opportunities for
observing first hand some of the paranormal claims made in
connection with religious beliefs, for example, rosaries
said to have turned from base metal to gold. As often
happens with visions of Mary, portentous messages from Mary
have been predicted, including the end of the world. The
event may also provide opportunities for skeptics to test
the reliability of such predictions.

Trial Run for Questionnaire
Lance Moody provided members with copies of a questionnaire
he wrote to study beliefs in paranormal or pseudoscientific
phenomena.

Results of the survey show a fairly wide range of belief
among the A.R.T. members present, most of whom would
probably claim to have a skeptical view of the world. The
questions, with the number of persons choosing each
response, follow. Thirteen members and one guest
participated.

1. There is compelling evidence that deceased persons can
communicate with the world of the living. Agree, 0; Somewhat
agree, 0; Not sure, 0; Somewhat disagree, 0; Disagree, 14 .
2. The position of the stars and planets at the time of
one's birth might have an effect on oneOs personality.
Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 0; Not sure, 3; Somewhat disagree,
0; Disagree, 11 .
3. It seems plausible that lights and other objects seen in
the sky are visitors from other worlds. Agree, 0; Somewhat
agree, 1; Not sure, 2; Somewhat disagree, 3; Disagree, 8 .
4. The evidence suggests that the human mind may be capable
of amazing feats like telepathy. Agree, 0; Somewhat agree,
1; Not sure, 3; Somewhat disagree, 1; Disagree, 9 .
5. The scientific method contains checks and balances that
usually ensure accuracy. Agree, 9; Somewhat agree, 4; Not
sure, 0; Somewhat disagree, 1; Disagree, 0.
6. When operated by an expert, the modern lie detector can
accurately detect falsehoods. Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 0;
Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree, 3; Disagree, 10.
7. Psychic power has sometimes proven to be useful in the
solution of crimes. Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 0; Not sure,
0; Somewhat disagree, 1; Disagree, 13.
8. The forests of the United States may very well hide an
undiscovered human-sized biped mammal. Agree, 0; Somewhat
agree, 1; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree, 1; Disagree, 11.
9. Hypnotherapy is a valuable tool for recovering lost
memories. Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 1; Not sure, 0; Somewhat
disagree, 3; Disagree, 10.
10. The U. S. Government is probably hiding several
important scientific discoveries from its citizens. Agree,
4; Somewhat agree, 3; Not sure, 0; Somewhat disagree, 4;
Disagree, 3.
11. When someone is terminally ill, there is no potential
remedy that should be ruled out, no matter how unorthodox.
Agree, 2; Somewhat agree, 4; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree,
2; Disagree, 5.
12. If the recipients of a remedial treatment report relief
of symptoms, then the treatment must have some value. Agree,
3; Somewhat agree, 3; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree, 2;
Disagree, 5.
13. A personOs handwriting can reveal that person's
propensity for criminal behavior. Agree, 0; Somewhat agree,
1; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree, 0; Disagree, 12.
14. There may be some truth to the theory of biorhythms: our
emotional, physical and intellectual lives follow precise
patterns. Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 0; Not sure, 4; Somewhat
disagree, 1; Disagree, 9.
15. Too many ships and planes have disappeared in the
Bermuda Triangle for the incidences to be just coincidence.
Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 0; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree,
0; Disagree, 13.
16. Plants may respond emotionally to their caretakers.
Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 1; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree,
1; Disagree, 11.
17. Events that people near death have described (lights,
voices, etc.) are evidence of an afterlife. Agree, 0;
Somewhat agree, 1; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree, 0;
Disagree, 12.
18. The theory of evolution is the best explanation of the
fossil record. Agree, 13; Somewhat agree, 0; Not sure, 0;
Somewhat disagree, 1; Disagree, 0.
19. Ritual abuse by satanic cultists in widespread in the
United States. Agree, 0; Somewhat agree, 1; Not sure, 0;
Somewhat disagree, 0; Disagree, 13.
20. I have personally had a paranormal experience. Agree, 1;
Somewhat agree, 0; Not sure, 1; Somewhat disagree, 0;
Disagree, 12.

Members agreed that the questionnaire may be useful as an
educational tool for local schools or community groups
interested in discussing skeptical issues, but no plans were
made for its immediate application.

January Membership Meeting
More on Mary Sightings
Two dozen A.R.T. members gathered at the Bethesda Blue Ash
Medical Building on January 8. President Keith Brabender
announced that visions of Mary were expected at a farm near
Falmouth, Kentucky, the afternoon of the meeting. Treasurer
Peggy Brabender provided information on the event. Her
information is included here because the sightings are
predicted to occur once a month on the eighth of the month
January through June.

The handout about the event included a map with directions
to the site and the following information:

"We welcome your interest in the Falmouth, Kentucky
apparition site and are providing some general information
to you in response to your map request. We are looking
forward to greeting all who will be able to attend."

"The prayer service which is open to all faiths at the
Falmouth, Kentucky farm will begin at 1:30 PM and conclude
about 3:00 PM beginning in January on the 8th day of every
month. The visionary expects an apparition during this
prayer service."

"Please keep in mind that this is a new apparition site and
therefore we have limited automobile parking. It is only a
rustic, rural farm and in the winter has no water, no heated
buildings and only Port-A-Lets for bathroom facilities.
There will be parking at the farm near the grotto area for
the handicapped and we will be happy to park your cars for
you. We will have additional auto parking at Kincaid Lake
State Park which is about 3 miles from the farm. We will
have shuttle buses running from Kincaid Lake State Park to
the farm every 15 minutes starting at 11:00 AM with the last
bus leaving the farm at 4:30 PM. RV's must park at the
Kincaid Lake State Park and ride the shuttle. Tour buses may
drop off people at the farm and park at Kincaid Lake State
Park."

"Nothing will be sold at the farm. There will be no material
or literature distributed on the property except a prayer
sheet which will be distributed by volunteers (identified by
a yellow name badge) from Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center
in Norwood, Ohio. There will be not food or drink available
at the farm, therefore, we suggest that you bring what you
need for the day (food, hot drinks, chair, blankets etc.).
Dress warmly and make sure you have hats, gloves, boots
etc."

"We are not responsible for anything but we hope your
experience here will lead you to a closer relationship with
God."

The handout also includes a map and directions to three
places:

"Apparition Site Near Falmouth, Ky. (Directions From St.
Joseph Ch[urch] Cold Spring) Go South on #27 (Alexandria Pk)
17.8 miles. Left on #177 for 3.9 miles. Right on #159, 5
Mi[les} to OKincaid LkO Parking. Backtrack 2.5 Mi. on #159
to Site."

" 'Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center' (Directions From
Downtown Cincinnati) Go North on I-71 for 6.7 Miles. Exit
Norwood #7, 1.5 Mi. to Mont[gomery Road]. Right on
Montgomery Road, .6 Miles to 5300 (Just past Sts. Peter and
Paul Church.)"

"'Saint Joseph's Church' Cold Spring (Directions from
Downtown Cincinnati) Go South on #471 5.7 Miles. Exit
'Alexandria,' Turn right on #27 So. Proceed 1.2 Miles to St.
Joseph Church, To 4011 'Alexandria Pike' (#27)."

Outside Speakers
Keith reported difficulty in obtaining outside speakers for
meetings because of the reluctance of experts to tackle
potentially troublesome subjects. He was unable to find
knowledgeable speakers on Creationism, facilitated
communication, false memory syndrome or cryptozoology. He
suggested that members may be the most knowledgeable local
experts in many areas and that we may need to depend more on
our own ability to research and present such topics.
Consumers Reports was mentioned as a good source for
information on topics like acupuncture, homeopathy, and
chiropractic. Members who know of possible speakers are
encouraged to call Keith at 351-0921.

Annual Elections In April
Keith also announced that annual elections will be held in
April. Members are encouraged to volunteer to run for any
office presently filled plus Meeting Organizer and Recording
Secretary. Please call Keith at 352-0921 to tell him which
job you interests you.

Skeptic: A Good Read
Joe Gastright brought a copy of Skeptic, a magazine for
skeptics published by Skeptics Society, 2761 N. Marengo
Ave., Altadena, California 91001, Phone/Fax 818-794-3119.
Membership in the society includes a subscription to
Skeptic. The cost for one year is $35.00 for an individual,
$25.00 for students or seniors, and $50.00, foreign.

The Skeptics Society aims to promote critical thinking
skills and good science. Part of their effort is the
handsome 8 1/2 by 11inch Skeptic, according to Stephen Jay
Gould, Harvard University, "the best journal in the field."

The Vol. 2, No. 2 issue included "Phony Archaeology
Revisited: Sun Pictures Responds to Ark Hoax" and "Holocaust
Revisionism and Pseudo-History: Should Skeptics
Investigate?" It also included a special section on cults,
including articles like "Waco, Jonestown and All That
Madness," by Cynthia Kisser, "Millennium Watch: Cults
Brainwashing and Society" by Ted Daniels, and "The Jesus
Cult" by Steve Allen.

After the business meeting members watched a  Skeptics
Society videotape of a lecture by Michael Shirmer, "Altered
States and the Quest for Transcendence."