Introduction

I am a professional conjurer and I have followed the minor muse of Magic for more than four decades. As a conjuror, I possess a narrow but rather strong expertise: I know what fakery looks like. As a result, I have been consulted by a wide variety of people who have needed to know the truth about matters that appear to be occult, supernatural, or paranormal, and I have lectured in most parts of the world on my investigations of these subjects. In the process, I have been subjected to considerable abuse from certain elements of the media, of my own profession, and of the public. Several years ago, an imaginative blackmail campaign was launched against me by a once-prominent “psychic” and a very minor scientist who fancied himself a parapsychologist. On the other side of that picture, I have won the recognition of prominent persons and organizations in the world of science, and I have been supported by friends who never wavered in their enthusiasm. My entrance into the investigation of faith-healing began long ago. For more than four decades I have been looking into claims made by psychics, water dowsers, astrologers, and every sort of flimflam artist imaginable. In fact, I established an offer in 1964 which applies to all such claims. The rules are simple, and the document that I send to all potential claimants can be found in Appendix I of this book. While investigating paranormal claims, I had put all religious claims on a back burner to await my possible attention at a much later date. The recent intense interest in faith-healing, largely brought about by the announced possible candidacy of faith-healer Pat Robertson for the presidency of the United States, captured my interest. Upon beginning my investigation, I quickly became aware of the very sordid, sad, and frightening nature of the entire business, and realized that my knowledge of conjuring techniques could be put to good use in the quest, since faith-healers were using quite recognizable magicians’ methods—both technical and psychological—to accomplish their performances. This book can cover only the first stages of what will surely be a difficult and never-ending endeavor. Regardless of the book’s effect on the trade, faith-healers will always be with us. The small but irreducible fraction of humanity that will believe anything, no matter how ridiculous, will continue to support the fakery and the fakers well into future generations. It is impossible to give any sort of an estimate of how much money is extracted yearly from the victims of faith-healers. In these pages, I will try to outline the financial excesses of several of the leading figures in the field, who bring in fortunes that can only begin to suggest the vast sums generated by the entire industry. The political influence, the attempt to control public morality, and the human suffering that are part of the faith-healing business are factors that are even more difficult to assess. Until I began receiving the cooperation of some of the workers who were either still inside the operations or had recently left them, I had little notion of just how large the faith-healing business was and how much misery it produced. The data I have gathered in the form of computer printouts, photocopies of letters and documents—and some originals—along with the more than 200 videotapes directly relating to this investigation, now occupy eleven file drawers in my office, and only representative samples have been included in this book. Under the auspices of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER) and the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) I was able to travel from city to city, following various stars of the faith-healing business and recording their activities. After I began to be recognized by the- performers, I wore various disguises for a while, then delegated such colleagues as Don Henvick, Alec Jason, David Alexander, and Robert Steiner to replace me at the encounters. These gentlemen—and many, many other volunteers—all performed faithfully and well beyond what I might have expected of them, and we became the first investigators to effectively expose the faith-healing racket as practiced in the United States and Canada. In 1986, when the MacArthur Foundation awarded a fellowship to me and thus enormously increased my flexibility and my reach, I was able to reimburse my colleagues for the rather large amounts of cash they had spent in pursuing our quarry. They had gladly given of their time and their money without expectation of reward or repayment, and since the MacArthur grant provided funds for me to continue the investigation, I found that such use of the money was appropriate. For their dedication and perseverance I cannot thank my colleagues enough, and I hope that my readers will join me in recognizing that they made this book possible. I was personally further honored when the Academy of Magical Arts, in Los Angeles, gave me a special award in 1987, after many years during which I had borne serious criticism from my peers in the magical profession. Following that, I had the distinction of becoming the only person to receive the Blackstone Cup for the second time from the International Platform Association as outstanding speaker in my category. All of this recognition must be shared with those who so willingly stood by me during this very trying investigation. After all that CSER and CSICOP have done to develop the truth about the faith-healing industry, one galling fact remains: Law enforcement agencies have failed to act upon these findings by prosecuting the guilty. I am infuriated by that fact. My colleagues and I have telephoned and written to numerous agencies and individuals who should have an active interest in these matters, but it appears they don’t. We have met in person with a few of them who made appropriate clucking noises at the evidence we presented, but we never heard from them again. The buck was passed in some cases, but nothing was ever done. This, then, is my challenge: I am not asking for action to be taken against charlatans. I am demanding it. As a taxpayer and citizen, I have a right under the U.S. Constitution to demand such action. I will not stand by and watch politicians ducking under their own wings and the tailfeathers of others to avoid their responsibilities to the public. I ask readers of this book who support me in my rage to write letters to their representatives in Congress demanding immediate action. I will not suggest how such letters should be worded, but readers will find in these pages quite sufficient ammunition to supply their needs. This book is written by an angry man. It is a cry of outrage against a wrong that needs to be righted. People are being robbed of their money, their health, and their emotional stability. The little boy on crutches to whom I dedicate this book, and the countless thousands of others who have suffered as he has, deserve your attention and your help. Those who have hoaxed them deserve the full impact of the law, which can only be brought to bear if you demand it. There are some aspects of the faith-healing business to which I will give very little attention in this book. First, Christian Science—which has nothing whatsoever to do with science—receives scant mention simply because others have handled the subject in great depth. Second, outright quackery in medicine is brought into discussion only when needed to illustrate a point, and I may not presume to write upon such matters with authority. Again, others have written on it well and thoroughly. Third, if I develop information on the activities of certain persons that does not deal directly with the subject of faith-healing, it is because I felt it necessary to show these aspects of their personalities which bear upon their qualities as human beings. The matter of just what is meant by “faith” merits some attention here. H. L. Mencken said:Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.

The International Webster New Encyclopedic Dictionary gives the meaning of the word faith as “confidence or trust in a person or thing; ... belief not substantiated by proof; spiritual acceptance of truth or realities not certified by reason; ... belief in the doctrines or teachings of a religion.” These three definitions should satisfy most persons. But philosopher Paul Kurtz, in his book The Transcendental Temptation, defines three distinctly different kinds of faith, derived from the amount (or total lack) of evidence drawn upon to support it. Kurtz defines the first kind as “intransigent faith.” By this is meant faith that will not be affected by any sort of contrary evidence, no matter how strong. My own experience with some few persons who persist in believing in certain paranormal claims that have been conclusively proven false enables me to label their faith as Type I. A would-be parapsychologist in Wisconsin was one of those completely taken in by my Project Alpha, an experiment which sent two young student conjurers into a laboratory in St. Louis posing as psychics. They convinced the researchers there that they had “psychic” powers, as evidenced by the researchers’ communications with other scientists and by their lab reports and records. The intent of the Project Alpha experiment was to show that the researchers would have sufficient faith in their abilities to detect trickery and in the assumptions of their trade that they would not exercise either common sense or careful scrutiny in performing their tests. When the hoax was finally revealed, with full explanations from the two participants on exactly how they had performed their tricks, the Wisconsin amateur still insisted that they were genuine. He provides us with a perfect example of Type I faith. Gerry Straub, who spent two and a half years as evangelist /healer Pat Robertson’s television producer and wrote Salvation for Sale, to describe his experiences there, gave his opinion:I am convinced that if Pat Robertson or any other of television’s faith-healers were proven to be pranksters and frauds, the vast majority of their staff and viewers would not drop their belief in the ministers’ healing power or weaken their faith in God.

Those people would be exhibiting Type I faith. Type II faith was called by philosopher William James “the will to believe.” As defined by Professor Kurtz it is “willful belief ... where there is insufficient or no evidence either way to make a rational choice.” It really involves making a decision to believe, even though the reasons for doing so are not compelling. However, there may be reasons for believing that have nothing to do with the logic of the matter; it may be more comforting, more socially advantageous, or simply easier to choose to believe. One who goes along with a political party only because that party has always been the family party exhibits Type II faith. Were I to investigate claimed faith-healings for 60 years and fail to uncover one that meets the bare needs of rational acceptance, Type II believers would still choose to believe—even though they themselves had not been able to produce a single healing—just because I had not disproved the matter. Last, Type III faith is described as “hypotheses based upon evidence.” Here, there is evidence, but not enough evidence or evidence of good enough quality to support total belief. As I step off a curb to cross with a traffic light that has just turned green, I may safely assume that the light will stay green long enough for me to reach the other side. That assumption is based upon my long experience with traffic lights and the knowledge of the general intent of those who designed, manufactured, installed, and maintain the device. I have exhibited Type III faith. Science creates a hypothesis based upon observations, then sets out to examine the validity of that hypothesis. After enough observations have been gathered and the idea has been tested thoroughly with positive results, the hypothesis becomes a theory. The beauty of that theory is that it is subject to revision and/or retraction upon the presentation of contrary evidence. Thus scientists can be said to exhibit Type III faith. Is all “confidence or trust” then based upon faith? No. I myself have absolute confidence and trust in the simple statement that “4 objects added to 6 objects results in 10 objects.” I can test this statement by, for example, mixing 4 apples in a bag with 6 nails and counting the resulting total. If the total is not 10, since I have great confidence in the truth of this statement, I must examine my counting procedure for accuracy and the bag for holes, among other possibilities. For faith to have any value, it must be based on evidence. Faith without evidence may be well invested; it is just as likely not to be. Type I faith is almost surely wasted. Type II faith, particularly concerning a highly unlikely premise, is equally suspect. Type III faith may be safely relied upon, subject to contrary evidence. As for faith in supernatural healing (faith-healing), most victims use Type I or Type II faith. They will either not read books like this or shut their minds to the evidence produced for consideration. Those who are somewhat skeptical, and use Type III faith, may find this book valuable. So much for “faith.” Next we need to discuss “healing.” Well on in this book, I will outline the expectations and the reach of medical science. But my reader should first be made aware of how easily it may appear to the incautious observer that healing has occurred as the result of some mysterious methodology. Often, the quack operator cannot fail to produce the illusion of healing. Emil J. Freireich, M.D., who works with the Department of Developmental Therapeutics at the University of Texas Cancer Center at Houston, has presented us with a remarkable observation concerning all manner of quack procedures. I will attempt here to condense his idea into a few paragraphs. First, Dr. Freireich warns of three major harmful effects of the use of quack methods:1. Interference with regular treatment of the patient.2. Financial loss to the patient.3. Diversion of vital, expensive community resources.

Freireich Graph

  Next, he outlines what he calls the Freireich Experimental Plan (FEP),which assures that any remedy, whether it be a drug or a psychological treatment, a mystical therapy or a physical treatment, will always prove to be effective for virtually every patient with any serious disease.

There are two essential requirements for this plan to be effective. Some form of treatment, any kind of treatment, must be applied, whether it has any effect or not, and it must be totally harmless to either a well or sick person. (This is usually offered as one of the inherent virtues of the quackery, contrasted to an M.D.’s intention of surgery, powerful medication, or other dramatic therapy.) Every disease has a natural variability; it has “ups and downs.” Attacking the system of a human being, the illness goes through stages of increase and retreat. This is illustrated by Dr. Freireich in his diagram. It shows the progress of two eventually terminal diseases, one acute and the other chronic. I have added a third line representing the progress of a disease from which the patient eventually recovers. The intersection of this line with the “death” point is somewhere off to the right, depending upon the history (age, habits, etc.) of the patient. We assume that the quack method (as required by the FEP) has no effect on the condition in this discussion, and we will show that such ineffectiveness does not in any way disprove the quack claim. Most patients seek unorthodox help when it appears that regular care is not serving them properly or it has not met their expectations. The quack operator benefits greatly from this situation. Since the quack method enters the graph at points like those marked “X,” there are four different courses that can then follow. The condition can improve, as shown at point “Y.” If so, the quack method appears to have been effective. (The faith-healers would say that God has intervened and has cured the ailment. Hallelujah!) If the disease stays the same, as at point “Z,” quack opinion holds that the method was applied just in time and needs to be continued because it has stabilized the ailment (Faith-healers declare that God has applied divine intercession, pending further proof of faith from the afflicted.) Should the disease worsen (point “O”), the quack complains that his help was sought too late, but treatment should be redoubled in order to save the patient. (The faith-healer says that God works in mysterious ways, and that God’s will must be done.) Finally, if death is the next phase of the disease, the quack again says that help was sought too late. (The faith-healer again invokes the mysterious nature of God.) In any case, the quack method is never proved wrong! Any and all possible results can be accommodated into the quack theory, and in no case is the quack method shown to be without value, especially since it is not in itself harmful anyway. Similarly, the faith-healer cannot lose, and for the same reasons. The Freireich idea continues to prove itself in cases where the condition either stays the same or worsens, the process reverting once again to point “X” and repeating itself until either recovery or death results. In summary, Dr. Freireich has shown that a method of useless treatment that is without harmful effects (some vitamin megadoses, manipulation, irradiation with colored lights, administration of sugar pills, chanting of magical phrases, striking upon the forehead, wearing a copper bracelet) will appear to be effective in the treatment of disease with virtually every patient, despite the fact that the quack method has no actual effect on the progress of the disease. I must note here that faith-healer Oral Roberts, in his book God Still Heals Today, unknowingly brings the Freireich observations into account. He says:During the [faith-]healing process, there may be pain, or slight relapses, or even what may appear to be a reoccurrence of the problem.

Roberts goes on to explain that this reversal means nothing, and that those who experience it must remain convinced of their healing and await further improvement. This is in exact congruence with what Dr. Freireich has said. The formula works, the healer seems effective, and the victim is deceived. I have made use of several excellent references, most notably Faith Healing, by U.K. clinical psychologist Louis Rose, and Oral Roberts, by historian David Harrell. Unlike those authors, I must admit that my approach has been much more of a personal one, and I do not hesitate to express personal feelings about the matters I discuss in these pages. One editor who examined an early version of the manuscript criticized (quite properly) my failure to disassociate myself from the material, but since I make no pretensions to being an accomplished writer, I believe I can indulge myself in breaking a few rules. The result is perhaps not great literature, but it is a genuine expression of an individual who has come upon a situation that cries out for attention. As you read these pages, it may seem to you that you have been whisked back to the Dark Ages. But the beliefs outlined and the practices described here actually exist in the twentieth century. They are believed in by millions of civilized people whose brothers and sisters have traveled to the moon, walked on the bottom of the ocean, created gardens where deserts once were, extracted wondrous substances from nature, and wrested secrets from our universe that make all of our lives richer every day. The believers have little interest in that world. They are frightened and unsure about it. They are moths eagerly fluttering about a bright flame in what they perceive as a dangerous, dark forest, and they are often gladly consumed by that flame. To read this book is to take a step through time into an age when superstition reigned, and what we will discover is frightening and dangerous for us all.

1