Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2002, Page 35
Perhaps in part because of the attention they were receiving from the famous Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, the Yorkshire girls soon produced a new series of photographs. These,
however, were eventually proven to be fraudulent. Frances and Elsie (also known as Iris and
Alice to protect their privacy) never admitted to forgery. And indeed, the first set of
photographs has never been adequately explained. However, in the 79 years since the
appearance of the first set of photos, I am not aware of any credible replication of these
photographic explorations into the realms of fairies and gnomes. The question of the
existence of these creatures appears to have been answered. (This fascinating case is well-
summarized in James Randi‘s (1982) provocative book, Flim-flam.)
How did Doyle come to believe in the existence of fairies and gnomes? It seems clear, at
least to several historians, that Doyle was rendered vulnerable to this hoax by his deeply
held belief in spiritualism. To spiritualists of that era, believing in the existence of a nether
world populated by spirits such as fairies and gnomes was not outrageous. At least one
historian has also insinuated that Doyle‘s great need to believe in spiritualism may have
been caused by unresolved grief over having lost his son in World War I.
Uri Geller and the Scientologist
Can belief systems make us more vulnerable to deceptions and con artists? A more recent
example might be the tainted investigation of Uri Geller, the purported Israeli psychic.
Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, scientists associated with the prestigious Stanford Research
Institute (SRI), rocked the scientific community with their articles on Geller and another
psychic, Ingo Swann. Their findings on Geller were published in Nature, one of the most
respected scientific journals. Geller became an overnight sensation, and ultimately a very
wealthy one at that.
I want to make two points here. First, one of the reasons we do not hear very much about
Uri Geller these days is because his so-called psychic powers have been thoroughly
debunked, most notably by MacArthur Fellow and magician-turned-debunker James Randi
(1982). About 10 years ago, I saw Randi bend spoons and stop watches, and I can
understand how anyone could mistake these tricks as proof of astounding paranormal
ability. To my knowledge, Geller has never done the reverse--straighten a bent spoon--a
feat that apparently cannot be performed by magicians, and thus a feat that might be better
proof of psychokinetic talent.
My second point is that, according to Randi (1982), two of the individuals I have mentioned
(parapsychologist researcher Puthoff and the purported psychic Ingo Swann), were
practicing Scientologists at the time of the SRI studies. Scientology doctrine, as I am certain
at least some of you know, accepts psychic abilities as both real and attainable by any
Operating Thetan. I would argue once again that, like Doyle, this researcher‘s beliefs made
him vulnerable to being hoodwinked.
Noah’s Ark
My third and final example (Cerone, Oct. 30, 1993 Feder, 1998) does not involve knighted
authors or Stanford researchers, but rather an intentional hoax perpetrated on mass media,
unwittingly aided by the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), an organization that seeks
and proffers scientific evidence in support of a literal interpretation of the Bible. The hoax
played off claims made in the film, ―In Search of Noah‘s Ark,‖ originally released by Sun
International Pictures in 1973. This movie asserted that remnants of the original ark had
been sighted on Mt. Ararat in Turkey. On February 20, 1993, CBS aired ―The Incredible
Discovery of Noah‘s Ark,‖ which featured an interview with George Jammal. Jammal was
already known to Sun International and the ICR from initial interviews about his Ark
discoveries in 1986. In the 1993 CBS documentary, Jammal provided physical evidence: a
piece of wood he claimed was from Noah‘s Ark. In reality, Jammal had prepared the piece
Perhaps in part because of the attention they were receiving from the famous Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, the Yorkshire girls soon produced a new series of photographs. These,
however, were eventually proven to be fraudulent. Frances and Elsie (also known as Iris and
Alice to protect their privacy) never admitted to forgery. And indeed, the first set of
photographs has never been adequately explained. However, in the 79 years since the
appearance of the first set of photos, I am not aware of any credible replication of these
photographic explorations into the realms of fairies and gnomes. The question of the
existence of these creatures appears to have been answered. (This fascinating case is well-
summarized in James Randi‘s (1982) provocative book, Flim-flam.)
How did Doyle come to believe in the existence of fairies and gnomes? It seems clear, at
least to several historians, that Doyle was rendered vulnerable to this hoax by his deeply
held belief in spiritualism. To spiritualists of that era, believing in the existence of a nether
world populated by spirits such as fairies and gnomes was not outrageous. At least one
historian has also insinuated that Doyle‘s great need to believe in spiritualism may have
been caused by unresolved grief over having lost his son in World War I.
Uri Geller and the Scientologist
Can belief systems make us more vulnerable to deceptions and con artists? A more recent
example might be the tainted investigation of Uri Geller, the purported Israeli psychic.
Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, scientists associated with the prestigious Stanford Research
Institute (SRI), rocked the scientific community with their articles on Geller and another
psychic, Ingo Swann. Their findings on Geller were published in Nature, one of the most
respected scientific journals. Geller became an overnight sensation, and ultimately a very
wealthy one at that.
I want to make two points here. First, one of the reasons we do not hear very much about
Uri Geller these days is because his so-called psychic powers have been thoroughly
debunked, most notably by MacArthur Fellow and magician-turned-debunker James Randi
(1982). About 10 years ago, I saw Randi bend spoons and stop watches, and I can
understand how anyone could mistake these tricks as proof of astounding paranormal
ability. To my knowledge, Geller has never done the reverse--straighten a bent spoon--a
feat that apparently cannot be performed by magicians, and thus a feat that might be better
proof of psychokinetic talent.
My second point is that, according to Randi (1982), two of the individuals I have mentioned
(parapsychologist researcher Puthoff and the purported psychic Ingo Swann), were
practicing Scientologists at the time of the SRI studies. Scientology doctrine, as I am certain
at least some of you know, accepts psychic abilities as both real and attainable by any
Operating Thetan. I would argue once again that, like Doyle, this researcher‘s beliefs made
him vulnerable to being hoodwinked.
Noah’s Ark
My third and final example (Cerone, Oct. 30, 1993 Feder, 1998) does not involve knighted
authors or Stanford researchers, but rather an intentional hoax perpetrated on mass media,
unwittingly aided by the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), an organization that seeks
and proffers scientific evidence in support of a literal interpretation of the Bible. The hoax
played off claims made in the film, ―In Search of Noah‘s Ark,‖ originally released by Sun
International Pictures in 1973. This movie asserted that remnants of the original ark had
been sighted on Mt. Ararat in Turkey. On February 20, 1993, CBS aired ―The Incredible
Discovery of Noah‘s Ark,‖ which featured an interview with George Jammal. Jammal was
already known to Sun International and the ICR from initial interviews about his Ark
discoveries in 1986. In the 1993 CBS documentary, Jammal provided physical evidence: a
piece of wood he claimed was from Noah‘s Ark. In reality, Jammal had prepared the piece
