North Texas Skeptic - Vol 18 No 08 - 2004

Magazine Overview

Title: The North Texas Skeptic
Issue: Volume 18, Number 8
Date: August 2004
Publisher: The North Texas Skeptics
Website: http://www.ntskeptics.org

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic, published by the North Texas Skeptics organization, focuses on the "intelligent design" (ID) movement and its "Wedge Project," as well as critically examining studies related to prayer and alternative medicine.

Creationism's Wedge Project

The lead article, "Creationism's Wedge Project" by John Blanton, delves into the "intelligent design" movement, identifying Phillip Johnson as its grandfather. Johnson's book "Darwin on Trial" (1991) is presented as a catalyst, influenced by Richard Dawkins' "The Blind Watchmaker" and Michael Denton's "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis." Johnson, a former law professor, has been instrumental in promoting ID through "The Wedge" project. The article draws heavily on a study by Barbara Forrest, who co-authored "Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design" with Paul R. Gross.

The "Wedge" movement's public debut is traced back to a March 1992 conference at Southern Methodist University, which brought together key ID figures like Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, William Dembski, and Phillip Johnson, alongside "influential Darwinists" like Michael Ruse. The conference's central proposition was that Darwinism carries an "a priori commitment to metaphysical naturalism."

Several key figures associated with the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture (CSC), formerly the Center for Renewal of Science and Culture (CRSC), are mentioned, including Henry F. Schaefer III, Robert Koons, Paul Chien, John Angus Campbell, and Robert Kaita. The article notes that these individuals are working to "defeat the common enemy, Darwinism."

Further expansion of ID ideas occurred at a meeting in Pajaro Dunes, California, the year after the SMU conference. This event is featured in the creationist video "Unlocking the Mystery of Life." In February 1997, Robert Koons hosted a conference at the University of Texas at Austin titled "Naturalism, Theism and the Scientific Enterprise," which facilitated dialogue between methodological naturalists and ID theorists.

The "Wedge Document," a strategy document for the CRSC, is described as the "Five Year Plan" for the organization, outlining goals for the next twenty years and indicating a long-term commitment. The document explains the strategy as "splitting a log," where the "widening crack" is the difference between scientific facts and materialist philosophy. The Wedge strategy is broken down into three phases: Phase I. Scientific Research, Writing & Publication; Phase II. Publicity & Opinion-making; and Phase III. Cultural Confrontation & Renewal. The article notes that research supporting ID is lagging, but progress is encouraged on all fronts.

The establishment of the Michael Polanyi Center at Baylor University in 1999, funded by the John Templeton Fund and the Discovery Institute, is discussed. The center, staffed with creationists William Dembski and Bruce Gordon, aimed to "advance the understanding of the sciences." However, an external committee's report in October 2000 deemed the center's association with intelligent design inappropriate, leading to confusion. Dembski was subsequently removed as director.

The article highlights the Wedge project's lack of success in producing scientific research or establishing itself on legitimate college campuses. However, its publication record outside mainstream science is noted as outstanding, with a sidebar listing books by Wedge collaborators aimed at "comforting the committed and propagandizing the uninitiated."

The Wedge's most significant impact has been its attempt to penetrate public schools. Past attempts to introduce ID into school curricula in Plano, Texas (1995), and Ohio (2002) failed. The Kansas State Board of Education's omission of evolution requirements was rescinded. The Wedge team's plea for dilution of Darwinism in Texas biology text selection was also unsuccessful.

Despite these losses, the Wedge is getting its message out, with its lexicon appearing in news reports and comments from parents, school officials, and teachers. The article suggests that IDEA (Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness) clubs on college campuses may inadvertently expose the "new creationism" to a harsher academic environment.

The CSC provides resources on its website to promote ID, including a lesson plan for "Critical Analysis of Evolution" for tenth graders in Ohio. The Wedge team is also appealing to higher education, with IDEA clubs emerging on college campuses.

A prayer a day

This section by John Blanton critically examines a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in October 1999, titled "A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit." The study, led by William S. Harris, purported to demonstrate that prayer could be an effective adjunct to standard medical care.

The clinical trial involved 1013 patients in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the Mid America Heart Institute. Patients were randomly assigned to a prayer group or a usual care group. The experiment was conducted in secret, with patients and staff unaware of the trial, and informed consent was bypassed with the approval of the hospital's internal review board.

While the authors reported positive results, finding lower overall adverse outcomes for the prayer group, respondents to the study raised significant criticisms. Richard P. Sloan and Emilia Bagiella noted methodological difficulties and pointed out that the difference was only in an "unvalidated Mid American Heart Institute-Cardiac Care Unit (MAHI-CCU) scale."

Robert Karis identified a miscalculation that inflated the study's significance, suggesting the relative difference was 8% rather than 10%, and that the corrected numbers would not result in a statistically significant difference. Donald A. Sandweiss questioned the statistical significance (P value) of the results, noting that the study produced a P value of 0.04, which is close to the typical threshold for clinical trials.

Others, like Julie Goldstein, questioned the lack of informed consent, contrasting it with the mandatory consent required for testing new medicines. Concerns were raised about potential risks, including the possibility of supernatural power responding unfavorably to a nonbeliever's request.

Respondents also objected to putting religious precepts to a scientific test, with some noting proscriptions within various religions. While the study encouraged faith and the use of intercessory prayer, no one endorsed faith healing or suggested prayer should replace traditional treatment.

The study generated public interest, but adherents often cited the reference without knowing the facts. The article also mentions that the Journal of Reproductive Medicine withdrew a study on prayer and fertility treatments due to alleged fraud.

Public support for alternative medicine, including prayer, remains strong, with a significant percentage of U.S. adults using such practices.

Skeptic Ink

This section, by Prasad Golla and John Blanton, features a comic strip with a doctor discussing insurance running out and a brief mention of a study on intercessory prayer. It also references a previous article on "The Gerson Cancer Cure."

What's new

This section, by Robert Park, includes two brief items:

• Medicine: with friends like Prince Charles who needs enemas? This item discusses Prince Charles's recommendation of Gerson Therapy for cancer patients, which involves alternative treatments like vitamin injections, fruit juice diets, and "coffee enemas." The American Cancer Society warns against coffee enemas due to associated risks.
• Prayer therapy: unrelenting inquiry into a fraudulent study. This item refers to a scathing account in Time Magazine about a study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine that claimed intercessory prayer helped infertile women conceive. The article exposes the study as fraudulent, crediting Bruce Flamm for persistence in uncovering the fraud.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The North Texas Skeptics consistently promotes a scientific and rational approach to claims, particularly those related to the paranormal and pseudoscientific. The magazine critically examines and debunks claims that lack empirical evidence or rigorous scientific methodology. The articles on the "Wedge Project" and intercessory prayer studies exemplify this stance, highlighting logical fallacies, methodological flaws, and the importance of evidence-based reasoning. The publication advocates for the separation of science and religion in educational and public discourse, emphasizing the need for critical thinking and skepticism towards unsubstantiated claims. The organization itself is presented as a tax-exempt scientific and educational entity dedicated to exploring these topics from a responsible viewpoint.