TheAgitator.com
Hard Time Killing Fraud
Monday, March 24th, 2008
When a prominent Indian politician said her political opponents had put a black magic spell on her, one of India’s largest Hindu TV stations invited Indian rationalist Sanal Edamaruku to debate black magic shaman Pandit Surinder Sharma on science and religion. That’s where it got interesting:
During the discussion, the tantrik showed a small human shape of wheat flour dough, laid a thread around it like a noose and tightened it. He claimed that he was able to kill any person he wanted within three minutes by using black magic. Sanal challenged him to try and kill him.
The tantrik tried. He chanted his mantras (magic words): “Om lingalingalinalinga, kilikili….” But his efforts did not show any impact on Sanal – not after three minutes, and not after five. The time was extended and extended again. The original discussion program should have ended here, but the “breaking news” of the ongoing great tantra challenge was overrunning all program schedules.
[...]
He started sprinkling water on Sanal and brandishing a knife in front of him. Sometimes he moved the blade all over his body. Sanal did not flinch. Then he touched Sanal’s head with his hand, rubbing and rumpling up his hair, pressing his forehead, laying his hand over his eyes, pressing his fingers against his temples. When he pressed harder and harder, Sanal reminded him that he was supposed to use black magic only, not forceful attacks to bring him down. The tantrik took a new run: water, knife, fingers, mantras. But Sanal kept looking very healthy and even amused.
After nearly two hours, the anchor declared the tantrik’s failure. The tantrik, unwilling to admit defeat, tried the excuse that a very strong god whom Sanal might be worshipping obviously protected him. “No, I am an atheist,” said Sanal Edamaruku. Finally, the disgraced tantrik tried to save his face by claiming that there was a never-failing special black magic for ultimate destruction, which could, however, only been done at night. Bad luck again, he did not get away with this, but was challenged to prove his claim this very night in another “breaking news” live program.
The never-failing special black magic for ultimate destruction didn’t work, either. Sharma couldn’t even muster a case of the sniffles.
That is priceless
If only all such goofy beliefs were so easily disproved.
“If only all such goofy beliefs were so easily disproved.”
Silly belief: Republicans believe in smaller government
Easily Disproved: George W. Bush
Actually republicans do believe in small governments. Why anyone thinks GWB is a conservative Republican has always been beyond me.
Throw someone other than Kerry up against him and you wouldnt have had to put up with him the last 4 years.
Enjoyed the power of the black magic shaman. Penn and Teller and Randi among others have shown these idiots up for years. And yet still people believe.
I’ve always thought these people are more tricksters than idiots; I was surprised he allowed himself to be put in a situation where his magical claims could be directly tested. Surely he must have known it wouldn’t work.
Surely he must have known it wouldn’t work.
I dunno. I’m reminded of the “Unskilled and Unaware Of It” study of a few years ago that contained the story of one McArthur Wheeler, who walked into 3 banks in broad daylight wearing no disguise and proceeded to rob them. When caught a mere few hours later, Mr. Wheeler mumbled, “but I wore the juice.” It seemed that he thought that rubbing lemon juice on his face rendered it invisible to the bank security cameras.
The point is that there are a lot of deluded people around. I find it more likely than not that he actually DOES believe that he has magic powers, and thinks that something is wrong with the universe when they don’t work right.