The Faith Healers
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| Author | James Randi (Foreword by Carl Sagan) |
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| Publisher | Prometheus Books |
| Released | 1987, 1989 |
| Media type | Hardcover/Paperback |
| Pages | 328 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-87975-369-2 and ISBN 0-87975-535-0 |
The Faith Healers is a 1987 book by magician and skeptic James Randi with a foreword by Carl Sagan. Randi explored the world of faith healing with skepticism exposing sleight of hand trickery and deceit.
In eighteen chapters Randi explores the origins of faith healing and psychic surgery, and critical analysized the claims made by AA Allen, Leroy Jenkins, WV Grant, Peter Popoff, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, and Father DiOrio for his claims of miracles at the town of Lourdes. From all angles using from audience to stage, from faith to science, and from magician to academic, Randi shows how people are tricked with magician tricks under the guise of religion.
Randi has claimed that the 1992 Steve Martin film, Leap of Faith had "nineteen items that were taken directly from my book, and several instances of the same dialog being used that was quoted in my book."[1]
Nutrition Health Review called it "a strong indictment of charlatans who prey upon the gullible."[2] The review continued, "Most painful to the author is his realization that many of the exploited sick continue to believe despite evidence that they have been defrauded."[2] How the victims fool themselves, Randi explained, "Because each disease has a natural variability, it has "ups and downs," Randi notes. When the system is attacked, the illness goes through stages of resistance and temporary retraction. It is upon this phenomenon that the charlatans exploit their sometimes spectacular 'results'."[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Randi, James. "Leap of Faith", James Randi Educational Foundation, December 7, 2001. Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
- ^ a b c "The Faith Healers. - book reviews", Nutrition Health Review, Fall, 1990. Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
