The kind of skeptics we should be touting

Sanal Edamaruku is one hell of a skeptic.

Sanal Edamaruku, an Indian skeptic, went to Mumbai and revealed that a "miraculous" weeping cross was really just a bit of statuary located near a leaky drain whose liquid reached it by way of capillary action. The local Catholic Church demanded that he retract his statements, and when he refused, they had him arrested for blasphemy.

http://boingboing.net/2012/04/13/indian-skeptic-charged-with.html

He was notable a while back for challenging an Indian tantric woo-meister to try and kill him with his magical mind powers.

On this case my feelings should be pretty clear. There is not magic, people who believe this is a miracle are fools and the Catholic church are a bunch of totalitarian thugs and the very idea of a blaspemy law is backwards and oppressive.

I’ve been dismissive in the past of certain people in the skeptic movement, like Rebecca Watson. The reason is that such people don’t seem to do much, they manoeuvre in social circles and increase their own power but they are not the classic debunkers in the mould of James Randi and Sanal Edamaruku. Hell, even though I felt she has been canonised to a silly degree, even Jessica Alquist did something.

Not that you need to debunk things to be a valid figure in the skeptic movement. People who contribute ideas and books such as Michael Shermer, Stephen Pinker, Eugenie Scott, etc, are rightly considered important figures for this very reason.

Sanal is a true skeptic debunker who is doing awesome work in a quite woo-susceptible society. Fair play to him!

Posted under: Skepticism, Religion
Posted on: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 10:39 AM
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Comments

  1. Posted by: Pankaj on 4/26/2012 7:27 PM
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    Please understand that Indian law is f'ked up. That law was meant to prosecute people who instigate religious riot by throwing a Cow's head into a Hindu temple or a dead pig into a Muslim Mosque which would end up in riots.

    The complainant as you think...doesn't have to be the catholic church itself and Indian police use any excuse to extort money from people. Christians are a minority in India. They behave exactly as hypersensitive as other minorities do elsewhere. There have been similar "miracles" before sometimes christian, sometimes Hindu.. and people always go apeshit over them.. its always funny to watch them.
    A more interesting case was when the sea water turned not salty one day.

    If it makes you feel any better - I can guarantee you that Mr Sanal will not be prosecuted.
  2. Posted by: Mark on 5/13/2012 7:59 AM
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    If it makes you feel any better - I can guarantee you that Mr Sanal will not be prosecuted.


    Ay it does, a little bit.

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