- Another good one from Mr RandiUnfortunately, the people who would benefit from this book probably don't read much. Still it serves as a good reminder of how downright rotten certain people are. Not as well written as some of Randi's other books, but every bit as entertaning.
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- Heal ThyselfRandi is an American icon and institution. He has successfully debunked New Age spokemen, paranormal "scientists", ESP, UFO, psychokensis claims, Uri Geller...and done so with a sense of humor and humanity. Here, though, Randi is angry. It is not that the people who fall for these charlatans are any worse than the Hollywood morons who attend "channeling" session. No, what makes him so furious is that these hypocrites (faith healers, not Hollywood morons) play on the most vulnerable of our society in the most vulnerable area of their lives.
He recounts the behind-the-scenes misadventures of these "men of God" (and their women folk). I am sure at one time or another we have all seen some guy in a Gucci suit standing before a crowd of country bumpkins proclaiming that if they believed (and gave) they could be HEALED. Randi tells of the actors who work this pitiful bunch, the hidden microphones, the power of the Big Lie. And all of this is done in the name of religion!
Miracles, the act of suspending the laws of nature, may occur. But Randi contends that they cannot be reproduced in a closed environment following normal scientific procedures. When faced with having to perform under these circumstances the results are as one can imagine. If you want to confirm what you always thought then rush out and get this book.
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- Very good readingRandi methodically goes through all the con tricks that Faith "healers" play on their victims leaving the reader with no doubt what kind of people they are - brazen, ruthless and despicable robbers of the gullible and desperate. God, guilt and desperation are their levers to extract as much money as possible from some very sick people.
The writing style is a little awkward but Randi has a compelling subject and he does a very good job of nailing these creeps. The book is not done justice by the paper quality or printing which feels very cheap.
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- Very enlightening bookFor the skeptics that may think this book is an attack on religion or Faith in general this book does not attack either. This book is an angry outcry against those unscrupulous individuals that prey upon those in need. I love the almost scientific scrutiny that is used to debunk these men. He carefully examines several of these so called "Faith Healers", and makes a poiant argument that those that take advantage of others in the name of religion should be prosecuted.
Being a magician himself he is aware of many tricks of the trade when it comes to manipulating an audience, and uses his own personal experience to unveil when others use similar techniques. This book reminds me of the movie "Leap of Faith", but there is no happy ending in this book. Granted those of us that will read this book are the ones that are inclinded to not believe in the laying on of hands, or other types of "Healing". This is a good read and I highly recommend this book.
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- An Excellent Exposition, but Needs UpdatingThe world of faith healing is a con man's paradise. The potential clients are already fervent believers in miracles and the supernatural as it is; when they fall sick, they have the additional psychological need to believe they can be cured.
It is a small wonder that, with such a willingness to believe in miracles, the "faith healers" can get their gullible public to believe anything. Randi shows with great detail, documenting every step with evidence, what such gullibility does. Here some of the examples (the details, names, and dates are all in the book:)
1) The healer can easily get them to believe that they knows their name, occupation, and medical condition because God told them this information. In reality, they get the information by a variety of other methods, including the use of a tiny radio operated by the healer's wife, as in the case of Peter Popoff.
2) The healer can get them to believe the blind people "seeing" and the lame people "walking" were healed by miracelous means. In reality, they are shills, or plants, paid by the "healer" to pretend to be "cured".
3) The healer can get them to believe that, if they send him money and a request for a prayer, he will pray for them personally. In reality, the money is pocketed by the healer and the request for prayers thrown in the garbage.
4) The healer can get them to believe that buying "blessed" water, or earth, or communion wafers from him for a 10,000% markup will grant them health and good luck.
5) Worse of all, the healer can get them to believe that they are "healed" of cancer, or diabetes, or whatever, so they can discontinue their conventional treatement. So they do so - and, of course, they die.
All this, and much more, is documented in great detail in this chilling book. Peter Popoff, in particular, is shown to be not only a con man, but a stupid and vengeful con man. After Randi exposed the fact that his "information from God" actually comes from his wife backstage, Popoff hatched a "cunning plan" to get Randi in jail. He would send a few of his goons to break into his (Popoff's) warehouse, "steal" books, and them Popoff would blame Randi for the crime. Well, they tried to do this... but the people Popoff sent to "rob" the warehouse couldn't break the warehouse windows by throwing stones at them. So these rocket scientists went inside and *broke the windows from that direction*, so that *all the broken glass was on the outside of the warefhouse*. So much for framing Randi! As he notes in his book, "the three stoogers couldn't have done it better".
The one problem with this book is that it needs updating: it ends in the mid-eighties. But except for that, it is highly recommended.