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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: On the Power of Arcane Symbols
Message-ID: <2038@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 31-Oct-85 18:00:27 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.2038
Posted: Thu Oct 31 18:00:27 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Nov-85 10:53:13 EST
References: <2002@umcp-cs.UUCP> <17027@watmath.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 29

In article <17027@watmath.UUCP> credmond@watmath.UUCP (Chris Redmond) writes:

>>At one time, a number of researchers substituted randomly selected
>>horoscopes for the normal ones in a newspaper for a period of some weeks.
>>Not suprisingly, the change went unnoticed; what was suprising was the
>>number of 'hits' the random texts produced.  I myself believe that most
>>oracles work in the same way.  So I treat these things with great respect;

>Sure they do.  But they "work" not because they have any "power", but
>because (1) horoscopes and oracles are written ambiguously, to maximize
>the number of "hits" and gain a reputation for credibility; (2) people
>are predisposed to believe in them, and so they interpret whatever 
>happens in a way that gives them validity; and (3) such people are
>sometimes influenced by the prediction to behave in a way that makes 
>it come true -- e.g. if it is predicted that I will have an automobile
>accident, and I believe the prediction, my driving will likely become
>nervous and jerky, and you can guess what will happen.

So does this not give them a certain power over those who believe in them?

>One may argue that these are undesirable effects, but I do not think
>a Christian can rationally believe that the fault lies in some
>devil-driven oracle or spell. It lies in human stupidity, gullibility,
>desperation or misplaced faith.

Certainly.  But therefore the power is still there; it is simply
psychologically derived.

Charley Wingate