Dr Grady McMurtry is a big favourite of Revelation TV. He features regularly in their schedules
and barely a week goes by without him making several appearances,
either recorded or live. In particular, he is a regular guest (via
Skype) on The Q&A Show along with Revelation TV founder and host, Howard Conder. In December 2014 Revelation TV embarked on The Q&A Roadshow which involved Conder and McMurtry visiting eight venues in various parts of the UK.
Who is Dr Grady McMurtry? He is the head of Creation Worldview Ministries
based in Orlando, Florida, USA. According to his website, the
organisation consists of himself and one associate. He's not a big
player on the creationist scene. Creation Worldview Ministries is more
Conference North than Premier League, Stockport County rather than
Chelsea FC.
Showing posts with label Revelation TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Revelation TV. Show all posts
Friday, December 26, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Get Well, Stay Well?
I've blogged before about Revelation TV and its promotion of Felicity Corbin Wheeler (here and here)
but feel moved to do so again. Felicity Corbin Wheeler, who in her
present incarnation is no longer described as the Reverend Doctor, has a
weekly show titled 'Get Well. Stay Well'. The programme is hosted by
Cyrus Fernando, a relatively new presenter on Revelation TV. Mr Fernando
is no Jeremy Paxman and the format is for him to ask a series of
obviously rehearsed questions which give FCW the opportunity to reel off
the details of a wide-ranging number of quack therapies which, she
claims, will prevent disease and/or cure disease. Most of these are
diet-based with an emphasis on the supposed benefits of juicing.
To emphasise the point, Cyrus and Felicity usually have a glass of
freshly prepared juice in their hands. Ironically Cyrus, being
conspicuously overweight, is a poor advert for Felicity's methods, as
are many of Revelation TVs presenters.
The programme broadcast on 6th June 2014 was devoted to extolling the supposed benefits of the Gerson Therapy. This particular form of quackery has been around since 1928 and yet in all that time, "Gerson's therapy has not been independently tested or subjected to randomized controlled trials, and thus is illegal to market in the United States". Cancer Research UK says, "Available scientific evidence does not support any claims that Gerson therapy can treat cancer. In fact, Gerson therapy can be very harmful to your health."
Quacks rarely allow scientific evidence to get in the way of a marketing opportunity and Felicity Corbin Wheeler is no exception. She introduces Dr Patrick Vickers who is, it seems, the new face of the Gerson Therapy.According to his website, "Giving up careers in professional golf and entertainment, Dr. Patrick obtained his undergraduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Life University before going on to receive his doctorate in Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College in 1997." He's not a dietician, a medical doctor or an oncologist, he's a chiropractor. In North America, chiropractors can use the title Dr but in the UK they are not considered to be registered medical practitioners. Felicity Corbin Wheeler avoids making this clear. Sense About Science has a useful summary which evaluates the evidence for the efficacy of chiropractic.
Most of the programme is taken up with Cyrus Fernando introducing YouTube videos of Patrick Vickers explaining the virtues of Gerson Therapy. As we all know YouTube videos trump peer-reviewed scientific research any day of the week. In between the videos Felicity Corbin Wheeler adds some commentary and it is interesting to note how frequently what Patrick Vickers says is in direct conflict with the advice given by Felicity Corbin Wheeler. She waves this away by saying that different doctors have different ideas.
There is no evidence that Gerson Therapy has ever cured anyone of anything. It's just another way of preying on the weak and vulnerable and separating them from their money. Revelation TV continues to promote this sort of nonsense.
The programme broadcast on 6th June 2014 was devoted to extolling the supposed benefits of the Gerson Therapy. This particular form of quackery has been around since 1928 and yet in all that time, "Gerson's therapy has not been independently tested or subjected to randomized controlled trials, and thus is illegal to market in the United States". Cancer Research UK says, "Available scientific evidence does not support any claims that Gerson therapy can treat cancer. In fact, Gerson therapy can be very harmful to your health."
Quacks rarely allow scientific evidence to get in the way of a marketing opportunity and Felicity Corbin Wheeler is no exception. She introduces Dr Patrick Vickers who is, it seems, the new face of the Gerson Therapy.According to his website, "Giving up careers in professional golf and entertainment, Dr. Patrick obtained his undergraduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Life University before going on to receive his doctorate in Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College in 1997." He's not a dietician, a medical doctor or an oncologist, he's a chiropractor. In North America, chiropractors can use the title Dr but in the UK they are not considered to be registered medical practitioners. Felicity Corbin Wheeler avoids making this clear. Sense About Science has a useful summary which evaluates the evidence for the efficacy of chiropractic.
Most of the programme is taken up with Cyrus Fernando introducing YouTube videos of Patrick Vickers explaining the virtues of Gerson Therapy. As we all know YouTube videos trump peer-reviewed scientific research any day of the week. In between the videos Felicity Corbin Wheeler adds some commentary and it is interesting to note how frequently what Patrick Vickers says is in direct conflict with the advice given by Felicity Corbin Wheeler. She waves this away by saying that different doctors have different ideas.
There is no evidence that Gerson Therapy has ever cured anyone of anything. It's just another way of preying on the weak and vulnerable and separating them from their money. Revelation TV continues to promote this sort of nonsense.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Ray Comfort & The Talking Snake
Ray Comfort posted this on his Facebook page:
The post is referring to the story in Genesis 3.1 which describes the events in the Garden of Eden which led to the Fall of Man. For Christians, especially fundamentalists who believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, the story is of special significance. It justifies their belief in Original Sin and the need for atonement."This isn't a Jungle Book. Snakes don't talk.” Nick MurrayDo animals have a language? Do they communicate (talk) to each other? My dog shows me that he understands English when he obeys me, when I speak English. He also tells me (in his own language) when he wants something to eat or drink. Every night, at around 6:00 PM, he goes into the back yard and speaks with another dog a couple of doors down (in the language of dogese). The dog he speaks to him always answers. Do elephants or dolphins have a language in which they speak to each other? How about whales? Of course they do. Parrots manage to talk without vocal cords.
How ironic, that people who believe that they are animals mock the thought that any animal could talk.
We have come across Ray Comfort before. He espouses a particularly aggressive form of creationism and constantly rails against atheism and evolution which he sees as responsible for all the evils in the world. Inevitably he takes up ridiculous positions as evidenced by his statement above.
- Do animals have language? - No they don't.
- Do they communicate (talk) to each other? - Some communicate with each other but they do not talk.
- My dog shows me that he understands English when he obeys me, when I speak English. - No he doesn't. He recognises the sound of your voice.
- Do elephants or dolphins have a language in which they speak to each other? - No, they can't speak but they can communicate.
- Parrots manage to talk without vocal cords. - Parrots are mimics. They can't talk.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Ray Comfort & Revelation TV
Let’s start with some background information about Revelation TV.
Revelation TV is a Christian channel broadcasting in the UK on the Sky platform which has an interesting history of Ofcom involvement. On a number of occasions the channel was in breach of Ofcom rules with regard to their views on homosexuality, Islam and abortion. In order to escape Ofcom’s ‘censorship’ Revelation TV is now has a Spanish broadcasting licence which seemingly allows it to disseminate its prejudices without the hindrance of being fair and even-handed. Most of Revelation TV’s output is centred around creationism, end times prophecies and readings from the bible and the Daily Mail.
Howard Conder is one of the founders of the station and one of the main presenters. He hosts one of the channels flagship programmes, the Q & A show, most nights of the week. This usually features an interview with a guest on a topic dear to the heart of the presenter, end times, biblical prophecy, and quite frequently, creationism. On the 18th July 2013 the guest was Ray Comfort.
Ray Comfort (aka Bananaman) was there to promote the release of his latest DVD, Evolution Vs God, a film which, according to its Facebook page promises to shake Darwinism’s foundational beliefs.
At this point it’s worth pointing out that Howard Conder’s interviewing style is mostly about feeding lines to his guests. They are generally given an easy ride. On matters of science, Howard Conder is a self-confessed ignoramus. Some years ago, he interviewed Richard Dawkins. The YouTube video is here. It is 58 minutes long but it is worth watching because Conder is so excruciatingly inept. Unfortunately, Conder learned nothing from the encounter.
The ‘interview’ with Ray Comfort followed its predictable course, with Comfort being given free rein to give an extended sales pitch for his DVD.
Ray Comfort started off by saying that he had interviewed four evolutionary scientists who ‘could not back up evolution with any scientific evidence’. He then went on to say that ‘evolution is responsible for so many of the vices we see’ and that the movie ‘debunks evolution in sixteen minutes’. We then see an excerpt from the movie, with Comfort interviewing students and challenging them to give him evidence that evolution has taken place. Most of them give the impression of being totally overwhelmed by the experience but some make a reasonable attempt to answer the question. Darwin’s Finches feature in their replies but when that is mentioned Comfort plays his trump card. Birds are still birds, evolution is about changes in kinds! Speciation doesn’t count as evolution. One of the rules of the game is that Ray Comfort gets to decide what the rules of the game are.
Creationists often talk about ‘kinds’ without ever defining what they mean. No-one apart from creationists use that term.
The next excerpt features three of the four scientists interviewed by Comfort, PZ Myers, Craig Stanford and Gail E Kennedy. They are given the same treatment as the students with Comfort rejecting their answers out of hand. There is no debate, no discussion and no exchange of ideas. PZ Myers has blogged about his experience and has accused Ray Comfort of selective editing. In the Revelation TV programme Comfort denies this charge and claims that the interview was edited with integrity. He also said he would not be releasing the unedited interviews. Craig Stanford tweeted, ‘Ray Comfort’s new creationism video does the most un-Christian thing; uses misleading editing to take an immoral and frankly sleazy low road’.
Howard Conder then gives Ray Comfort the opportunity to reel off the familiar list of creationist tropes, all recieved uncritically by the host and, I suspect, most of the audience.
Inevitably, Richard Dawkins gets several mentions. According to Ray
Comfort, Dawkins has ‘opened up the golden door to the delirious
pleasures of sin’. Talking of delirious pleasures, the interview then
moves on to discuss Christian fundamentalists second favourite topic –
other people’s sex lives.
Howard Conder mentions that the Queen has recently given her royal assent to the same sex marriage bill in England and Wales. Ray Comfort is shocked that our Queen (?) should do such a thing. He has no doubt that she came under pressure from other members of the royal family who ‘don’t have a standard of righteousness’. We can add Constitutional Monarchy to the ever growing list of things that Ray Comfort doesn’t understand.
Howard Conder points out that the teaching of evolution is now being extended to the primary curriculum. Ray Comfort is appalled. Bizarrely the Queen gets the blame for that as well – she has compromised again.
The programme ends with yet another swipe at a great British institution. Howard defends the one-sided approach of the programme by informing us that the BBC spends billions of pounds promoting evolution and that Richard Attenborough is largely to blame. Yes, that’s right, Richard Attenborough. Howard must have been thinking of Jurassic Park.
At that point the programme ended.
The sub-title of Evolution Vs God is ‘Shaking The Foundations Of Faith’. It is Ray Comforts claim that evolution is based on faith, not science. I’d guess that the scientific foundations of evolutionary theory will remain unshaken.
Links to my other blog posts about Revelation TV.
Quacking for Jesus
Revelation TV and Felicity Corbin Wheeler
Revelation TV and Felicity Corbin Wheeler Revisited
Revelation TV is a Christian channel broadcasting in the UK on the Sky platform which has an interesting history of Ofcom involvement. On a number of occasions the channel was in breach of Ofcom rules with regard to their views on homosexuality, Islam and abortion. In order to escape Ofcom’s ‘censorship’ Revelation TV is now has a Spanish broadcasting licence which seemingly allows it to disseminate its prejudices without the hindrance of being fair and even-handed. Most of Revelation TV’s output is centred around creationism, end times prophecies and readings from the bible and the Daily Mail.
Howard Conder is one of the founders of the station and one of the main presenters. He hosts one of the channels flagship programmes, the Q & A show, most nights of the week. This usually features an interview with a guest on a topic dear to the heart of the presenter, end times, biblical prophecy, and quite frequently, creationism. On the 18th July 2013 the guest was Ray Comfort.
Ray Comfort (aka Bananaman) was there to promote the release of his latest DVD, Evolution Vs God, a film which, according to its Facebook page promises to shake Darwinism’s foundational beliefs.
At this point it’s worth pointing out that Howard Conder’s interviewing style is mostly about feeding lines to his guests. They are generally given an easy ride. On matters of science, Howard Conder is a self-confessed ignoramus. Some years ago, he interviewed Richard Dawkins. The YouTube video is here. It is 58 minutes long but it is worth watching because Conder is so excruciatingly inept. Unfortunately, Conder learned nothing from the encounter.
The ‘interview’ with Ray Comfort followed its predictable course, with Comfort being given free rein to give an extended sales pitch for his DVD.
Ray Comfort started off by saying that he had interviewed four evolutionary scientists who ‘could not back up evolution with any scientific evidence’. He then went on to say that ‘evolution is responsible for so many of the vices we see’ and that the movie ‘debunks evolution in sixteen minutes’. We then see an excerpt from the movie, with Comfort interviewing students and challenging them to give him evidence that evolution has taken place. Most of them give the impression of being totally overwhelmed by the experience but some make a reasonable attempt to answer the question. Darwin’s Finches feature in their replies but when that is mentioned Comfort plays his trump card. Birds are still birds, evolution is about changes in kinds! Speciation doesn’t count as evolution. One of the rules of the game is that Ray Comfort gets to decide what the rules of the game are.
Creationists often talk about ‘kinds’ without ever defining what they mean. No-one apart from creationists use that term.
The next excerpt features three of the four scientists interviewed by Comfort, PZ Myers, Craig Stanford and Gail E Kennedy. They are given the same treatment as the students with Comfort rejecting their answers out of hand. There is no debate, no discussion and no exchange of ideas. PZ Myers has blogged about his experience and has accused Ray Comfort of selective editing. In the Revelation TV programme Comfort denies this charge and claims that the interview was edited with integrity. He also said he would not be releasing the unedited interviews. Craig Stanford tweeted, ‘Ray Comfort’s new creationism video does the most un-Christian thing; uses misleading editing to take an immoral and frankly sleazy low road’.
Howard Conder then gives Ray Comfort the opportunity to reel off the familiar list of creationist tropes, all recieved uncritically by the host and, I suspect, most of the audience.
- The missing link is still missing.
- Everyone has an inbuilt, innate knowledge of god.
- Evolution gets rid of moral accountability.
- Evolutionists believe that nothing created everything.
- There is observable evidence that god exists.
Howard Conder mentions that the Queen has recently given her royal assent to the same sex marriage bill in England and Wales. Ray Comfort is shocked that our Queen (?) should do such a thing. He has no doubt that she came under pressure from other members of the royal family who ‘don’t have a standard of righteousness’. We can add Constitutional Monarchy to the ever growing list of things that Ray Comfort doesn’t understand.
Howard Conder points out that the teaching of evolution is now being extended to the primary curriculum. Ray Comfort is appalled. Bizarrely the Queen gets the blame for that as well – she has compromised again.
The programme ends with yet another swipe at a great British institution. Howard defends the one-sided approach of the programme by informing us that the BBC spends billions of pounds promoting evolution and that Richard Attenborough is largely to blame. Yes, that’s right, Richard Attenborough. Howard must have been thinking of Jurassic Park.
At that point the programme ended.
The sub-title of Evolution Vs God is ‘Shaking The Foundations Of Faith’. It is Ray Comforts claim that evolution is based on faith, not science. I’d guess that the scientific foundations of evolutionary theory will remain unshaken.
Links to my other blog posts about Revelation TV.
Quacking for Jesus
Revelation TV and Felicity Corbin Wheeler
Revelation TV and Felicity Corbin Wheeler Revisited
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