Skeptical Analysis of the Paranormal Society

"Le doute n'est pas une condition agréable, mais la certitude est absurde."

—Voltaire

Skeptics at GhoStock

A journey into the realm of belief.

Patrick BurnsGhoStock paranormal convention is held twice a year in Savannah, Georgia.

The conference is hosted by Patrick Burns, founder/director of Ghost Hounds Paranormal Investigators Network and star of Court TV's "Haunting Evidence."

Burns has had a life-long interest in the paranormal, beginning when he witnessed a full-bodied apparition at the age of three. Burns laughed and said the apparition looked surprisingly like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Burns is something of an outsider in his field.

"There are no paranormal experts," he said, explaining further that hard evidence of the paranormal is poor, and that any self-described expert would be saying nothing more than, "My unproven theories are better than your unproven theories."

Burns' passion and drive are infectious, and the crowd found itself laughing along while Burns revisited an embarrassing video clip of him running, afraid, from a haunted toilet paper roll.

Though Burns clearly loves ghost hunting, he is unwilling to be a part of the James Randi Eduational Foundation's Million Dollar Challenge on the grounds that paranormal phenomena cannot be disregarded simply because it is not repeatable (and therefore testable).

"At the end of the day, we've proven nothing," Burns said, "The verdict is always inconclusive."

The presenters at GhoStock held a wide range of personal beliefs about the paranormal, allowing the crowd to taste and savor each flavor.

Patrick Burns definitely falls into the category of skeptical believer and, even when relaying evidence, admits the possibility it didn't really happen that way.

Others were more sure.

John Kachuba, author of the new book "Ghosthunters" (which highlights his travels around the country seeking ghosts), is quick to cite personal experiences and anecdotal evidence, even positing that Moses may have been a dowser.

In his hour-long presentation, Kachuba cited at least thirteen anecdotes for which he had little evidence. The evidence given was, always, either what he saw, heard, or felt, or a photograph of an "orb". The most compelling was a photograph that had a smudge that, in the right light, could potentially resemble a person.

While recounting his ghost hunting experiences, Kachuba noted how easy it is to get a false positive, and told the audience about an incident in a haunted location involving a pair of light-up sneakers.

"Obviously," he said, "all the lights were off."

The two SAPS members in attendance wondered briefly why it was obvious that the lights would be off.

Kachuba, though he may have faith in his own anecdotes, never assigns them to others and never makes statements that could easily be called "fact," even by him.

Murray Silver, author of "When Elvis Meets the Dalai Lama," however, claims to have worked with scientists in a vast number of fields to prove his claims about the paranormal, which were stated as emphatic fact.

"There is no end to life," he repeated often, as well as, "Everything is connected."

Many of Silver's philosophies on ghosts shared elements with popular paranormal blockbusters, leaving which came first open for debate.

For instance, Silver mentioned that many spirits are not aware that they are dead, and continue to go about their daily habits as though they were still living.

Silver specifically described an example of a spirit returning home after work to discover no place set for him at the dinnertable, conjuring the scene from M. Night Shyamalan's hit "The Sixth Sense," where Bruce Willis falls victim to the same lack of placesetting.

Silver claimed to have spoken with opthamologists regarding why some individuals see ghosts and some don't, but never said what came of the exchange... especially whether or not many opthamologists have hung up the phone while he was still asking.

Additionally, Silver claimed to have spoken with psychiatrists regarding whether or not schizophrenics may be sharing their bodies with ghosts, making us wonder if perhaps he had gotten the definitions of "Multiple Personality Disorder" and "Schizophrenia" confused.

Persons suffering from schizophrenia often experience both visual and auditory hallucinations, but are not "possessed," though many exorcisms in the past have been performed on that same basis, with appalling results.

Silver also stated his belief that homosexuals are merely sharing their bodies with spirits of the wrong gender, completely blurring the line between gender identity disorders (in which an individual feels that their anatomical gender is incorrect) and homosexuality (in which individuals are romantically attracted to members of the same gender).

The supposition that all gay men are really women underneath was inflammatory, and yet, when Silver was done speaking, a crowd formed to congratulate him and buy copies of his book.

We bought one as well, with the hope of running future articles about it.

To represent the seasoned paranormal believer, Hans Holzer joined the conference via telephone and spoke of his 143 books on the paranormal.

Holzer will soon release a book that promises controversy - it is titled "The Fantasy of Religion".

"The world is difficult because of religion and nationalism," Holzer said.

Holzer also stated his belief that, eventually, all the things we view as paranormal will be explained.

"There is no supernatural," he said, "only the natural science can't explain."

Steve Gonsalves, equipment manager for The Atlantic Paranormal Society, was the face of the young paranormal investigator.

Gonsalves talked and joked with the audience on a personal level, often dashing over to throw his arm around a fan and hold the microphone for them while they participated in the Question & Answer session.

"The reason people watch our show," Gonsalves said, "is because we have a different way of investigating - debunking."

It is true that TAPS, along with their television show "Ghost Hunters," has become iconic for the paranormal investigation field, and has spawned many amateur paranormal investigation groups.

Passes to the four day long conference were a mere fifty dollars, and included the entire program as well as a sponsored ghost hunt to one of thirteen haunted locations. A lucky few even had the pleasure of investigating with Gonsalves and Burns.

Transportation, food, and hotel stay were a separate cost, but many participants in the conference were willing to help - with Burns even offering to carpool to the ghost hunt.

Night-time was the time for community fellowship, with the group normally heading out together to share drinks and stories.

All the speakers were accessible and answered audience questions well after their lecture time had ended.

SavannahSavannah itself is somewhat small and quaint - and things tend to close early. The pharmacy, which we were used to seeing next to a blazing "Open 24 Hours" sign closed at six pm. It took some getting used to, though bars and restaurants stayed open through the wee hours.

The buildings throughout Savannah are quite picturesque and one feels, while stepping through the squares decorated with memorials, they they have slipped back through the pages of history.

The restaurants serve southern favorites, and The Pink House has a somewhat pricey but delicious menu including one we tried - fried pork chops.

Savannah is known as one of the most haunted cities in the United States for a reason - it has history, and an eerie beauty.

CemeteryLess interactive must-sees during a visit to Savannah include a cemetery in the middle of town boasting gravesites from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Cathedral of Saint JohnNearby is the ornate and wonderful Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, which is definitely worth a stop.

Is it worth it to attend GhoStock?

Yes. Whether you are a paranormal skeptic or a paranormal believer, you'll be completely entranced or completely appalled - probably both!

The presenters may not have always said things that we at SAPS would agree with, but all were interesting in their own way.

Keep an eye on the date for the next GhoStock on the Ghost Hounds web site at http://www.ghosthounds.com.

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