The Bible Code is numerological nonsense
Ted King
In Scientific American magazine:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E60F111B4
By Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic (www.skeptic.com) and author of
Why People Believe Weird Things.
Excerpt:
[quote]
Just like the prophecies of soothsayers past and present, all such
predictions are actually postdictions (note that not one psychic or
astrologer forewarned us about 9/11). To be tested scientifically, Bible
codes would need to predict events before they happen. They won't,
because they can't--as Danish physicist Niels Bohr averred, predictions
are difficult, especially about the future. Instead, in 1997 Drosnin
proposed this test of his thesis: "When my critics find a message about
the assassination of a prime minister encrypted in Moby Dick, I'll
believe them."
Australian mathematician Brendan McKay did just that, locating no fewer
than nine political assassinations secreted in the great novel, along
with additional discoveries in War and Peace and other tomes (see
cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/moby.html). American physicist David E.
Thomas predicted the Chicago Bulls's NBA championship in 1998 from his
code search of Leo Tolstoy's novel. He also recently unearthed "the
Bible code is a silly, dumb, fake, false, evil, nasty, dismal fraud and
snake-oil hoax" from Bible Code II (see www.nmsr.org/biblecod.htm)."
[unquote]
Avi Norowitz
before it occurred, based on his finding in the Bible Codes. Neither
Brendan Mckay or Dave Thomas dispute this. I think Michael Shermer is
either uninformed or being misleading for not mentioning this.
http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/Chance.pdf
http://www.nmsr.org/biblecod.htm
Ted King <lod...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<lodited-3A50E9...@newssvr19-ext.news.prodigy.com>...
Christopher A. Lee
>On 26 May 2003 13:18:19 -0700, use...@ulag.net (Avi Norowitz) wrote:
>
>>Actually, Michael Drosnin did predict Yitzhak Rabin's assassination
>>before it occurred, based on his finding in the Bible Codes. Neither
>>Brendan Mckay or Dave Thomas dispute this. I think Michael Shermer is
>>either uninformed or being misleading for not mentioning this.
>
>I read Nostradamus in 1990 and he said George Bush sr. would get a
>second term. Well he didn't say that, he actually said "The great lord
>will rise and unite and rule the great nation to spread the light and
>banish the dark." Or something. You know, real quality, clear,
>unambiguous stuff.
>
>My point is, most of those predictions can mean *anything*, and people
>most of the time only realize what they actually mean until long after
>the event has happened.
The babble codes use a different way of generating information where
there isn't any, which is less easy for the gullible to see through.
They run the text through an algorithm that keeps changing the
sequence until they find what they're looking for.
The gullible think it's something special.
Robert Schneider
"Avi Norowitz" <use...@ulag.net> wrote in message
news:e6dfe776.03052...@posting.google.com...
> Actually, Michael Drosnin did predict Yitzhak Rabin's assassination
> before it occurred, based on his finding in the Bible Codes. Neither
> Brendan Mckay or Dave Thomas dispute this. I think Michael Shermer is
> either uninformed or being misleading for not mentioning this.
The Bible Code was published in April 1998 (according to Amazon). Yitzhak
Rabin was assassinated in 1995. I don't think we should Mr. Drosnin's word
at face value on this.
Avi Norowitz
>
> The Bible Code was published in April 1998 (according to Amazon). Yitzhak
> Rabin was assassinated in 1995. I don't think we should Mr. Drosnin's word
> at face value on this.
I am willing to accept that Drosnin did predict Rabin's assassination
in advance because none of the prominent critics of the Bible Codes
deny that this is the case. For example:
"About the only thing interesting about Drosnin's stupid book is that
he really did send a letter to warning to Rabin."
-- Brendan McKay
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=873849263.1624%40dejanews.com
"... reliable witnesses confirm that Drosnin took pains to warn Rabin
of the danger to his life a full year before the assassination."
-- Maya Bar-Hillel, Dror Bar-Natan, and Brendan McKay
http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/Chance.pdf
"One of Drosnin's strongest claims in support of the Bible Code was
that his code-based prediction of the assassination of Israeli prime
minister Yitzhak Rabin was made a year before the event took place."
-- Dave Thomas
http://www.nmsr.org/biblecod.htm
Of course, this doesn't mean everything in Michael Drosnin's book is
reliable.
Robert Schneider
> "Robert Schneider" <rss...@SPAMMENOT.earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:<tkzAa.17366$rO.15...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>...
> >
> > The Bible Code was published in April 1998 (according to Amazon).
Yitzhak
> > Rabin was assassinated in 1995. I don't think we should Mr. Drosnin's
word
> > at face value on this.
>
> I am willing to accept that Drosnin did predict Rabin's assassination
> in advance because none of the prominent critics of the Bible Codes
> deny that this is the case. For example:
>
> "About the only thing interesting about Drosnin's stupid book is that
> he really did send a letter to warning to Rabin."
> -- Brendan McKay
> http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=873849263.1624%40dejanews.com
Yeah, Drosnin wasn't exactly going out on a limb when making this
prediction. However, McKay's statement is actually hear-say. Anyway,
predicting the assassination of someone who had been receiving death threats
on a regular basis is hardly impressive.
> "... reliable witnesses confirm that Drosnin took pains to warn Rabin
> of the danger to his life a full year before the assassination."
> -- Maya Bar-Hillel, Dror Bar-Natan, and Brendan McKay
> http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/Chance.pdf
>
> "One of Drosnin's strongest claims in support of the Bible Code was
> that his code-based prediction of the assassination of Israeli prime
> minister Yitzhak Rabin was made a year before the event took place."
> -- Dave Thomas
> http://www.nmsr.org/biblecod.htm
>
> Of course, this doesn't mean everything in Michael Drosnin's book is
> reliable.
His method has been shown (Skeptic magazine, Skeptical Inquirerer) to yield
thousands of false prophecies, absurdities, and gibberish when applied to
the Bible and other literary pieces. Did he predict 9/11 or the shuttle
disaster? No.
Ash
> Actually, Michael Drosnin did predict Yitzhak Rabin's assassination
> before it occurred, based on his finding in the Bible Codes. Neither
> Brendan Mckay or Dave Thomas dispute this. I think Michael Shermer is
> either uninformed or being misleading for not mentioning this.
>
> http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/Chance.pdf
> http://www.nmsr.org/biblecod.htm
Where and when did he publish this prediction and how specific was it?
> Ted King <lod...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<lodited-3A50E9...@newssvr19-ext.news.prodigy.com>...
>
>
>>Just like the prophecies of soothsayers past and present, all such
>>predictions are actually postdictions (note that not one psychic or
>>astrologer forewarned us about 9/11). To be tested scientifically, Bible
>>codes would need to predict events before they happen. They won't,
>>because they can't--as Danish physicist Niels Bohr averred, predictions
>>are difficult, especially about the future. Instead, in 1997 Drosnin
>>proposed this test of his thesis: "When my critics find a message about
>>the assassination of a prime minister encrypted in Moby Dick, I'll
>>believe them."
>>
--
#1636 again
Brendan McKay
Drosnin's book is a load of crap, but it is really true that he wrote
a letter to Rabin with a warning about a year before Rabin was
assassinated. I know this because I have spoken to the person
(Israeli poet Chaim Guri) who passed the latter on from Drosnin
to Rabin. The incident was also investigated by the Israeli press
when Drosnin's book came out and they published the letter
from Rabin's files. Incidentally, Guri thinks the codes are
nonsense and is angry at the way his part is portrayed in
Drosnin's book.
This example is the ONLY thing even vaguely interesting in Drosnin's
book, and it is not terribly impressive to predict the assassination
of a senior politician in a violent part of the world.
Incidentally, the codes guru Moshe Katz claims that he found the
Rabin "code" years earlier and that Drosnin stole the limelight
from him. I don't know if that is true.
Brendan.
Clayton Diggler
> > > Actually, Michael Drosnin did predict Yitzhak Rabin's assassination
> > > before it occurred, based on his finding in the Bible Codes.
Let's see....someone thought that the Prime Minister of Israel trying to
conciliate with the leader of the Palestinians was in danger... WHO DA
THUNK?
.