Point of Inquiry

Amy-Jill Levine is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, where she also holds the position of Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality. Her many books, articles, and essays address topics like Christian origins, Jewish-Christian relations, and women in the Bible. She has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has held office in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Association for Jewish Studies. A widely sought-after speaker and favorite at the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York, she has given hundreds of talks on biblical topics to both academic and nonacademic audiences. She is also a fellow of CSER, the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion, one of the organizations at the Center for Inquiry. Her awards include grants from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. She has a book out in the next few months called The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus. About this episode: Over 2 billion people worldwide live their lives to one extent or another focused around the man who is central to Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth. Even as skeptics of religion, most listeners to Point of Inquiry will agree that Jesus was one of the most important figures in history, affecting so much of the world we see today: the Christian Church is very influential in politics and society, and fundamental to Christianity is this figure of Jesus of Nazareth; millions of Americans live their lives regularly asking What would Jesus Do? In this interview with DJ Grothe, Amy-Jill Levine explores the question Who Was Jesus of Nazareth? She also touches on the role old Christianity in American politics and the possible relationship between religion and violence. Also in this episode, Tom Flynn asks Did You Know about Christiantity in the ancient and modern world, and also discusses the Jesus-cross monument debacle on Mount Soledad in San Diego, California.

Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow for CSICOP, is considered the world's leading paranormal investigator. A former professional stage magician and private investigator, he has used his varied background to investigate myths and mysteries, frauds, forgeries, and hoaxes. He has been called "the modern Sherlock Holmes," "the original ghost buster," and "the real-life Scully" (after the character in The X-Files). A veteran of hundreds of TV and radio appearances, he is the author of over 20 books, including Secrets of the Supernatural, Entities, Psychic Sleuths, Real Life X Files, and The UFO Invasion. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Joe talks about his recent trip to Peru for CFI's second South American conference, and also about his visit to the world famous Nazca lines, which some people argue is evidence for ancient visits to earth from extra-terrestrials. He recounts his years of investigations into such "geoglyphs," and suggests some alternative scientific theories for their existence. Also in this episode, Debbie Goddard, a campus organizer with the Center for Inquiry, gives a back-to-school message.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of America's superstars of science, focuses his research on star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. In addition to dozens of scholarly publications, Dr. Tyson is one of America's most eloquent and popular science writers. He has a monthly column for Natural History magazine simply titled the "Universe." Among his seven books is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and also Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS-NOVA series of the same title, in which Dr. Tyson serves as the on-camera host. Beginning Fall 2006, he will appear as the on-camera host of PBS-NOVA's program ScienceNow, which will explore the frontiers of all the science that shapes our understanding of our place in the universe. Dr. Tyson is the recipient of seven honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid "13123 Tyson". On a lighter note, a few years ago he was voted "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive" by People Magazine. In this wide-ranging interview with DJ Grothe, Dr. Tyson discusses new developments this week in astronomy which may increase the count of planets in the solar system, reveals why he believes it is likely that there is life elsewhere in the universe, examines Intelligent Design and what he calls "stupid design," eloquently explains how parents may foster an appreciation for science in children, and also discusses science education's real-world economic impact for America. Also in this episode, DJ and Lauren Becker discuss the new collaborative effort between the Center for Inquiry and the State University of New York called Science and the Public.

Eugene Straus, M.D., is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine. He's also served as a senior faculty member at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In these positions, he directed research, teaching, and clinical activities for thirty-five years. He has published over 150 scientific papers and text book chapters. He has also traveled very widely to observe health care in many parts of the world, and has advised the Health Ministries of India and China. He is a member of many research and clinical societies. In this interview with DJ Grothe, he discusses his new book, Medical Marvels: The 100 Greatest Advances in Medicine. He also explores some of the problems he sees in current medicine and gives advice to consumers who are inundated with so many suggested alternatives to medical science. Also in this episode, Lauren Becker examines some of the possible reasons Alt Med attracts so many ailing our society.

Bill Cooke, former international director for the Center for Inquiry, is a senior lecturer at the School of Visual Arts at University of Auckland at Manukau. He is a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion and now serves as CFI's Asia/Pacific coordinator. He is an acknowledged expert on the history of humanism and has written widely on the subject. He is author of the Dictionary Of Atheism, Skepticism, & Humanism, The Gathering of Infidels: A Hundred Years of the Rationalist Press Association and Heathen in Godzone: Seventy Years of Rationalism in New Zealand among other books. In this interview with DJ Grothe, Dr. Cooke discusses the history of humanism, how it is different than religion, and whether or not humanism is anti-religious. Also in this episode, Austin Dacey reports on the state of secularism in Bangladesh.

Derek Araujo was one of the founders and the first student president of the Campus Freethought Alliance in 1996. At the time he was attending Harvard College where he also founded the Harvard Secular Society before graduating magna cum laude in 1999. Mr. Araujo has since received a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he was a senior editor of the Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, and is now an attorney based in the New York City. On July 15th 2006 Derek Araujo addressed a crowd of over 70 student leaders and 35 community leaders gathered at the Center for Inquiry headquarters in Amherst NY to mark the 10th anniversary of the Campus Freethought Alliance, what is now known as Center for Inquiry On Campus. This special episode of Point of Inquiry features Mr. Araujo's remarks, in their entirety, with an introduction by Paul Kurtz. Also in this episode, student leaders Eric Toedter from the University of Florida and Adria Updike from Clemson University share their thoughts about the importance of student activism.

Barry Beyerstein is Professor of Psychology and a member of the Brain Behaviour Laboratory at Simon Fraser University. His research has involved many areas related to his primary scholarly interests: brain mechanisms of perception and consciousness and the effects of drugs on the brain and mind. His work in these areas and his interest in the philosophy and history of science have also led him to be skeptical of many occult and New Age claims. This has prompted him to investigate the scientific status of many questionable products in the areas of medical and psychological treatment, as well as a number of dubious self-improvement techniques. Dr. Beyerstein serves as chair of the Society of B. C. Skeptics and he is a Fellow and a member of the Executive Council of CSICOP and serves on the editorial board of CSICOP's journal, The Skeptical Inquirer. He was also elected to the Council for Scientific Medicine, another organization headquartered at the Center for Inquiry; it provides critiques of unscientific and fraudulent health products. He is a founding member of Canadians for Rational Health policy and a Contributing Editor of the journal, The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine. He has published in these areas himself and is a frequent commentator on such topics on TV and Radio and in the print media. In this interview with DJ Grothe, Dr. Beyerstein discusses what he calls "the sins of Big Pharma," elaborating on what he considers the negative implications of the profit motive in the pharmaceutical industry and the development of new and unnecessary drugs due to possibly biased research. Also in this episode, Lauren Becker shares a commentary on secular humanist and skeptic "non-joiners."

Thomas Kida is a professor in the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the author of many articles on decision-making. For the last 25 years he has been researching and teaching how we form our beliefs and make decisions. His new book, Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking, presents this research. The book is about the ways our beliefs and decision making skills can go wrong. Do we all fall prey to problems in thinking? Why do we make these mistakes? Why do we believe the unbelievable? In the interview with DJ Grothe, Professor Kida highlights a few of the six mistakes of thinking discussed in the book, with real-world examples of how our thinking can go astray and what we can do about it. Also in this episode, Paul Kurtz and DJ discuss details of CFI's Student Leadership Conference celebrating 10 years of CFI's campus outreach. The event has attracted students from nearly 50 North American colleges and universities, in addition to universities in the Netherlands and Russia, and is being held this weekend in Amherst, NY.

Paul Kurtz, considered the father of the secular humanist movement and a founder of the worldwide skeptic movement, is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. As chair of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), the Council for Secular Humanism, and Prometheus Books, and as editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry magazine, he has advanced a critical, skeptical inquiry into many of the most cherished beliefs of society for the last forty years. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been featured very widely in the media, on topics as diverse as reincarnation, UFO abduction, secular versus religious ethics, communication with the dead, and the historicity of Jesus. In this interview with DJ Grothe, Paul Kurtz discusses the meaning of life from a scientific point of view, and expounds on the secular humanistic, stoical, skeptical perspective on questions regarding life after death and morality without belief in heaven or hell. Also in this episode DJ talks with Amanda Chesworth, educational director for CSICOP, about CFI's new summer camp promoting the scientific outlook to youngsters, Camp Inquiry.

James "The Amazing" Randi is a world-renowned magician, skeptic and investigator of paranormal claims. He has been a central figure in the development of the world-wide skeptical movement. He's perhaps most known for the One Million Dollar Challenge, in which his Foundation will award One Million Dollars to anyone who is able to show evidence of any paranormal, supernatural or occult power or event, under test conditions agreed to by both parties. Randi has appeared very widely in the media, including on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show at least 22 times and he's also a regular on Penn and Teller's Showtime Series, BULLSHIT! He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a MacArthur Genius Grant, a Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In 1989, the American Physical Society presented him with its Forum Award for Promoting Public Understanding of the Relation of Physics to Society. He is the author of many books, notably The Truth About Uri Geller, in which Randi aimed to use his background in magic to investigate the Israeli psychic and performer, and also The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. In this discussion with DJ Grothe, Randi discusses critical thinking and magic, recounts his experiences as a leading paranormal investigator investigating people like Peter Popoff and others, shares his views about skepticism and religion, and reflects on the future of the skeptical movement. Also in this episode, Lauren Becker shares some thoughts about America's Founding and the Fourth of July.