Nearly twenty studies of whether intercessory prayer has a positive (or any) effect on seriously ill patients have been conducted by physicians and other medical researchers since 1965. Results are mixed, ranging from mild positive effects to an increase in adverse effects. The assumptions of the very idea have been challenged—is prayer something that can ..read more

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Photographs of “orbs” – small circular or globular lights – that are invisible to the naked eye at the time of the photography are ubiquitous on the internet. Very little scientific research has been conducted to explain the photographic phenomenon. Most of the discussion online asserts that orbs are spirits or some other energy life form. Is this true or is there a coherent, conventional explanation? In this episode, we survey the available literature and consider examples of orbs in photographs. Three resources: Luciano Pederzoli, “Photos of Globes (Orbs): An Analysis,” updated article from ..read more

Many people have experienced déjà vu, the feeling that a situation or event is familiar, though there is no evidence that the situation has been experienced before. Recent studies have shown that roughly two-thirds of people have experienced déjà vu at least once. This episode explores three research articles chronicling the phenomenon and its elements and the range of proposed explanations for it. Research articles: Alan S. Brown, “A Review of the Déjà Vu Experience,” Psychology Bulletin Vol. 129, No. 3 (2003: 394–413 Anne. M. Cleary, “Recognition Memory, Familiarity, and Déjà Vu Experiences ..read more

Many people have experienced déjà vu, the feeling that a situation or event is familiar, though there is no evidence that the situation has been experienced before. Recent studies have shown that roughly two-thirds of people have experienced déjà vu at least once. This episode explores three research articles chronicling the phenomenon and its elements and the range of proposed explanations for it. Research articles: Alan S. Brown, “A Review of the Déjà Vu Experience,” Psychology Bulletin Vol. 129, No. 3 (2003: 394–413 Anne. M. Cleary, “Recognition Memory, Familiarity, and Déjà Vu Experiences ..read more

“Samhain” (pronounced “sow-in,” with the “ow” like in “cow,” or “sow-een,” with “ow” as in “glow”) is an Irish Gaelic term for the time of “summer’s end,” as well as a festival to mark the end of the harvest season and the onset of winter which, in the Gaelic / Celtic calendar, marked the beginning of the year. Because the Celtic day began and ended at sunset, not sunrise, the festival was traditionally celebrated from October 31 to November 1. Sanhaim is the ancient backdrop to Halloween, not only in terms of the calendar, but also in terms of basically all the modern elements of th ..read more

This episode is the final in our series on quantum mechanics and its presumed relationship to metaphysical ideas, religion, theology, and the paranormal. As in Part 1 and Part 2, our panel welcomes Dr. Rob (“Putty”) Putman, who holds a PhD in theoretical quantum physics, but who is presently pastoring a church in Illinois. In this third and final episode, we focus on the phenomenon of quantum entanglement and ask questions about quantum computing and what metaphysical statements are reasonable to make on the basis of entanglement. Is everything in the universe connected? Is the statement “all ..read more

This episode continues our series on quantum mechanics and its presumed relationship to metaphysical ideas, religion, theology, and the paranormal. As in Part 1, our panel welcomes Dr. Rob (“Putty”) Putman, who holds a PhD in theoretical quantum physics, but who is presently pastoring a church in Illinois. In this second episode, we focus on how (or whether) quantum mechanics relates to the subject of (1) other dimensions; (2) whether one of those other dimensions is the spiritual realm talked about in the Bible and other religious texts, and (3) fears about what’s happening at CERN in regard ..read more

This episode launches a series on quantum mechanics and its presumed relationship to metaphysical ideas, religion, theology, and the paranormal. During the series we’ll be joined by Dr. Rob (“Putty”) Putman, who holds a PhD in theoretical quantum physics, but now pastors a church in Illinois. In this first episode, we survey the history of quantum mechanics and talk about how some of the important ideas are used to make metaphysical statements about all of reality—statements that are inherently theological and religious. Are such statements accurate? What can we really say about the nature of ..read more

Discovered in 1929, the Piri Reis map, dated to 1513, was virtually unknown except by those who may have seen it displayed in its current home, the Topkapi Palace Museum in Instanbul. That all changed when Erich von Däniken made it part of his ancient astronaut theory in the 1960s. Other ancient aliens theorists have followed suit, as well as alternative historians such as Graham Hancock who, following the work of Charles Hapgood (Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings, 1966), theorized the map provided evidence of a long-lost advanced civilization.  In this episode of PEERANORMAL our hosts discus ..read more