Lesson plan ideas for Thinking About The "Mysterious"

by Brant Abrahamson and Fred Smith. The Teachers' Press, 3731 Madison Avenue, Brookfield. IL 60513 (1997). The cost of the two documents, the background study guide and teacher's manual, is $10.00. They are among the best instructional resources that deal with "the occult" and "the psychics" -- which is precisely why we have included them in the critical thinking section of "Curriculum Resources for the Life Span."

Contact information:
phone: 708/485-5983
e-mail address: teacherspr@aol.com
website: http://www.teachingaboutreligion.com/teachers_press.htm

Target audiences.  These curriculum units have been developed for, and used by, public high school students.  However, they are easily adaptable and very suitable for educational programs for youth in other settings, adult education classes, and self-instructional resources for both youth and adults.  Parents with teenagers will find the units very useful for their families or in small family groups apart from a formal class setting.

A brief overview of the resources

The curriculum resources consist of the following two documents.

1. Thinking About The "Mysterious" (26 pages) is intended for students (youth and adults) and consists of an Overview, chapters on the Occult and the Psychics, and a Bibliography. (The 12 item bibliography includes references to the work of James Randi, a noted Humanist, among others.)

The Overview introduces two lessons that deal with (1) the occult, the belief that there are surrounding spirits which can help or hurt a person depending on the rituals performed and (2) the psychics "who are presumed to have intuitive powers of some unknown sort that can be called upon for help." The authors state that this is a study of the "Wise Man" fallacy, that is, thinking that something is true just because it is stated by a person who claims to be an "authority" on the subject and "whose counsel in followed regardless of personal training."

The Occult section explores the meaning of the term and indicates that it is sometimes considered the earliest kind of religion and that even today many people go through "little magic rituals" as part of daily living (e.g., don't walk under that ladder unless, of course, you are carrying a lucky charm or perhaps knock on wood). Some occult "authorities" are explained, e. g., astrologers, mediums, exorcists, witches, and readers (people who think they know ways to communicate with spirits.) Other topics include "guidelines for using the occult" (which is about various ways of fooling customers.) Astrology also is briefly reviewed with the note that people who believe astrology is scientific are mistaken for a variety of reasons. [I am reminded of the young boy who asked his father what "sign" he was born under. The rationalist father answered "the sign read ‘Maternity Ward, Please talk softly.'"]  The section ends with a list of 21 important terms, 16 factual questions, and 20 thought-provoking questions.  One of the latter is: How might reading a horoscope in the morning lead one to a self-fulfilling prophecy?

The Psychics section defines psychics as those who claim understanding and power from unknown sources in their minds. It includes a number of topics such as extra sensory perception, telepathy and clairvoyance, mental travel through time (reliving the past), foretelling the future (precognition), and psychokinesis (unexplained control that some claim to have over their own bodies or other objects.  This section concludes with Final Thoughts and this statement: "Belief in one or more kinds of psychic power is very wide-spread in the United States as it is throughout the world.... If they (psychics) are religious people, they often say that their ‘powers' are a Divine gift."  And also "... most established researchers question the utility of the whole endeavor."  This section ends with 14 terms to know, 14 factual recall questions, and 12 thought-provoking questions. The last one will surely catch the attention of youth: "What psychic-oriented TV programs do you or your friends watch? Do they seem to influence your lives very much? Are they more than fun and games? This resource makes a person THINK... actually that is the intent!  It also can be a "fun book" to read on not so funny issues.

2. Teacher's Manual (34 pages plus an extensive Addenda) consists of the Introduction; Trivializing and Trickery; One Page Readings; Surveys, Projects and Evaluation; Sources; and the Addenda.

The Introduction notes that world religions emerged from magical beliefs and continue to include elements of the supernatural. "Difficulties arise only when skilled people in any field claim supernatural aid for their feats." The intent is to encourage students to look for natural explanations for what is considered "mysterious."  The authors also stress that learning to overcome superstitions (being free from the hold of "surrounding spirits") is a profoundly liberating experience.  A brief unit outline also is presented for teachers who are urged to "make students junior partners in their learning."  In other words, as in all good teaching, actively involve the students in the thinking process.

The Trivializing Trickery section presents a variety of classroom demonstrations and activities that encourage students to look for natural explanations for the occult and psychic "events".  Students are provided with opportunities to see behind the "tricks". The authors state that the goal is to trivialize (through laughter in many cases) seemingly "mysterious" phenomena and that there is danger in equating mystery with supernaturalism.  Other activities are provided in this section include overhead projector demonstrations and three discussion questions.

The next section is devoted to One Page Readings on such topics as the occult and "alternative medicine", occult "magic" and religious miracles, and the "devil worship" myth.  At the end of each page, either more questions, suggestions for student research, or additional notes are provided.

The section on Surveys, Projects and Evaluation is not only applicable for public school students but can be adapted for users of this resource. There is a survey called "What do you believe?", quizzes on occultism and psychic phenomena, instructions for oral reports and a writing project, and multiple-choice tests.

Additional sources are provided as is the Addenda including classroom exercises and very interesting additional readings and analysis materials based on the authors extensive teaching experiences. For example, the section includes an excellent analysis of the so-called Bible Code "predictions" which is supposedly based on "equidistance letter sequences" (ELS) in the Holy Book. As the authors note, "... the ELS method is something like a ‘psychic' making hundreds of predictions and then noting or remembering only the ‘hits'".  [Is the so-called scientific analysis of the Holy Book perhaps full of holes?]

Note. Although the following book is not included in the bibliography since it is a much newer publication (2006), Imagine No Superstition is must reading. The lengthy subtitle is "The Power to Enjoy Life With No Guilt, No Shame, No Blame." The author, Stephen Frederick Uhl, a former Roman Catholic priest, is now a secular psychologist.  Although Uhl does not describe the concept of the occult and psychic phenomena as does Thinking About The "Mysterious", he does a masterful job in describing his liberation from religious superstition and the realization of a positive and affirming lifestance.  Imagine No Superstition is published by Golden Rule Publishing, Tucson, Arizona.

Objectives and suggested procedures. The primary objective of this curriculum resource is to have the students - whatever their ages - think critically and rationally about "mysterious" occurrences that seemingly take place around us.

The teaching procedures are straight-forward. Use the student guide as you would any text material. The main decision is to determine the amount of time to be spent in instruction - whether it is for an entire class, one or two students, or yourself.

Feedback.   Please let us know how this went... and please suggest any additional ideas for teaching the concepts in these resources.  I would be most grateful if you would send them to me at - rbhaerman@americanhumanist.org.    Many thanks in advance.    

Bob Bhaerman, Coordinator, Kochhar Humanist Education Center,

American Humanist Association