Subject: The Bible Code (again)
Date: 15 Jan 1999 04:47:12 GMT
From:  (Ken Smith)
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

Now that there are available programs which will let you scan any
available text, following the same procedure as in the notorious book
"The Bible Code", people are finding all sorts of "predictions" in
unusual places.

The latest issue of the "Skeptical Inquirer" from CSICOP in USA
(November/December 1998) contains an interesting news item on pages 16
and 17.

People have. no doubt, seen on TV recently news that the Chicago Bulls,
aided by their start player Michael Jordan, won the National
Basketball Association playoff in USA.  But did you know that this had
been predicted long ago by Leo Tolstoy?

The author of the news item had applied the technique used in "The
Bible Code to an English translation of "War and Peace", by Leo
Tolstoy.  "Chicago" was found to be encoded only once.  "Bulls" was
encoded 32 times in just Book 1 of "War and Peace" - he didn't mention
the rest.  "Jordan" is encoded 14 times.

The author concludes "Either the 'Bible Code' nonsense is just a
general, arcane mathematical technique which can be employed to find
any desired messages or predictions, hidden in any book or text, or
Leo Tolstoy is the Supreme Being who created the universe."

Ken Smith
--
Dr Ken Smith <> | "God, we know you are in charge, but why
Department of Mathematics,         |  don't you make it slightly more obvious?"
The University of Queensland,      |        Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1990
St Lucia, Qld. 4072.  Australia.   |   (address to students at at West Point)