Moscow - Alan Chumak gets a charge out of television
St. Irinaeus of Lyon Center for Religious Research, December 28, 2003
On Monday, December 22, Professor Alexander Leonidovich Dvorkin was invited to take part in the filming of the "Short Circuit" television talk show, which is to be broadcast on RTR January 15, 2004 at 11:50 a.m. The professor's opponent in the studio was Alan Chumak, who was quite well-known in the early 1990s when he had nearly half the population of the country in front of their television sets.
People would place containers of cream and water in front of the television screens waiting for them to be "charged" with his healing "energy". Sometimes Mr. Chumak "charged" entire newspapers with his energy and assure everyone who bought a newspaper with his photo would be healed of any disease.
At the beginning of the program Mr. Chumak proclaimed that his "energy" was registered by scientific machines and thus it is a proven phenomenon, even copyrighted by him. In the course of the discussion in the studio, however, professor Dvorkin managed to cogently demonstrate the complete groundlessness of Mr. Chumak's charlatanical claims, in a manner so as to serve as an effective counter-advertisement for further incidences of his "extrasense".
It was obvious that Chumak realized this himself, because when the cameras were cut off and the participants stood to leave the studio, he fell upon Professor Dvorkin with clenched fists and tried to strike him in the face. The professor avoided the blow, stood off at a safe distance and asked the furious "healer" why he did not try using "extrasensory methods" for an effective strike. Did he not claim just minutes before that he could do everything he wanted with his phenomenal energy, including influencing the bodily functions of every living creature?
"Those methods don't work on scum like you! You need to be physically eliminated!" came the answer. This was clear evidence that Chumak himself does not at all believe in his methods or in the effectiveness of his "energy", with which he "charges" various liquids, but instead considers his actions no more than a profitable business, founded on making fools of unsuspecting people.
December 28, 2003
ST IRENAEUS OF LYON CENTER URGENT PRESS RELEASE
NEOPENTECOSTAL LEADER THREATENS PROFESSOR DVORKIN WITH DEATH
After a critical Russian TV show, Russian Neopentecostal Union leader Sergey Ryakhovsky announced that Professor Dvorkin needs to be placed before the Lord.
April 3 - NTV channel (one of three leading all-Russian channels) showed a program 'Confrontation,' dedicated to the Neopentecostal movement in Russia. The program discussed methods of mental manipulation used in Neopentecostal services, narrated stories of cult victims, and gave responses from experts. The viewers could see video segments of Neopentecostal services, shocking to everyone. The program also told in detail a story of the grisly murder of a 6-year-old girl, who was killed with religious motivation by her grandmother and mother (they were convinced that by killing her body they would save her soul) - both assistants of a pastor in a Moscow Neopentecostal cult.
On April 18 there appeared on the Internet forum of NTV a message, quoting a public speech of Sergey Ryakhovsky - the chairman of the Neopentecostal All Russian Incorporated Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith. It contained unequivocal threats to Professor Alexander Dvorkin - one of the experts who spoke on the program.
Among other things Ryakhovsky said: "I think, our response [to this program] will be more than adequate. Mr Dvorkin undoubtedly plays an important role in the incitement of religious hatred. We understand that Dvorkin is a mere human and that he undoubtedly needs to be placed before the Lord". "From the context of the situation, the words of the Neopentecostal leader can be clearly understood as a direct threat to my life", commented Professor Dvorkin. "The probability is quite high that one of the numerous followers of Mr Ryakhovsky will accept his words as a direct order and will try physically to send me to God".