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josh987654321
Guest
Thank you JohnJones 
- Status
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Sgroh
Guest
I have been in direct e-mail contact with both Tim Francis and Ron Tesoriero for the past several weeks regarding the credentials of the good doctor. How the saga unfolded is listed below:
Well over two weeks ago, in an email of 12/31/2014, I made a very simple request to both of these men in reference to Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez: âI would like to know the name of the university where he earned this degree and the year it was earned.â
After getting no response for three days, I sent the following sentence: âWould I be correct in presuming that you are struggling to produce name of the university and the date in which the good doctor received his PhD?â
Ron responded and asked me to be patient, adding that âthe last thing that Iâm worried about is Dr Ricardoâs credentials.â That was quite clear to me by this point, but it was (and is) the principle thing that I am concerned aboutâŠgiven that his authenticity as an academic is critical to the claims that an âexpertâ witness tested these miraculous events. If he is a fraud, it reveals that others involved in this enterprise did not do their most basic research, or worse, were intentionally deceptive.
On January 3, Ron responded with five pages of information about Katya Rivas and what occurred during filming, yet nowhere in this âdetailed responseâ did he answer my simple question for verification of the doctorâs credentials. According to Tim Francis, Ron has known this man for decadesâŠand yet it was becoming clear that he had no idea when and where this man earned his PhD in clinical psychology; a fact made all the more extraordinary given his claim in an e-mail from January 6 that he lists where he got his qualifications in his many books.
Instead of answering my question, on the 7th of January I was given Dr. Castanonâs e-mail to ask the question myself. I did so on that very day. In that short message I included the following lines: âI was hoping you could tell the the name of the University where you earned your PhD and the year it was obtained. It would also be helpful if you could direct me to any articles or writings published in scientific journals.â
Two days later, on January 9, I get an response from a many named Amparo claiming the doctor is recovering from surgery. He assured me, however, that I would hear from him soon and that he would answer my questions. In fact, Amparo said the doctor had ânever met someone from Ohioâ and that would be âhappy to interchange friendly correspondenceâ with me.
Having still gotten no response by January 14, I wrote again. This time I wrote in Spanish since English was clearly not Amparoâs native tongue. On the evening of the 16th, I get the following e-mail:
âMr. Groh the answers are ready, Mr. Tesoriero will resend to you.
After this email, please, be kind and gentle as doctor Castañón was answering your statements and do not write him anymore. He is a retired professor and wants to live in his own country and house in peace.â
Gee, what happened to the âhappy interchange of friendly correspondence?â Did a few simple and friendly inquiries into his qualifications threatened his ability to live in his own country and house in peace? Is this they way you would expect a real doctor to respond to a simple request for verification of his credentials?
I mentioned in one of my earlier e-mails all of the credentials the doctor listed on his Facebook page and how I was unable to verify a single one of them. WellâŠsurprise, surpriseâŠdays later his Facebook page was taken down. (I still have everything he wrote in the original Spanish). He now claims it was set up by an imposter.
Ron ended one of his e-mails with the line âIf you do not accept what he says of himself that is your problem ,not mine.â I assured him that this may be trueâŠbut that I would be sharing this glaring credibility problem with as many people as possible. Today I received a 14 page meandering response from Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez. Although it was filled with indignation, he still failed to name the university and/or date that he earned his PhD. He also failed to list one peer reviewed article he has published in all his years (another thing I had requested). Nothing in the long tirade was even remotely like what you might expect from a distinguished scholar. I would be happy to share proof of this with anyone who is interested.
Well over two weeks ago, in an email of 12/31/2014, I made a very simple request to both of these men in reference to Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez: âI would like to know the name of the university where he earned this degree and the year it was earned.â
After getting no response for three days, I sent the following sentence: âWould I be correct in presuming that you are struggling to produce name of the university and the date in which the good doctor received his PhD?â
Ron responded and asked me to be patient, adding that âthe last thing that Iâm worried about is Dr Ricardoâs credentials.â That was quite clear to me by this point, but it was (and is) the principle thing that I am concerned aboutâŠgiven that his authenticity as an academic is critical to the claims that an âexpertâ witness tested these miraculous events. If he is a fraud, it reveals that others involved in this enterprise did not do their most basic research, or worse, were intentionally deceptive.
On January 3, Ron responded with five pages of information about Katya Rivas and what occurred during filming, yet nowhere in this âdetailed responseâ did he answer my simple question for verification of the doctorâs credentials. According to Tim Francis, Ron has known this man for decadesâŠand yet it was becoming clear that he had no idea when and where this man earned his PhD in clinical psychology; a fact made all the more extraordinary given his claim in an e-mail from January 6 that he lists where he got his qualifications in his many books.
Instead of answering my question, on the 7th of January I was given Dr. Castanonâs e-mail to ask the question myself. I did so on that very day. In that short message I included the following lines: âI was hoping you could tell the the name of the University where you earned your PhD and the year it was obtained. It would also be helpful if you could direct me to any articles or writings published in scientific journals.â
Two days later, on January 9, I get an response from a many named Amparo claiming the doctor is recovering from surgery. He assured me, however, that I would hear from him soon and that he would answer my questions. In fact, Amparo said the doctor had ânever met someone from Ohioâ and that would be âhappy to interchange friendly correspondenceâ with me.
Having still gotten no response by January 14, I wrote again. This time I wrote in Spanish since English was clearly not Amparoâs native tongue. On the evening of the 16th, I get the following e-mail:
âMr. Groh the answers are ready, Mr. Tesoriero will resend to you.
After this email, please, be kind and gentle as doctor Castañón was answering your statements and do not write him anymore. He is a retired professor and wants to live in his own country and house in peace.â
Gee, what happened to the âhappy interchange of friendly correspondence?â Did a few simple and friendly inquiries into his qualifications threatened his ability to live in his own country and house in peace? Is this they way you would expect a real doctor to respond to a simple request for verification of his credentials?
I mentioned in one of my earlier e-mails all of the credentials the doctor listed on his Facebook page and how I was unable to verify a single one of them. WellâŠsurprise, surpriseâŠdays later his Facebook page was taken down. (I still have everything he wrote in the original Spanish). He now claims it was set up by an imposter.
Ron ended one of his e-mails with the line âIf you do not accept what he says of himself that is your problem ,not mine.â I assured him that this may be trueâŠbut that I would be sharing this glaring credibility problem with as many people as possible. Today I received a 14 page meandering response from Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez. Although it was filled with indignation, he still failed to name the university and/or date that he earned his PhD. He also failed to list one peer reviewed article he has published in all his years (another thing I had requested). Nothing in the long tirade was even remotely like what you might expect from a distinguished scholar. I would be happy to share proof of this with anyone who is interested.
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TheHolyTrinity
Guest
After reading your earlier post, I did a search too and could find nothing related to Dr R. GĂłmez as author of research papers related to his chosen field. However thought perhaps most of his work was done in the 1970 and 1980âs in which articles would not appear online.
I did find that he attended the University of San Andres in La Paz, in Bolivia.
I did find an excerpt in the Revista NeuropsicologĂa, NeuropsiquiatrĂa y Neurociencias, Octubre 2009, Vol.9, NÂș2, pp. 29-33 29 ISSN: 0124-1265
Link: View attachment 21316
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Sgroh
Guest
I am not saying that Dr. Ricardo Castañón Gómez is definitely a fraud. I am just saying that there is little to no verifiable evidence to show that he is not.
A link stating that âhe attended the University of San Andres in La Paz, in Boliviaâ is a far cry from establishing that he earned his PhD there.
My point is that when someone is a lauded academic, determining where and when they earned their degree should not be an overwhelming task. The fact that I have been unable to get a direct answer on this from both Ron Tesoriero and Dr.Castañón himself should raise more than a few eyebrows.
Here is another question. He claims to have written over a dozen books. You can find some of them listed on Amazon. Can you find out ANYTHING about the publishers? These all appear to be self-published books and not backed up by a reputable publishing house that has an actual address and on-line presence. Can anyone show me that I am wrong about this?
A link stating that âhe attended the University of San Andres in La Paz, in Boliviaâ is a far cry from establishing that he earned his PhD there.
My point is that when someone is a lauded academic, determining where and when they earned their degree should not be an overwhelming task. The fact that I have been unable to get a direct answer on this from both Ron Tesoriero and Dr.Castañón himself should raise more than a few eyebrows.
Here is another question. He claims to have written over a dozen books. You can find some of them listed on Amazon. Can you find out ANYTHING about the publishers? These all appear to be self-published books and not backed up by a reputable publishing house that has an actual address and on-line presence. Can anyone show me that I am wrong about this?
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JohnJones
Guest
I believe many people would agree with you, Sgroh, in that at the very least this is a curiosity. Self publishing and no straight answer on the PhD.
I was going to suggest to buy one of the books by Dr. Ricardo Castañón Gómez and see if the back cover has any information. However after reviewing some back covers on books by academics I see current positions the author holds and nothing on where they got their PhD.
I wouldnât expect Ron Tesoriero to know the university where he got his PhD since I bet this was years before they met. Also note these people must get a high volume of emails so I bet you are not corresponding with him but he likely pays somebody to do so. I also bet he gets many negative emails from angry people, especially people who have issues with Catholicism or Christianity. I imagine Dr. GĂłmezâs assistant (Iâm guessing at this) might have got offended mistakenly thinking Sgroh is an angry skeptic. I appreciate Sgrohâs frustration and do like Sgrohâs tenacity.
I find Catalina Rivasâ plagiarism quoted in Dr. GĂłmezâs book a far more curious topic. I investigated what I could:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12676705#post12676705
As a comparison I looked into Frederick-T.-Zugibe (The Crucifixion of Jesus, Completely Revised and Expanded: A Forensic Inquiry) at amazon.com/Frederick-T.-Zugibe/e/B001HD24EY/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1. He is not self published. M. Evans & Company shows: 1,452 results for Books.
Another comparison, very briefly: I looked into some of the studies on the Medjugorje Seers and looked into the Italian criminologist who investigated the possibility the Seers were lying. I found him and was very convinced of his credentials.
How relevant is Dr. GĂłmez in the Eucharistic Miracle in Argentina story? He is accompanied by Ron Tesoriero and does not do the scientific test. He has investigated many cases, for example Katya Rivas, which makes sense since he is a physiologist or a neuropsychophysiologist en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuropsychophysiology
Josh provided valuable information here. Thanks!
I was going to suggest to buy one of the books by Dr. Ricardo Castañón Gómez and see if the back cover has any information. However after reviewing some back covers on books by academics I see current positions the author holds and nothing on where they got their PhD.
I wouldnât expect Ron Tesoriero to know the university where he got his PhD since I bet this was years before they met. Also note these people must get a high volume of emails so I bet you are not corresponding with him but he likely pays somebody to do so. I also bet he gets many negative emails from angry people, especially people who have issues with Catholicism or Christianity. I imagine Dr. GĂłmezâs assistant (Iâm guessing at this) might have got offended mistakenly thinking Sgroh is an angry skeptic. I appreciate Sgrohâs frustration and do like Sgrohâs tenacity.
I find Catalina Rivasâ plagiarism quoted in Dr. GĂłmezâs book a far more curious topic. I investigated what I could:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12676705#post12676705
As a comparison I looked into Frederick-T.-Zugibe (The Crucifixion of Jesus, Completely Revised and Expanded: A Forensic Inquiry) at amazon.com/Frederick-T.-Zugibe/e/B001HD24EY/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1. He is not self published. M. Evans & Company shows: 1,452 results for Books.
Another comparison, very briefly: I looked into some of the studies on the Medjugorje Seers and looked into the Italian criminologist who investigated the possibility the Seers were lying. I found him and was very convinced of his credentials.
How relevant is Dr. GĂłmez in the Eucharistic Miracle in Argentina story? He is accompanied by Ron Tesoriero and does not do the scientific test. He has investigated many cases, for example Katya Rivas, which makes sense since he is a physiologist or a neuropsychophysiologist en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuropsychophysiology
Josh provided valuable information here. Thanks!
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Sgroh
Guest
Thanks for the thoughtful response JohnJones
I think what upsets me is the thought that the good and honest people of the catholic faith may be being duped by people who have money on their minds more than saving souls. Again, I am not saying this is definitely the caseâŠbut so far, I see little to convince me that it is not. I donât know exactly who makes the money and how muchâŠbut I can tell you that it is being made for sure. On the âYou Shall Believeâ website they state the goal is to present their âScience Tests Faithâ lecture at 5,000 parishes over the next three years.
Tickets are often sold to this event and even when they are notâŠthe DVD and books are soldâŠand not cheaply. I would less annoyed if the people involved in this enterprise simply claimed they believed these miracles on faith. However, they go well beyond that claim and insist that science supports their claims. The video of Katya Rivas receiving the stigmata is one of the least scientific events ever filmed. She is allowed to sit in a bed covered with sheets with a ring on her fingerâŠrosary in handâŠher own sister at her side physically touching her. No one even passingly familiar with basic research practices would consider this a scientific test. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidenceâŠand this DVD and lecture do not provide it.
Also, I think it is absurd that Ron Tesoriero would have a man appear as an academic expert in something he produced without knowing where the man earned his advanced degree. He has known the man for decades. AgainâŠyou can find a million religiously affiliated websites that tout the credentials of Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmezâŠbut I ask the good people of this forum to verify any of these claims through a secular or scientific source. The difficulty of this task is made all the more amazing given the boldness of his academic claims. Please let me know what you discover.
I think what upsets me is the thought that the good and honest people of the catholic faith may be being duped by people who have money on their minds more than saving souls. Again, I am not saying this is definitely the caseâŠbut so far, I see little to convince me that it is not. I donât know exactly who makes the money and how muchâŠbut I can tell you that it is being made for sure. On the âYou Shall Believeâ website they state the goal is to present their âScience Tests Faithâ lecture at 5,000 parishes over the next three years.
Tickets are often sold to this event and even when they are notâŠthe DVD and books are soldâŠand not cheaply. I would less annoyed if the people involved in this enterprise simply claimed they believed these miracles on faith. However, they go well beyond that claim and insist that science supports their claims. The video of Katya Rivas receiving the stigmata is one of the least scientific events ever filmed. She is allowed to sit in a bed covered with sheets with a ring on her fingerâŠrosary in handâŠher own sister at her side physically touching her. No one even passingly familiar with basic research practices would consider this a scientific test. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidenceâŠand this DVD and lecture do not provide it.
Also, I think it is absurd that Ron Tesoriero would have a man appear as an academic expert in something he produced without knowing where the man earned his advanced degree. He has known the man for decades. AgainâŠyou can find a million religiously affiliated websites that tout the credentials of Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmezâŠbut I ask the good people of this forum to verify any of these claims through a secular or scientific source. The difficulty of this task is made all the more amazing given the boldness of his academic claims. Please let me know what you discover.
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JohnJones
Guest
If Ron is using Dr. GĂłmez to create credibility then yes I agree he should know his credentials. Zugibe credentials are clearly shown on the internet.
I must buy a few of these books from www.LoveAndMercy.org and I agree I donât like the idea of anyone profiting from these events. I believe that www.LoveAndMercy.org should be a non-profit organization. At the very least they should explain why they are not. Investigating these events costs much time and money and I appreciate the need for money to do it.
On the upside is that Ms Rivas writings are freely offered. The catholic church would not be happy if they were not. I canât stop reading them: loveandmercy.org/english-books/ It is like a modern day gospel with virtually all of it understandable.
If Ron ever comes to Toronto, Ontario, Canada Iâll be asking him about this and Iâll record it on video and upload the answers to youtube. I encourage others to not stop until these questions are answered:
-What are Dr Gomezâs credentials, specifically his PhD and his articles?
-Why is LoveandMercy.org not non-profit?
-Why didnât you pay a doctor to examine the wounds before, during, and after the stigmatica?
-Why didnât you pay somebody from a forensic lab to take and transport the host sample from the church to Dr Zugibe and Dr Lawrence?
One day the catholic church may approve Rivas, the host miracle, the bleeding crying statue, although Iâm not sure if it will be in our lifetime.
Medjugorje scientific studies are better and Fox Network does not have a special on it.
Thanks to all who contributed to this discussion. I appreciate your objectivity and God appreciateâs our faith.
I must buy a few of these books from www.LoveAndMercy.org and I agree I donât like the idea of anyone profiting from these events. I believe that www.LoveAndMercy.org should be a non-profit organization. At the very least they should explain why they are not. Investigating these events costs much time and money and I appreciate the need for money to do it.
On the upside is that Ms Rivas writings are freely offered. The catholic church would not be happy if they were not. I canât stop reading them: loveandmercy.org/english-books/ It is like a modern day gospel with virtually all of it understandable.
If Ron ever comes to Toronto, Ontario, Canada Iâll be asking him about this and Iâll record it on video and upload the answers to youtube. I encourage others to not stop until these questions are answered:
-What are Dr Gomezâs credentials, specifically his PhD and his articles?
-Why is LoveandMercy.org not non-profit?
-Why didnât you pay a doctor to examine the wounds before, during, and after the stigmatica?
-Why didnât you pay somebody from a forensic lab to take and transport the host sample from the church to Dr Zugibe and Dr Lawrence?
One day the catholic church may approve Rivas, the host miracle, the bleeding crying statue, although Iâm not sure if it will be in our lifetime.
Medjugorje scientific studies are better and Fox Network does not have a special on it.
Thanks to all who contributed to this discussion. I appreciate your objectivity and God appreciateâs our faith.
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josh987654321
Guest
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josh987654321
Guest
I think it could be an overwhelming task for a very old retired doctor though (Especially considering how long ago it was and the technology back then), but regarding this, I have no idea how hard/easy it would be for Ron Tesoriero or Dr.Castañón to obtain the substantial documents you require.
As for me personally, I believe Dr.Castañón is legitimate, as I believe he was legitimate enough for the Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio (Pope Francis) to ask him to conduct the scientific inquiry into the Eucharistic Miracle of Argentina and I donât believe that Mike Willesee would have let something like that âslipâ past him either, especially after the thing went to air in 1999, there have been many people who have published writings trying to discredit the whole thing and I donât believe I have found one that attacked the credibility of Dr.Castañón and if his credibility was poor, than that I believe would be one of the first places people would have gone in order to âdebunkâ the whole thing. And especially with a well known and reputable journalist such as Mike Willesee.
I canât imagine something like this slipped past the ones trying to promote it and the ones trying to demote it. Anyway, these are just some of my thoughts on it.
Thank you for your post Sgroh
God Bless
Thank you for reading
Josh
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josh987654321
Guest
Thank you Sgroh, for me personally, I am interested in whats true, as the old sayinâ goes, âbetter to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lieâ.
There was a good quote I found on these forums once that said âAbsence of evidence is not evidence of absenceâ
Thus, if you find âEvidence of Absenceâ than I would agree with you, but if itâs just âAbsence of Evidenceâ than I believe itâs not enough to jump to your conclusion.
I believe the video, like Mike Willeseeâs documentaryâs etc might be for profit, but I can assure you that the writings themselves are completely not for profit.
The following is a preface to one of her books, and they are all free to download and print in pdf. format on âYoushallbelieveâ and âloveandmercyâ among other sites.
"Preface:
May I ask, have you asked Ron Tesorerio about the raw footage of what was professionally filmed?
Iâm not sure how I would find any of that, but If I discover something, Iâll be sure to let you know, and vice versa, if you discover something more, please come back and let us know.
I would just mention the above, to remember that âabsence of evidence isnât evidence of absenceâ.
Thank you Sgroh
God Bless
Thank you for reading
Josh
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josh987654321
Guest
I believe they know His credentials, I believe itâs a matter of producing sufficient proof of them for Sgroh if I understand correctly.
I completely agree, I believe if they were making money off of her writings, that would be my number 1 box to tick for fraudulent, however, the writings are completely free and loveandmercy publications is a not for profit organisation I believe.
x2
God Bless
Thank you for reading
Josh
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Sgroh
Guest
josh987654321,
Thanks for your reply and your thoughtful comments. Nevertheless, I am surprised at the willingness of so many people to take this âDoctorâ Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez at his word. It is certainly possible that this kindness has allowed him to pull an incredible ruse for a remarkable amount of time.
Again, I tell everyone on this thread that I was personally in contact with Ron AND the doctor through e-mail. I can prove this to anyone who would like me to pass along that correspondence. It is true that the doctor had a man named Amparo answer my first few messages to him, but later I was sent a 14 page response from the doctor. I was told by Amparo that is was from the doctor, Ron said it was from the doctor, and it is signed by the doctor. It is one of the craziest things you could ever read. Despite the extreme agitation and indignation he shows for my questions into his credentialsâŠin all of those pages he never answers the question of when and where he earned that PhD. I feel strongly that to continue to believe this man (and by extension those vouching for him) is not prudent logic at this point.
Sincerely - Steve
Thanks for your reply and your thoughtful comments. Nevertheless, I am surprised at the willingness of so many people to take this âDoctorâ Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez at his word. It is certainly possible that this kindness has allowed him to pull an incredible ruse for a remarkable amount of time.
Again, I tell everyone on this thread that I was personally in contact with Ron AND the doctor through e-mail. I can prove this to anyone who would like me to pass along that correspondence. It is true that the doctor had a man named Amparo answer my first few messages to him, but later I was sent a 14 page response from the doctor. I was told by Amparo that is was from the doctor, Ron said it was from the doctor, and it is signed by the doctor. It is one of the craziest things you could ever read. Despite the extreme agitation and indignation he shows for my questions into his credentialsâŠin all of those pages he never answers the question of when and where he earned that PhD. I feel strongly that to continue to believe this man (and by extension those vouching for him) is not prudent logic at this point.
Sincerely - Steve
J
josh987654321
Guest
And you too
Thank you Steve.
I believe I am not simply taking Dr Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez at his word though, but also the many people who have been involved with him during all of these events, including Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio (Pope Francis), Mike Willesee, Ron Tesoriero and all of the skeptics who have tried to discredit it. Thus I believe your belief that their is deception or fraudulent activity going on doesnât really add up for me at this point (no offense intended). If you find out anything more on this, please feel free to come and let us know.
My next bet, would be to maybe try and contact Mike Willesee?
God Bless
Thank you for reading
Josh
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Sgroh
Guest
Greetings Josh,
No offense taken. I appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut. I do intend to continue looking into this situation and I will be sure to post anything I uncover. Please do the same.
I would like to make a few final observations, however. First, pretending to be a skeptic is one of the oldest tricks in the book when trying to convince others of an extraordinary claim. The idea that Mike Willessee and Ron Tesoriero and Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez were all hard nosed skeptics and/or atheists before filming these miracles is something that people are choosing to believe about them. It certainly helps them sell the storyâŠand the operative word here is âsell.â
The idea that the time and resources these âskepticsâ put into their investigations were some sort of pro bono act of love seems highly dubious to me. Mr. Willessee was in the Business Review Weeklyâs Rich 200 list in 1998 and Ron Tesoriero was his neighbor. I hate to sound cynical, but rich people donât get rich from giving it away. In one of his on-line interviews, Mr. Willessee says âthat he approached the (miraculous) claims with a skeptical mind.â adding âI look for things like: Are they making money?â Mike is a smart manâŠand I am asking the same thing he did -who made money? It is decades later and, as far as I can tell, this guy Tim Francis has a full time job that still revolves around sales of this film and the related books. Are they claiming all of this money goes to charity? They all have had a financial stake in this story and therefore, they have clear motive to deceive. It is impossible for an outsider to prove what happened in that room with Katya Rivas all those years agoâŠso I started with something more simple, the credentials of the doctor. He is constantly referred to as a renowned scientist on the internet, yet he has absolutely nothing to back that claim up - I knowâŠI asked him. You literally canât be a ârenowned scientistâ and have zero internet presence to support that. This glaring problem simply cannot be ignored. Thanks again for your interest and I hope to have more evidence to share in the next month or so. I am a busy high school teacher.
Best Wishes - Steve
No offense taken. I appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut. I do intend to continue looking into this situation and I will be sure to post anything I uncover. Please do the same.
I would like to make a few final observations, however. First, pretending to be a skeptic is one of the oldest tricks in the book when trying to convince others of an extraordinary claim. The idea that Mike Willessee and Ron Tesoriero and Dr. Ricardo Castañón GĂłmez were all hard nosed skeptics and/or atheists before filming these miracles is something that people are choosing to believe about them. It certainly helps them sell the storyâŠand the operative word here is âsell.â
The idea that the time and resources these âskepticsâ put into their investigations were some sort of pro bono act of love seems highly dubious to me. Mr. Willessee was in the Business Review Weeklyâs Rich 200 list in 1998 and Ron Tesoriero was his neighbor. I hate to sound cynical, but rich people donât get rich from giving it away. In one of his on-line interviews, Mr. Willessee says âthat he approached the (miraculous) claims with a skeptical mind.â adding âI look for things like: Are they making money?â Mike is a smart manâŠand I am asking the same thing he did -who made money? It is decades later and, as far as I can tell, this guy Tim Francis has a full time job that still revolves around sales of this film and the related books. Are they claiming all of this money goes to charity? They all have had a financial stake in this story and therefore, they have clear motive to deceive. It is impossible for an outsider to prove what happened in that room with Katya Rivas all those years agoâŠso I started with something more simple, the credentials of the doctor. He is constantly referred to as a renowned scientist on the internet, yet he has absolutely nothing to back that claim up - I knowâŠI asked him. You literally canât be a ârenowned scientistâ and have zero internet presence to support that. This glaring problem simply cannot be ignored. Thanks again for your interest and I hope to have more evidence to share in the next month or so. I am a busy high school teacher.
Best Wishes - Steve
J
JohnJones
Guest
This took hours to go through. I really appreciate it takes little time to ask a question but hours to research.
I just received from Tim Francis, a pdf document. Below is the first page of that document and the only page in English. The reason is that others contain a stamp that validates the origin. The Spanish pages look like approval of some kind. I wrote down from a few pages their origin: Arzobispado De Guadalajara, Diocesis de Santa Maria, and Discipulado De La Misericordia. Some mention the âInternational Group for Peaceâ. If you are fluent in Spanish you may want to look at them. Just ask, Iâll forward it. They donât convert very well via ocr and translation and I donât like to clutter up this message board with peripheral information.
Note Bob from loveandmercy.org replied to me stating it is non-profit. He updated the web site with that information. Tim also replied: âBoth You Shall Believe (www.youshallbelieve.com) and Love and Mercy Publications (www.loveandmercy.org ) are part of the Non-Profit Organization, Our Loving Motherâs Children, Inc., a Georgia, non-profit, Tax Exempt 501(c)(3). The organization has an all volunteer staff and no salaries are paid. Donations are Tax Exempt and help maintain the Web Site, the production of videos, CDâs and books, plus the cost of advertising⊠Clicking here: sciencetestsfaith.com/ and the clicking on each Parish you can see places where I have been and will be going.â
I did ask about âCatalina Rivasâ plagiarism quoted in Dr. Ricardo Castanon GĂłmez bookâ but have yet to hear back on this one. See my post at forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12676705#post12676705
If you go to a conference you can ask Tim or Ron about this. I feel it is a top priority since many people decide Ms Rivas is a fake based on this information.
Now the document sent by Tim Francis:
Ricardo Castation Gomez
He is a university professor and a doctor of clinical psychology. He studied at the University of San Andres in La Paz, Bolivia and at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, Italy. He is a certified specialist in psychosomatic medicine and neuropsychophisiology in Italy and Germany.
He likewise completed specialized studies in psychotherapy in London, pathology in Lyon, France; chemical dependency at Berkley, California and Applied Psychology in Louvain, Belgium.
He is the author of 16 books and more than 400 scientific articles. His books, When Words Hurt and Interior Transformation ânow in its twelfth edition-- have been classified as international best sellers.
To date he has presented more than 2000 conferences in major universities and cultural and research centers in addition to hundreds of churches and cathedrals. He has produced and directed 7 documentaries for television on science and human and spiritual values.
In 1999 FOX television produced a 2 hour documentary following his research, and Australian producers three more, thus confirming the validity and importance of his research.
In August 2008 he was invited by the Australian Episcopal Conference and the Vatican Committee to present conferences on Science & Faith when the youth of the world gathered with Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney, Australia.
For his scientific contributions he has been honored with the âEsculapio de Plataâ by the Civil Defense committee of the United Nations and he is a member of the Golden Legion of the Academia Tiberina of Rome.
Presently he is President and researcher of the âInternational Group for Peaceâ, with offices in 13 nations.
I just received from Tim Francis, a pdf document. Below is the first page of that document and the only page in English. The reason is that others contain a stamp that validates the origin. The Spanish pages look like approval of some kind. I wrote down from a few pages their origin: Arzobispado De Guadalajara, Diocesis de Santa Maria, and Discipulado De La Misericordia. Some mention the âInternational Group for Peaceâ. If you are fluent in Spanish you may want to look at them. Just ask, Iâll forward it. They donât convert very well via ocr and translation and I donât like to clutter up this message board with peripheral information.
Note Bob from loveandmercy.org replied to me stating it is non-profit. He updated the web site with that information. Tim also replied: âBoth You Shall Believe (www.youshallbelieve.com) and Love and Mercy Publications (www.loveandmercy.org ) are part of the Non-Profit Organization, Our Loving Motherâs Children, Inc., a Georgia, non-profit, Tax Exempt 501(c)(3). The organization has an all volunteer staff and no salaries are paid. Donations are Tax Exempt and help maintain the Web Site, the production of videos, CDâs and books, plus the cost of advertising⊠Clicking here: sciencetestsfaith.com/ and the clicking on each Parish you can see places where I have been and will be going.â
I did ask about âCatalina Rivasâ plagiarism quoted in Dr. Ricardo Castanon GĂłmez bookâ but have yet to hear back on this one. See my post at forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12676705#post12676705
If you go to a conference you can ask Tim or Ron about this. I feel it is a top priority since many people decide Ms Rivas is a fake based on this information.
Now the document sent by Tim Francis:
Ricardo Castation Gomez
He is a university professor and a doctor of clinical psychology. He studied at the University of San Andres in La Paz, Bolivia and at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, Italy. He is a certified specialist in psychosomatic medicine and neuropsychophisiology in Italy and Germany.
He likewise completed specialized studies in psychotherapy in London, pathology in Lyon, France; chemical dependency at Berkley, California and Applied Psychology in Louvain, Belgium.
He is the author of 16 books and more than 400 scientific articles. His books, When Words Hurt and Interior Transformation ânow in its twelfth edition-- have been classified as international best sellers.
To date he has presented more than 2000 conferences in major universities and cultural and research centers in addition to hundreds of churches and cathedrals. He has produced and directed 7 documentaries for television on science and human and spiritual values.
In 1999 FOX television produced a 2 hour documentary following his research, and Australian producers three more, thus confirming the validity and importance of his research.
In August 2008 he was invited by the Australian Episcopal Conference and the Vatican Committee to present conferences on Science & Faith when the youth of the world gathered with Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney, Australia.
For his scientific contributions he has been honored with the âEsculapio de Plataâ by the Civil Defense committee of the United Nations and he is a member of the Golden Legion of the Academia Tiberina of Rome.
Presently he is President and researcher of the âInternational Group for Peaceâ, with offices in 13 nations.
S
Sgroh
Guest
JohnJones,
I appreciate that you put some time into investigating this. As you mentioned, research takes some effort.
I read your comment that Love and Mercy Publications and You Shall Believe are non-profits. With many non-profits, it is the organization itself that isnât making a profit, not the employees. You mention that, in the case of these groups, they have an âall volunteer staff and no salaries are paid.â If so, I would be very curious to know how Tim Francis makes his living. Are we suggesting that he drives all over the country and hawks these products out of the goodness of his heart? Keep in mind this is a full grown man with a wife and kids. His schedule seems to imply that this is his full time job. Am I missing something here?
Regarding the Pdf document Tim sent regarding âdcotorâ Ricardo Castation Gomez:
Letâs be clearâŠI can say anything in a blog or a pdf or a website. I can tell you that I am the king of England. The question here is where is the outside verification for these claims?
The doctor claims to be the author of 16 books. I can write a thousand books if I self-publish them. This means nothing. Is there a publishing house that represents him? Certainly not one that I can find.
He claims to have written âmore than 400 scientific articlesââŠdoes that sound like he wrote scholarly articles for peer-reviewed journals? If you think so that would be a âbig big mistakeâ according to the doctor himself. According to him he simply meant that âsome articles had scientific content.â So, based on this way of approaching it, we could all write some scientific articles at our desks tonight. Itâs meaningless. I pulled these quotes directly from the 14 page paper he sent me.
âHe is a university professor and a doctor of clinical psychologyââŠare you sure? When I asked Tim Francis and Ron Tesoriero to tell me when and where he earned this degree, they were completely unable to do so. When they finally put me in contact with the doctor himself (weeks later) he treated me to a 14 page screedâŠbut also failed to answer this basic question. Instead, he implied that I was racist for asking. Suggesting that I must view all South Americans as âlazy and corrupt.â It is hard for me to fully convey how utterly bizarre this 14 page letter truly was. Can someone tell me how to post a Pdf?
The man is allegedly the President of the âInternational Group for Peaceâ, with offices in 13 nations. WowâŠoffices in 13 nations and not a single reference on-line reference to their President! This manâs humility is astounding. Is there a phone number I can call to learn more about their President? Let me know. Also, even if this were trueâŠrunning this group has absolutely zero to do with his alleged scientific credentials.
Again, I challenge anyone on this thread to produce one shred of credible evidence that this man is a scholar and academic. Keep in mind that this is a ârenowned scientist.â Is there not one University we can callâŠone peer-reviewed journal with his work? Does it not seem glaringly obvious that there are some major warning signals here?
I appreciate that you put some time into investigating this. As you mentioned, research takes some effort.
I read your comment that Love and Mercy Publications and You Shall Believe are non-profits. With many non-profits, it is the organization itself that isnât making a profit, not the employees. You mention that, in the case of these groups, they have an âall volunteer staff and no salaries are paid.â If so, I would be very curious to know how Tim Francis makes his living. Are we suggesting that he drives all over the country and hawks these products out of the goodness of his heart? Keep in mind this is a full grown man with a wife and kids. His schedule seems to imply that this is his full time job. Am I missing something here?
Regarding the Pdf document Tim sent regarding âdcotorâ Ricardo Castation Gomez:
Letâs be clearâŠI can say anything in a blog or a pdf or a website. I can tell you that I am the king of England. The question here is where is the outside verification for these claims?
The doctor claims to be the author of 16 books. I can write a thousand books if I self-publish them. This means nothing. Is there a publishing house that represents him? Certainly not one that I can find.
He claims to have written âmore than 400 scientific articlesââŠdoes that sound like he wrote scholarly articles for peer-reviewed journals? If you think so that would be a âbig big mistakeâ according to the doctor himself. According to him he simply meant that âsome articles had scientific content.â So, based on this way of approaching it, we could all write some scientific articles at our desks tonight. Itâs meaningless. I pulled these quotes directly from the 14 page paper he sent me.
âHe is a university professor and a doctor of clinical psychologyââŠare you sure? When I asked Tim Francis and Ron Tesoriero to tell me when and where he earned this degree, they were completely unable to do so. When they finally put me in contact with the doctor himself (weeks later) he treated me to a 14 page screedâŠbut also failed to answer this basic question. Instead, he implied that I was racist for asking. Suggesting that I must view all South Americans as âlazy and corrupt.â It is hard for me to fully convey how utterly bizarre this 14 page letter truly was. Can someone tell me how to post a Pdf?
The man is allegedly the President of the âInternational Group for Peaceâ, with offices in 13 nations. WowâŠoffices in 13 nations and not a single reference on-line reference to their President! This manâs humility is astounding. Is there a phone number I can call to learn more about their President? Let me know. Also, even if this were trueâŠrunning this group has absolutely zero to do with his alleged scientific credentials.
Again, I challenge anyone on this thread to produce one shred of credible evidence that this man is a scholar and academic. Keep in mind that this is a ârenowned scientist.â Is there not one University we can callâŠone peer-reviewed journal with his work? Does it not seem glaringly obvious that there are some major warning signals here?
J
JohnJones
Guest
I agree this document lacks clarity. Specifically regarding âHe studied at the University of San Andres in La Paz, Bolivia and at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, Italyâ. There is no date and it is not stated where he earned his Ph.D.
I have made Tim aware of this discussion and he emailed me that he would respond.
When Tim provides this information, I will verify it. Some universities provide this service for free and others a nominal fee. I would pay $10 to verify without hesitation.
Until then, I will read about the Shroud. Few would argue Frederick Zugibe does not have his Ph.D.
I have made Tim aware of this discussion and he emailed me that he would respond.
When Tim provides this information, I will verify it. Some universities provide this service for free and others a nominal fee. I would pay $10 to verify without hesitation.
Until then, I will read about the Shroud. Few would argue Frederick Zugibe does not have his Ph.D.
T
Tim_Francis
Guest
I received a copy of an e-mail Ron Tesoriero has sent to Steve Groh. It is important that this be read in the light of the wrongful and distorted picture Steve Groh is attempting to paint to taint the reputations of Mr. Tesoriero and Mr. Willesee.
Click on the link below to read and print the e-mail:
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/54984651/Ron%20Tes/Ron%20e-mail%20to%20Steve.docx
Tim Francis
**If you have trouble pulling it up from the link above here is the full e-mail:
Dear Steve
In an email to me on January 5, 2015 you had raised questions about Dr Castanonâs credentials.
On January 6 , I responded to you by saying that over the past 20 years or so he had written numerous books and on each he had written of his qualifications ,where he gained them and the work that he had done in his specialist field. I also said that I had no reason to doubt him.
Nevertheless, not knowing the answers to the questions you had asked , I obtained and forwarded to you by email on January 8 , Mr Castanonâs email address so that you could put to him directly your questions.
Only on January 21, did I received a copy of Mr. Castanonâs response to you. Mr Willesee and I are just as disappointed as you are to notice that Mr Castanon has not answered your questions about his PhD. This is of concern to us.
Mr Willesee and I want to make the matter of our association with Mr.Castanon clear to you.
While Mr. Castanon did introduce us to some subject matters for our investigation, we have not had involvement with him in our investigations in recent years and we have worked independently of him . In no case that we have examined are we reliant on his claimed professionalism as a neuropsychologist to establish a caseâs genuineness.
I have already gone to some length in my email to you of January 4 to show that the case for the authenticity of the Stigmata of Katya Rivas is clearly made out without Mr.Castanon . In my book Reason to Believe in the Chapter on the Stigmata of Katya Rivas there is not even any mention of Mr Castanon.
In relation to the cases of the Bleeding Statue of Cochabamba and the Eucharistic phenomenon of Buenos Aires , Mike Willesee and I have been investigating those cases for many years independently of any involvement of Mr Castanon. The full extent of that work , the names of professionals that have been involved and their reports are comprehensively contained in the book I have recently published âUNSEENâ ( Tesoriero and Han). unseen.net.au/
Some of those professionals upon which the authenticity of our work depends and from some of whom we have filmed interviews include , New York Forensic Pathologist and Cardiologist Dr Frederick Zugibe , San Francisco Forensic Pathologist Dr Robert Lawrence ,Dr Thomas Loy, (University of Queensland Australia}, Histopathologist Dr Richard Haskell , (Sydney Australia), Dr John Walker (Sydney University), Forensic pathologist Dr Peter Ellis (Sydney University) , Forensic Pathologist Professor Angelo Fiori ( Department Legal Medicine, Gemelli Hospital Rome ), and Professor Sudhir Sinha ( Gentest, USA), Dr Susanne Hummel .(University of Gottingen .Germany), Professor Odoardo Linoli ( Sienna Italy).
These cases do not rely on Mr. Castanon in any way for our establishment of authenticity.
The work of investigation of Mike Willesee and myself in these matters is continuing along the path outlined in the book UNSEEN. We are confident that the outcome will prove to be of immense interest to both Science and Faith.
I must stress that it would be wrongful , malicious ,defamatory, and hence actionable ,if you were to write, say or publish in any way or insinuate anything which is inconsistent with what I have stated in this email and which seeks to harm the standing and reputation of Mike Willesee or myself .
Ron Tesoriero
Click on the link below to read and print the e-mail:
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/54984651/Ron%20Tes/Ron%20e-mail%20to%20Steve.docx
Tim Francis
**If you have trouble pulling it up from the link above here is the full e-mail:
Dear Steve
In an email to me on January 5, 2015 you had raised questions about Dr Castanonâs credentials.
On January 6 , I responded to you by saying that over the past 20 years or so he had written numerous books and on each he had written of his qualifications ,where he gained them and the work that he had done in his specialist field. I also said that I had no reason to doubt him.
Nevertheless, not knowing the answers to the questions you had asked , I obtained and forwarded to you by email on January 8 , Mr Castanonâs email address so that you could put to him directly your questions.
Only on January 21, did I received a copy of Mr. Castanonâs response to you. Mr Willesee and I are just as disappointed as you are to notice that Mr Castanon has not answered your questions about his PhD. This is of concern to us.
Mr Willesee and I want to make the matter of our association with Mr.Castanon clear to you.
While Mr. Castanon did introduce us to some subject matters for our investigation, we have not had involvement with him in our investigations in recent years and we have worked independently of him . In no case that we have examined are we reliant on his claimed professionalism as a neuropsychologist to establish a caseâs genuineness.
I have already gone to some length in my email to you of January 4 to show that the case for the authenticity of the Stigmata of Katya Rivas is clearly made out without Mr.Castanon . In my book Reason to Believe in the Chapter on the Stigmata of Katya Rivas there is not even any mention of Mr Castanon.
In relation to the cases of the Bleeding Statue of Cochabamba and the Eucharistic phenomenon of Buenos Aires , Mike Willesee and I have been investigating those cases for many years independently of any involvement of Mr Castanon. The full extent of that work , the names of professionals that have been involved and their reports are comprehensively contained in the book I have recently published âUNSEENâ ( Tesoriero and Han). unseen.net.au/
Some of those professionals upon which the authenticity of our work depends and from some of whom we have filmed interviews include , New York Forensic Pathologist and Cardiologist Dr Frederick Zugibe , San Francisco Forensic Pathologist Dr Robert Lawrence ,Dr Thomas Loy, (University of Queensland Australia}, Histopathologist Dr Richard Haskell , (Sydney Australia), Dr John Walker (Sydney University), Forensic pathologist Dr Peter Ellis (Sydney University) , Forensic Pathologist Professor Angelo Fiori ( Department Legal Medicine, Gemelli Hospital Rome ), and Professor Sudhir Sinha ( Gentest, USA), Dr Susanne Hummel .(University of Gottingen .Germany), Professor Odoardo Linoli ( Sienna Italy).
These cases do not rely on Mr. Castanon in any way for our establishment of authenticity.
The work of investigation of Mike Willesee and myself in these matters is continuing along the path outlined in the book UNSEEN. We are confident that the outcome will prove to be of immense interest to both Science and Faith.
I must stress that it would be wrongful , malicious ,defamatory, and hence actionable ,if you were to write, say or publish in any way or insinuate anything which is inconsistent with what I have stated in this email and which seeks to harm the standing and reputation of Mike Willesee or myself .
Ron Tesoriero
S
Sgroh
Guest
Greetings Tim & RonâŠand other members of this forum,
First, I ask the other members to decide for themselves if I have presented a âdistortedâ picture of the people involved in the âScience Tests Faithâ lectures.
These men have made extraordinary claims. They claim to have not only filmed and recorded various miracles, but also to have scientific evidence of the reality of these miracles. One of the important experts attesting to the veracity of these claims is Dr. Ricardo Castañon Gomez. You canât have science test the claims without a scientistâŠand this is their man. Sure, there are other tests that were done by other people but Dr. Ricardo Castañon Gomez is the ONLY one with a bio listed on the YouShallBelieve website. You may check this for yourself at the link below. Why is his biography the only one listed? Because he plays a central role in some of these investigations and his alleged credentials are impressive and add academic weight to the miraculous claim.
youshallbelieve.com/about-us/bios/
Both Ron and Tim have vouched for this doctorâs authenticity in e-mails to me. Ron himself repeated in his recent post that he âhas no reason to doubt him.â What I am trying to make clear to everyone on this forum is that, aside from the doctorâs word and his own promotional statements, these men clearly had no substantial reason for believing him either.
Mr. Willessee and Mr.Tesoriero now admit that this âdoctorâsâ inability or unwillingness to state when and where he earned his PhD is âof concernâ to them. Yes, I would think so. When one of the principle investigators of these claims, featured in both films and books, is unable to substantiate ANY of his academic credentials I would say that is cause for MAJOR concern.
I have at no point called Mr. Willessee, Mr. Francis, or Mr. Tesoriero a fraud. It is possible that they were all unaware of this glaring problem. However, as Tim Francis agreed with me in an hour long phone call at 6:55 pm on January 7âŠIF this doctor IS a fraud, then it reveals a certain level of gullibility among all involved.
Tim Francis sells tickets to lectures and products that feature the claims of this alleged doctor. It is my understanding that some of these DVDs and books that feature the doctor were created by Ron Tesoriero and/or Mike Willessee. This is made clear on the YouShallBelieve website. I donât know exactly who makes the money and how muchâŠbut it is quite clear that money is being made. Dr. Castañon is one of the selling points of these products. His academic credentials are being used to persuade people into the truth of these claimsâŠand consequentlyâŠthe purchase of these items. Prior to my investigation, these men could do this with a clear conscience. However, if they continue to conduct these lectures and sell these products without telling parishioners about this doctorâs credibility problemâŠI would consider that fraudulent misrepresentation.
It should also be mentioned that IF this doctor is a fraud, we are not talking about little white liesâŠwe are talking about bold lies deliberately meant to deceive. I would pray that this is not trueâŠbut, again, the unwillingness of the doctor to even state where he earned his PhD does not bode well. It also seemed clear in his 14 page response that he has not published any research to a peer-reviewed journal (something I think is strongly implied in his comments about having â400 scientificâ articles to his credit). Wouldnât a ârenownedâ scientist with a PhD be able to find a reputable publishing house to sell his books? It appears that this manâs books are self-publishedâŠsomething ANYONE can do.
I think the morally appropriate thing to do at this point would be either to admit to parishioners (and anyone else) prior to buying tickets or selling products that this doctor MAY be a complete fraud and that NONE of his credentials can be verifiedâŠor suspend the selling of these items until he has been exonerated (donât hold your breath).
I ask the good people of this forum, would you want your grandmother shelling out her money for this lecture or the related products without being made aware of this credibility problem? I certainly would not. In fact, I would be alarmed that these men have tied their reputations to this doctor with so little investigation into his credentials. It would make me highly skeptical of any other claims they made. Ron has known this man for decades.
Ron, I hope you will recognize that nothing I have said or claimed is in any way inconsistent with what transpired in our e-mails and my efforts from the beginning have only been to protect the interests (particularly financial) of parishioners. You have a moral obligation to disclose what has transpired in this investigation into this doctor if you intend to continue selling (or have others selling) items where this manâs credentials are used to support your extraordinary claims.
Again, I am willing to share the 14 page rebuttal document written by the doctor with anyone on this forum. It is utterly unlike anything you would expect from a learned academic and will make crystal clear why I have major concerns about the truth of any of his statements. In my opinion, it will also make you wonder how someone else would consider this person to be a man of clear and sound reasoning.
Steve Groh
First, I ask the other members to decide for themselves if I have presented a âdistortedâ picture of the people involved in the âScience Tests Faithâ lectures.
These men have made extraordinary claims. They claim to have not only filmed and recorded various miracles, but also to have scientific evidence of the reality of these miracles. One of the important experts attesting to the veracity of these claims is Dr. Ricardo Castañon Gomez. You canât have science test the claims without a scientistâŠand this is their man. Sure, there are other tests that were done by other people but Dr. Ricardo Castañon Gomez is the ONLY one with a bio listed on the YouShallBelieve website. You may check this for yourself at the link below. Why is his biography the only one listed? Because he plays a central role in some of these investigations and his alleged credentials are impressive and add academic weight to the miraculous claim.
youshallbelieve.com/about-us/bios/
Both Ron and Tim have vouched for this doctorâs authenticity in e-mails to me. Ron himself repeated in his recent post that he âhas no reason to doubt him.â What I am trying to make clear to everyone on this forum is that, aside from the doctorâs word and his own promotional statements, these men clearly had no substantial reason for believing him either.
Mr. Willessee and Mr.Tesoriero now admit that this âdoctorâsâ inability or unwillingness to state when and where he earned his PhD is âof concernâ to them. Yes, I would think so. When one of the principle investigators of these claims, featured in both films and books, is unable to substantiate ANY of his academic credentials I would say that is cause for MAJOR concern.
I have at no point called Mr. Willessee, Mr. Francis, or Mr. Tesoriero a fraud. It is possible that they were all unaware of this glaring problem. However, as Tim Francis agreed with me in an hour long phone call at 6:55 pm on January 7âŠIF this doctor IS a fraud, then it reveals a certain level of gullibility among all involved.
Tim Francis sells tickets to lectures and products that feature the claims of this alleged doctor. It is my understanding that some of these DVDs and books that feature the doctor were created by Ron Tesoriero and/or Mike Willessee. This is made clear on the YouShallBelieve website. I donât know exactly who makes the money and how muchâŠbut it is quite clear that money is being made. Dr. Castañon is one of the selling points of these products. His academic credentials are being used to persuade people into the truth of these claimsâŠand consequentlyâŠthe purchase of these items. Prior to my investigation, these men could do this with a clear conscience. However, if they continue to conduct these lectures and sell these products without telling parishioners about this doctorâs credibility problemâŠI would consider that fraudulent misrepresentation.
It should also be mentioned that IF this doctor is a fraud, we are not talking about little white liesâŠwe are talking about bold lies deliberately meant to deceive. I would pray that this is not trueâŠbut, again, the unwillingness of the doctor to even state where he earned his PhD does not bode well. It also seemed clear in his 14 page response that he has not published any research to a peer-reviewed journal (something I think is strongly implied in his comments about having â400 scientificâ articles to his credit). Wouldnât a ârenownedâ scientist with a PhD be able to find a reputable publishing house to sell his books? It appears that this manâs books are self-publishedâŠsomething ANYONE can do.
I think the morally appropriate thing to do at this point would be either to admit to parishioners (and anyone else) prior to buying tickets or selling products that this doctor MAY be a complete fraud and that NONE of his credentials can be verifiedâŠor suspend the selling of these items until he has been exonerated (donât hold your breath).
I ask the good people of this forum, would you want your grandmother shelling out her money for this lecture or the related products without being made aware of this credibility problem? I certainly would not. In fact, I would be alarmed that these men have tied their reputations to this doctor with so little investigation into his credentials. It would make me highly skeptical of any other claims they made. Ron has known this man for decades.
Ron, I hope you will recognize that nothing I have said or claimed is in any way inconsistent with what transpired in our e-mails and my efforts from the beginning have only been to protect the interests (particularly financial) of parishioners. You have a moral obligation to disclose what has transpired in this investigation into this doctor if you intend to continue selling (or have others selling) items where this manâs credentials are used to support your extraordinary claims.
Again, I am willing to share the 14 page rebuttal document written by the doctor with anyone on this forum. It is utterly unlike anything you would expect from a learned academic and will make crystal clear why I have major concerns about the truth of any of his statements. In my opinion, it will also make you wonder how someone else would consider this person to be a man of clear and sound reasoning.
Steve Groh
S
Sgroh
Guest
JohnJones mentioned that Tim Francis told him that âBoth You Shall Believe (www.youshallbelieve.com) and Love and Mercy Publications (www.loveandmercy.org ) are part of the Non-Profit Organization, Our Loving Motherâs Children, Inc., a Georgia, non-profit, Tax Exempt 501(c)(3)â
Is everyone aware that Our Loving Motherâs Children is a non-profit that was founded in response to the immense traffic of pilgrims who came to Conyers, Georgia in the early 1990âs? They all came to hear the prophetic messages of a woman named Nancy Fowler. After she went into seclusion she was essentially replaced by Catalina Rivas. Here is how OLMCâs website puts it - âSome time before Catalinaâs arrival, the visionary had requested a sister that would share in her experiences with Jesus and Our Loving Mother. In the year 1993, Our Lord revealed that the visionaryâs request had been granted, and a sister was among her. This sister in faith was Catalina.â
The âvisionaryâ in that quote is Nancy FowlerâŠthey no longer use her name. This is supposedly at her request. Ron Tesoriero and Dr. Castanon were there in Conyers from the very beginning. In fact, you can check out Ronâs book âWhy Do You Test Me?â that was published in 1994 that explains his belief in these visions of Nancy Fowler. Dr. Castanon and his many unverified academic credentials also appear in this book.
Devoted catholic Ronald L. Conte Jr. has a different take on Nancy Fowler, be sure to check out his blog post listed below. It provides a possible explanation for why the OLMC might prefer to not use her name anymoreâŠaside from her pleas.
catholicplanet.com/apparitions/false53.htm
This youtube video below will give you an interesting glimpse into the situation in Conyers as it unfolded. Ron Tesoriero makes a few appearancesâŠand I think we get a brief of olâ Dr. Castanon at the 6:32 mark. I donât want to surprise anyone, but the other doctor that appears in the video also wrote a book. You will see how impressed the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Rev. Peter Dora, is by these âscientists.â (Spoiler Alert - not much)
youtube.com/watch?v=zntTRl_8bDw
Is everyone aware that Our Loving Motherâs Children is a non-profit that was founded in response to the immense traffic of pilgrims who came to Conyers, Georgia in the early 1990âs? They all came to hear the prophetic messages of a woman named Nancy Fowler. After she went into seclusion she was essentially replaced by Catalina Rivas. Here is how OLMCâs website puts it - âSome time before Catalinaâs arrival, the visionary had requested a sister that would share in her experiences with Jesus and Our Loving Mother. In the year 1993, Our Lord revealed that the visionaryâs request had been granted, and a sister was among her. This sister in faith was Catalina.â
The âvisionaryâ in that quote is Nancy FowlerâŠthey no longer use her name. This is supposedly at her request. Ron Tesoriero and Dr. Castanon were there in Conyers from the very beginning. In fact, you can check out Ronâs book âWhy Do You Test Me?â that was published in 1994 that explains his belief in these visions of Nancy Fowler. Dr. Castanon and his many unverified academic credentials also appear in this book.
Devoted catholic Ronald L. Conte Jr. has a different take on Nancy Fowler, be sure to check out his blog post listed below. It provides a possible explanation for why the OLMC might prefer to not use her name anymoreâŠaside from her pleas.
catholicplanet.com/apparitions/false53.htm
This youtube video below will give you an interesting glimpse into the situation in Conyers as it unfolded. Ron Tesoriero makes a few appearancesâŠand I think we get a brief of olâ Dr. Castanon at the 6:32 mark. I donât want to surprise anyone, but the other doctor that appears in the video also wrote a book. You will see how impressed the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Rev. Peter Dora, is by these âscientists.â (Spoiler Alert - not much)
youtube.com/watch?v=zntTRl_8bDw
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