The Skeptic Tank Charter

1.0 We maintain an extensive library of archived text files which maybe requested using a web browser. Information on how to request archive files may be found at the http://www.raids.org/how.htm URL. The archive files contain a large variety of text information, most of which cover these
- 1.1 Claims of the paranormal and the scientific debunkings of claims of the paranormal. These files are generally referred to as "Hume-class skepticism" files since scientific investigations of testable claims fits neatly with the philosophy of David Hume.
- 1.2 Educational information about cults of the past and cults of the present. The word "cult" refers to any religion regardless of whether it is deity-oriented or not and regardless of how long the cult has been in existence. All religions meet the primary, secondary, and tertiary definitions of the word "cult" and The Skeptic Tank staff recognizes no derogatory usage.
- 1.3 Many other subjects including: Classic ASCII books, information on legal and illegal drugs, reviews of laws around the world, newspaper reports on a wide variety of social subjects.
2.0 We answer E-Mail informational requests concerning claims of the paranormal. Our staff will research a request by searching the archives for references and, if any are found, they are forwarded to the requester. If no information is available, the information request is forwarded to colleagues in the hope that they might fill the request. All E-Mail messages to The Skeptic Tank which are concerned with this objective may be passed to all of The Skeptic Tank's staff members.
3.0 We answer E-Mail information requests concerning cults, their history, and how to escape from them. To meet this charter objective, The Skeptic Tank accumulates and catalogs cult activities as they are reported by the media. Of primary concern is murder, rape, torture, oppression, terrorism, and related activities and ideals expressed or exhibited by cult followers and their leaders. All E-Mail messages to The Skeptic Tank which are concerned with this objective may be passed to all of The Skeptic Tank's staff members.
4.0 We provide exit counseling for members of cults who wish to escape or who lack the courage they need to escape. This charter specifically denies providing unsolicited assistance -- people must ask for help escaping a cult. Since we understand how difficult this is, two web pages at The Skeptic Tank are provided to help individuals request assistance anonymously:
- 4.1 The first is the "Walk Away Package" which provides testimony from many individuals who found the courage they needed to just walk away.
- 4.2 The second is the "Cult Dynamics" review which covers in detail how cults work, what they are about, and how to recognize them for what they are.
5.0 We provide a counseling service for people who have been abused by followers of cults or leaders of cults and for people who are in abusive relationships -- either a spousal relationship or any other relationship. To meet this charter objective, The Skeptic Tank provides contact information for people who need to find a men's or woman's shelter in their area. Many woman's shelters will take in children in physically or mentally abusive spousal abuse relationships.
6.0 The Skeptic Tank maintains no mailing list. E-Mail addresses of individuals writing to The Skeptic Tank are not given out to anyone for any reason. E-Mail messages to us may be posted to The Skeptic Tank's web pages if they provide useful, educational content. When E-Mail messages exhibit what happens to individuals who fall into a cult or buy into a paranormal belief, it may be posted to The Skeptic Tank's web pages for review by others. There are exceptions:
- 6.1 E-Mail messages of a deeply personal nature or which indicate that the information is personal will not be made public. People looking for shelters in their area and people looking to escape a cult will never have their E-Mail messages made public. E-Mail from crazy nuts may also be publically posted to Internet Newsgroups for comment.
- 6.2 E-Mail messages which contain illegal information such as credit card numbers, unusual telephone numbers, and solicitations of criminal acts will never be made public.
Feedback is always welcome.