Unfortunately, most people can’t tell the difference. According to Scott Lilienfeld, an assistant professor of psychology at Emory, the level of scientific literacy is startlingly low, even amongst comparatively well-educated Western populations. Consider the fact that only 7% of people surveyed in a recent scientific poll could answer basic questions such as “What is DNA?” and “What is a molecule?”

Now, consider what happens when a trusted colleague or family member asks these questions and follows them up with the presentation of an authentic-seeming document that promises to answer all scientific and spiritual concerns in one fell swoop. How do you imagine the desperate truth seeker would respond?