DISINFORMATION: Water has a memory of its own and will respond to your prayers

NARRATIVE: Water has memory and emotions of its own, and its structure can be modified through prayer and spiritual influence.

PURPOSE: To promote ultra-religious rhetoric in the context of the broader “struggle” against the satanic cabal that seeks to enslave the world population and eradicate Christianity.

WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The narrative under analysis is actually a republication of a material originally published 10 years ago and regularly brought back into the public spotlight by conservative media around the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany. From the very outset, we can note two flaws in the article: one of form and the other of substance. The article's format suggests the interview was conducted by Activenews’ editorial staff, although in 2016, the year of its original publication, its author was not part of the publication's editorial staff: his first materials were published on the website two years later. The second flaw, more significant in the broader context of global-scale disinformation, is that the article claims that the first observations regarding water's “memory and emotions” were made by “Russian researchers”. This assertion immediately indicates we're dealing with elements of Russian propaganda, molded onto an extremely controversial and scientifically unvalidated theory that actually originated in the West. This conclusion is reinforced by the editor's choice to illustrate the article with several photographs depicting the controversial Archbishop of Tomis, His Holy Father Teodosie, a cleric known for his admiration of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, whom he considers “a man of peace and a church builder”.

In fact, the first scientist who claimed he could demonstrate the existence of “water memory” was Frenchman Jacques Benveniste, who published a paper in 1988, asserting that water can retain the imprint of substances. Though largely rejected by the international scientific community, his research paved the way for homeopathy, a system of alternative medicine claiming that even ultra-diluted solutions trigger biological reactions in cells, appearing as if water “remembers” the substances it once contained.

The “demonstration” in question is a bizarre mixture of science and theology that abuses scientific terms like “epitaxy”, by presenting them next to religious concepts like “spiritual purity”. Epitaxy is a phenomenon specific to solid crystals, that cannot be observed in the case of liquid water, which lacks a stable crystalline structure. The chemistry and physics of water analyze exclusively measurable properties such as chemical composition or molecular structure, temperature or density – not “spiritual contaminants”. Introducing a religious concept and presenting it as a scientific argument is, at best, a confusion between different domains. In our case, however, we're dealing with deliberate manipulation of concepts and theories rejected by internationally validated research.

Bringing up Masaru Emoto's name doesn't help the demonstration at all. On the contrary, it reinforces the argument that the theories presented in the article are simply fringe science. Indeed, in the world of alternative therapies and personal development, Emoto (a Japanese author and researcher with training in hydrology but without rigorous academic preparation in chemistry or molecular biology) is associated with the idea that water retains people's emotions and thoughts. His photographs of ice crystals, apparently influenced by positive or negative words, circulated on the Internet and fueled the belief that water “feels” and “remembers” human emotion.

In fact, Emoto's “studies” observe no experimental standards. For instance, they don't use the double-blind (or double-masked) method, which is crucial in such studies. The photographer knows beforehand which sample was exposed to which word, introducing bias and thus eliminating any basis for objective results. Moreover, there's no independent repeatability of the research: other laboratories cannot reproduce Emoto's results using standardized methods. Additionally, even the selection of published results was affected by the author's bias, with Emoto choosing only the “most spectacular” photographs from thousands of analyzed crystals, without employing rigorous statistical criteria. In the scientific community, this phenomenon is called “cherry-picking” and is a clear indication that the researcher reached his stated conclusion before ever starting the experiments. In fact, ice crystal formation depends on freezing speed, water contamination, environmental vibrations and temperature, not on thoughts, emotions, words or music.

In fact, in 2004, the year his book “The Hidden Messages in Water” was published, Nature magazine published a critical article about the “emotional” water theory, stating that the methods used by its supporters observe no scientific or objective research standards, and their results could not be reproduced in any other case. Experts in experimental psychology assert that the effects visualized by Emoto can be explained by observer subjectivity and image selection, not by sheer water properties.

False references picked up from Russian propaganda

In fact, the entire interview is a string of arguments interweaving perfectly valid theories with esoteric speculation (for example, regarding the effects of electromagnetic fields at molecular level) presented in extremely sophisticated language, difficult for ordinary people to understand, such as “the catalytic capacity of enzymes manifests in these metastable states with large dipole moments...”

Likewise, the claim that “quantum physics considers emotions to be physical particles” is profoundly false. Quantum physics describes the behavior of elementary particles (electrons, photons, quarks, etc.) and their interactions. Unlike these, emotions are biological and psychological processes related to brain and nervous system activity, not physical particles. No recognized quantum physics publication in the world considers emotions to be “particles”. Following the same logic, the claim that “emotions have actions similar to pheromones” cannot be considered scientifically valid, being rather an exaggeration. Pheromones are actual molecules emitted by living organisms that influence the behavior of other organisms. Human emotion doesn’t manifest through physical particles comparable to pheromones, though it's true it can exert indirect influence on the human organism: for example, hormonal changes affecting pheromone secretion. Therefore, emotions are not intrinsically capable of “modifying elements of the physical world”. Rather, people modify matter in response to emotional impulses, but this doesn't represent the subject of quantum physics, which deals with phenomena at subatomic scale with effects at macroscopic level.

As for “cells charged with love or negative emotions”, this is another false claim. Emotions affect the organism through biochemical mechanisms (hormones, neurotransmitters) but don't cause cells to become “open” or “closed” systems in a physical sense. As mentioned above, there's absolutely no evidence that emotions could modify general physical properties of cells the way this theory suggests, suing metaphorical language with strong New Age influences.

The absurdity of the “scientific” demonstrations is best revealed, however, by the reference to “Angelina Malakhovskaya”, whose actual existence cannot be confirmed by any credible, verifiable or recognized information. Her name doesn't appear at all in the context of legitimate scientific work or research publications, and numerous repeated searches offer no academic, biographical or professional data for anyone bearing this name. The closest results regarding the reference to “Angelina Malakhovskaya” can be found in texts circulating online, especially esoteric/religious blogs or websites, reproducing claims about experiments with holy water, the effects of prayer on health and the influences of the sign of the cross and religious services on the organism —all of which provide no verified scientific sources. The name Angelina Malakhovskaya is rather part of a myth or oral tradition, circulating in texts combining religious belief with fringe science, given as an example in claims such as “Russian scientists have demonstrated unprecedented things”.

In this context, the claim that prayer increases water's optical density in the UV domain has absolutely no basis in chemistry or physics. Likewise, Brownian motion is a physical phenomenon of molecules in liquids, and the idea that prayer or the sign of the Holy Cross would “stop” their movement is completely false. Similarly, the homeopathic principle that “10 ml of holy water can transmit properties to ordinary water” is fringe science. From a chemical and physical standpoint, dissolving holy water in a large volume of water doesn't modify its molecular structure.

Holy water and prayer do not serve as medical treatments

While having important religious and ritual significance, holy water (sanctified water) has no effects on HIV/AIDS or other diseases, with no proven biological mechanism by means of which it can treat infectious diseases or clinical studies published in recognized medical journals demonstrating this fact. And no, spirituality doesn't “accelerate healing in cancers, mental conditions, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and various traumas”. There are, indeed, studies showing that religious and spiritual practices can contribute to reducing stress and anxiety or supporting mental health and patients' quality of life, but there's no evidence that spirituality directly accelerates healing of cancers or cardiovascular diseases. Such a claim is a gross generalization, presenting secondary effects (psychological support) as direct curative effects. Likewise, there are no clinical studies published in recognized medical journals demonstrating that holy water or Holy Chrism can treat stomatitis, heal eye conditions, reduce hyperhidrosis or ameliorate arthritis or sore throats. These substances have religious and symbolic value, but lack validated pharmacological mechanisms that would justify these effects.

The claim that prayer “neutralized radiation from Chernobyl” is completely unfounded and contradicted by historical data, nuclear physics and all existing official reports. There's no report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, for example, or measurements conducted by Soviet authorities, “forgotten” in archives, indicating areas with “normal” radiation 4 km from reactor 4 after the explosion. On the contrary, all documented sources show that the area within a radius of ten kilometers was severely contaminated, and radiation levels a few kilometers from the reactor were lethal in the first days and weeks after the incident. Ionizing radiation cannot be “neutralized” through prayer. It is not susceptible to beliefs, symbols or rituals, and propagates according to the laws of nuclear physics, not cultural or religious ones. A local “neutralization” would have generated tremendous international uproar, revolutionizing physics and nuclear technology. Indeed, the very phrase “scientifically impossible to explain” is the classic red flag that signals a conspiracy theory combined with fringe science and a bit of New Age esotericism.

Finally, we discuss the preservability of holy water - that is, normal water subjected to a religious ritual for sanctification. Water can normally be preserved from a few days up to weeks if properly protected from microbiological contamination and direct sunlight. Indeed, silver ions have an antibacterial effect, being frequently used in water technology and medicine, and basil oil has antimicrobial properties, but there's no evidence these are regularly present in holy water or appear automatically through religious rituals. Likewise, there are no studies demonstrating the preservative qualities for silver ions or basil oil. Moreover, simply introducing a silver cross into water for sanctification releases only insignificant quantities of silver ions. For example, the time needed to ionize a glass of water with a silver spoon in a measurable volume can take entire weeks and depends on temperature, pH, and water contamination. The process becomes even less likely when we're talking about a single silver cross introduced into large quantities of water. Water doesn't automatically become “antibacterial” or miraculously “stable” just through contact with a piece of silver. The silver ionization of water is performed only in specialized laboratories through electrolysis, using controlled acid or saline solutions. The claim thus combines real terms and properties with religious belief while trying to maintain an appearance of skepticism by proposing “more in-depth study” for scientific validation.

In conclusion, spirituality may hold personal, moral or psychological value, but attributing direct physical effects on nuclear radiation, diseases and matter in general is a dangerous instance of disinformation with a potential to undermine trust in science and public safety.

The Orthodox Church (and the “onslaught” upon it) a favorite theme of (pro-)Russian propaganda

BACKGROUND: In Romania, a still deeply religious and conservative country which over the years has shown a propensity for extremism, the last five years have represented a genuine festival of fake news, many with Moscow origins, about a so-called global (and national-level) onslaught on the Church and Christianity. In January 2023, for instance, a narrative circulated claiming that in Great Britain, a woman was arrested for praying in silence. On the same principle, approximately a year later, defenders of Christianity in Romania announced that in Canada, Christians would be condemned for quoting the Bible, and subsequently, amplifying Christian-persecution narratives with homophobic ones, that Romanian authorities punish faith in Christ and forbid children from going to church, while in Ireland a teacher was arrested because of his religious convictions.

Over the years, Veridica has debunked numerous false narratives about an alleged link between school, children and anti-Orthodox propaganda, claiming that Romanian students are forced to watch pro-homosexuality propaganda films, and that following education received in schools, they won't know what sex they are or which species they belong to. Also in the same register of Orthodox victimization, local narratives picked on theses from the international conservative spectrum, asserting that the World Health Organization seeks sexual mutilation of children, or that in the USA, Catholic Easter became Transsexual Day. Almost any event, however insignificant, is thus linked to “Christian persecution” through ambiguous and allusive expressions or truncated information. Under these circumstances, ultra-religious propaganda also resorts to purportedly scientific arguments that bring the Church closer to contemporary ideas and lifestyles, with the aim of validating the discourses and behaviors of high clerics with extremist views, such as Teodosie, whose image has become synonymous in the eyes of Romanian ultraconservatives with “pure” Orthodoxy, the only righteous faith and closest to biblical precepts.

The obsession with water “memory” – one of Călin Georgescu recurrent themes

Additionally, bringing water-related topics back into the public’s attention has a strong connection to public statements made by the former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, currently on trial for complicity in attempting actions against constitutional order. On several occasions over time, Georgescu said that water has a memory of its own, that it conveys messages, and that we cannot reduce it to its chemical formula. “We don't know what water is. H2O means nothing”, “Water has memory, and through pollution we destroy its soul”, "Water is alive and conveys messages, but we won’t listen", "Water is the key to life, but it is misunderstood. It's the subtle energy that connects spirit to matter" - these are but some of Georgescu's statements on this matter.

We should also note that one of the main narratives of the propaganda war waged by Moscow against the West is humanity's “moral decay and deviation from Christian values”, while its spiritual salvation can only come from Russia, the only space where traditional, Christian-Orthodox values are still preserved.