Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena

Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena are sightings of images with religious themes, especially the faces of religious figures, in ordinary phenomena. Many instances that are reported involve images of Jesus or other Christian figures seen in food, but it has an equivalent in the Muslim world where structures in food and other natural objects are perceived as religious text in Arabic, particularly the word Allah or verses from the Qur'an. Many religious believers view them as real depictions of miraculous origin; the predominant scientific view is that such perceptions are examples of pareidolia.

The original phenomena of this type were acheropites; images of major Christian icons such as Jesus and the Virgin Mary which were believed to have been created by supernatural means. The word "acheropite" comes from the Greek "ảχειροποίητος", meaning "not created by human hands", and the term was first applied to the Turin Shroud and the Veil of Veronica. Later, the term came to apply more generally to simulacra of a religious or spiritual nature occuring in natural phenomena, particularly those seen by believers as being of miraculous origin.

Explanations

Pareidolia

Pareidolia characterizes such imagery as a form of pareidolia.Specify|date=March 2007 This is a false perception of imagery due to what is theorized as the human mind's over-sensitivity to perceiving patterns, particularly the pattern of a human face, in otherwise random phenomena.

It is suggested that a tendency of religious imagery in Islam to be perceived as Arabic words is made more likely by the general simplicity of letter forms in the Arabic alphabet (especially in the everyday Riq'a); a tradition of massive typographical flexibility in Islamic calligraphy; and the particular shape of the word Allah (الله). These factors make the word easy to read into many structures with parallel lines or lobes on a common base. Fact|date=March 2007

C. S. Lewis

The author C. S. Lewis wrote about the implications of perception of religious imagery in questionable circumstances on issues of religious belief and faith. He argued that people's ready ability to perceive human-like forms around them reflects a religious reality that human existence is immersed in a world containing such beings. The principal reason he believed in religion was because he believed himself as wired to believe it, just as he believed human beings are wired to perceive inference (if..then) and other mental logical phenomena as representing truths about the external world that can be learned from, rather than representing purely internal phenomena to be characterized as error. He chose to believe in his wiring for religious perception in the same way and for the same reasons that he chose to believe in his wiring for logic, choosing to use and rely on both as guides to learning about the world rather than regarding them as purely random in origin and discarding them. People continue to have faith in the phenomenon of logic despite the fact that they sometimes make demonstrably mistaken inferences. [C.S. Lewis, "God in the Dock:Essays on Theology and Ethics" ISBN 978-0802808684. C.S. Lewis made a more detailed exposition of the underlying argument with respect to general problems of futility in his essay "De Futilitate" in "The Seeing Eye And Other Selected Essays in Christian Reflections", ISBN 978-0345328663]

Christian examples

The Virgin Mary accounts for a substantial number of sightings of this type. A typical example is the "Clearwater Virgin", where an image of Mary was reported to have appeared in the glass facade of a finance building in
Clearwater, Florida, and attracted widespread media attention. The building drew an estimated one million visitors over the next several years and was purchased by an Ohio Catholic revivalism group. A local chemist examined the windows and suggested the stain was produced by water deposits combined with weathering, yielding a chemical reaction like that often seen on old bottles, perhaps due to the action of the water sprinkler. On March 1, 2004, the three uppermost panes of the window were broken by a vandal. [http://www.csicop.org/si/2004-11/i-files.html Rorschach Icons; Investigative Files (Skeptical Inquirer November 2004)] [ [http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/Northpinellas/Group_says_Jesus_is_w.shtml Northpinellas: Group says Jesus is where Mary was ] ] [ [http://home.snafu.de/tilman/clearwater1998/mary.html The Virgin Mary appears in Clearwater, Florida] ] Other examples of Marian apparitions of this type that have received substantial press coverage include a fence in Coogee, Australia in 2003 [ [http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mons1/sacred.htm sacred sight at Coogee ] ] ; a hospital in Milton, Massachusetts in June 2003. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/07/06/wmad06.xml Pilgrims flock to the 'Madonna' in hospital window - Telegraph ] ] ; and a felled tree in Passaic, New Jersey in 2003; [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E3D71039F93AA35752C1A9659C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fV%2fVirgin%20Mary Briefing: Religion; Virgin Mary In A Tree Stump - New York Times ] ] . Images of the Virgin have also been reported on a rock in Ghanaref|Ghana, an underpass in Chicago [ [http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/9726910/detail.html Some See Virgin Mary In Souplantation Paneling - Local News Story - KNSD | San Diego ] ] , a lump of firewood in Janesville, Wisconsinref|Chicago; a chocolate factory in Fountain Valley, California; [ [http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/17/chocolate.mary.ap/index.html] Dead link|date=March 2008] and a pizza pan in Houston, Texas. [ [http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou070223_mh_virginmarypizza.7b275aa.html Faithful: Pizza pan delivers message from God | LOCAL NEWS | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas ] ] [ [http://wfmz.com/view/?id=65882 Thousands Flock to See Image Stained on Pizza Pan : WFMZ-TV 69News ] ] . A grilled cheese sandwich, a pretzel and a pebble said to resemble images of the Virgin Mary have been offered for sale on internet auction sites, the former being purchased by Internet casino GoldenPalace.com, which is known for its publicity stunts [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4019295.stm BBC NEWS. Woman 'blessed by the holy toast'. 2004-11-17.] ] ref|Pretzel. [ [http://www.stuff.co.nz/4248093a10.html Virgin stone back on the market - New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz ] ] .

Another image regularly reported is that of Jesus Christ. Sightings of this type have been reported in such varied media as cloud photos [ [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleyindependent/jubilation/s_663.html Image in the clouds: 'Grandma's picture' tells remarkable story - PittsburghLIVE.com ] ] ,tortillas, trees [ [http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=15687 JS Online: Woman feels blessed that image of Jesus appears in her tree ] ] , dental x-rays [ [http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=28783 Firstcoastnews.com | Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Brunswick | Jesus Appears in Dental X-Ray ] ] , cooking utensils [ [http://www.wkyc.com/dotcom3/weblinks_fullstory.asp?id=29714 Man sees image of Jesus in frying pan | wkyc.com ] ] , windows [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/4541162/detail.html Pilgrims See Jesus' Face In Apartment Window - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/4603180/detail.html 'Jesus Window' Cracks During Move To Church - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] , rocks and stones [ [http://farshores.org/p05im6.htm FarShores.org ParaDimensions News: Woman Claims 'Jesus' Rock ] ] [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/9192288/detail.html Jesus Rock Draws Hundreds Of Pilgrims - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] , painted and plastered walls [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/4566317/detail.html Sisters See Image Of Jesus In Paint On Wall - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] [ [http://www.goldenpalaceevents.com/auctions/jesuswall01.php GoldenPalaceEvents.com | Jesus Found Plastered In Man�s Bathroom ] ] . Again, some of these items have been offered for sale on internet auction sites [ [http://www.local6.com/news/4170720/detail.html Man Sells 'Jesus' Brick - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando ] ] [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/5625986/detail.html Workers See Jesus Image In Nacho Pan - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/5190133/detail.html Couple Says Fish Bone Bears Jesus Image - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] [ [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESEX:IT&item=140187947899&_trksid=p3984.cSELL.m315.l| Baby Jesus Snail Shell] ] [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/7539127/detail.html Sellers See Jesus In Sheet Metal - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] [ [http://boogeylights.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=692239%3ABlogPost%3A604 Murphy Brown] ] , and a number have been bought by the Golden Palace casino [ [http://www.goldenpalaceevents.com/ebay_archives/jesuswall01.html eBay item 6186339869 (Ends Jun-21-05 23:04:09 PDT) - Jesus Christ Image Icon Materializes in Plaster Wall ] ] [ [http://www.goldenpalaceevents.com/auctions/jesuswall01.php GoldenPalaceEvents.com | Jesus Found Plastered In Man�s Bathroom ] ] [ [http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=3703786 WTOL-TV Toledo, OH: Point Place Family Sees Image of Jesus on Pie ] ] . When such images receive publicity, people frequently come considerable distances to see them, and to venerate them [ [http://www.nbc5.com/news/5380739/detail.html Some See Jesus On Truck Tailgate - News Story - WMAQ | Chicago ] ] .

In April 2004, a sudden rush in interest for images of the Cone Nebula occurred because Christian groups felt they could see the face of Jesus in the nebula's pillars.Fact|date=December 2007 Images of the Jesus Nebula, known by its actual name as the Cone Nebula, was released by the Hubble Space Science Institute on April 30, 2002 [ [http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2002/11/text/ HubbleSite - NewsCenter - Hubble's New Camera Delivers Breathtaking Views of the Universe (04/30/2002) - Release Text ] ] to showcase a new extremely high resolution camera. The new camera was installed on Hubble by astronauts during a space shuttle mission in March 2002. The Cone Nebula, located in the constellation Monoceros, is a region that contains cones, pillars, and majestic flowing shapes that abound in stellar nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are buffeted by energetic winds from nurseries of newborn stars. [ [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/4/prweb122020.htm The Jesus Nebula - Hubble Space Telescope Images the Face of Jesus Christ ] ] [ [http://xai.com/jnebula/ Portail d'informations Ce site est en vente! ] ]

One controversial incidence that received considerable publicity was when the face of Mother Teresa was claimed to have been identified in a cinnamon bun at Bongo Java in Nashville, Tennessee [ [http://www.bongojava.com/nunbun.html Bongo Java: The NunBun?] ] on 15 October 1996. Dubbed the "NunBun" by the press, it was turned into an enterprise by the company, selling T-shirts and mugs, which led to an exchange of letters between the company and Mother Teresa's representativesFact|date=August 2008. On 25 December 2005 the bun was stolen during a break-in at the coffee house. [ [http://www.slashfood.com/2005/12/26/nunbun-stolen/ NunBun Stolen] ]

Examples in Islam

In the Muslim community, a frequently-reported religious perception is the image of the word "Allah" in Arabic on natural objects. Again, the discovery of such an object may attract considerable interest among believers who visit the object for the purpose of prayer or veneration. Examples of this phenomenon have been reported on fish [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/4667610.stm BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Tropical fish 'has Allah marking' ] ] [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1700465,00.html A fish called Allah | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited ] ] [ [http://www.allahfish.com Pathfinder Hosting Client Site ] ] [ [http://www.newstatesman.com/Life/200606050009 New Statesman - Food of the gods ] ] , fruit and vegetables [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/443173.stm BBC News | UK | Message from Allah 'in tomato' ] ] [ [http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1442800.0.family_blessed_by_allah_in_tomato.php Family Blessed By Allah In Tomato (from Oxford Mail) ] ] , plants and clouds.Fact|date=September 2007, eggs [http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1021712006] , and on the markings on animals' coats [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3572325.stm BBC NEWS | Middle East | Hordes flocking to 'miracle' lamb ] ] .

It has been suggested by some Shia Muslims that the first name of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (Ali) can be seen on the Moon. Other Shia Muslims, however, reject this claim, or dismiss it as a coincidence. [ [http://www.al-imam.net/miraclesali.htm Signs of The Creator ] ]

Other

Monkey tree

In Jurong West New Town, Singapore in September 2007, the discovery of calluses on a tree which look like the Monkey God a deity from Chinese mythology, or Hanuman, the monkey deity in the Hindu pantheon, created a social phenomenon. There are two nearby trees which also resemble deities. One features an apparent outline of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and another resembles the Hindu elephant god Ganesha.

Created depictions

In some cases, apparent religious images have been deliberately created from natural materials as part of an artistic endeavor or investigation into the phenomenon of perceptions of religious imagery. The "Pope Tart" was a hoax apparition created by Karen Stollznow in 2005 as part of an investigation into pareidolia for "The Skeptic" in Australia (PDFlink| [http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/2006/1_popetart.pdf] |209 KiB [ [http://www.bad-language.com/files/ebaypagepopetart.html eBay item 6171209997 (Ends Apr-22-05 00:42:47 PDT) - Pope Tart ] ] .

In popular culture

*In Carl Hiassen's novel "Lucky You" a resident of Florida in the United States makes a tourist attraction out of "Road-Stain Jesus" on the road surface.

* In the 1984 miniseries "Celebrity", T.J. Luther sees an image of Jesus on a prison wall and is inspired to become a televangelist.

*In the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "Gee Whiz," Meatwad sees what he thinks is the face of Jesus (referred to as 'Gee Whiz' in the episode because they weren't allowed to say 'Jesus' by the network) in a spaghetti billboard.

*In the Father Ted episode "Kicking Bishop Brennan up the Arse," Bishop Brennan is lured to the parochial house by a hoax story about an image of his own face that has appeared on a skirting board there.

See also

* Bélmez Faces, a disputed paranormal phenomenon in Bélmez, Spain, where several spots on floors and walls are interpreted as faces.
* Marian apparition
* Weeping painting
* Weeping statue

Notes

# (21 April 2004). " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4468275.stm 'Virgin Mary' on US motorway wall] " at BBC News. Accessed 27 December 2005.
# (5 March 2004). " [http://www.nbc10.com/news/4256640/detail.html Does Pretzel Look Like Mary And Jesus?] " at NBC10.com. Accessed 27 August 2006.
# (23 November 2004). " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4034787.stm 'Virgin Mary' toast fetches $28,000] " at BBC News. Accessed 27 December 2005.
# Sakyi-Addo, Kwaku (2 November 2004). " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3976161.stm Ghanaians flock to see 'miracle'] " at BBC News. Accessed 27 December 2005.
# [http://www.bongojava.com/beans.php?content=nunbun Official NunBun description] " at the Bongo Java World site. Accessed 27 December 2005.
# (27 December 2005). " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4562170.stm Christmas thief steals 'Nun Bun'] " at BBC News. Accessed 27 December 2005.
# (7 October 2004). " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4320378.stm Caviar Virgin Mary art taken down] " at BBC News. Accessed 27 December 2005.

References

External links

* [http://www.yoism.org/?q=node/129 Religious Pareidolia] extensive collection of video and photographic demonstrations of pareidolia, presented from a noticeably skeptical perspective, featuring debunkers Penn and Teller
* [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/NMLAKtortilla.html RoadsideAmerica.com's visit to the Shrine of the Miracle Tortilla]
* [http://www.blacktable.com/gillin041202.htm Your Own Personal Jesus Toast]
* by Karen Stollznow.
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-16.337013,-71.959763&spn=0.110893,0.158186&t=k&hl=en Image of Jesus in South American sand dunes] (Google Maps).
*
* [http://skepticwiki.org/index.php/Pareidolia Pareidolia article on Skeptic Wiki]
* [http://www.islamcan.com/miracles/index.shtml Miracle Pictures of Islam]
* [http://web.tri-isys.com/egtan/hokum/pareidolia.html The Incredible Likeness of Beings: Religious Simulacra and Pareidolia]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4562170.stm Series of Religious Simulacra images from the news]