Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena explained

People have been found to perceive images with spiritual or religious themes or import, sometimes called iconoplasms or simulacra, in the shapes of natural phenomena. The images perceived, whether iconic or aniconic, may be the faces of religious notables or the manifestation of spiritual symbols in the natural, organic media or phenomena of the natural world. The occurrence or event of perception may be transient or fleeting or may be more enduring and monumental. The phenomenon appears to approach a cultural universal and may often accompany nature worship, animism, and fetishism, along with more formal or organized belief systems.

Within Christian traditions, many instances reported involve images of Jesus or other Christian figures seen in food; in the Muslim world, structures in food and other natural objects may be perceived as religious text in Arabic script, particularly the word Allah or verses from the Qur'an. Many religious believers view them as real manifestations of miraculous origin; a skeptical 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 that were believed to have been created by supernatural means. The word acheropite comes from the Greek ἀχειροποίητος, 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 occurring in natural phenomena, particularly those seen by believers as being of miraculous origin.

Explanations

Pareidolia

Scientifically, such imagery is generally characterized as a form of pareidolia. 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.[1]

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.

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 to be 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.[2] [3]

Perceiver as cultural filter

From an etic perspective, perception of an image, icon, or sign of religious or spiritual import to the perceiver is indelibly mediated or filtered through culture, politics, and worldview. As Gregory Price Grieve states:

Psychology of the sacred, taking stock of the human condition, conveys that people construct meaning from that which is without meaning; stated differently, culture gives context to lived experience. Therefore, both meaning and absence of meaning may be perceived as being co-existents. Cultural context as constructed meaning and memetic transmission engenders social, existential, and spiritual comfort in a tenuous and arbitrary lived experience and millieu: perception as a participatory event parsing experience into meaningful units. The crossroads or intersections of evolutionary psychology of religion, pattern recognition, neuroaesthetics and symbolic communication lend to the construction of meanings as group cohesion and bond-forming in human society.

Christian examples

The Virgin Mary accounts for many sightings of this type. A typical example is the "Clearwater Virgin", an image of Mary which was reported to have appeared in the glass façade 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.[4] Other Marian apparitions of this type that have received substantial press coverage include a fence in Coogee, Australia in 2003;[5] a hospital in Milton, Massachusetts in June 2003;[6] and a felled tree in Passaic, New Jersey in 2003.[7] Images of the Virgin have also been reported on a rock in Ghana,[8] an underpass in Chicago,[9] a lump of firewood in Janesville, Wisconsin; a chocolate factory in Fountain Valley, California;[10] and a pizza pan in Houston, Texas.[11] [12] 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.[13] [14] [15]

Another image often reported is that of Jesus Christ. Sightings of this type have been reported in such varied media as cloud photos,[16] Marmite,[17] chapatis,[18] shadows,[19] Cheetos,[20] tortillas,[21] trees,[22] dental x-rays,[23] cooking utensils,[24] windows[25] [26] rocks and stones,[27] [28] painted and plastered walls,[29] [30] and dogs' hindquarters.[31] Again, some of these items have been offered for sale on Internet auction sites,[32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] and a number have been bought by the Golden Palace casino.[38] [39] When such images receive publicity, people frequently come considerable distances to see them, and to venerate them.[40]

On April 30, 2002[41] the Hubble Space Science Institute released new photographs of the Cone Nebula, also known as the Space Mountain, to showcase a new extremely high resolution camera. Shortly afterwards some began to call it the "Jesus Nebula", believing they could see Jesus's face in it.[42] 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.[43] [44]

One controversial incident 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[45] on 15 October 1996. Dubbed the "Nun Bun" 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 representatives.[46] On 25 December 2005 the bun was stolen during a break-in at the coffee house.[47]

This phenomenon can even take political meanings, such as the cross-shaped reflection seen on the East Berlin TV Tower, nicknamed "the Pope's revenge" and cited by Ronald Reagan as an example of the survival of religious ideas in the secular Communist society.

In at least two instances, the images of deceased Anglican clergymen allegedly appeared on the walls of their church. In 1902, the image of a Dean Vaughan allegedly appeared on the walls of Llandaff Cathedral, while the image of Dean Henry Liddell allegedly appeared on the walls of Christ Church, Oxford in 1923.[48]

Another example, either a miraculous sign or a face recognition pareidolia, originated in the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, when a few observers claimed to see Jesus in the flames.[49]

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,[50] [51] [52] [53] fruit and vegetables,[54] [55] plants and clouds,[56] eggs,[57] honeycombs,[58] and on the markings on animals' coats.[59]

The Arabic script for the name of Allah is purported to be visible in a satellite photograph of the 2004 Asian tsunami. This was taken as evidence by some Muslims that Allah had sent the tsunami as punishment.[60]

Other examples

Several Hindu murtis are held to be "self-manifest" or Swayambhu. Most are lingams of Shiva.

Monkey tree

In Jurong West, Singapore in September 2007, the discovery of calluses on a tree which look like the 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.[61] [62] In other cases these deliberate images have been commercial ventures. The Jesus Toaster and The Virgin Mary Toaster were created by Galen Dively in 2010. These toasters create images of Jesus and Mary on bread.[63]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rorschach Icons; Investigative Files. Skeptical Inquirer. November 2004. 2010-12-29. 2011-01-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20110105020335/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/rorschach_icons/. live.
  2. Book: Lewis, C. S.. God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. 978-0-8028-0868-4. 1970. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
  3. 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,
  4. Web site: Northpinellas: Group says Jesus is where Mary was. 2006-08-09. 2007-05-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20070512191751/http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/Northpinellas/Group_says_Jesus_is_w.shtml. live.
  5. Web site: sacred sight at Coogee. 2006-07-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20060829231922/http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mons1/sacred.htm. 2006-08-29. dead.
  6. News: Pilgrims flock to the 'Madonna' in hospital window. https://web.archive.org/web/20040518033922/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/07/06/wmad06.xml. dead. 2004-05-18. Telegraph . London . 2010-05-22.
  7. News: Briefing: Religion; Virgin Mary In A Tree Stump. . Jonathan . Miller . 2003-11-09 . 2010-05-22.
  8. News: Ghanaians flock to see 'miracle'. BBC News. Kwaku Sakyi-Addo. November 2, 2004. 27 December 2005. 30 March 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060330235101/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3976161.stm. live.
  9. Web site: Some See Virgin Mary In Souplantation Paneling. KNSD – San Diego. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928042150/http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/9726910/detail.html. 2007-09-28.
  10. Web site: CNN.com – Sweet Mary, mother of God? - Aug 17, 2006. 30 August 2006. archive.org. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20060830234051/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/17/chocolate.mary.ap/index.html. 30 August 2006.
  11. Web site: Faithful: Pizza pan delivers message from God. KHOU.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070226140502/http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou070223_mh_virginmarypizza.7b275aa.html. 2007-02-26.
  12. Web site: Thousands Flock to See Image Stained on Pizza Pan. WFMZ-TV 69News. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223543/http://wfmz.com/view/?id=65882. 2007-09-27.
  13. News: Woman 'blessed by the holy toast'. BBC News. 2004-11-17. 2010-01-03. 2009-04-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20090407083111/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4019295.stm. live.
  14. Web site: Does Pretzel Look Like Mary And Jesus?. NBC10.com. March 5, 2004. 27 August 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060907212713/http://www.nbc10.com/news/4256640/detail.html. 7 September 2006. dead.
  15. Web site: Virgin stone back on the market. Stuff.co.nz. 2007-10-27. 2008-12-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20081207071340/http://www.stuff.co.nz/4248093a10.html. dead.
  16. Web site: Image in the clouds: 'Grandma's picture' tells remarkable story. PittsburghLIVE.com. 2006-08-09. 2009-04-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20090410082653/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleyindependent/jubilation/s_663.html. dead.
  17. News: Family see Jesus image in Marmite. BBC News. 2009-05-28. 2010-01-03. 2010-02-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20100208120705/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8071865.stm. live.
  18. News: India marvels at 'miracle chapati'. BBC News. 2002-11-16. 2010-01-03. 2009-05-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20090531095246/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2484195.stm. live.
  19. News: Caravan park 'Christ' draws the faithful. BBC News. 2000-10-11. 2010-01-03. 2009-05-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20090531095047/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/967421.stm. live.
  20. Web site: Dallas couple sees Jesus inside cheese snack. CBS 11 News. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090531030218/http://cbs11tv.com/local/Cheesus.jesus.inside.2.1011719.html. 2009-05-31.
  21. News: Beeville Man Sees Jesus in Breakfast Taco . . January 21, 2013 . Kevin . O'Keefe . April 19, 2019 . Ernesto Garza said that the image of the Christian Messiah in his tortilla was "a miracle." . April 19, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190419184157/https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/beeville-man-sees-jesus-in-breakfast-taco/ . live .
  22. Web site: JS Online: Woman feels blessed that image of Jesus appears in her tree. 2006-08-09. 2006-08-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20060821013700/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=15687. live.
  23. Web site: Jesus Appears in Dental X-Ray. Firstcoastnews.com. 2006-08-09. 2023-12-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20231204023808/https://www.firstcoastnews.com/error/404?storyid=28783. live.
  24. Web site: Man sees image of Jesus in frying pan. wkyc.com.
  25. Web site: Pilgrims See Jesus' Face In Apartment Window. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2006-08-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20060827213856/http://www.nbc5.com/news/4541162/detail.html. live.
  26. Web site: 'Jesus Window' Cracks During Move To Church. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2006-12-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20061213063958/http://www.nbc5.com/news/4603180/detail.html. live.
  27. Web site: FarShores.org ParaDimensions News: Woman Claims 'Jesus' Rock. 2006-08-09. 2011-08-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20110816014714/http://farshores.org/p05im6.htm. dead.
  28. Web site: Jesus Rock Draws Hundreds Of Pilgrims. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2007-10-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20071004220936/http://www.nbc5.com/news/9192288/detail.html. live.
  29. Web site: Sisters See Image Of Jesus In Paint On Wall. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2006-12-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20061213063945/http://www.nbc5.com/news/4566317/detail.html. live.
  30. Web site: Jesus Found Plastered In Man's Bathroom. GoldenPalaceEvents.com. 2006-08-09. 2006-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20060722172051/http://www.goldenpalaceevents.com/auctions/jesuswall01.php. live.
  31. Web site: Image of Jesus on dog's butt God's second appearance? . Heavenly Creatures . 16 November 2011 . 2 August 2018 . 2 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193149/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/heavenlycreatures/2011/11/image-of-jesus-on-dogs-butt-gods-second-appearance/ . live .
  32. Web site: Man Sells 'Jesus' Brick – Orlando News Story. WKMG Orlando. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060810172950/http://www.local6.com/news/4170720/detail.html. 2006-08-10.
  33. Web site: Workers See Jesus Image In Nacho Pan. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2007-10-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20071005125944/http://www.nbc5.com/news/5625986/detail.html. live.
  34. Web site: Couple Says Fish Bone Bears Jesus Image. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2006-12-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20061213064022/http://www.nbc5.com/news/5190133/detail.html. live.
  35. Web site: Baby Jesus Snail Shell.
  36. Web site: Sellers See Jesus In Sheet Metal. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2006-12-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20061211131003/http://www.nbc5.com/news/7539127/detail.html. live.
  37. Web site: Murphy Brown. 2007-11-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20071017061301/http://boogeylights.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=692239:BlogPost:604. 2007-10-17. dead.
  38. Web site: eBay item 6186339869 (Ends Jun-21-05 23:04:09 PDT) – Jesus Christ Image Icon Materializes in Plaster Wall. 2006-08-09. 2016-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172226/http://www.goldenpalaceevents.com/ebay_archives/jesuswall01.html. dead.
  39. Web site: WTOL-TV Toledo, OH: Point Place Family Sees Image of Jesus on Pie. 2006-08-21. 2018-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193142/http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=3703786. live.
  40. Web site: Some See Jesus On Truck Tailgate. WMAQ Chicago. 2006-08-09. 2006-12-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20061211130950/http://www.nbc5.com/news/5380739/detail.html. live.
  41. Web site: HubbleSite – NewsCenter – Hubble's New Camera Delivers Breathtaking Views of the Universe (04/30/2002) – Release Text. 2006-08-21. 2006-09-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20060905172315/http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2002/11/text/. live.
  42. Spring, Tom "In Pictures: The Most Spectacular Sights in Google Sky – what Galileo saw and more " PC World October 2007
  43. Web site: The Jesus Nebula – Hubble Space Telescope Images the Face of Jesus Christ. 2006-08-21. 2005-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20051111163517/http://prweb.com/releases/2004/4/prweb122020.htm. dead.
  44. Web site: Portail d'informations Ce site est en vente!. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20040605102018/http://xai.com/jnebula/. 2004-06-05.
  45. Web site: Bongo Java: The NunBun?. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120925064208/http://www.bongojava.com/nunbun.php. 2012-09-25.
  46. Web site: Business – Mother Teresa Is Not Amused – Seattle Times Newspaper. nwsource.com. 2011-09-18. 2012-10-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20121004084009/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970522&slug=2540648. live.
  47. Web site: NunBun Stolen (Archived Feb 2012) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120210065628/http://www.slashfood.com/2005/12/26/nunbun-stolen/ . February 10, 2012 .
  48. Book: Wild Talents by Charles Fort via Google Books, p. 193-195 . 978-1-60206-007-4 . 2006 . Cosimo, Inc. . 2020-11-07 . 2023-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204023808/https://books.google.com/books?id=LdcoVZrG36MC&q=wild+talents#v=snippet&q=wild%20talents&f=false . live .
  49. News: People Claim To See Jesus In Flames Engulfing Notre Dame Cathedral . . David . Moye . April 17, 2019 . April 19, 2019 . April 19, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190419124056/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/jesus-flames-notre-dame-232759116.html . live .
  50. News: Tropical fish 'has Allah marking' . 2006-01-31 . 2010-01-03 . BBC News . 2009-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090314032416/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/4667610.stm . live .
  51. News: A fish called Allah . The Guardian . London . Paul . Lewis . 2006-02-02 . 2010-05-22 . 2023-09-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230910170844/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/feb/02/paullewis . live .
  52. Web site: Pathfinder Hosting Client Site. 2006-08-21. 2020-11-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20201127003742/http://allahfish.com/. dead.
  53. Web site: New Statesman – Food of the gods. 2006-08-09. 2006-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20061227140235/http://www.newstatesman.com/Life/200606050009. live.
  54. News: Message from Allah 'in tomato'. BBC News. 1999-09-09. 2010-01-03. 2009-05-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20090512162810/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/443173.stm. live.
  55. Web site: Family Blessed By Allah In Tomato (from Oxford Mail). June 2007.
  56. News: Jaafar. Jaafar. Strange cloud causes panic in Kano. Weekly Trust. Media Trust Ltd., Abuja/Nigeria. 2008-05-10. 2008-05-10. 2023-09-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20230910170900/https://dailytrust.com/. live.
  57. News: Chicken lays mystery Allah egg . scotsman.com . Edinburgh . 2006-07-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060720083759/http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1021712006 . July 20, 2006 .
  58. Explanation on the backcover: "In August 1982 a devout Muslim bee-keeper found this honeycomb in one of his beehives, in the village of Karakoy, Turkey. In the formation of the honeycomb the bees have written in large and clear letters the most beautiful name of the essence of God: Allah." This is followed by a quotation from
  59. News: Hordes flocking to 'miracle' lamb. BBC News. 2004-03-26. 2010-01-03. 2010-08-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20100831044842/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3572325.stm. live.
  60. News: Tsunami bore God's name: Muslims. Pearson, Bryan. The China Post. January 11, 2005. November 16, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20050316233700/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asiapacific/detail.asp?GRP=C&id=56746. 16 March 2005.
  61. Web site: Merchandising God:The Pope Tart. Stollznow, Karen. The Skeptic. 16 February 2020. 7 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151007081612/http://www.skeptics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/magazine/The%20Skeptic%20Volume%2026%20(2006)%20No%201.pdf. live.
  62. Web site: eBay item 6171209997 (Ends Apr-22-05 00:42:47 PDT) – Pope Tart . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101226023222/http://www.bad-language.com/files/ebaypagepopetart.html . December 26, 2010 .
  63. Web site: Jesus Toasters. Burnt Impressions Brand Novelty Toasters. 2012-11-18. 2012-12-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20121211100527/http://www.burntimpressions.com/?. live.

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