Sightings of Jesus have been very common in recent times. His image has been seen in many different objects such as the bark of a tree, a frying pan and peanut butter. Some people even believe that these sightings demonstrate Jesus' omnipotence. However, others claim that the images are fraudulent.
One explanation could be that the person sees Jesus' face because of pareidolia. Pareidolia is about perceiving patterns from apparently random information, especially faces in inanimate objects. The human brain is excellent at recognising faces but the downside is that we sometimes see a face where there isn't one. Since pattern recognition can be influenced by a person's ideology, it makes sense that a religious believer might perceive Jesus in random objects such as a cup of coffee.
One of the most renowned religious sightings which is associated with pareidolia, is The Shroud Of Turin. It's a linen cloth which displays the face of a man who is in pain from enduring a crucifixion. It has been dated to Medieval times and is on show in Turin Cathedral.
There is a lot of uncertainty about whether The Shroud Of Turin is the real thing or not. Many people claim that the brown marks on the cloth are actually traces of blood connected to a crucifixion. After extensive forensic testing however, it turns out that the marks are blotches of red paint.
There are many other examples of pareidolia. There is a church in Limerick which has a tree stump and many believe it contains the image of the Virgin Mary and a child. Hundreds of people travel to the site every year to worship there. In September 2009, eyewitnesses in Donegal say that crosses began to form in the sky above a statue and that the statue began to weep as a result.
Pareidolia can help to create visions about all sorts of subjects and not just religion. It can cause people to see Unidentified Flying Objects as well as Elvis Presley. The Loch Ness Monster is another famous example. People claim to have seen it but what they actually saw was a shadow hovering over the water.
There have been many theories about why pareidolia exists. One of the most interesting was offered by the American cosmologist, Carl Sagan. He argued that the human skill for identifying peoples' faces is important for our survival. When the weather is poor or when our visibility isn't clear, pareidolia helps us to work out if someone approaching us is an enemy or a friend. Occasionally we get it wrong, mistaking something for a face when in fact it isn't.
Pareidolia can affect not only sightings of Jesus but artistic experiences as well. An artist can splatter paint all over a wall randomly and yet the viewer might perceive in it a landscape or a mountain. Some artists put hidden imagery into their work in order to affect the viewer subliminally. Some people say there have even been hidden messages in the lyrics of popular music.
One explanation could be that the person sees Jesus' face because of pareidolia. Pareidolia is about perceiving patterns from apparently random information, especially faces in inanimate objects. The human brain is excellent at recognising faces but the downside is that we sometimes see a face where there isn't one. Since pattern recognition can be influenced by a person's ideology, it makes sense that a religious believer might perceive Jesus in random objects such as a cup of coffee.
One of the most renowned religious sightings which is associated with pareidolia, is The Shroud Of Turin. It's a linen cloth which displays the face of a man who is in pain from enduring a crucifixion. It has been dated to Medieval times and is on show in Turin Cathedral.
There is a lot of uncertainty about whether The Shroud Of Turin is the real thing or not. Many people claim that the brown marks on the cloth are actually traces of blood connected to a crucifixion. After extensive forensic testing however, it turns out that the marks are blotches of red paint.
There are many other examples of pareidolia. There is a church in Limerick which has a tree stump and many believe it contains the image of the Virgin Mary and a child. Hundreds of people travel to the site every year to worship there. In September 2009, eyewitnesses in Donegal say that crosses began to form in the sky above a statue and that the statue began to weep as a result.
Pareidolia can help to create visions about all sorts of subjects and not just religion. It can cause people to see Unidentified Flying Objects as well as Elvis Presley. The Loch Ness Monster is another famous example. People claim to have seen it but what they actually saw was a shadow hovering over the water.
There have been many theories about why pareidolia exists. One of the most interesting was offered by the American cosmologist, Carl Sagan. He argued that the human skill for identifying peoples' faces is important for our survival. When the weather is poor or when our visibility isn't clear, pareidolia helps us to work out if someone approaching us is an enemy or a friend. Occasionally we get it wrong, mistaking something for a face when in fact it isn't.
Pareidolia can affect not only sightings of Jesus but artistic experiences as well. An artist can splatter paint all over a wall randomly and yet the viewer might perceive in it a landscape or a mountain. Some artists put hidden imagery into their work in order to affect the viewer subliminally. Some people say there have even been hidden messages in the lyrics of popular music.
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