Many sightings of Jesus have occurred in the last few years. Many people claimed to have seen his face in objects such as a frying pan, peanut butter and the bark of a tree. Some say this proves that Jesus is all present but others say that these sightings are fraudulent.
Pareidolia is one possible cause of these visions. It is about seeing patterns in seemingly random data, including peoples' faces in everyday objects. The human brain is highly skilled at identifying faces, however the problem is we can occasionally perceive a human face even when there isn't one. What we recognise in patterns is very much influenced by our belief system, hence a Christian might see Jesus' image in an inanimate object like a stained cloth.
One of the most famous examples of religious sightings being connected to pareidolia, is The Shroud Of Turin. It's a piece of linen which contains the face of a man who may have been made to suffer in a crucifixion. The image dates back to the Medieval era and is exhibited in Turin Cathedral.
There have been many arguments about the legitimacy of The Shroud Of Turin. One point of view is that the brown stains on it are actually drops of blood which correlate to a man who has suffered crucifixion. There have been extensive forensic tests however, and the conclusion was that the stains were in fact 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 influence people to see all sorts of things and not just religious imagery. It can be the reason people claim to see flying saucers or even Elvis Presley. The Loch Ness Monster is another popular vision. Visitors to the site say they've seen the creature but what they actually saw was a shadow hovering on the water.
There have been many explanations for the causes of pareidolia. One of the strongest was offered by the American cosmologist, Carl Sagan. He said that the human propensity for seeing faces is an important tool for survival. In poor weather or whenever our view is impaired in some way, pareidolia helps us to determine whether someone approaching us is a friend or a foe. The problem is that we do make mistakes and sometimes we see faces where there isn't one.
Pareidolia can influence artistic experiences as well sightings of Jesus. An artist can flick paint over a wall in a random way but the onlooker might see a mountain or a landscape in the results. Some artists place hidden images in their work in order to influence the viewer in subtle ways. Some have even claimed that subliminal messages have been inserted into the lyrics of pop songs.
Pareidolia is one possible cause of these visions. It is about seeing patterns in seemingly random data, including peoples' faces in everyday objects. The human brain is highly skilled at identifying faces, however the problem is we can occasionally perceive a human face even when there isn't one. What we recognise in patterns is very much influenced by our belief system, hence a Christian might see Jesus' image in an inanimate object like a stained cloth.
One of the most famous examples of religious sightings being connected to pareidolia, is The Shroud Of Turin. It's a piece of linen which contains the face of a man who may have been made to suffer in a crucifixion. The image dates back to the Medieval era and is exhibited in Turin Cathedral.
There have been many arguments about the legitimacy of The Shroud Of Turin. One point of view is that the brown stains on it are actually drops of blood which correlate to a man who has suffered crucifixion. There have been extensive forensic tests however, and the conclusion was that the stains were in fact 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 influence people to see all sorts of things and not just religious imagery. It can be the reason people claim to see flying saucers or even Elvis Presley. The Loch Ness Monster is another popular vision. Visitors to the site say they've seen the creature but what they actually saw was a shadow hovering on the water.
There have been many explanations for the causes of pareidolia. One of the strongest was offered by the American cosmologist, Carl Sagan. He said that the human propensity for seeing faces is an important tool for survival. In poor weather or whenever our view is impaired in some way, pareidolia helps us to determine whether someone approaching us is a friend or a foe. The problem is that we do make mistakes and sometimes we see faces where there isn't one.
Pareidolia can influence artistic experiences as well sightings of Jesus. An artist can flick paint over a wall in a random way but the onlooker might see a mountain or a landscape in the results. Some artists place hidden images in their work in order to influence the viewer in subtle ways. Some have even claimed that subliminal messages have been inserted into the lyrics of pop songs.
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