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Re: FineYoungSinger - yeah but, aside from obviously projected hoaxes, she
Not true, though an understandable assumption, since only the Catholic Church recognizes Mary as anything other than a birth canal. In reality, she's appeared to people of every race, creed and color in every country in the world, from devotees of the Blessed Virgin to people that don't even know who Jesus is.
posted by
FineYoungSinger
on December 17, 2007 at 1:44 PM
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Ciel - there is no doubt that "something" manifested itself but there were
so many fishy elements to these sightings that it being a hoax is most likely.
You may have misunderstood an earlier comment; I did not suggest that only catholics saw this specific supposed apparition, I was speaking of one on one manifestations of the Virgin Mary. In the case of these Egyptian sightings, they broke a number of contant rules pertaining to the manifestation of religious icons. (another thing that makes them very fishy) The most obvious being that the image was universally the Virgin Mary despite the religious background of the viewer. It doesn't work that way in real life. Religious icons do not manifest themselves to adherants of other religions. When was the last time you heard of a catholic saying they had a vision of Buddha for example?
Though I tend to lean much more towards skepticism pertaining to these things, it is only common sense to allow for the fact that we do not know the answers (and may never know).
posted by
gomedome
on December 16, 2007 at 11:27 AM
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That something appeared may be true, but the interpretation of it
clearly varied. I read, but must have missed the bit that said only Catholics could see it. I think it likely that only Catholics saw the Virgin Mary in something others saw, but interpreted differently.
My model of Reality allows for there to be an explanation that is both spiritual and scientifically reasonable, though we may not have the science to pin it down--yet.
I am not saying that there must be a spiritual component--only that my model allows for it.
Mostly, it allows that we cannot yet know or comprehend some things, and that they can exist, really, in spite of that.
If there is anything I have faith in, it is the reliability of ignorance to always be a factor in our calculations and analyses..
posted by
Ciel
on December 16, 2007 at 1:33 AM
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Xeno-x - a coptic church is a close fascimile to catholicism
The message that the apparition of the Virgin Mary was sending is that mankind now had a powerful enough light source to make projected holography a reality.
posted by
gomedome
on December 15, 2007 at 11:12 AM
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A Coptic Church is not Catholic, is it?
And, if this is appearing above a church outside the Catholic Church, but only to Catholics, I wonder if it isn't sending a message to them that our Virgin is blessing something other that their accepted religion?
posted by
Xeno-x
on December 15, 2007 at 10:01 AM
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FineYoungSinger - yeah but, aside from obviously projected hoaxes, she
only appears to catholics.
This is universally typical of all manifestations of all religious icons throughout time. They never appear to members of other religions, ever. Where it would be difficult to argue that any of these apparitions were not real to those experiencing it, these realities do at least suggest a commonality in human perception. The obvious common trait would be the necessity of a prior knowledge of each specific religious icon.
posted by
gomedome
on December 14, 2007 at 11:31 AM
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Just a tangent train of thought---
There are reports of Marian Apparitions beginning with Zaragoza, Spain in 40 AD. They've never stopped. She's appeared during all times of the day and night, during both peace and war, to people in every country on earth.
It's a pretty fascinating phenomenon.
posted by
FineYoungSinger
on December 14, 2007 at 11:12 AM
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right on again my friend>>>>>>>>>sam
posted by
sam444
on December 14, 2007 at 8:50 AM
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