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FineYoungSinger - I see it as a slightly more sophisticated version of
the weeping statues.
The funny part about these types of things is how people will refuse to accept the obvious as explanations.
posted by
gomedome
on October 8, 2008 at 12:32 PM
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Re: FineYoungSinger - the religious climate and other influences may have
These quotes you provide here are even further evidence that this particular apparition is more than likely a fake...bringing me to my original statement: shame on them.
posted by
FineYoungSinger
on October 8, 2008 at 12:13 PM
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FineYoungSinger - the religious climate and other influences may have
been motives as well.
We are both on the outside looking back 40 years, so I'm not about to argue whether or not money and tourism were the only motivating factors. The truth remains however that a church outside of Cairo put itself on the international map, made itself a tourist destination and has been capitolizing in a big way on the sightings ever since. Criticisms of their actions from members of their own church generally take on themes similar to as follows:
"The Church is only investing the religious feelings of the people to make huge profits," prominent Coptic activist Gamal Assad told IOL.
"The Church has made use of such fallacies and invested them to sell thousands of pictures and icons turning it to a lucrative business not an act of worship."
posted by
gomedome
on October 6, 2008 at 1:16 PM
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Re: FineYoungSinger - the dead giveaway is the halo
I would have to disagree that money and tourism was the motive. Sure, it makes a nice oddity in a tourist brochure, but I'm sure doesn't have quite the same draw as the pyramids, the Nile, the Sphynx...
It probably had more to do with the religious climate of the region during the 1960s: Islam was named the national religion (national religion as opposed to national church such as Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Ukranian Orthodox, Polish National, etc.); the Etheopian church separated from the Coptic church in 1959; Naser (Egypt's premier) enlisted the Soviet Union as an ally during his rule from the 50s into the early 70s. I think these issues had far more to do with the apparition than did tourism. Plus tourism was suspended in the 60s once or twice in Egypt.
posted by
FineYoungSinger
on October 6, 2008 at 11:27 AM
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FineYoungSinger - the dead giveaway is the halo
Halos are nothing more than a popularized artistic method from the early centuries, for depicting those who are special or "anointed". Another suspicious aspect was that a few blocks around the church were cordoned off to "control crowds and allow police to search for a projector" . . . yeah right. More like allow the perpetrators to hide the projector. The motives were clearly money as the tourist dollars poured in from around the globe, they milked it for all that it was worth.
posted by
gomedome
on October 3, 2008 at 12:08 PM
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Re: I remember that photo -- just looks like a statue hovering in the air
It was a big thing back then and there are still people to day that refuse to believe it was an orchestrated hoax. The problems I have with it are the viewing appointments, the darkness as mentioned and the image itself. Following the history of these types of artistic renderings, we realize that the halo for example, is something popularized by artists in the early centuries. Like the weeping statues, there is a science behind producing these things. I happen to believe the development of the photo optic laser prior to these Virgin Mary sightings is the key. The technology existed but was not well known, obscure enough that something like this could be pulled off to fulfill a number of needs for the region. Tourist dollars and a collective distraction from current events being the major ones.
posted by
gomedome
on October 3, 2008 at 12:00 PM
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About three years ago some people from my locality used to go sit in
the parking lot of a church and watch "Jesus' eyes light up" on the statue. The dilluded (though well-meaning) old ladies that set up their lawn chairs for weeks at a time made local news.
As it turns out, the glow was a reflection of headlights on the highly polished marble of the statue. Fortunately, the parish priest didn't get overly excited about it, and the hype died down. No miracle today, eh?
Could this apparition in Egypt be real? Who knows? I would hope the church tradition founded by St Mark would have investigated the event completely, and ruled out the possibility of the "vision" being a projection. But the Coptic church is a national church independent unto itself, and who knows what their hierarchy had in mind when this happened. if it is a fake, shame on those running the projector, as their motivations are clearly not to propogate faith, but to cause a distraction.
posted by
FineYoungSinger
on October 3, 2008 at 12:00 PM
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I remember that photo -- just looks like a statue hovering in the air
and it does resemble the holography
so it does need nighttime eh?
what people will get excited about
posted by
Xeno-x
on October 3, 2008 at 10:58 AM
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