"But the reason why is a complete mystery", according to a report by Lyndall Stout on the WBRE/WYOU website. "...no one can explain it...Is it a miracle?" (Click here for the WBRE/WYOU video.)
WNEP's version of the story, as it appears on their website, is a bit more circumspect and a bit less credulous: "What some are calling a holy visitor is fascinating one Schuylkill County community...Residents living in Minersville say every night an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing on a garage door for the past couple weeks." Still, the story as it appeared on the air last night had a somewhat less skeptical tone. (Click here for an image from WNEP.)
Well, since none of our local journalists are saying it, I will.
I CALL BULLSHIT.
No one can explain it? Anyone can explain it. While WNEP's cameras seemed to keep their distance, the WBRE/WYOU cameras were up close enough to show the "faithful" casting shadows on the image.
IT'S A REFLECTION, PEOPLE.
Anyone over the age of, say, six months should have some concept of reflections: what they are, how they work, how to do basic ray tracing to determine their source.
"No one can explain it"?
Walk up to the reflection. Cast a shadow on it. Determine the direction that the light rays are coming from. Look thataway. See what's casting the reflection.
It's easy. It's basic. You don't need a degree in Physics to do it.
Sadly, the local news outlets have chosen not to actually do any investigation into this, but have instead pandered to the crowds of pious fools who chant the rosary in front of a random reflection in Minersville each night.
More versions of this story:
An article from the Schuylkill County Republican Herald by Stephanie Lasota and Brandy Rissmiller, featuring this bit:
Kathy and Ed Snukis, Saint Clair, are devoted Catholics who viewed the image for the first time Wednesday.A re-edit of the same article, as it appeared in the Scranton Times-Tribune
"There's just no explanation, there's no way to doubt it," said Kathy.
(The two lines quoted above are not included!)
Update, 4:02 PM: CNN has just done a broadcast of this story, reusing (I believe) the WBRE/WYOU footage. I'll link it if they post it on their site.
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13 comments:
Yesterday I thought I saw a miraculous vision of the Buddha. But it turned out to be my tubby neighbor cutting the grass with his shirt off.
Wait! What's this in my grilled cheese...............
Whether it's a reflection or a divine vision, it's an image that some people believe looks like the Virgin Mary. I read a newspaper article where someone else said it looks like St. Theresa. Whatever. In my opinion, the story here is not so much about WHAT this image is or HOW it came to be there. Rather, the heart of it should be WHY this image is being perceived in the way that it is. If someone perceives this image to be a miracle and/or a sign from God, who are we (journalists) to say they're wrong? Even if the image is ultimately proven to be a reflection, a believer could argue that the "real" miracle is that God makes the sun rise and set in such a way that this reflection is possible. You could also make a case, I suppose, that whatever this image is, it is getting people on all sides of the issue to talk about faith. Is that a bad thing? Is that not something that God would want?
Why are you so fired up about this?
No shadow can be cast, thus no direction is identifiable...any other suggestions to dispute the witness accounts?
A
Jen, my objections are what I stated here, and on WNEP's talkback page: on the one hand it makes us look like a bunch of credulous primitives,on the other - well, see the quotes I've listed. When a journalist asserts that "no one can explain it" and "the reason why is a complete mystery", when in fact there IS a perfectly reasonable explanation, and there is NO mystery involved, then I have a problem. On what basis were these statements made? Do journalists have an obligation to investigate, or merely to report?
This is so much like what I just went through on this site: THOUSANDS of people "knew" about the "two moons on august 27", which WAS NOT REAL - but only a handful were aware of the LUNAR ECLIPSE that happened the morning of the 28th!
Week after week at church we are told that something like 70% of Catholics don't bother to go to Mass. I wonder how many of those people at the site are regular churchgoers? Even the Diocese of Allentown can't be bothered with this.
Do these people want mysteries and miracles? Maybe they should go outside and watch a sunrise. Go play with a baby. Go watch a butterfly feed. Gather up dead leaves, turn them into compost, and use them to create next year's garden. Go care for the sick, the dying. Maybe even study the optics of reflections, and the varying path of the sun through the sky throughout the year. They'll find that all of these things are a hell of a lot more miraculous than a damned random reflection on a garage door.
Anonymous, what makes you think that no shadow is cast? Watch the WBRE/WYOU video and see the shadows, as I mentioned in the post.
I couldn't believe this - that is just one of the worst likenesses I've seen on these sorts of images.
Well - this is a huge and interesting topic, but you are correct in observing there is probably a known/knowable explanation for what is going on. Further and, perhaps just as important, there may be an unknown explanation that doesn't involve anything supernatural.
There in lies the problem with "miracles" of this sort. As Jennifer observes, the question is then why do we lay our explanations over things we don't understand? Why aren't we spending more time doing for others rather than driving to see an image on a garage door?
So, an unexplained miracle isn't proof of anything for the most part and, as I think you are saying, perhaps our excitement over these things is at least a little miss placed.
I can't answer for what this says about faith other than the more I think about it, the more I think faith remains an act of faith. Which I think means you can't rationally be 100% logically sure, but your 100% belief is because of faith.
Have a great weekend.
Super G
Why do people choose to delude themselves? It is obviously JUST A REFLECTION. Yet hundreds of people choose to ignore this obvious truth and believe in miracles because of FAITH.
Why should we be worried about this? Because faith is dangerous. People who blindly believe stuff without evidence, or in this case despite evidence to the contrary, are dangerous.
They fly planes into buildings, blow up abortion clinics, vote for corrupt governments that thread roughshod all over the planet.
The violence in Iraq and Middle East is where blind faith leads us. Faith is the enemy of reason and must be eradicated if we are to have a future.
Some say that it's only the fundamentalists that we should fear. But it's moderate religionists, of all flavours, that make the world a safe place for fundamentalism.
You never hear a Christian condemn abortion clinic bombers, or a Moslem condemn the Taliban. Yet they are two sides of same problem.
Faith.
Steve, "you never hear a Christian condemn abortion clinic bombers, or a Moslem condemn the Taliban"? I'm a Christian, and I condemn abortion clinic bombers all the time. And I know Moslems who vehemently condemn the Taliban, the September 11 attacks, self-styled Imams, and other perversions of Islam. Please don't let prejudicial attitudes towards religion distort your perception of reality. If you do that, you're making the same mistake that the reflection-worshipers in Minersville are.
I live in the Minersville area. I stopped by to see the "image" shortly after it first appeared. I am a Catholic who does attend church on a regular basis. There's no question that the image can open one's imagination. I studied it for a little and came to the conclusion that it is merely a reflection of an undetermined light source. It "appears" at a certain time period because that is when the sun is in it's position where it shines toward this section of Lewis Steet. If you walk in front of the garage you interrupt the light source and it is gone. What does not go away, however, is the fact that this light source has appeared here for years but never "drew" this kind of a picture. A miracle? I doubt it. On the other hand it certainly has brought different messages to different people. I can't say I was in awe or was moved beyond explanation. I did witness others who were moved and probably searching for the meaning it brought within their own lives. Imagine if any one of the people living on Lewis Street has a love one that is sick or dying. If the image can give them pause for hope, inner peace, or the beautiful thought that Mary is with them, then I say it may not be a miracle but it sure is a good thing. Some of what I did witness was very neat, like in the song "Wonderful World". I've seen friends geeting friends, saying "How do you do?" So, I can think of worse images or perceived images that can be cast on a garage door. Let the little town of Minersville believe as they wish. This is a town derived from a long legacy of hard working people, not religious fanatics. I haven't made any other "pilgramages" to this site since my first. I'll let my own degree of faith carry me in my thoughts as what this brought forth for me, if not else, but to stop and think WHAT IF?
Back in 1999-2000 this area was visited by Jesus of Hazleton, a.k.a. Whatsyourname?, aka Carl J. Joseph.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/14/story_1467_1.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,996065,00.html?iid=chix-sphere
http://www.leisuresuit.net/Webzine/articles/christ_coaltown.shtml
He looked like Jesus (sorta, kinda), he dressed like Jesus (as far as anyone knew), and he preached messages of peace and love to anyone who would listen. Opinion was divided as to whether he was a fraud, a nut, a con artist, or someone who was genuine in his beliefs. There was a press conference with him attended by members of the local media. The most interesting image I saw was the shot of the press conference emptying out. Local reporters, cameramen, sound engineers, all filed out with beatific looks on their faces. Had they actually had a spiritually uplifting experience in the presence of this man? Or were they just amused to the point of delight by his masquerade?
I know these people are not religious fanatics, as far as I know. But really, it is just a reflection. Anything else you may feel or perceive is entirely subjective.
What amazes me the most about this phenomenon is the lengths people will go to see the supernatural, ignoring the screamingly obvious physical explanation.
Surely there is enough awe and mystery in the natural world that we don't make to make up more in our heads?
It's a wonderful world without thinking that refections on garages, shapes on grilled cheese toast or burritos resemble supposed deities.
This mysterious vision reminds me of Moses (Ex.III,2)
... only, in ths case, "the vision of the mysterious non-burning flame" is happening on an almost everyday basis, and for everyone to see ...
Is the "garage door" made of wood ?
Also, it reminds me of the King of Babylone (Dan.V,7-8,26-28).
... evidently, "the thoughts of many are getting troubled" : something is there on the wall, and again, no-one is found to give an answer ...
Francis Batt,
Paris, France
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