'Virgin Mary' on US motorway wall

[NYC Liberal]

Oh boy :eyes:

Hundreds have flocked to a motorway underpass in the US city of Chicago to view a stain on a concrete wall many say is an image of the Virgin Mary.

Police have been patrolling the emergency turnoff area under the city's Kennedy Expressway, where the faithful have taken flowers and candles.

"We believe it's a miracle," a woman told the Associated Press agency. "We have faith and we can see her face."

But the authorities say the image is likely to be a stain caused by salt.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4468275.stm|Link>

[vi5]

1. Are we allowed to point out that these people are nuts?

Or would that be "christian bashing"? I wouldn't want to offend anyone's sensibilities by pointing out that people seeing things on freeway underpasses might be a little off their rocker.

[mopaul]

3. now now, don't 'bash' these fine religious folks

don't laugh at them, criticise them, make fun of them or point out the obvious about them.

i see them as sad, and just a little dangerous.

[B3Nut]

5. At least the candles

might make the underpass smell better for a bit. ;) Some cultures turn superstition into an art form....Americans turn superstition into a traffic hazard. ;)

Todd in Beerbratistan

[Inland]

12. Actually, you MUST personally post at least three times on this.

It's a new GD requirement.

[mopaul]

13. spank my butt and call me charly

[-..__...]

17. They'd really wig out...

if someone went down there with some concrete sealer and stain resistant paint and gave the "vision" a make-over.

[Atlas Mugged]

2. Nope - that's Thor's wang.

And, if I remember correctly, it's a lifesize representation.

[China_cat]

4. Looks like a water stain

with a green vagina in the middle.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

6. Now THAT would be worth seeing! n/t

[kiki]

7. "a stain caused by salt"

Maybe it's Lot's wife.

[FreedomAngel82]

34. LOL

Maybe these people should be informed. ;) I wonder how they'd think if it's Lot's wife and not Mary.

[trotsky]

8. People starving & being killed in war,

children dying from cancer and numerous other diseases, pain and suffering everywhere, and God intervenes with a miracle in the form of...




...a salt stain on a wall.

If I were religious, I'd be pissed.

[Fescue4u]

11. exactly..

"If I were religious, I'd be pissed."

Calling this a miracle really tends to water down the word miracle imo.

[October]

31. Thank you, Trotsky...well said eom

[notadmblnd]

9. Now who's going to clean up that mess?

these people should be ticketed for littering.

[Fescue4u]

10. You know...Im a christian

I believe in God and I really tend to get annoyed at all the Christin bashing that occurs here....in Fact I see more bashing of Christians on this board than anyplace else I can think of.

BUT!...I find this a little nutty myself.

[notadmblnd]

27. perhaps when "Christians" stop shoving their version of god

down my throat, then I'll play nice with them. Respect is a two way street. I'm so tired of their sanctimonious self righteous, my god is better than yours attitude that I could just puke. Their relationship with god should be just that... theirs.

Most people I've met who claim to be Christian (and yes I was raised in church) have more hate in their hearts than the spawn of Satan himself!

[Fescue4u]

29. And someone comes along and proves my point.

and for that I thank you.

Friend, it sounds like you've got a little bit of hate brewing there yourself (said in the spirit of friendly constructive critism, not confrontation)

I DO understand your angst, but I would ask you not to paint all Christians with the same broad brush.

But I wasnt really trying to start a hate christian subthread.. I just wrote that portion of my post to qualify that I think that the folks referenced in the story are a bit nutty.

/peace

[notadmblnd]

30. Perhaps you are right.

But I'm not the one claiming to be Christ-like.

on edit: Just what did I say that sounded hateful? That fake christians make me want to puke? I wasn't bashin REAL christians and I believe REAL christians know this and instead of trying to inflame people a REAL christian would have taken comfort in their belief of Christs teachings.

[FreedomAngel82]

36. You didn't read what the person wrote did you?

No. They're telling the truth. I'm Christian and even I know this! In my church a family friend told my brother, during the election, that anybody in her neighborhood who had a John Kerry sign in their yard was going to be shot! WTF?! This was right before church too. :mad: And then you have the Terri Schavio protestors sending DEATH THREATS to people because they went with the law. So yes, Christians can be hateful.

[Fescue4u]

38. Of course

// yes, Christians can be hateful.//

I don't think I suggested otherwise.

[FreedomAngel82]

35. It's just like

the virgin mary cheese toast. :eyes: My brother saw it and he thought it looked more like Marylin Monroe. lol.

[RebelOne]

14. There's a sucker born every day. n/t

[goondogger]

15. Reminds me of . . .

that one time I ate some bad sushi and squozed out a turd that looked just like Kim Bassinger. All I can say is the lord works in mysterious ways.

P.S. Heya MHR, welcome.

[-..__...]

16. Jesus just left Chicago...

"and he's bound for New Orleans.
Well now, Jesus just left Chicago and he's bound for New Orleans.
Yeah, yeah.
Workin' from one end to the other and all points in between."

[foreigncorrespondent]

18. Oh brother!

No amount of words can describe the insanity in these people!

[mainer]

19. I'm trying really hard to see it, but I just can't

Is there something wrong with me?

[FreedomAngel82]

37. You're not alone

I don't see it and showed a friend and she doesn't see it either. :shrug:

[Maru Kitteh]

45. If you will notice it seems to be mostly hispanics coming to see this

salt stain and you are also more likely to see pop shrines like this "appear" in hispanic countries and neighborhoods. I would attribute it to the images they're familiar with mixed with folklore and a lower average level of education. It's harmless mostly, and it gives many people some comfort in a really f'd up world. I think people who find meaning in Survivor and The Bachelor have bigger problems than these people, but that's just MHO.



http://198.62.75.1/www1/apparitions/http:/gua.gif

[SammyWinstonJack]

20. I don't see the resemblance?

:shrug:

[NYC Liberal]

21. They were just doing it on it on NBC and you should see the reporter!

He goes, "But you know, you DO have to admit, it does resemble Mary, and maybe this is a sign of some sort."

This is the NBC REPORTER

:puke:

[FreedomAngel82]

39. So if

a wiccan or Buddist had one of their religious figures show up in a wall would anybody report on it? Hell no. So please report real news and not this bullshit.

[Jacobin]

22. A statue of Buddha was floating in the toilet bowl this morning

Should I post it for sale on ebay?

Just askin

[Kazak]

23. At least...

nobody can list this on ebay. :eyes:

[grumpy old fart]

24. Man there are some loonies in this country....the Talibush gotta luv it...

I mean, what an illustration of how pliable sheeple can be.....

[KittyWampus]

25. To All DU'ers Mocking This- Would You Mock A Picture Of Someone's Beloved?

The image isn't as easily made out in this photo but is definately there if you look at the other photos and use your imagination.

What difference does it make if it's an image of a beloved figure seen in a water stain, captured in a photograph or rendered in a drawing?

What is important here is the spirit of what the image represents and the emotional outpouring it inspires.

These people are displaying reverance for the Female Principle, something that is under attack daily in the modern world.

The image draws people together to express some positive energy.

Isn't that a good thing?

So what it's a water stain. It could be a stained glass window in a church or painting in a museum or statue in a garden.

Would you think someone was insane for carrying a photo of their spouse and kids in their wallet?

Would you laugh at someone who has a photo of their family on their work desk?

Would you mock someone who travels with a photo of their beloved and puts it next to their bed in a hotel room?

I did that when traveling to Germany, brought a pix of my cat and put it next to my bed.

The 'insane' or out-of-balance behavior isn't people taking time out of their daily lives to gather with others who want peace and healing and a touch of the sacred in the world.

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. If it was so dissimilar an image as that - yes

at least, if I knew them well. If I didn't, I'd try to suggest, kindly, that they see a psychologist. Seeing "the virgin Mary" in that stain smacks of desperation. From a religious point of view, it also smacks of idol worship.

My final parting with Christianity came about due to something like this. Shown a picture of some black and white patterns in a photocopy of a picture of snow, and asked what we saw, I thought "a man with a beard" and all the good Christians around me obediently chorused "Jesus". It's brainwashing when any flowing stain becomes a specific woman from 2000 years ago, and anything with a beard becomes Jesus.

[KittyWampus]

41. Idol Worship Is Worshiping The Actual THING. These People Are NOT

worshiping the damn water stain.

They're expressing reverence for the Virgin Mary or Divine Feminine.

And there are other photos that show the image more clearly.

Again, it's a matter of using ones Imagination- an aspect of ourselves closely linked to the Virgin Mary and our Subconscious.

I can understand making lighthearted fun of seeing something in a water stain that would inspire strong emotion. My issue is with those who can't be bothered to really SEE what's going on, use the occasion to trash those who care about finding some sacredness in everday life and get pretty nasty and hurtful.

[grumpy old fart]

43. We have got to stop enabling these people...you are worshiping at a.......

FREAKING WATER STAIN. Where do these people come from? The watchers, protesters, at the MJ trial, the Peterson trial, etc...these people need help. Someone needs to tell them this is wacko behavior, not enable them by saying, "well, yes, I guess God put that stain there", or "Yes, MJ is a god."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. Makes about as much sense as the "Virgin" Mary or the trinity.

"The bible is a book with some beautiful poetry, a bloodstained history, a wealth of obscenity, and upwards of 10,000 lies." - Mark Twain

[spanone]

28. Who set up the nearby Kool-Aid stand?......wackos, one and all.

[FreedomAngel82]

33. Uhm wha?

I just see a big stain on the wall. :shrug: Our country is so backwards.

[Arkana]

40. Yep, salt and wino piss

These people are batshit crazy. Yeah, that's right--I called them batshit crazy.

[xpat]

42. Which end of the virgin is it supposed to be? n/t

[Greylyn58]

44. Not to insult anyone who believes in this sort of thing

but, I'm always of the opinion that people who see God, or the Virgin on walls or in cheese sandwiches must be disappointed in life and feel the need to search for something to make it better.

I consider myself a Christian, but I gotta say all I saw when I looked at that picture was a water stain.

[muriel_volestrangler]

47. I'm sure I can see an image of Karl Marx in your dog's fur

the ear is the head - you can see two eyes (it's a half profile, facing towards the left and down). Or maybe it's Charles Darwin - bushy eyebrows. Anyway, there's a bushy beard beneath the face. Try squinting. I'm sure this is a sign ...

[petronius]

49. What's even weirder

is that if you look real closely at that dog you can actually see a cat. I think it's a sign of impending global harmony! (For what it's worth, I glanced back up at the dog after reading your subject line, without reading your text, and I picked out the 'head' too - it doesn't take much suggestion with these things...)

[alcibiades_mystery]

46. Whenever I see such things I get a hankering for

[genieroze]

48. It doesn't look like the Virgin Mary to me.