Weeping Statues
[Some attempts at deception are just so terrible, a magician wouldn’t even touch them. Here’s one of em.]
Weeping Statues
Recently, a statue of the Virgin Mary has been discovered to be bleeding from the head. Bleeding and weeping statues are nothing new- but it is difficult to see why believers find them such a positive and convincing part of their faith. Let’s take a look.
Why the Trick Sucks
Lame Miracle: As far as the miracle is concerned- this one is pretty lame. The blood/tears aren’t streaming out of the statues in any impressive manner. It looks just like someone just smeared some blood down Mary’s cheek. And yet this is supposedly a miracle from the heavens? Before we assume that- shouldn’t we check that the gardener isn’t just painting ketchup across the church’s holy statues when nobody is looking? Or that the local kids aren’t playing a prank? Or that a bird with a heavy diet of raspberries didn’t just take an incredibly convient time to relieve itself?
Not Devine Blood: The tests aren’t yet in on this current case- but most of the time, the blood of these bleeding statues turns out to be animal blood. Or in this Italian case of a bleeding Mary statue, the blood turned out to be male blood! Scientists find the tears of such statues to be cooking oil mixed with water, or some similar domestic concoction. Not exactly what you would expect from the divine.
Needless Suffering: Believers flock to these statues to pray and worship. Why? What type of person, or deity, would want to celebrate suffering? Blood and endless tears aren’t things to be revered- they are things to be prevented. This isn’t a message which resonates with anybody except the “in-group” of the devout. If god is expecting to gain an expecting these messages to gain him a greater audience, he should have chosen a less depressing trick.
So Ask Yourself
What is more likely- that these statues really are bleeding and weeping tears from heaven, (which always resemble mundane earthly liquids), or that mere mortals are faking such unimpressive publicity stunts with simple, equally unimpressive means?
This isn’t a good miracle. It’s not even a good trick. Blood appears on a statue when no-one is looking? Key word- “when no-one is looking!”
Don’t be fooled.