In the small village of Diuri in Bahar India, thousands of devoted followers believe they are witnessing the reincarnation of Durga, the sexy multi-armed Hindu mother goddess. Worshippers are showing up in droves to bring fruits and lay flowers by the goddess. A true miracle if you ask me.
But if you ask Amit Jain, a senior Bihar police officer, he has a different take on the situation. He has spoken with experts and claim that this child is not a goddess, but a baby that suffers with from a congenital defect. The extra limbs that give the infant the appearance of Durga are actually tumors.
Now I report this story because it raises a good point. How many supposed miracles in religious history are actually misperceptions by ignorant people. People have claimed to see Jesus rise from the dead, but did they really? People claimed that Jesus fed 5,000 people with a few loafs of bread and some fish, but is that what they really saw?
The list goes on and on, so I invite you to share your thoughts on this matter.
Related posts:
- Faithful Idiots Worship Virgin “Stalagmite” Mary
- Goddess Kali Leaves Hindu Man Speechless
- All Hail Hanuman, The Monkey Man
November 16th, 2006 at 3:55 am
Nice example of seeing an inch and then taking a mile. The people in the story have done it; in response, gasmonso did it too by applying the idea to the broadest spectrum possible… at least within the framework of religion. The concept itself can be applied outside of religion as well but within religion itself cannot be proven to be the case in all situations. There are still many things yet unexplained, and though I tend to believe that in every single such case there is a natural rather than supernatural explanation, there is not one person who is qualified to make that determination. Basicly I am saying that in my opinion, there isn’t much sense in trying to assert one standpoint or the other, at least for now.
Anyhow, as to this issue of misinterpretation: it’s nothing new. The fact that uneducated people can easily mistake what they don’t understand as something divine (or mistakenly attribute it to anything else unrelated for that matter) has been realized for a long, long time.
November 16th, 2006 at 4:02 am
How does one grow up in a religious country being the supposed reincarnation of a god?
November 16th, 2006 at 4:17 am
Well when one is born with a life threatening condition, perhaps not at all.
Anyways I would guess it would be extremely annoying. I can see three options: You either would exploit it, deny it outright at every opportunity, or try and do some good… probably realizing that in all likelyhood your efforts will ultimately be undone anyways.
November 16th, 2006 at 4:29 am
Recipe for miracles.
Take on unusual occorance. Add a few unknowing witnesses, stir with a dozen friend-of-a-friend stories. Simmer for several years.
Serve cold.
Side dish: religious fanatisism for that divine touch.
November 16th, 2006 at 10:20 am
How about a picture of the kid?
November 16th, 2006 at 10:30 am
well, my forbid fascination does demand a picture, however my common sense joined forces with my stomach.
Also, I couldn’t find any, maybe someone else with more googling skills?
November 16th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
That’s a really good point about how most “miracles” have an earthly explanation that’s lost on religious followers. When I took a college microbiology lab, I was able to grow colonies of blood-red bacteria from soil samples. Biochemical tests identified it as Serratia marcescens. When I wrote up a lab report, my research revealed that this bacteria, abundant in nature and capable of growing on bread, is now suspected of being behind the “blood” that appeared on the Eucharist, which led people to think of bread as the body of Christ.
November 17th, 2006 at 11:45 am
That first response kinds of bothers me. Gasmonso posts a very reasonable question and the guy sort of flames him. Sounded more than a little bit defensive.
As for the question, since I don’t believe in divinity, that is the only possible answer to me. Either lies or misunderstanding of actual events.
November 18th, 2006 at 7:10 am
I have a question for you Gasmonso. As other readers have pointed out and you have confirmed, you focus your disdain particularly on examples from Christianity. Since you reason that it is the largest religion in numbers of followers, have you in your “quest against religious idiocy” actually read the New Testement of the Bible? Word for word, Matthew through Revelation? I have just started reading your site and would gain much more insight into your views if I knew you were coming from a position of true and actual knowledge about what you are criticizing. Perhaps your arguments would be more convincing if you have.
November 18th, 2006 at 10:16 am
MichaelB,
I pick on Christianity for various reasons. It’s the most prevalent religion in the US which is where I live. I am most familiar with Christianity having studied it for 8 years in a private school growing up.
So have I read the New Testament of the Bible… yes, but admittedly it had been quite some time. I go back to the Bible on a weekly basis when researching something that I want to say or checking on what someone else wrote.
Now as for not putting more insite in to my views, well that’s another matter all together. I prefer to say just enough to spark others to write an opinion and carry forth the conversation.
gasmonso
November 19th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
You know, MichaelB, if people would have to read ALL litterature on everything just to have the right to badmouth it, scientology would be the most accepted religion of today.
but if I tell you have belive in the giant flying spagetti monster and have a 5000 page book talking about it, would you read it with a clear head and then diss it? Or would you just say: ‘GFSM is a load of bull, it’s self evident.’
Vince
November 19th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Vince, your argument holds about as much water as a fishnet. Gasmonso is not focusing his criticism on Scientology or GFSM. He knows better. Mainly because Scientology would sick their attorneys on him in a flash. As far as your GFSM analogy, lets stick with reality shall we. When you focus in on a particular subject matter, you leave yourself open to the intellectual people who find it interesting and read it, asking for credentials. I asked my question for my own information, not to insinuate that experience or indepth knowledge of the bible is a requirement for criticism, but it sure helps. I find it amusing that you mentioned scientology and religion in the same sentence. Anyone who knows anything about L. Ron Hubbard can see how ludicrous that is.
Gasmonso, in your quest and in looking at various religions and their “freaks”, do you find it interesting that Jesus never wrote a single word about himself? Not a single letter? All of his teachings were written down by his followers at different times, and by very different types of men. This Paul guy was highly educated, basically an expert in Jewish law. He was in the business of putting christians to death wasn’t he. I guess that little meeting on the road to Damascus must have been pretty intense.
November 19th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
As for Scientology, I avoid it not for fear of lawsuits, but for a lack of respect. Scientology is nothing more than a ridiculous cult lacking the tiniest shred of credibility.
That’s not to say that I have a lot of respect for the other major religions, its just that I have so little for Scientology.
Now if there’s a Scientologist here, please contact me (not sue me). I definitely would like to hear from you.
gasmonso
November 19th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Talk about being rediculous, how about Joseph Smith’s little story about the majic glasses etc,. The basis of the book of mormonism is complete idiocy. Not quite as rediculous as Scientology. Yet another “religion” dreamed up and written down by one guy trying to make a buck. Unfortunately, when you look at the number of misled followers of these two cuties, it stops being rediculous and starts being pretty grave. Which leads me to ask again what Gasmonso thinks about the second paragraph of my previous post.
November 19th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
Michael, are you asking if I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t write about himself?
November 19th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
Hehehe, you tell me my argument doesn’t hold because I talk about Scientology, and Scientology is evidently a scam.
Wow, it’s like you are saying Christianity is somehow more respectable because it’s authors weren’t alive a couple years ago to make public asses of themselves?
Get a clue, ALL religions are the same, a bit of good sense inundated with idiocy and of course the imaginary friend in the heavens.
November 22nd, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Naerys you know little about religions really! To say their all the same shows your lack of knowledge and intelligence.
What is true is that all share simularities, but differ with their own their message.
Your comments show nothing, I don’t give a flying spagetti f*ck what you think of religion. Your never know going to find out anyway what its all about. You shown absolutely no respect for anyones faith with your comments with michaelB
I don’t understand your logic with the whole “Christianity is somehow more respectable because it’s authors weren’t alive a couple years ago to make public asses of themselves?”
Christianity has lasted 2 thousand years, not 2 years (try looking up what “couple” means) Its upto you what you find respectable, but surely the length of history in our existance is an example of its own validity within culture. How about its moral stance, its ultimately a peaceful act apon humanity. Is this a bad thing..get you priorities right! Christians promoting peace and love to one another. Your Saying that jesus’s followers are making asses of themselves, this only shows that you prefer if they were corrupting men to do bad stuff or say nothing, just let society carry on and behave like the apes they think their related to.
Who do you respect then, you have no respect for history and anything good in this world. Did your folks teach you anything about respect. Or is that come from your scummy mates at school.
If your not a kid I appogise its just that your acting like a child who just want to fight everyone you don’t agree with.
The only one making a “Public ass of themselves” is you.!
November 23rd, 2006 at 1:01 am
“To say their all the same shows your lack of knowledge and intelligence.”
last chance, what you dont understand is to an atheist, most religions are pretty much the same. They all force you to take a blind leap of faith. And you completely misunderstood neary’s post. He was referencing L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer who created scientology, maybe you should read thoroughly before you react so rashly.
November 23rd, 2006 at 9:56 am
“Christianity has lasted 2 thousand years, not 2 years (try looking up what “couple†means) Its upto you what you find respectable, but surely the length of history in our existance is an example of its own validity within culture. How about its moral stance, its ultimately a peaceful act apon humanity. Is this a bad thing..get you priorities right! Christians promoting peace and love to one another. Your Saying that jesus’s followers are making asses of themselves, this only shows that you prefer if they were corrupting men to do bad stuff or say nothing, just let society carry on and behave like the apes they think their related to.”
Most of you xtian types think mormonism is just as ridiculous as scientology, because it was made 200 years ago. 200, 20, or 2000… the concepts as well as the origins are all the same. I really don’t see the difference. Do you really think one is more valid than another? 2000 years of followers proves absolutely nothing about validity, only that people prefer to ( or were forced into ) belief in xtianity over anything else.
As far as the messages go, some vary, but I don’t think mormonism or scientology are any less peaceful than xtianity. Of course, the message also has nothing to do with validity. In fact, it only goes to serve my point that the nicest religion to believe, will get more followers.
November 23rd, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Ok you are blind to the fact christianity has lasted an incredible length of time and in your eyes its all lies.
How about the amount of followers that it currently has, multiplied by this obscene length of time. Still lies?, people need substance or proof. surely their not all sheep that a pretcher is sending down a blind alley.
What motives them to stay…….the religion/pretcher being nice
Or actually experiencing god and recieving his love. The first is what you see looking though the window. The second one is the actual foundations of religon. If there is no truth, the foundations will not be strong enough to last this length of time. I see it differently and its not based on what your told at all. I rather go straight to the big guy than let anyone tell me what to think. This also applies to the bible, If god wants to tell me something go right ahead, I’m eager to find out.
I don’t need to hear what god did for someone else back in the old days. I’m eager to experience it for myself today. This is the only way your ever going to find out, what its really out there. Look for the foundations.
Sadly you must see from the eyes of a believer to know the difference and why people call themselves followers. Is this beyond you I don’t know. You might need a pretcher at the start, but ultimately its all for experiencing god, not some boring pretcher reading out passages from the bible. (The ones that sends you to sleep at the back of the church.)
November 23rd, 2006 at 2:22 pm
Trust isnt a democracy. Just because a lot of people believe it doesnt make it true. Dont forget that we know alot more about the world around us than the people who created christianity so long ago to explain the world. Id also like to say i spent 4 years of my life(im 19) trying to find god, I went to preachers and friends along with other believers. Then i finally realized IT WAS ALL IN THEIR HEADS.
November 23rd, 2006 at 8:03 pm
Its good to hear that you went looking for the answers, most people are very quick to dismiss the idea of it being true as its too much to take in and sounds like a fairy tale.
In a way when you say its all in their heads, is funny as thats a element of your experience with god, though your mind. Nonethless I know what you mean. As a youngster I’ve walk into a church and sit there watching others get into it, still sitting there expecting to suddenly to be amazed with this experience. Sadly it didn’t came. In my eyes its was all in their heads!! Yeah when I was your age, I never actually felt nothing, zero all fantasy. But I respected it for what it meant to people.
In a way its though experiencing the bad things in life you learn more about the spiritual environment we live in. After hanging around in the wrong crowd and years of drug abuse, I started realised that I had no control over my life anymore, like it was being malpulated and I needed help. I had no one to turn to and saw myself confessing everything I done within a church gathering. What surprised me is that they never judged me a sinner at all. All they wanted was to bring me salvation with jesus, so they preyed. I felt here goes! preyed and something wierd happened to me and I felt all this sin or bad energy that was surpressing me lifted out of mybody and then this thing came back in, it was the word of god. Freaky shit!!!
It was this spiritual experience that has been my corner stone of my faith. Even though I didn’t care about myself and hated the world, jesus cared and put the love back in my heart. Amazing
Your right its all in my head and when I hear voices, I smile because I’m proud to be a jesus freak.
November 25th, 2006 at 12:45 am
I think religious folk sometimes come here to test their faith and maybe win a personal moral victory or two.
November 25th, 2006 at 3:44 pm
Think what you like about me, I’m not testing nothing. I know whats out there! Its wheither you gonna listen to me or not.
Remember the site is based on religious freaks, so what are you expecting?
November 25th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
It’s true, the relative nature of this site is to further a deeper understanding of the Religious Freaks. But Freaks is a very negative connotation; and the general conscensus around here, is that Religion is a plauge on humanity as a whole.
It is the sole reason people feel prejudice and hatred the world over. (I won’t even go INTO the past, cause that shitstorm makes me very angry to think about) You people shun ANYTHING that is not the true path, and try to bend society’s laws to exclude and alienate anyone who thinks different. In fact, you go so far as to OPPOSE and RECEDE scientific advance.
I’m glad the internet and this site is here, because we will have the chance to show that meaning, love and empathy can exist without Jesus, Churches or God.
November 27th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
“”I think religious folk sometimes come here to test their faith and maybe win a personal moral victory or two.”"
same goes for us atheists. At least some of us.
“”Ok you are blind to the fact christianity has lasted an incredible length of time and in your eyes its all lies.”"
hmm, maybe you should look into what Christianity was like when it first emerged and compare that to modern christianity. The point behind all this reasoning is merely to show how Christianity isn’t any more ‘right’ then any other random religion.
“”How about the amount of followers that it currently has, multiplied by this obscene length of time. “”
“”Still lies?, people need substance or proof.”"
Nooooo, people need insurance and comforting to accept something as ‘truth’, or as i’ve seen mentioned here in a new concept ’subjective thruth.’
“”surely their not all sheep that a pretcher is sending down a blind alley.”"
I’m don’t think I need to comment here.
“”In fact, you go so far as to OPPOSE and RECEDE scientific advance. “”
To elaborate, people opposed to Genetic enginering and Stemcell research, claiming that we ’should not play god’
“”I’m glad the internet and this site is here, because we will have the chance to show that meaning, love and empathy can exist without Jesus, Churches or God.”"
wow, if not the huge undertone of irony, coming from you, that would be a very, very good quote.
November 27th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
also, question, we don’t have [quote] [/quote] marks do we? we could use them….
December 18th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
As for the miracles of Jesus, we know that the New Testament writing are reliable historical documents. It’s one thing for village idiots to say that a baby is a multi-armed God, but its another thing for a doctor/ historian (Luke), and an educated philospher/religious genius (Paul) to say that a man fed 5,000 people and that that same man rose from the dead. Who would you believe?
December 19th, 2006 at 12:23 am
Uh…
Neither.
December 19th, 2006 at 12:48 am
As for the miracles of Jesus, we know that the New Testament writing are reliable historical documents.
There is so much wrong with the idea that the New Testament is a history book that I can’t even think of a good place to start on that. Sufice to say that the writings about Jesus have no more validity than the Epic of Gilgamesh as historical documents.
It’s one thing for village idiots to say that a baby is a multi-armed God
That one thing being sick and sad…
but its another thing for a doctor/ historian (Luke), and an educated philospher/religious genius (Paul) to say that a man fed 5,000 people and that that same man rose from the dead. Who would you believe?
My History teacher, Professor McKinnon was a doctor/ historian, and he told me that Jesus was bunk and that the right way to go was atheism. Neiche was a philospher that said that god is dead. I don’t know how you become a religious genius, but… lets see… L. Ron Hubbard has a religion and was a certified genius, and he said that the problems of men and our thoughts on religion were because of brainwashed alien souls in our bodies. Just because you have a witness(that’s generous given that we aren’t really sure who wrote the Evangelicals) with credentials doesn’t mean their testimony is credible.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:18 am
is god not supposed to be be in everything and all around? in ourselves, nature, deformed infant maybe?
if you can be so tongue-in-cheek about everything, i’d like to know what about the hindu religion do you take seriously. Or does your website get more hits if you just diss everything…”sexy” multi- armed hindu goddess included.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Re post 31, that depends on your particular god myth. God is apparently “supposed” to be varied and often conflicting things, but in reality, is not.
Regarding what about any religion to take seriously, why “take” religion at all (except perhaps to debunk its nonsense, a purpose for which this site often serves well)?
Religion is ridiculous.