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	<title>Comments on: Worst. Paraeidolia. Evah.</title>
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	<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/</link>
	<description>I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog.</description>
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		<title>By: BenM</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/comment-page-1/#comment-27405</link>
		<dc:creator>BenM</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jan 2007 22:08:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/#comment-27405</guid>
		<description>I&#039;d like to nominate a new contender for the title Worst Paraeidolia Evah.  People in Morton Texas see the Virgin Mary in an icicle formation in a grocery store freezer.

It looks like an icicle stalagmite to me.

http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/local_story_013094125.html</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;d like to nominate a new contender for the title Worst Paraeidolia Evah.  People in Morton Texas see the Virgin Mary in an icicle formation in a grocery store freezer.</p>
<p>It looks like an icicle stalagmite to me.</p>
<p><a href="http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/local_story_013094125.html" rel="nofollow">http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/local_story_013094125.html</a></p>
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		<title>By: icemith</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/comment-page-1/#comment-27404</link>
		<dc:creator>icemith</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jan 2007 12:06:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/#comment-27404</guid>
		<description>I&#039;m sad to say it was on the TV news a few days ago. That I saw, but did not notice any other mention elsewhere and to be frank, promptly forgot about it.

I am surprised that it rated a mention here though.

Ivan.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m sad to say it was on the TV news a few days ago. That I saw, but did not notice any other mention elsewhere and to be frank, promptly forgot about it.</p>
<p>I am surprised that it rated a mention here though.</p>
<p>Ivan.</p>
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		<title>By: Trevor Wood</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/comment-page-1/#comment-27403</link>
		<dc:creator>Trevor Wood</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:15:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/#comment-27403</guid>
		<description>Must admit we have a few crazies down under but as for Australia abuzz - this website was the first and only reference I&#039;ve seen! Maybe tonight&#039;s national news? Guess we have our quiet news days too!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Must admit we have a few crazies down under but as for Australia abuzz &#8211; this website was the first and only reference I&#8217;ve seen! Maybe tonight&#8217;s national news? Guess we have our quiet news days too!</p>
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		<title>By: G Birch</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/comment-page-1/#comment-27402</link>
		<dc:creator>G Birch</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jan 2007 04:50:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/#comment-27402</guid>
		<description>Michelle said,
&quot;You know, I already had someone tell me that if you see someone else than Jesus or Mary in one of these things, itâ€™s just because you lack faith.&quot;

That is exactly right. You do not have &quot;faith&quot; if you do not suspend rational thought. Dictionary dot com lists one of the definitions of faith as &quot;belief that is not based on proof&quot; No matter how much evidence there is that shows all of these imaginary faces are simply a random pattern, certain people are going to believe it is a holy messiah or saint. Its just like a cloud in the sky that looks like a house, or a mountain on another planet that looks like a face. Its called personification, and it is a normal human trait.

What I don&#039;t understand is why/how people are raised to believe that things like this must be the virgin Mary or Jesus. I grew up Christian, but I must have slept that day in bible class.

Speaking of, there&#039;s a video story on CNN&#039;s website about a knotty growth on a tree in Florida looks like the face of Jesus. While I do agree that it does (sort of) look like it has eyes and a nose and maybe a beard, I just can&#039;t see how it must be divine intervention. Its just a growth.

http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&amp;etMailToID=1474083935&amp;pt=Y

From the video, a man says,
&quot;Jesus don&#039;t pop up like that. If you know the word of Jesus and believe in Jesus, then there you go. There&#039;s proof. He does exist.&quot;
How can you argue with logic like that?!?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Michelle said,<br />
&#8220;You know, I already had someone tell me that if you see someone else than Jesus or Mary in one of these things, itâ€™s just because you lack faith.&#8221;</p>
<p>That is exactly right. You do not have &#8220;faith&#8221; if you do not suspend rational thought. Dictionary dot com lists one of the definitions of faith as &#8220;belief that is not based on proof&#8221; No matter how much evidence there is that shows all of these imaginary faces are simply a random pattern, certain people are going to believe it is a holy messiah or saint. Its just like a cloud in the sky that looks like a house, or a mountain on another planet that looks like a face. Its called personification, and it is a normal human trait.</p>
<p>What I don&#8217;t understand is why/how people are raised to believe that things like this must be the virgin Mary or Jesus. I grew up Christian, but I must have slept that day in bible class.</p>
<p>Speaking of, there&#8217;s a video story on CNN&#8217;s website about a knotty growth on a tree in Florida looks like the face of Jesus. While I do agree that it does (sort of) look like it has eyes and a nose and maybe a beard, I just can&#8217;t see how it must be divine intervention. Its just a growth.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&amp;etMailToID=1474083935&amp;pt=Y" rel="nofollow">http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&amp;etMailToID=1474083935&amp;pt=Y</a></p>
<p>From the video, a man says,<br />
&#8220;Jesus don&#8217;t pop up like that. If you know the word of Jesus and believe in Jesus, then there you go. There&#8217;s proof. He does exist.&#8221;<br />
How can you argue with logic like that?!?</p>
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		<title>By: Troy</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/comment-page-1/#comment-27401</link>
		<dc:creator>Troy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:51:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/#comment-27401</guid>
		<description>Looks to me like Asmodeus (please refer to your Monster Manual under &quot;Devil&quot;), ruler of the 9th plane of Hell, a.k.a. &quot;The Devil&quot;.  Spanish conquistador I like as well :-).</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Looks to me like Asmodeus (please refer to your Monster Manual under &#8220;Devil&#8221;), ruler of the 9th plane of Hell, a.k.a. &#8220;The Devil&#8221;.  Spanish conquistador I like as well <img src='http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> .</p>
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		<title>By: Keith</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/comment-page-1/#comment-27400</link>
		<dc:creator>Keith</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:50:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/#comment-27400</guid>
		<description>Looks more like Che to me.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Looks more like Che to me.</p>
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		<title>By: DennyMo</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/comment-page-1/#comment-27399</link>
		<dc:creator>DennyMo</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/01/09/worst-paraeidolia-evah/#comment-27399</guid>
		<description>According to NPR, the Sunnis in Iraq were calling each other telling them to go look at the moon over the weekend, because Saddam Hussein&#039;s image was appearing there.  See, Christians aren&#039;t the only goofy paraeidoliaists out there...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>According to NPR, the Sunnis in Iraq were calling each other telling them to go look at the moon over the weekend, because Saddam Hussein&#8217;s image was appearing there.  See, Christians aren&#8217;t the only goofy paraeidoliaists out there&#8230;</p>
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