How's That For An Encore?

Posted by Nicholas  If you are in the mood to gasp at human credulity, go take a look at one of the articles featured at Memeorandum.    Remember the last Pope, John-Paul II?  Well we all thought he was dead, and so he is, but it seems that he has made a comeback.   He appeared in a bonfire, or rather his flaming silhouette did, in Poland on the second anniversary of his death.  Now, I would have thought that being the Pope, keeper of the keys, heir to St Peter and all that, would mean that you were pretty well connected.  You’d have a special place Up There, travelling first class to the cloud of your choice. And, surely, if you wanted to appear to the living you could do better than a quick flash in a bonfire.  Ordinary mortals, when they snuff it and cease to be mortal,  may hover about as wraiths and shadows, but Popes should at least rate full fledged materialisations in front of thousands of people.  I thought that Popes were just one step down from You-Know-Who.  Surely they can do better than a quick flicker atop a bonfire....
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It’s so sad really.  This configuration of flames must have appeared for a fraction of a second.  It isn’t anyone reappearing.  It’s just a bonfire, that’s all.  Like all so called supernatural phenomena, it is just a projection of what we want to see, and some people see the old chap raising his right in greeting.  Or are they seeing him from behind as he raises his left hand?  Myself, I see my late old Auntie Doris, swatting at mosquitoes as she shuffles down to the pub in one of her big flappy skirts. It could be her, though why she would reappear in Poland is beyond me, except that geography  was never her strong suit. Now some people have apparently drawn comfort from old JP2 popping out of the flames for a millisecond, and that’s up to them.  In fact it’s almost endearing.  Until you remember that people who believe that sort of thing also have the right to vote.  Then it becomes alarming.

Comments

[P-momma]

"I thought that Popes were just one step down from You-Know-Who."
Lord Voldemort? :)

Seriously, though...Catholics are just unbelievable when it comes to their fast-and-furious designation of miracles. I always thought that, by default, miracles didn't happen often. But, between the tortillas, the wood grained doors, and now camp fires, the miracles just keep piling up. ;)

[No Nonsense girl]

As a practicing but moderate/rational catholic, I have to say I don't believe that type of things. Not more than the bleeding statues or the apparition of the virgin Mary everwhere. I'm a skeptic. :)

[No Nonsense girl]

p-momma,

You should say the catholic church, because not all catholic believe in this. :)

[samulli]

Man, aren't religious people funny! All I see in this picture are flames that form a vaguely human shape. Besides, if this is supposed to be the Pope waving, it would appear to me that his arm is chopped off at the elbow...
Personally, this interpretation of a purely coincidental figuration of flames, which as you rightly pointed out, have probably only occured for a split second, makes me wonder more about the people who "saw" the pope in it. I mean: he appeared in a bonfire. Isn't that just a little bit strange? Does that mean, those people subconsciously believe the pope ought to burn in hell? Also, the only connection between catholics and bonfires that springs to my mind is their penchant for burning witches and heretics at the stake. So, if the pope appears in a bonfire, to me that opens all kinds of possibilities for interpretation - none of them too flattering for the guy. :)
Besides, I had really hoped that we were out of the Middle Ages by now and that even people who still believe in a fairytale like the bible would have grown up enough to have some notion of what is happening in the real world. Looks like I was overly optimistic again. *sigh*

[amypalko]

Do you know, Nicholas, if people really want to see something, they will, and no amount of rational intervention will sway their conviction. I do like the thought of your Auntie turning up in Poland, though ;-)

[Wylie Kinson]

Now me? I saw Liz Taylor waving to fans wearing a muumuu.
Does that mean I have to build a church in her honor??

It always stuns me how gullible 'believers' are. Thanks for turning something that made me shake my head in disbelieving disgust into something I can laugh about.

[Hill]

Awesome post!!!

Rock on, baby.

:)