Tuesday, November 5, 2013

A Short History Of Sightings Of Jesus

By Alyce Powell


In some religions, it's easier for adherents to believe because they can actually see the object or person that they're worshiping. It becomes more difficult when the god cannot be seen and devotees often create objects that are a visual manifestation of that god, such as the statues of Hindu deities. Some Christians have visions of the Virgin Mary or of Christ. While there is serious doubt about how real, for example, sightings of Jesus are, these visions do have the power to strengthen people's faith.

The first instances of people seeing Christ are generally regarded as being true and they form a major part of what the Christian faith is based on. These events took place in the days and weeks after Christ was crucified. When some of His closest friends visited His tomb a few days after the burial, they found that it was empty and soon He started appearing to His disciples and others. The idea that He was resurrected is very important in Christianity. However, in those early days there were also some skeptics, such as the disciple who afterwards became known as Doubting Thomas.

In the early days of Christianity, several people who had been worshiping other gods had visions of Christ and then converted to Christianity. They include Saul of Tarsus, who was notorious at the time for persecuting the followers of Jesus. After the Son of God appeared to him, he converted and became known as the Apostle Paul, who eventually died for his beliefs.

Some theologians believe that Christ had appeared to people long before He had walked the Earth. For example, it has been suggested that the angel that Jacob wrestled in the Old Testament was in fact the Son of God. Another possible vision of Jesus is the fourth man who was seen in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and prevented them from being burnt.

The Catholic Church believed in some of the visions of Christ and the people who had these visions were sainted. It's also in the Catholic Cathedral of Turin that a very famous object bearing the image of Jesus is displayed. The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the one that Christ's body was wrapped in since it shows markings that look like the body of a man who died on a cross.

These days there are many supposed sightings of Christ. His image is often found in everyday objects. In fact, everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to X-rays have borne images that could be interpreted as looking like Jesus.

With the advent of cellphones that have a video function, it's become easier to record events on the spot. Some of these events are supposed appearances of Christ. You can have a look online to see whether you believe these visions are real.

With so many supposed sightings of Jesus in everyday objects these days, it's difficult to decide which ones are true. Sometimes people create these images simply as a hoax and often seeing Christ in a blotch on a piece of toast requires quite a vivid imagination. For those who do believe in the veracity of these images, however, they often find that their faith becomes stronger.




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