For Atheists-- Egypt 1968 Mary Apparition

Lucas10101

I came across this event in history, where apparently in Egypt, there was an apparition of Mary that lasted a while on top of a Basilica. It was apparently viewed by over 1 million people, and the President of Egypt witenessed this apparition as well. It contained a halo, and looked like the virgin Mary. Apparently, doves flew around her head from time to time and diamond like lights were also visible. There were many sightings between the period 1968-1972. As an atheist myself, I don't know if this is the virgin Mary or just a ghost, or a hoax, I haven't found any definitive article on the internet. But with the large volume of people who witnessed it, was it a hoax or can it be genuine. There were investigations from a 15 mile radius to find any source that could have been used to oax it, but none was found Here's an article and accompanying picture of the event.

http://holymothermary.org/apparitions/zeitourn.htm

What's your take on this?

JimiTime

If I may. Heres how it went. You see Del Boy purchased some paint from trigger, but didn't realise it was luminous......

Dades

Lucas10101 wrote: »

What's your take on this?

What would you expect an atheist take to be? Or a Hindu or a Scientology one for that matter? :pac:

Obviously it was some other optical illusion or hoax, but since it happened so long ago, and none of us were there, it would be kinda futile to speculate much more than that.

You would get more interesting and varied answers in Christianity tbh.

Galvasean

That photo on the linked site doesn't really look like a photo.

redfacedbear

Apparently 80% of the people who went to see the moving statues around Ireland in 1986 claimed to have seen the things move.

Just because a large number of people claim to have seen something doesn't necessarily make it so.

seamus

David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear in front of a live audience and millions of television viewers.

Do you think that the statue actually disappeared?

Pompey Magnus

It contained a halo, and looked like the virgin Mary.

I'm always interested to know how people know that it was the Virgin Mary considering that no-one actually knows what she looked like. How do they know that it wasn't Athena or Aphrodite or any other goddess?

As the halo is not an original Christian symbol but a later Christian artistic reference to the pagan Deus Sol Invictus I am thinking that this was not Mary but was most likely a pagan sun goddess. As it was in Egypt I am guessing it may have been Isis, the mother of Horus the local sun god.

All hail mighty Isis the Star of the Sea, Light-Giver of Heaven, Mother of the Gods and Queen of Heaven.

Zillah

No really guys, there is photographic proof. Caption reads "Photo of the apparition of the Virgin with the Infant Jesus Christ in Her arms":









Is it one of those magic eye pictures or something? Does it come with special goggles?

Also, check out this 100% genuine photo of "luminous heavenly beings":










More "info" here and here.

monkeyfudge

Zillah wrote: »

No really guys, there is photographic proof. Caption reads "Photo of the apparition of the Virgin with the Infant Jesus Christ in Her arms":

Wait... so Jesus is a baby again? How does that work out?

I would have thought they'd have had better cameras in 1968 too....

MrPudding

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Wait... so Jesus is a baby again? How does that work out?

God did it.

MrP

cavedave

Have you noticed that now everyone has camera phones we see many less UFO's in the skies? Clearly Aliens, bigfoot, ghosts and the virgin Mary are against high tech mobile communication.

studiorat

redfacedbear wrote: »

Apparently 80% of the people who went to see the moving statues around Ireland in 1986 claimed to have seen the things move.

I met the dude who smashed up the statue in Ballinspittle or whatever it's called. He's driving a taxi round Dublin!

I digress...

Galvasean

cavedave wrote: »

Have you noticed that now everyone has camera phones we see many less UFO's in the skies?

You try taking a photo of a UFO with your Nokia. It aint easy.

Weidii

It's funny how people will see what they'd like to see.

I remember as a child, when my first pet died I used to think I was seeing him walking around my bedroom from time to time. Looking back, believing this was happening was my own way of comforting myself, as I hadn't had the experience of a death before.

Lazare

Weidii wrote: »

It's funny how people will see what they'd like to see.

I remember as a child, when my first pet died I used to think I was seeing him walking around my bedroom from time to time. Looking back, believing this was happening was my own way of comforting myself, as I hadn't had the experience of a death before.

tricky D

seamus wrote: »

David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear in front of a live audience and millions of television viewers.

Do you think that the statue actually disappeared?

The stage moved and live audience were all in on it - simple and true.

Dan133269

On a similar note, I had a christian brother in school, sad thing was he was a very nice fella, anyway he told us that every friday somewhere in the former yugoslavia the virgin mary appears at a certain time of the day, he told us the precise hour and all. In response to my question why camera crews, international pilgrimages etc don't flock there, he responded with oh it's happening so long now that it's mainly the locals that go to see her. always remember that story

Zombrex

Charco wrote: »

I'm always interested to know how people know that it was the Virgin Mary considering that no-one actually knows what she looked like. How do they know that it wasn't Athena or Aphrodite or any other goddess?

As the halo is not an original Christian symbol but a later Christian artistic reference to the pagan Deus Sol Invictus I am thinking that this was not Mary but was most likely a pagan sun goddess. As it was in Egypt I am guessing it may have been Isis, the mother of Horus the local sun god.

All hail mighty Isis the Star of the Sea, Light-Giver of Heaven, Mother of the Gods and Queen of Heaven.

nail on the head ... all the "appearances" end up being shapes that look like European paintings of Jesus, or Mary or who ever.

Hivemind187

Why is that all of these apparitions appear in the poorest and least educated areas?

Knock, Fatima, Mexico, Lithuania etc the specific locations are uniform in their poverty both fiscal and educational.

Why does "The Virgin Mary" not appear alongside UFO's in Arkansas? How come none of these apparitions turned up in New York on 9/11 to warn of the impending disaster? Why not in London or Paris or the Vatican for that matter?

Could it be co-incidence that minor fluctuations in the local atmosphere and a need to believe could conspire to create such things in the uneducated (but imaginative) mind?

Tigger

i see dead people: well off to the looney bin with youy

i see angles: well on to the late late show

i see marys : lets builsd an airport in the middle of nowhere


why is it that the mary is white with blue eyes etc?

Sonderval

Cause she's based off a fertility goddess of old, thats why.

Blue is water, white purity, etc.

Tigger

Sonderval wrote: »

Cause she's based off a fertility goddess of old, thats why.

Blue is water, white purity, etc.

makes sense