Jesus in an Armchair May 1, 2009

Jesus in an Armchair

By Guest Contributor
May 1, 2009

Do you see Jesus in this picture?

I don’t. I’m trying. I think they’re just playing a trick on us. The pareidolia is working overtime.

jesuschair

Those ladies say they see him:

Judith Ellen and Judith Lynn “Judy” Lanier, mother and daughter, have handed out hundreds of photographs of a plum-colored armchair in their Irvine living room. On the backrest, they perceive something holy, something they can’t keep to themselves: the face of an open-eyed, resurrected Jesus Christ.

“Everybody has a purpose,” said the elder Judith, 79, “and I truly believe this has been the purpose for our lives.”

Their neighbor doesn’t see it but he admires their positivity.

I just think it is depressing and desperate that they really believe Jesus is there.

(via The J-Walk Blog)

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What Are Your Thoughts?leave a comment

  • The Laniers said their own discovery defies the rigors of science. To them, the origins of the images in their living room – which they believe match those on the shroud – are beyond doubt.

    “This is not manufactured in our minds…,” the elder Judith said.

    aka “This isn’t pattern recognition gone awry; the Creator of the Universe is behind the mystery in my living room chair, because I declare it THUSLY!”

    Meanwhile, I can’t even See the damned thing.

  • Arlo

    to me the truly depressing part of this is this part of the quote:

    “I truly believe this has been the purpose for our lives.”

    Really? REALLY? the purpose god long gave your long life was to tell people his face appeared on a chair? how useless. Why didn’t god make their purpose to become doctors so they could ease suffering? or something.

    such depressing representation of god.

  • DeafAtheist

    I think they’re projecting the image from the painting above the chair into the chair itself. That’s the only explanation I have because I don’t see a damned thing either.

    Maybe its just cuz us atheists don’t have FAITH. 😛

  • Troll

    I think I do see Jebus in that picture…

    See the framed painting hanging above the chair?

  • DeafAtheist

    I don’t see him in the chair, but I see him quite clearly here.

  • Cafeeine

    I don’t know about Jesus, but if you blow up the image large enough, you can sort of make out Frank Zappa…

  • Polly

    “I truly believe this has been the purpose for our lives.”

    Why do people have so little respect for their lives? I’d like to think my life is worth more than any one event, unless it involves me curing a terrible disease or inventing clean energy.
    It’s like when people cast tragedies in terms of object lessons from god for the rest of us.
    Really?!? Is that why Jane/Joe Schmoe had to die at 20? So we could get a fucking anecdote?!? That’s the point of his/her whole life?

  • DeafAtheist

    I noticed if you click on the photo in the article you get a photo slideshow with more pics. People can comment under each pic and was amused by this comment someone left under one of them….

    germanhammer wrote:
    I see a psychiatric consult for these 2 clowns.

  • I don’t see it. Of course I am distracted by that hideous blue shirt.

  • Aeolian Solo

    I think the blood loss described in the article explains a lot.

    Maybe Leonardo DaVinci made their chair. 😉

  • Fizzy

    If I try really hard, I can see a sort of gremlin thing wearing a tiki mask. Is that what the Jesus looks like these days?

  • Tom

    I think I can see what they’re talking about, but it’s really… well, pathetic is the word that comes to mind. Those poor women, that their lives should be so empty that they search for meaning in such garbage.

  • mikespeir

    I blew up the image in PSP. Nothing. I’m telling you, that’s not pareidolia, that’s hallucination!

  • At first I thought it was Cheech Marin, but I think Frank Zappa is a better answer.

  • Nicole C.

    I can see Jesus above the chair, if that counts.

  • mikespeir

    Okay. In PSP I used the Glowing Edges effect: Intensity = 9; Sharpness = 17. Then all I had to do was torture my imagination. Voila! Something that kinda, sorta looks like a face. But I’m not sure it’s Jesus. It doesn’t look like the Jesuses I’ve seen in tortillas and custards, etc. (This Jesus has a ‘fro.) At least one of those Jesuses is bound to be a fraud.

  • Chelsea

    Are you fucking kidding me? If I look at my carpet long enough, I can make out faces and people, but since I have berber carpet, everyone looks like they’re wearing turbans. Does this mean Jesus wore a turban?

  • Richard Wade

    I don’t see the image Jesus in the purple chair, but I do see the image of a greasy grilled cheese sandwich, which is pretty close.

  • Evan Schenck

    I must confess that I’m able to discern Frank, the frightening Geigeresque man-rabbit from Donnie Darko upon the backrest of the chair, after 30+ seconds of intent concentration–or maybe it is Bugs Bunny. I think that if these ladies had seen the movie, they’d have to admit the same. The (God-summoned) tricks of the brain will eventually make evident a human face in the lower quartile of the backrest, but further examination will show, just as clearly, lagomorphic ears towering above that selfsame face.

    The question is not whether I, and these women, are deluded, but why Bugs chooses to manifest himself in this fashion.

  • Shane

    and I truly believe this has been the purpose for our lives.

    Holy Mother%#@$ing Christ. And they try to claim atheists lead empty and vacuous lives…

  • zoo

    Huh. Usually I can see what others do if I’m given the suggestion first (like the hand in the rock the other day), occasionally it takes a little imagination, but all I see here is a lit chair.

    Chelsea: I’ve even seen cartoonish rabbits and the like in a random/no pattern-dark-blues short pile carpet when I’m fatigued, frustrated, and my eyes are crossing, though I can’t see them in the same place even a few minutes later. Maybe I’m supposed to be worshiping rabbits.

  • Andrew C.

    And people wonder why newspapers are going under. I am so sick of reading about these types of stories in the news. It’s always the same angle, and it’s boring. These reporters need to be more enterprising.

  • The only positive thing here is that these people are positively insane.

  • Nessa

    Wow, I actually see it. But I had to stare at it, and un-focus my eyes like with those magic pictures. Funny thing is, I can never see those images. Maybe it’s a sign. Perhaps I should convert to Christianity. Christ has revealed himself to me at last!

    Nah, I still like the spaghetti and beer volcano. I think I’ll stick with that.

  • vivian

    I can see the impression of some back fat. Maybe the lady squinting needs to have her eyes checked for glasses and the one with glasses needs a different prescription? Just a thought.

  • vivian

    OH WAIT… I see something. Looks like a Jack Skeleton with squid like arms. We have PZ check it out!

  • Nero Null

    You have to stare intently at the painting of Jesus above the chair for 15 seconds first, then look at the chair. You’ll see him then for sure.

  • Richard Wade

    I wonder, if they think Jesus’ face is in the chair, do they sit in that chair?

    Sitting on Jesus’ face just seems, well…

  • Sandra

    When I looked at it all I could see is the back of a woman wearing nothing but a thong. Looks like I’m the only one who sees that one though. 🙁

  • I see it.

  • http://sa.mu/el/img/data/skeptcism/pareidolia/jesus.jpg

    I had to use ms paint, the compression is totally off, look at the original picture and look where I circled.

  • I can’t help but be reminded of Mallrats.

    Little Girl:”Wow! It’s a schooner!”
    Willam:”You dumb bastard! That’s not a schooner, it’s a sailboat!”
    Little Boy:”A schooner is a sailboat, stupidhead!”
    Willam:”Well you know what? THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY! OVER THERE, THAT’S JUST A GUY IN A SUIT!!”

  • If you look really hard and truly beLIEve, you can see the Jesus Chair!!!

  • Chakolate

    I sort of see something in the nap of the fabric, but it looks to me like Munch’s The Scream.