religion

Check out Showtime Beyond for spooky movies with Dish Network!

Friday the 13th is here! Did you every wonder why this particular date is supposed to be so scary? The movie Friday the 13th certainly was not frightening enough to create such a widespread stir and this idea was around well before its time, so why do we associate this day with horror or with bad luck? The fear of Friday the 13th was first defined as a phobia in 1911. It is thought that this fear may have originally been derived from a combination of two older superstitions combined- the idea that Friday is an unlucky day and the fear of the number 13.

There were 13 at the Last Supper and one was sentenced to death. Twelve seems to be the magic number as in the 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 hours on the clock, etc. and 13 seems to trespass on the idea that 12 is a number of completeness therefore, taking on an evil connotation. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified on a Friday therefore seeing this day as a day of bad fortune. The movie and book The Da Vinci Code conjured superstitious ideas that originated back in ancient times when the Knights Templar were arrested on Friday the 13th in 1307 while they were protecting Christian Pilgrims. The British scheduled hangings for capital punishment on Fridays and took 13 steps in preparation before the noose was ready.

Some people are debilitated by the fear of this one particular day and will purposely stay home avoiding a possible encounter with bad luck. Whether it has to do with fear of Friday the 13th or not, businesses see an average loss near $850 million every time this date comes around. The most recognized was the “mini-crash” on October 13, 1989 that was the 2nd largest Dow drop ever at that time. Some people are so afraid of accidents they will avoid travel at all costs. The British Medical Journal conducted a study resulting in a report of fewer traffic accidents leading to hospitalizations on this day. Perhaps it is due to more people staying at home and off the streets! In ancient Roman times, witches would meet in groups of 12 and if a 13th came, it was said to be the devil.

It seems that much of the superstitions about Friday the 13th have stemmed from religion and ancient folklore for the most part, but just for fun...

Here are some quotes about Friday and the number 13:

“Notwithstanding, opinions in favor of odd numbers, the number 13 is considered as extremely ominous: it being held that, when 13 persons meet in a room, one of them will die within the year.” (1787)

“Sailors are many of them superstitious… A voyage begun (On a Friday) is sure to be an unfortunate one.” (1823)

“As to Friday, a couple getting married on that day are doomed to a cat-and-dog life” (1879)

“Don’t move on a Friday, or you won’t stay there very long.” (1982)

Some interesting tidbits:

Airports in Scotland do not have number 13 gates.

Microsoft Office will be skipping Office 13 for superstitious reasons.

Confederate general and slave trader Nathan Bedford Forrest was born on this day in 1821.

A computer virus attacked IBM computers throughout Britain on this day in 1821.

Bill Gates was bumped down on Forbes list of the richest people in the world in 2008 on his 13th run.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a ghost hunter? Imagine camping out in an empty house in the dark just waiting for something paranormal to happen. This is a bizarre profession and maybe even a dangerous one. The Syfy channel on Dish Network Satellite TV offers the show Ghost Hunters. You can go along for the ride with the ghost hunters as they investigate homes that are reportedly haunted by ghosts.

I was listening to the radio this morning when the DJ’s were interviewing another group of ghost hunters who visit people’s haunted homes for free. They were recently working on an investigation in a Nashua, New Hampshire apartment for a family that was tormented by ghostly occurrences. Their 13-year-old daughter has visions of blood dripping from the walls in her room and she hears things and sees full body apparitions. She will also start writing randomly in handwriting not characteristic of her own. The investigators did not see anything when they were at the home but they did hear growling unlike an animal that they attribute to something demonic.

The apartment is new so it is rare that a place like this would be haunted. The ghost hunters recommended that the family move somewhere else but they also recommended a demonologist to help them rid of the demon. Ghost hunters are out to learn more about the paranormal but they are not qualified to perform an exorcism. They claim that a demonic haunting usually stems from a curse or something that their ancestors were guilty of in the past that was carried down to them. They would need to consult the church to find a demonologist who would be able to conduct an exorcism. The demonologist is an informed and very religious person who has a faith so strong that it cannot be overpowered by the demon. Demonic hauntings are said to follow their victims no matter where they move- not unlike the story in Paranormal Activity. The family decided not to move but there’s no word yet of whether they will seek out a demonologist.

A demon is characterized by a non-human entity that has a soul but never had a body, perhaps an angel that was cast down from Heaven. It is not seen but can be heard and felt. The demon enjoys wreaking havoc and can be very dangerous. They are jealous of our lives, they smell foul and they are intelligent but have no inhibitions. There are plenty of people who do not believe that this can be possible but there are also a few accounts of people experiencing this phenomenon. I’m sure there are cases that can be attributed to mental illness. I question whether or not it’s possible to be haunted by an evil unseen force but at the same time I’m curious about it on an entertainment level.

Can the cases be true that led to such movies as The Entity, The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose? There are many skeptics that do not believe these stories are valid and many investigations uncovered a few loopholes in the stories. For example The Amityville Horror story implied that there were hoof prints found outside the home in the snow that possibly belonged to the demon but it was confirmed that it did not even snow that day where the house is located in New York and it would be rare that the demon would have a visible form. I haven’t heard of any arguments concerning the story in The Entity so perhaps there was nothing to argue. The woman portrayed in the film was raped at night by an unseen force. She moved from the home and hasn’t been touched but she claims that there is still a presence.

Can just anyone be haunted by a demon? Investigators claim that demonic hauntings start off quietly and gradually build in intensity. Families that are under high stress are considered to be more vulnerable. Stressors can include anything from marital problems to mental illness. Demons have an outlet when people are at their weakest psychologically. Using objects that invoke spirits can bring more into your life than you bargained for. Ouija boards, crystals and Tarot cards seem like simple entertainment but according to some professionals can also bring in unwanted spirits and demons. There is also the curse factor. Demonic hauntings are very rare but when they occur they are impossible to rid of without the help of a professional demonologist and they can still return after they’ve been expelled. It is important for families who have had a demon expelled to attend counseling and repair their personal problems so they can maintain a positive mental state. This will make it difficult for the demon to return.

It is difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to something as delicate and unseen as the paranormal. I would like to believe that demons do not exist and these occurrences can be attributed to something else- anything else. Like many people I would like to believe that angels are real and they are watching over us and protecting us. There may be more reliable measurements in the future to test the validity of the paranormal but perhaps it is better to use our imagination than know the truth.

Are tears of blood a miracle or a medical condition? There have been many interesting accounts of such tears with people from all over the world, but it is obviously more difficult to prove a miracle than it is to rule out possible causes for this. There is more of a focus on the scientific explanations for such occurrences and a sense of doubt pertaining to religious explanations. We want an immediate answer for things like this but we don’t always get one. Anyone who brings up the religious angle is destined for ridicule and apt to be called a “religious nut”.
I was listening to The Early Show on CBS the other morning on Satellite TV while I was getting ready for work and something I heard grabbed my attention. "Stay tuned for our next story with a 15 year old boy who cries tears of blood." What? This has to be a unique story to say the least. I dropped my makeup and dashed to the living room to see the interview with the boy and his mother. Calvino Inman of Tennessee and his mother Tammy Mynatt brought the video of him crying tears of blood hoping to reach out to someone who can help them with this situation. His tears did not appear to be diluted in any way, they were pure blood! Calvino said that he thought he was going to die when he began crying the bloody tears. It happens randomly about 3 times a day and lasts for up to 15 minutes. The crying is not provoked by emotion as Calvino is not feeling sad when this happens or doing anything that would induce normal tear production.
There is a condition called Haemolacria that causes people to shed bloody tears, but the doctors cannot yet say for sure if he has this condition. Calvino went to five doctors with his mother and his condition has each of them baffled. He had an ultrasound, CAT scan and an MRI, which were all normal. Haemolacria is usually a result of a larger underlying medical condition but he seems to be in good overall health. Calvino and his mom are continuing their search to find a diagnosis for his condition. He claims that the tears burn and are annoying. His peers at school teased him at first by calling him names and saying he was possessed but they have since apologized realizing that Calvino cannot control his situation and has visited many doctors in a quest to find its diagnosis.
According to information provided by CNN, a doctor from the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute has studied this condition extensively and said that there were only four cases of this mysterious occurrence between 1992 and 2003. He is amazed that it is happening to a healthy young boy. He claims that Haemolacria can be caused by deep emotional trauma or a head injury, but agrees that Calvino doesn't even fit the bill for this disorder. Another doctor at the same institute said that the condition that Calvino has could be something very miniscule in size, which can be difficult to pinpoint with any of the tests he has undergone thus far. He claims that they may have to wait for more symptoms to surface to get the full picture of what the cause might be. Evidently, the condition can be the result of anything from a tumor to a simple infection. It may be a repeat occurrence of the four cases from '92-'03 when the bleeding mysteriously stopped on its own.
This is claimed to have no religious significance. It is spelled out that religion is not a factor on most of the websites that I visited to gain more information. Could it be better for each of these unexplained cases to be a religious phenomenon rather than a medical condition? I understand that people want closure, especially the children and their parents. I also realize that it has to be extremely difficult to deal with this in your everyday life but history has shown that it doesn’t last forever, as the tears of blood will most likely stop as spontaneously as they began. Why is it such a taboo to consider this to be a miracle? There might not be a medical explanation for this simply because it hasn't been researched enough since it alone doesn't seem to be life threatening. Perhaps it is something that is beyond our grasp of true understanding.
Some believers may say that this is a result of "vicarious suffering" which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people's sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13-year-old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
There are two religious statues of The Virgin Mary that cry tears of blood and are deemed to be genuine miracles according to the Vatican (others turned out to be staged). The two documented statues are the weeping statue of The Virgin Mary in 1949 in Syracuse, Italy and Our Lady of Akita in 1988 in Japan. Religious believers who feel that this phenomenon is a miracle are not sure why it’s happening. Some believe an occurrence like this is a sign from God and are unsure as to whether it is good or bad. Some believe that the weeping statues are reflecting sadness for these difficult times of war, poverty and violence.
Calvino’s story and the occurrence of weeping statues remind me of the young girl Audrey Marie Santo in my hometown of Worcester, MA who was in a coma for 19 years before she passed away. Audrey was found in her pool at home when she was three and never regained consciousness. Doctors informed her mom that Audrey would only live a few years and suggested she place her in a nursing home. Her mom is a believer and decided that if the doctors can’t help, perhaps a miracle can. She took Audrey to the shrine of Medjugorje. Audrey had a moment where she began to move and attempt to speak, which did not last very long before she returned to her previous state.
According to her parents, many religious experiences occurred in her room such as religious statues that wept oil and blood. One might think that the parents saw things they needed to see at a very sorrowful time, but this story reached neighbors and eventually the newspaper and news. Soon enough, people from all over the world came to visit her and to pray for her recovery and for miracles. Many visitors also gave testimony that they were present when such miracles had occurred. Audrey was said to have responded to one man’s prayers for a loved one with a tear. Perhaps there was a miracle at the shrine of Medjugorje, not only for obvious reasons, but also for the fact that Audrey lived to be 23 years old. She never had a bed sore, even with the fact that she was bed-ridden for 19 years.
Calvino Inman is from Tennessee which is a state well known for the amount of churches housed there in the Bible belt. Could there be a miraculous connection with Calvino and the religious beliefs of the people in his community? Could it be something even larger than that? I’m not stating that I believe this is a miracle, but I would rather hear that than find out this young teenager has a serious medical problem. There is no scientific explanation for why this boy cries blood and there was none for Audrey Marie Santo who survived until the age of twenty-three. There were no tangible explanations for what occurred with the religious statues in Japan and Italy. Will we ever know the reason behind these phenomena or will they forever remain a secret?

Are tears of blood a miracle or a medical condition? There have been many interesting accounts of such tears with people from all over the world, but it is obviously more difficult to prove a miracle than it is to rule out possible causes for this. There is more of a focus on the scientific explanations for such occurrences and a sense of doubt pertaining to religious explanations. We want an immediate answer for things like this but we don’t always get one. Anyone who brings up the religious angle is destined for ridicule and apt to be called a “religious nut”.
I was listening to The Early Show on CBS the other morning on Satellite TV while I was getting ready for work and something I heard grabbed my attention. "Stay tuned for our next story with a 15 year old boy who cries tears of blood." What? This has to be a unique story to say the least. I dropped my makeup and dashed to the living room to see the interview with the boy and his mother. Calvino Inman of Tennessee and his mother Tammy Mynatt brought the video of him crying tears of blood hoping to reach out to someone who can help them with this situation. His tears did not appear to be diluted in any way, they were pure blood! Calvino said that he thought he was going to die when he began crying the bloody tears. It happens randomly about 3 times a day and lasts for up to 15 minutes. The crying is not provoked by emotion as Calvino is not feeling sad when this happens or doing anything that would induce normal tear production.
There is a condition called Haemolacria that causes people to shed bloody tears, but the doctors cannot yet say for sure if he has this condition. Calvino went to five doctors with his mother and his condition has each of them baffled. He had an ultrasound, CAT scan and an MRI, which were all normal. Haemolacria is usually a result of a larger underlying medical condition but he seems to be in good overall health. Calvino and his mom are continuing their search to find a diagnosis for his condition. He claims that the tears burn and are annoying. His peers at school teased him at first by calling him names and saying he was possessed but they have since apologized realizing that Calvino cannot control his situation and has visited many doctors in a quest to find its diagnosis.
According to information provided by CNN, a doctor from the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute has studied this condition extensively and said that there were only four cases of this mysterious occurrence between 1992 and 2003. He is amazed that it is happening to a healthy young boy. He claims that Haemolacria can be caused by deep emotional trauma or a head injury, but agrees that Calvino doesn't even fit the bill for this disorder. Another doctor at the same institute said that the condition that Calvino has could be something very miniscule in size, which can be difficult to pinpoint with any of the tests he has undergone thus far. He claims that they may have to wait for more symptoms to surface to get the full picture of what the cause might be. Evidently, the condition can be the result of anything from a tumor to a simple infection. It may be a repeat occurrence of the four cases from '92-'03 when the bleeding mysteriously stopped on its own.
This is claimed to have no religious significance. It is spelled out that religion is not a factor on most of the websites that I visited to gain more information. Could it be better for each of these unexplained cases to be a religious phenomenon rather than a medical condition? I understand that people want closure, especially the children and their parents. I also realize that it has to be extremely difficult to deal with this in your everyday life but history has shown that it doesn’t last forever, as the tears of blood will most likely stop as spontaneously as they began. Why is it such a taboo to consider this to be a miracle? There might not be a medical explanation for this simply because it hasn't been researched enough since it alone doesn't seem to be life threatening. Perhaps it is something that is beyond our grasp of true understanding.
Some believers may say that this is a result of "vicarious suffering" which is believed to be the act of involuntary suffering for other people's sins so they can be forgiven. There is a 13-year-old girl named Twinkle Dwivedi in India who is currently experiencing such tears and is displaying what is believed to be stigmata. Her palms, head and feet all emit blood yet she has no wounds. National Geographic will air her story on September 13th with Dish Network.
There are two religious statues of The Virgin Mary that cry tears of blood and are deemed to be genuine miracles according to the Vatican (others turned out to be staged). The two documented statues are the weeping statue of The Virgin Mary in 1949 in Syracuse, Italy and Our Lady of Akita in 1988 in Japan. Religious believers who feel that this phenomenon is a miracle are not sure why it’s happening. Some believe an occurrence like this is a sign from God and are unsure as to whether it is good or bad. Some believe that the weeping statues are reflecting sadness for these difficult times of war, poverty and violence.
Calvino’s story and the occurrence of weeping statues remind me of the young girl Audrey Marie Santo in my hometown of Worcester, MA who was in a coma for 19 years before she passed away. Audrey was found in her pool at home when she was three and never regained consciousness. Doctors informed her mom that Audrey would only live a few years and suggested she place her in a nursing home. Her mom is a believer and decided that if the doctors can’t help, perhaps a miracle can. She took Audrey to the shrine of Medjugorje. Audrey had a moment where she began to move and attempt to speak, which did not last very long before she returned to her previous state.
According to her parents, many religious experiences occurred in her room such as religious statues that wept oil and blood. One might think that the parents saw things they needed to see at a very sorrowful time, but this story reached neighbors and eventually the newspaper and news. Soon enough, people from all over the world came to visit her and to pray for her recovery and for miracles. Many visitors also gave testimony that they were present when such miracles had occurred. Audrey was said to have responded to one man’s prayers for a loved one with a tear. Perhaps there was a miracle at the shrine of Medjugorje, not only for obvious reasons, but also for the fact that Audrey lived to be 23 years old. She never had a bed sore, even with the fact that she was bed-ridden for 19 years.
Calvino Inman is from Tennessee which is a state well known for the amount of churches housed there in the Bible belt. Could there be a miraculous connection with Calvino and the religious beliefs of the people in his community? Could it be something even larger than that? I’m not stating that I believe this is a miracle, but I would rather hear that than find out this young teenager has a serious medical problem. There is no scientific explanation for why this boy cries blood and there was none for Audrey Marie Santo who survived until the age of twenty-three. There were no tangible explanations for what occurred with the religious statues in Japan and Italy. Will we ever know the reason behind these phenomena or will they forever remain a secret?

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