STIGMATA
One of the most rare and disturbing religious paranormal phenomena is the stigmata, or the manifestation of the wounds of the passion of Christ on the body.
Stigmata is spontaneous manifestation of bloody wounds on a person's hands, feet, forehead and back - similar to the wounds of the crucified Jesus. Those who describe stigmata categorize these experiences as divine or mystical. History tells us that many ecstatic bear on hands, feet, side, or brow the marks of the Passion of Christ with corresponding and intense sufferings. These are called visible stigmata. Others only have the sufferings, without any outward marks, and these phenomena are called invisible stigmata. The infliction of stigmata is called stigmatization.
Healing is usually reported within a few hours after the wounds appear. Some people who suffer from stigmata report feels of sadness, depression, weakness, their body in physical pain, prior to the bleeding. The blood will pour forth from openings on the body for an unknown amount of time -then just as suddenly disappear and heal. The openings can be just in one area of the body - such as the hands or feet - or in several areas of the body at the same time. The person is almost always in pain and discomfort when this occurs.
There have been over 500 reported stigmatic who have displayed wounds similar to those inflicted upon Jesus. The first recorded case of these wounds was in the year 1222, by a man named Stephen Langton of England. Saint Francis of Assisi first suffered the wounds in La Verna, Italy, in 1224.
Other famous stigmatists include Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint John of God, and Saint Marie of the Incarnation. The most famous stigmatist of the twentieth century was Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968).
Stigmata was more recently experienced by Brother Roque (1968-1996); a novice in the order of Los Hijos de Los Hijos de La Madre de Dios (The Sons of the Sons of the Mother of God in Villavicencio, Colombia; and Canadian Lilian Bernas who began claiming to exhibit stigmata in 1992.
People also fake stigmata knowing that some who had stigmata were declared holy by the Pope. In this way they try to gain recognition. Self-inflicted stigmata heal naturally.
Though some people feel stigmata is psychosomatically induced, this is rarely the case. Stigmata can affect women as well as men. The blood may be of a different type than the person who is having the experience.
Classically, Stigmata appear at as many as five locations of the Holy Wounds, namely the hands or wrists, feet, and side (often fatal), and other wounds endured during the Passion, including:
Wounds caused by a Crown of Thorns, although sometimes invisible Whip lashings or scourging on the back. A wound in the side, caused by a spear, or lanceNail holes in the wrists, or hands. Nail holes in the ankles, or feet.
Formations of the flesh in the form of nails: the heads of the nail being rectangular and an inch on the topside and the tip of a nail on the backside, usually curved in as if hitting another surface.
Supposedly, a real stigmatic exhibits the wounds in a five-part series. Each series is separated by a length of time, only to repeat again like so: A; A,B; A,B,C; A,B,C,D; A,B,C,D,E. At the end of each sequence the stigmatic is sometimes known to smell a specific type of flower; see also odor of sanctity.
Also, according to experts, the blood seeping from the wounds of the individual should be the blood of Christ, thus yielding two types of blood from one wound.
There is debate over the historical method crucifixion, if nails were driven through the hands or wrists. Stigmata appear on the hands of some stigmatists, and the wrists of others. Skeptics see this as evidence that the wounds have a human origin rather than a divine one, as divine wounds might be expected to be more consistent. The odor has a smell of jasmine.
In supposed real Stigmata, the blood flows freely and cannot be stopped with traditional medical care. Faked Stigmata are superficial and heal quickly. Blood will appear fresh and of a bright, deep color. The blood flow will often go against the laws of gravity. The stigmata are usually received with states of extreme ecstasy.
In his paper on "Hospitality and Pain", iconoclastic Christian theologian Ivan Illich touches on the phenomenon of stigmata with characteristic terseness: "Compassion with Christ... is faith so strong and so deeply incarnate that it leads to the individual embodiment of the contemplated pain". His thesis is that stigmata result from exceptional poignancy of religious faith and desire to associate oneself with the suffering Christ.
The stigmata theme has been used in several movies, TV shows, and books.
Source:-
http://www.crystalinks.com/stigmata.html
STIGMATA IS A PSYCHOSOMATIC CONDITION
If a person has strong enough faith in their relationship with God, and wants to have stigmata strongly enough, their body may respond with physical symptoms. This has been proposed many times, but remains controversial. It is not a plausible explanation for open wounds, since there is no explanation for the imagination's ability to create such damage within the external body. It may be a reasonable explanation for cases of phantom stigmata, where the stigmatic feels the pain of crucifixion wounds but has no external marks. This theory's application to other cases, such as stigmatic bruising or spontaneous bleeding remains more dubious.
Some cases are misdiagnoses of something else
Cuts, bruises, or other marks received coincidentally in characteristic places such as the palms or feet, might easily be mistaken for stigmata by zealous Catholics. One theory proposed in 1935 asserts that St Francis's stigmata could have actually been purpura, a rare complication of malaria in which hemorrhage of blood appear symetrically on the hands and feet.Some modern stigmata cases could be linked to rare medical conditions which involve unexplained bruises or spontaneous bleeding.
They're a divine miracle
This is the classic Christian explanation of the stigmata. Stigmatics, and those who believe in them, see the stigmata as a great gift from God, despite the accompanying pain. However, the inconsistent appearance of stigmata, which differ from one stigmatic to another, is difficult to account for. Stigmata most frequently appear on the palms and backs of hands, although historians now believe that crucifixion victims would be pierced through the wrist rather than the hand itself.
Source:-
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Stigmata
One of the most rare and disturbing religious paranormal phenomena is the stigmata, or the manifestation of the wounds of the passion of Christ on the body.
Stigmata is spontaneous manifestation of bloody wounds on a person's hands, feet, forehead and back - similar to the wounds of the crucified Jesus. Those who describe stigmata categorize these experiences as divine or mystical. History tells us that many ecstatic bear on hands, feet, side, or brow the marks of the Passion of Christ with corresponding and intense sufferings. These are called visible stigmata. Others only have the sufferings, without any outward marks, and these phenomena are called invisible stigmata. The infliction of stigmata is called stigmatization.
Healing is usually reported within a few hours after the wounds appear. Some people who suffer from stigmata report feels of sadness, depression, weakness, their body in physical pain, prior to the bleeding. The blood will pour forth from openings on the body for an unknown amount of time -then just as suddenly disappear and heal. The openings can be just in one area of the body - such as the hands or feet - or in several areas of the body at the same time. The person is almost always in pain and discomfort when this occurs.
There have been over 500 reported stigmatic who have displayed wounds similar to those inflicted upon Jesus. The first recorded case of these wounds was in the year 1222, by a man named Stephen Langton of England. Saint Francis of Assisi first suffered the wounds in La Verna, Italy, in 1224.
Other famous stigmatists include Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint John of God, and Saint Marie of the Incarnation. The most famous stigmatist of the twentieth century was Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968).
Stigmata was more recently experienced by Brother Roque (1968-1996); a novice in the order of Los Hijos de Los Hijos de La Madre de Dios (The Sons of the Sons of the Mother of God in Villavicencio, Colombia; and Canadian Lilian Bernas who began claiming to exhibit stigmata in 1992.
People also fake stigmata knowing that some who had stigmata were declared holy by the Pope. In this way they try to gain recognition. Self-inflicted stigmata heal naturally.
Though some people feel stigmata is psychosomatically induced, this is rarely the case. Stigmata can affect women as well as men. The blood may be of a different type than the person who is having the experience.
Classically, Stigmata appear at as many as five locations of the Holy Wounds, namely the hands or wrists, feet, and side (often fatal), and other wounds endured during the Passion, including:
Wounds caused by a Crown of Thorns, although sometimes invisible Whip lashings or scourging on the back. A wound in the side, caused by a spear, or lanceNail holes in the wrists, or hands. Nail holes in the ankles, or feet.
Formations of the flesh in the form of nails: the heads of the nail being rectangular and an inch on the topside and the tip of a nail on the backside, usually curved in as if hitting another surface.
Supposedly, a real stigmatic exhibits the wounds in a five-part series. Each series is separated by a length of time, only to repeat again like so: A; A,B; A,B,C; A,B,C,D; A,B,C,D,E. At the end of each sequence the stigmatic is sometimes known to smell a specific type of flower; see also odor of sanctity.
Also, according to experts, the blood seeping from the wounds of the individual should be the blood of Christ, thus yielding two types of blood from one wound.
There is debate over the historical method crucifixion, if nails were driven through the hands or wrists. Stigmata appear on the hands of some stigmatists, and the wrists of others. Skeptics see this as evidence that the wounds have a human origin rather than a divine one, as divine wounds might be expected to be more consistent. The odor has a smell of jasmine.
In supposed real Stigmata, the blood flows freely and cannot be stopped with traditional medical care. Faked Stigmata are superficial and heal quickly. Blood will appear fresh and of a bright, deep color. The blood flow will often go against the laws of gravity. The stigmata are usually received with states of extreme ecstasy.
In his paper on "Hospitality and Pain", iconoclastic Christian theologian Ivan Illich touches on the phenomenon of stigmata with characteristic terseness: "Compassion with Christ... is faith so strong and so deeply incarnate that it leads to the individual embodiment of the contemplated pain". His thesis is that stigmata result from exceptional poignancy of religious faith and desire to associate oneself with the suffering Christ.
The stigmata theme has been used in several movies, TV shows, and books.
Source:-
http://www.crystalinks.com/stigmata.html
STIGMATA IS A PSYCHOSOMATIC CONDITION
If a person has strong enough faith in their relationship with God, and wants to have stigmata strongly enough, their body may respond with physical symptoms. This has been proposed many times, but remains controversial. It is not a plausible explanation for open wounds, since there is no explanation for the imagination's ability to create such damage within the external body. It may be a reasonable explanation for cases of phantom stigmata, where the stigmatic feels the pain of crucifixion wounds but has no external marks. This theory's application to other cases, such as stigmatic bruising or spontaneous bleeding remains more dubious.
Some cases are misdiagnoses of something else
Cuts, bruises, or other marks received coincidentally in characteristic places such as the palms or feet, might easily be mistaken for stigmata by zealous Catholics. One theory proposed in 1935 asserts that St Francis's stigmata could have actually been purpura, a rare complication of malaria in which hemorrhage of blood appear symetrically on the hands and feet.Some modern stigmata cases could be linked to rare medical conditions which involve unexplained bruises or spontaneous bleeding.
They're a divine miracle
This is the classic Christian explanation of the stigmata. Stigmatics, and those who believe in them, see the stigmata as a great gift from God, despite the accompanying pain. However, the inconsistent appearance of stigmata, which differ from one stigmatic to another, is difficult to account for. Stigmata most frequently appear on the palms and backs of hands, although historians now believe that crucifixion victims would be pierced through the wrist rather than the hand itself.
Source:-
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Stigmata
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