I want to research online for any info on the church where they claim that their Jesus on a wooden crucifix shrine actually opened its eyes (Wasn't it on Good Friday?) I remember being underwelmed at the screen shots that showed the before and after.

I loaned my DVD's to my bro.

I don't recall this one, but it sounds good :)

I had to solve the mystery of my missing glasses and DVDs before answering this question.

It was the Holy Trinity Church in Ambridge, Pennsylvania

They have a webpage:
http://www.htgoc.org/

I believe the miracle was alleged to have occurred on Good Friday when several parishioners reported that the eyes of Jesus closed. It was a statue of the crucifixion. The archbishop conducted an inquiry to determine if this event should be classified as a miracle. The eventual decision was that there was not enough evidence to warrant the classification.

I tend to think this was a case of people seeing what they wanted to.

I would be surprised if this wasn't on the "Miracles" DVD.

I remember that one well...

One of the altar boys noticed it first. What was weird was that so many of the parishioners believed there was a difference, including the guy who had recently renovated the statue.

Like Arnold said, it didn't look like anything when they showed comparison photos at the end of the story. I also believe this was a case of people seeing what they want to.

This isn't a UM youtube, so I think I can post this???

Its another statue's eyes opening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6erQnDt_W1g

I have no doubt that this miracle happened. This is one of my favorite episodes of Unsolved Mysteries and I do love the Religious stories.. A Statue of Jesus Christ opening and closing His eyes is indeed a miracle for our benefit especially since it happened during Lent. The testimony of the painter says it all.:)

I have no doubt that this miracle happened. This is one of my favorite episodes of Unsolved Mysteries and I do love the Religious stories.. A Statue of Jesus Christ opening and closing His eyes is indeed a miracle for our benefit especially since it happened during Lent. The testimony of the painter says it all.:)

Well (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/08/29/with-miracle-discounted-mill-town-pastor-resigns/2f496052-610f-49c2-a192-71a64ded5bee/?utm_term=.74c1714d2aa0) it appears the reverend interviewed in the segment was asked to resign after the segment aired. The churches connection to Medjugorje should also have raised red flags. I think they saw the attention that Medjugorje was getting at the time and tried to get in on the action. The church did not like the attention that the reverend was bringing, knowing that the story was most likely a hoax. JMO

Well (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/08/29/with-miracle-discounted-mill-town-pastor-resigns/2f496052-610f-49c2-a192-71a64ded5bee/?utm_term=.74c1714d2aa0) it appears the reverend interviewed in the segment was asked to resign after the segment aired. The churches connection to Medjugorje should also have raised red flags. I think they saw the attention that Medjugorje was getting at the time and tried to get in on the action. The church did not like the attention that the reverend was bringing, knowing that the story was most likely a hoax. JMO

Nice find, TheCars1986!

I think it was possibly an organized hoax. I wouldn't put it past someone to have made the eyes wet to give the illusion of crying.

But since the statue was just repainted by one of the parishioners, I think it is entirely possible the paint broke down (or reacted with moisture in the air) and that's what blurred it. They said it looked like the eyes were full of tears.

I don't doubt the sincerity of many of the parisioners. If it made them feel better, there is no harm. But there is also no true miracle.

Complete and utter hoax if you ask me. But then again I believe that all of the religious based segments are pure nonsense due to my own personal beliefs, or lack thereof. I don't believe in ghosts either, but at least some of the ghost centric segments were well done and entertaining. Every religious UM segment is an instant fast forward for me though.

I don't see why that would be a miracle anyway. Isn't there people suffering and dying everyday, and people waste their time claiming miracles on stuff like this?

I don't doubt the sincerity of many of the parisioners. If it made them feel better, there is no harm. But there is also no true miracle.

I don't think the majority of them were in on some organized hoax, but I do think the reverend, altar boys, and possibly the painter were in on it. The segment mentions that "one of the parishioners received a message from Christ" and they read a portion of it on the segment. Not so coincidentally, it mentioned Medjugorje. And the reverend interviewed had recently been to Medjugorje. I found another article that said the reverend was adamant about not revealing who this parishioner was. Obviously the reporter wanted to talk to this person, but the reverend kept stonewalling them. Another huge red flag.

To the church's credit, they take these things very seriously, and are extremely strict about authenticating things like this. I wonder why UM even did this segment at all.

I remember when this originally aired during my youth and I almost thought I'd be too scared to watch it, based on the description of the episode in the TV Guide ("Statue of Jesus is believed to have moved!"). But when I finally did watch it, I thought it was incredibly lame. Even as a kid, watching the re-enactment, I wondered how those altar boys could have possibly noticed the eyes had closed on a statue which was about 20-30 feet off the ground. And there's zero difference at all in those "before and after" photos they show of the statue's eyes.

I wonder why UM even did this segment at all.

They had airtime to fill. I've often wondered if the network required X amount of segments for particular categories as there are some segments that just felt silly and there's always enough actual crimes to fill those spots.

They had airtime to fill. I've often wondered if the network required X amount of segments for particular categories as there are some segments that just felt silly and there's always enough actual crimes to fill those spots.

I kinda got the same vibe. I always thought Stack came off with a really dry sense of humor during the aphrodisiac statutes segment, etc.

They had airtime to fill. I've often wondered if the network required X amount of segments for particular categories as there are some segments that just felt silly and there's always enough actual crimes to fill those spots.

Still costs money to fly out and film everything. And I've read that they were very stringent when it came to selecting their true crime segments (IIRC, they made Tommy Zeigler take a polygraph before they even considered his story), and I can't imagine why they wouldn't be the same with their supernatural cases. I'm guessing because of the amount of eyewitnesses they decided that was good enough.

I remember when this originally aired during my youth and I almost thought I'd be too scared to watch it, based on the description of the episode in the TV Guide ("Statue of Jesus is believed to have moved!"). But when I finally did watch it, I thought it was incredibly lame. Even as a kid, watching the re-enactment, I wondered how those altar boys could have possibly noticed the eyes had closed on a statue which was about 20-30 feet off the ground. And there's zero difference at all in those "before and after" photos they show of the statue's eyes.

I totally agree, Robin W.

Seeing this story as an adult totally makes me think of this true story (http://www.independentsentinel.com/man-traces-source-of-a-leaky-toilet-flees-country-as-furor-builds/). :lol: :lol: (Be careful what you wish for!)

I totally agree, Robin W.

Seeing this story as an adult totally makes me think of this true story (http://www.independentsentinel.com/man-traces-source-of-a-leaky-toilet-flees-country-as-furor-builds/). :lol: :lol: (Be careful what you wish for!)

That is fantastic! :lol:

Well, the source of the alleged "holy water" was fantastic. The fact that this guy faces prison time and possible assassination for debunking their religious BS with simple scientific facts is beyond messed up. Ugh. Stories like this one are just adding more fuel to the fire for us skeptics. Some people never learn. :rolleyes:

Honestly believe it was a trick of the light that turned into a whole hoopla fueled by the Medjugorge event that had occurred not long before.

I was raised Catholic (and am still something of an unconventional believer) but I'm always very skeptical of things like this.

I totally agree, Robin W.

Seeing this story as an adult totally makes me think of this true story (http://www.independentsentinel.com/man-traces-source-of-a-leaky-toilet-flees-country-as-furor-builds/). :lol: :lol: (Be careful what you wish for!)

I remember when that story hit the news. :lol: People are so gullible!