The Boy Who Cried Mary

Apparently some hotelier in India told everyone that he saw an image of the Virgin Mary in the sun, and also claimed that some of his statues were crying honey and bleeding oil in his home. Since then, nearly 50 people in India have gone completely blind while trying to look into the sun to try and see what he saw:

At least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary, according to reports.

Alarmed health authorities in India’s Kottayam district have set up a sign dispelling rumours of a miraculous image in the sky and warning of the dangers of looking into direct sunlight.

Forty-eight cases of sight-loss, allegedly caused by photochemical burns on the retina, have been recorded at St Joseph’s ENT and Eye hospital in the region since Friday.

Despite warnings, and the potentially harmful effects of their actions, believers are allegedly still flocking to a hotelier’s house in Erumeli near where the divine image is said to have appeared.

Why is it that these ‘miracles’ always seem to manifest themselves as images in the sky or crying statues? Why can’t suddenly 100 people with cancer suddenly be cured, or fields that have been barren for years suddenly start growing again? In this case, either the guy a) saw a real miracle, b) made it all up to attract business or c) imagined it all due to some mental illness. If it’s (b), then he’s at least partially responsible for 50 people that will never be able to see again.