What are the scientific reasons behind statues weeping or bleeding?

Question

there are so many cases of divine statues bleeding or weeping... what are the scientific reasons behind them? i mean.. how does liquid , noticeably in the form of 'blood' or 'water' flow out of these stones?! or... are all these reports fake?!

it would be a bit harsh to claim all these reports are faked... maybe some scientific reasons?

Answer 1

They were hoaxes. I forgot who did a documentary on it...it was either the Discovery channel or the History channel but they found out that the statues where hollow and had little tubes hooked up to tiny holes and the liquid would seep out slowly. Since the holes where so small, once the liquid started coming out, it didn't look like there was an opening.

Even when a statue of Ganesh (Hindu elephant God) started to drink milk from a spoon in India, no one ever paid any mind to the fact that there was a puddle of milk on the floor...the tilted spoon just gave the illusion that Ganesh was drinking.

I am all up for this really happening but it wasn't real.

On the other hand though, it just reinforces the fact that statues are only symbolic and are not meant to be considered the actual God it represents, living inside of it.

Answer 2

To sum it up plainly: Fraud, hoaxes, and deceit.  They're often only allowed to be viewed for limited amounts of time, rarely is anyone allowed to analyze the "tears" or "blood" in a lab, and when they do, they turn out not to be what the claimed.  

Take, for example, Audrey Santo, who had religious icons in her room that were oozing "miracle oil".  In this case the material was allowed to be tested.  Surprise, surprise:

"In 1998, The Washington Post had a Pittsburgh lab test a sample of the miraculous oil which purportedly oozed from the icons in Audrey's room. Their tests revealed that the oil consisted of 80 percent corn or soybean oil, and 20 percent chicken fat. Another sample of the miracle oil given to 20/20's Lynn Sherr by Linda Santo proved to be 75 percent olive oil and the remaining 25% was unidentifiable."

Answer 3

All of the weeping statues etc that have been investigated scientifically have proved to be frauds of one sort or another.  Those that aren't deliberate fakes turn out to have a simple explanation as has already been described.  The vast majority however are fakes.

The blood when tested turns out to be the same type as the owner of the statue, or animal blood.  The mysterious fluids turn out to be things like cooking oil. There is also a recipe known to magicians for a liquid that readily goes to a solid crystal and back again...this trick has been used in some glass pendants with `the blood of saints`` that miraculously starts to run on holy days.

It is lonely people seeking attention. They may even have deluded themselves that they aren't doing anything "wrong" if it is for "the glory of God"

Answer 4

Other than an elaborate hoax, if the statue is placed in a high humidity setting, and the stone has traces of iron ore in it, then it could leak a "blood" color.

But then again, other stone works would also be oozing a substance. However, churches' won't amplify that fact because it would take away the attraction medium.

Answer 5

That's an easy one--fraud.  They are fake.  The truth of the fakery isn't as harsh as the fact those who claim they are real are deliberately misleading people, usually for monetary gain.

As you look at the list you will see people have found rational explanations before.  For example, a melting adhesive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeping_sta...

It's no coincidence such things only happen in cultures and communities that are deeply superstitious.  Meaning, those who are credulous are easier to fool.

Answer 6

A majority of the weeping or bleeding divine statues are either hoaxes or have plausible natural explanations;

It goes without saying why someone would have an incentive to manufacture a seemingly divine occurrence.

The natural explanation is due to composite material such as natural minerals used, i.e. marble or stone that has a ferrous composite. When subjected to moisture, whatever the reason, iron has the ability to dissolve and precipitate.

The precipitations usually occur where the material is at is weakest - i.e where it has been carved.

There do appear to be genuine cases of holy statues weeping or crying and they have to be accepted at face value - not everything can be understood or scientifically justified - simply because we do not know does not make them invalid.