Stuff like this keeps a kid up at night

Posted by Tara C. Smith on March 31, 2006
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So, PZ was apparently collecting Jesus pictures or something. (Yeah, I’m late to the game–blame it on Atlanta). I’ve had this one on my camera for awhile and keep meaning to upload it: guess this is as good as a time as any. From my very own parents’ house (that used to creep me out when I was a child): the Jesus vs. Devil door.

See if you can see anything:

Jesus is top middle and the two devils are at the bottom. Larger images here (Jesus and devils circled), here (close-up of one of the devils) and here (close-up of Jesus image). Gotta be worth more than a grilled cheese sandwich, right?

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Comments

  1. #1 Dale
    March 31, 2006

    Hmmm. My first impression was Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe facing two of the children.

  2. #2 ac8
    March 31, 2006

    That’s cheating! The door-skins are peeled or book-matched (http://www.google.com/search?q=bookmatched+laminated+doors) to produce the symmetries you are seeing, and we’re hardwired to see symmetric patterns as threatening predator faces.

  3. #3 Dave S.
    March 31, 2006

    I see the 2 devil heads…and the Jesus face. Jesus does appear to be experiencing some male pattern baldness.

    But check out Jesus’ arms. They look like women standing and facing Jesus, wearing long dresses (complete with sash!)and narrow at the waist. The one on the right has a better defined head (and what looks like a tall hairdo or a tall peaked hat), but the one on the left has more distinct arms. They’re looking Jesus right at eye level.

    Eerie coincidence?

  4. #4 Mike Z
    March 31, 2006

    ac8 –
    Uh ohh…Do you mean there is some subjective pattern recognition going on here??!! I guess what we need is some objective mathematical measure of complexity/design that can remove the subjective element, and tell us when door panels REALLY DO contain images of supernatural beings.

  5. #5 Tara C. Smith
    March 31, 2006

    That’s cheating! The door-skins are peeled or book-matched (http://www.google.com/search?q=bookmatched+laminated+doors) to produce the symmetries you are seeing, and we’re hardwired to see symmetric patterns as threatening predator faces.

    Well, clearly, I don’t think it’s actually a manifestation of God. :) I don’t know about the bookmatching, but I’ll take your word for it. However, from the links that come up it looks like that’s something expensive. This is a *really* cheap, 30-yr-old door in my parent’s utility room. And if your latter claim is true, why doesn’t the top face look threatening? It’s the bottom ones that freaked me out as a little kid.

  6. #6 pough
    March 31, 2006

    The two dark shapes in the middle look to me like a couple of slender but curvy women on yoga mats. There also looks to be a third one of them at the bottom of the door, right in the centre. So the glowing Jesus up at the top seems to be teaching yoga, which I must admit is surprisingly hip.

  7. #7 yagwara
    March 31, 2006

    Probably a roll veneer, cut from near the centre of the tree.

  8. #8 Scott Kirwin
    March 31, 2006

    I see Charles Nelson Reilly flanked by Ruth Buzzee and Soupy Sales.

    Guess it’s just me… ;(

  9. #9 John Wilkins
    April 1, 2006

    My god, how did you get the Turin Shroud to use on your door, man?

  10. #10 Corkscrew
    April 1, 2006

    Is it just me or does Jesus appear to have an afro and a couple of antennae?

  11. #11 Joseph O'Donnell
    April 2, 2006

    Maybe he was a giant cockroach from space that performs miracles?

    Teach the controversy I say.

  12. #12 rat-terrier
    May 2, 2006

    I’m fryin up tortillas and grilled cheese sandwiches. Dozens per hour. We used to examine each one closely, under bright light, but that took too much time. Now we just photograph them, vacuum seal them, and number them. With the help of venture capital, our little 75 man operation has quickly built a database of over 400,000 FTGCS images.

    Meanwhile, Marketing got one hell of a vision on the road to Damascus you might say. Get this, we’ve partnered with a candy company — we’ll distribute the images in chocolate bars and have our data analysis done for free. Not only that, the candy guy’s research says they’ll sell more units.

    And this isn’t a one-trick pony either. Our R&D wonks are prototyping scorch-work of major sports figures, celebrities, etc.

    Look for our IPO soon

  13. #13 stephen
    August 2, 2008

    take a look at the top of the devils. They look like two angry demons, with horns. if you dont see it, look harder, cause they’re there… pretty weird.

  14. #14 stephen
    August 2, 2008

    well, only to the demons’ noses are visible, but they’re to the top of the devils for sure.