Facing Imprisonment, Man Forced Into Exile After Debunking ‘Weeping Jesus’
Debunking ‘weeping Jesus’ forces exile
Sanal Edmaruku charged after debunking crying Jesus statue
11:00 PM, Dec 6, 2012
By Ram Ramgopal, CNN
An effort to debunk what many considered a miracle has triggered an argument over free speech and religious tolerance in the world’s largest democracy.
Sanal Edamaruku
A man was charged with blasphemy after giving a rational explanation for a statue of Jesus that seemed to weep.
It’s known to happen all over the world; a religious statue appears to cry, devout Catholics flock to it believe it to be a miracle.
From weeping Mary statues in California, to a tearful Jesus in Israel, usually it’s just a matter of personal faith.
But now one man in Mumbai is facing jail time for debunking what was thought to be a similar miracle.
In March, water began dripping down a statue of Jesus on the cross at Our Lady of Velankanni in Mumbai. Parishioners collected the so-called Holy Water others drank it hoping it would cure ailments.
But rationalist and atheist Sanal Edamaruku investigated, and said it was actually sewage water percolating through the statue, because of a leaky water pipe.
