Was that Jesus (or Elvis) in that piece of toast?

Posted 30 November 2014 by Matt Young

Credit: Abnormal Interests. Creative Commons copyright CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US. Kang Lee, a 2014 Ig Nobel Prize* winner, asks, "Have you ever seen the face of Jesus on toast? No? ... Your brain is completely normal if you see nonexistent faces in everyday objects. In fact, if you don't, your brain may actually lack the essential ingredients for a vivid imagination." The research was actually mildly interesting, if unsurprising. I could not read the original article, which was published in a proprietary journal, but I found synopses here and here. The gist, at any rate, seems to have been that when observers think they see a face, even in random noise, the face-recognition area in their brain lights up. OK, it is normal to see patterns where none exist. More-imaginative people see more patterns. Fine. But too many people who ought to know better think that such patterns are real.

*The Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded in September, but I did not catch up with them till a broadcast on NPR the other day. Dr. Lee added, by the way, "And I have some good news for you, for those without a good imagination, I just found out, you can buy a Jesus toaster on eBay ...." You may see him at about 19 min into the tape. For the record, seeing patterns where none exist is known as pareidolia.

14 Comments

gdavidson418 · 30 November 2014

I see toast in paintings of Jesus.

On another matter, I don't think that seeing Jesus' signature in the complexity of life indicates a good imagination, rather, a failure to grasp the totality of life's patterns. They never do seem really to get it, even when they know the "facts" of evolution (Jonathan Wells comes to mind).

Glen Davidson

ksplawn · 30 November 2014

âHave you ever seen the face of Jesus on toast? No? â¦ Your brain is completely normal if you see nonexistent faces in everyday objects. In fact, if you donât, your brain may actually lack the essential ingredients for a vivid imagination.â

What I'm taking away from this is that toast is an essential ingredient for vivid imagination. :)

DavidK · 30 November 2014

That definitely looks like someone put a silhouette mask on break and toasted it in a little toaster oven, not a regular toaster. They'll get a little notoriety from it and maybe someone might buy it, hopefully to smother it with cream cheese and it will go away.

Just Bob · 30 November 2014

DavidK said: That definitely looks like someone put a silhouette mask on brea[d] and toasted it in a little toaster oven, not a regular toaster.

That's exactly what's going on. You can even see the darker areas around the edges that weren't covered by the mask. It's obviously a joke at the expense of nuts who DO see Jesus on their toast, or in a pile of dog puke or something. Now here's a REAL idea: Make a series of masks so that each picture comes out slightly different, then you could assemble your toast into one of those animated flip-books (flip-loaves?) so that by flipping through it we can see Jesus raising a dead guy or getting nailed to a cross or something. Bet that'd win a lot of converts.

https://me.yahoo.com/a/Ob0HvyMoi42Irkw1iQSW0JJa4csGhuBGLA--#492dd · 1 December 2014

It's an attempt to break into the communion wafer biz.

daoudmbo · 1 December 2014

"The question is this: Given that God is infinite, and that the universe is also infinite... would you like a toasted teacake?"

"I toast, therefore I am."

(obscure reference for the Red Dwarf fans out there)

Just Bob · 1 December 2014

https://me.yahoo.com/a/Ob0HvyMoi42Irkw1iQSW0JJa4csGhuBGLA--#492dd said: It's an attempt to break into the communion wafer biz.

Think that could work as a business model? Market it as Jesus Toast or The Bread of Life or, for KJV Leviticus types, Shew Bread. Promote it to evangelical mega-churches and on fundy websites. Let the RCs have their tasteless little wisps. We have Jesus Toast! We can spread By Their Fruits Jam on it! Hey, and among certain demographics we could market double-thick slices featuring Jesus holding an AR-15! Jesus Texas Toast!

Flint · 1 December 2014

There's an outfit that will take any picture you send them, and create a toaster that will burn that picture onto each slice of bread. Hurry to get yours before Christmas!

DanHolme · 2 December 2014

daoudmbo said: "The question is this: Given that God is infinite, and that the universe is also infinite... would you like a toasted teacake?" "I toast, therefore I am." (obscure reference for the Red Dwarf fans out there)

Nice reference, to which one might add, gazing upon the Almighty - "If you're God, why that face?"

bigdakine · 2 December 2014

How about dog butt Jesus?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/have-you-seen-the-dogs-butt-that-looks-exactly-like-jesus-ye

Just Bob · 2 December 2014

bigdakine said: How about dog butt Jesus? http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/have-you-seen-the-dogs-butt-that-looks-exactly-like-jesus-ye

Wow! That surely is Jesus! And full body, more or less in proportion, too! You can't tell me that's random chance! FL, I'm (nearly) convinced! All you have to do is explain what we should conclude about Jesus based on this manifestation.

AltairIV · 5 December 2014

It's not alone either. There's a second D.B.J. floating around too.

http://www.atheistnexus.org/photo/dog-butt-jesus

God is obviously talking to us. We just aren't paying attention to his chosen medium of communication!

BTW, I've discovered that it's really fun to show this photo to someone, zoomed in so that only the silhouette is visible, then watch their reaction when you it zoom out.

Henry J · 5 December 2014

Butt butt butt...

Just Bob · 5 December 2014

OK, I'm going to check out all the dog asses in my neighborhood to find one I can pray to. Since this is a natural, i.e. miraculous, occurrence, it can only be an appearance of the True Jesus -- way better than a plastic statuette or sissy-Jesus picture made in Taiwan.