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To: drstevej
Do you believe Paul bore the stigmata in the sense that Assissi did?

Personally - no I do not believe so - with respect for those who read the statement that way.

I do believe that St Francis, and some other stigmatists, are carrying genuine marks of an esctatic experience. I think it possible that they have taken themselves out of the ordinary realm of experience, and these marks are the consequence. They may not be a miraculous map of marks on Christ's body, (otherwise, as you say, they would be entirely the same in each case) but they are some sort of replica of their own meditations on his suffering.

Also - without being meanminded - I think that many so-called stigmatists are frauds, and that the reason why so many are women is that women are more prone to hysteria and attention seeking behaviour. But not all of them are frauds.

89 posted on 08/28/2003 12:37:20 AM PDT by BlackVeil
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To: BlackVeil
A reasonable response IMO, thanks.
95 posted on 08/28/2003 6:19:48 AM PDT by drstevej
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