Modern Day Phenomenon of Christianity.
In today's society, where the majority of Americans are not Christian, there are times when physical proof of our religion is the best way to convince people of the truth of Jesus Christ. Many non-believers will be very stubborn to the idea of Good and Evil forces, and the existence of a single, Supreme Being. One can offer all kinds of apologetic evidence found by religious scholars, archeologists and other scientists, but the non-Christians have evidence too, so it's hard to prove anything. Modern day Phenomenon, mentioned in this paper, leave little doubt that Jesus is the one true God and he is alive today. Stigmata, possession, and the supernatural spiritual gifts spoken of in 1st Corinthians 12:1-11, are real and they still occur today.
A stigmata is a person, today, receiving the wounds Jesus got while he was being crucified. There is no person administering these tortures, however. The person receiving the stigmata receives wounds from an unseen force and unseen objects. The person will receive some or all of Jesus' wounds, though normally not at the same time. Often people will only receive 2 or 3 of the wounds before they stop. The person receiving the stigmata is always a deeply religious person. It is through their belief that the Holy Spirit gives them this gift. It is a gift because the people often pray for the Stigmata. The wounds that the receiver might get are nails through the wrists, a nail through their feet, the crown of thorns, 39 lashes or the spear through the side. Once again, there are no nails, no whip, no thorns and no spear. The wounds appear out of nowhere. .
None are known prior to the thirteenth century. The first mentioned is St. Francis of Assisi, in whom the stigmata were of a character never seen subsequently. In the wounds of feet and hands were lump of flesh representing nails, those on one side having round back heads, those on the other having rather long points, which bent back and grasped the skin.
