Can being struck by lightening open up a direct communication to God? According to Tiffany Snow, it did. She claimed to have experienced stigmata over a period of several years. Stigmata are believed to be a supernatural sign from God…similar to the wounds Jesus received at crucifixion. These markings mysteriously appear on the skin. Although cases are VERY rare, Tiffany Snow claimed to have her OWN stigmata.
In 1999, Tiffany was struck by lightening. Everything went white and she claimed that she went to Heaven. The voice of God spoke to her and said “if you love me, you’ll go back”. Of course she said yes. One night she had some vivid dreams and when she woke she noticed brown marks on her hands…where the wounds of Christ would go. The next day the spots starting running with blood. Tiffany believed the purpose of her stigmata, which occurred from July 2005 to April 2009, was to bring about more prayers to ease the suffering of mankind. Randall asked to see her hands and the miracle detectives noticed white spots which appeared to be scar tissue.
Tiffany then spoke briefly of her lifetime of broken homes, drugs, poverty, and abuse problems. Through all this, she always felt close to God. Knowing how rare true cases are, Randall was skeptical.
Dr. V was unsure about a lot of the story. She examined the photos carefully and noticed the blood wasn’t flowing or fresh in any of them…no pictures of running blood. At that point, she pondered if Tiffany might have Munchhausen Syndrome where a person fakes illnesses to gain attention.
Randall realized he needed to know more and set out to get a better understanding of stigmata from Euan Cameron, a professor at the Union Theological Seminary. In 1224, Saint Francis was believed to have received stigmata following prayer while on retreat in the rural mountains of Italy. The church is always hesitant because stigmata at times infers holiness. Following the meeting, Randall felt he needed to take a more respectful view of Tiffany’s case.
The miracle detectives then spoke with Father Billy Clark, the husband of Tiffany. Wed in 2006, both Father Billy and Tiffany are some of the only people to have witnessed the stigmata. Father Billy spoke of the wounds and how they bled. When asked if he thought his wife was a saint…he simply smiled and noted that was up to God to determine.
After that meeting, Dr. V found herself unsettled. So she headed over to speak with Dr. Philip Muskin, a professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University, about Munchhausen Syndrome. This syndrome describes individuals who have grand claims of illness or trauma to gain attention. The person knows that there is nothing wrong, yet has a sense of superiority. Dr. V can’t help but wonder if Tiffany had this disorder. Other than observing someone 24 hours a day, there really was no way to tell if someone had it.
To believe, Randall felt he needed to believe that Tiffany was being truthful. He spoke with Father Marcolongo. This was someone that Father Billy had called at one point to witness the stigmata and Tiffany claimed saw her gushing wounds. He admitted he witnessed the red marks and coagulated blood…but he didn’t witness any blood oozing from her wounds. He never considered that Father Billy or Tiffany would commit a fraud.
As they come together at the end, Dr. V wondered if the lightening strike caused Tiffany to be hyper-religious. She then questioned if the stigmata might be self inflicted or psychogenic. No one was really able to collaborate her story and there was no real evidence that God was involved.
Randall agreed that Tiffany’s background may have led her to a need for attention. Although she was intense in her belief, it was possible that the wounds were self-inflicted. He mentioned how Father Marcolongo hadn’t seen enough with his OWN eyes…he only received information from Father Billy. Randall was still open to Tiffany’s claims but also left room for the possibility of it all being untrue.
I have to wonder…a lifetime of abuse and drug problems and suddenly all this positive attention. AND if they were married in 2006, she met her husband after she started receiving attention for the stigmata. Did she meet him because of it? Maybe Dr. V was on to something with the Munchhausen theory. As for the scar tissue…it makes me wonder if she was using an acid chemical to bring about the bleeding. I saw a show that explained how people put a chemical on their flesh and in a short time the skin would start to bleed, simulating a stigmata. For 4 years she had stigmata, yet no one was able to witness it other than her husband? Not even video footage? So many questions. I am not saying that it isn’t possible…I just don’t think easily obtainable evidence was presented.
When most people hear voices in their head, they are usually hospitalized for observation of prescribed medication for their “illness”. So…why is hearing the voice of God so much more accepted?
Great blog on the show, it mirrors my own thougts. I’m not suggesting cases of stigmata do not exist but feel it’s very unlikely Ms. Snow has experienced the miracle. They have what they want us to believe is photographic evidence but it’s only still photos of injuries that in all likelihood were self inflicted. If you experienced stigmata would you wait until the blood had coagulated to call in a spiritual counselor as witness? If it repeated as Snow claims wouldn’t you be prepared with video camera and perhaps witnesses? There’s just too many holes in the story. I also notice Snow is now a published author and for a mere $125 she’ll heal you over the telephone, while you sleep no less. It’s not as if there is no motivation to lie, she’s not only landed a husband and plenty of attention, she’s getting wealthy off of desperate people willing to believe anything.
Tiffany Snow became a gifted healer after she was struck by lightening and there are many documented cases of her healing. I am unclear why the show focused only on the stigmata which came I believe many years after she was struck by lightening.
She used to provide free healing days where she offered healings to hundreds of people at no charge. I attended at least three of them and they were amazing. And I am a critical thinker with a graduate degree in clinical psychology. If you met her you would see one of the most sincere, loving individuals I have ever come across. But I did not see that in the show, for whatever reason.
Tiffany Snow is the real thing. She has helped me a great deal. I was diagnosed in 2005 with breast cancer. Tiffany did a long distance healing for me. I can tell you today that i dont have breast cancer. Father worked through Tifffany and I was healed. Tiffany Snow is a blessing to woman and mankind.
I heard about Tiffany Snow from the internet. My friend had been diagnosed with bone cancer. I contacted Tiffany Snow and asked for a long distance healing on my friend. I did NOT tell Tiffany nor her secretary that my friend had been diagnosed with cancer. I was skeptical but desperate. I told Tiffany’s secretary that I did not have money to pay, and Tiffany did not charge me a penny. Tiffany did the healing and her secretary sent me the notes from the healing. I was SHOCKED that Tiffany knew my friend had cancer, and she even went on to describe my friend’s life in remarkable detail. If Tiffany is not the real deal, then how could she know about my friend’s whole life and illness? After that, I asked Tiffany to do a healing on myself. Again, she did not charge me and the results from my healing with Tiffany was again, a true miracle. I realize that it is hard for people to believe that Tiffany is blessed and has a direct gift from God due to the fact that there are more fakes out there then there is the real deal. And for that reason, I feel bad that Tiffany is getting such a bad rap. She does have the stigmata and she does heal through God. She is a direct conduit. She is a blessing.