The famous Patterson-Gimlin Film
My wife and I have very different tastes in podcasts. On long road trips, we often get tired of music and after much searching and debating, we landed on Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. On a recent episode, Akin’s exploration of the idea of bigfoot gave me a greater appreciation for the importance of the human body. Bear with me on this one.
For those who don’t know him, Jimmy Akin claims Catholic fame as one of Catholic Answers’ theologians. His side hobby consists of exploring unknown phenomena on the above-mentioned podcast through “the twin perspectives of faith and reason.” He does this with the almost robotic thoroughness and precision I have come to expect from the apologists of Catholic Answers. recently, he applied that precision to a topic I had not thought about in quite some time.
As a kid, I absolutely believed in bigfoot, but grew out of it by the time I reached high school. In fact, I would consider myself a pretty skeptical guy. I’m not invested in bigfoot’s existence, but I find the case for an undiscovered great ape in North America intriguing to think about.
An alleged video of the beast even exists. The very famous so-called “Patterson-Gimlin Film” depicts an ape-like creature walking away from the camera, but turning to look at it once. Despite most people’s first impressions, the film actually holds up surprisingly well under most scrutiny. Most experts agree that the film is either the greatest hoax ever pulled off for the fact that nobody can recreate it, or proof positive of the mysterious creature.
By now you’re probably asking yourself, “isn’t this a theology of the body blog?” why the heck am I reading about bigfoot? Here’s why: even bigfoot’s body matters. Even if Patterson and Gimlin told the truth and really caught bigfoot on tape, it wouldn’t matter. Nobody can prove the existence of the great ape without a body.
In biology the term “type specimen” refers to the first sample of a new species. With animals, the type specimen means the first dead body found. Until someone produces a type specimen for bigfoot, we cannot say for certain it exists. Without studying a physical body, all information about the beast will remain speculation. This explains why some people who believe in bigfoot come across a little crazy, they have no bodily specimen to limit their speculation.
The same applies to persons. We cannot say that a human person exists without a body. Sherlock Holmes seems very real on paper, but he doesn’t have a body, and therefore we cannot call him a real person. Without a body to prove us wrong, Sherlock Holmes, just like bigfoot, can have any characteristic we dare to dream of – but that doesn’t mean he exists. To use the legal term, in court a judge needs to observe the accused with a body (i.e. habeus corpus).
This line of reasoning shows us why our perception of human bodies matters so much. If we don’t allow our bodies to limit our perception of reality, our fantasies can run wild. My body does not have wings, so I shouldn’t jump off any cliffs. My body also tells me I am a man, so I shouldn’t try to receive female medical care. Our beliefs influence our actions, so it would benefit us to continue believing that the body matters.
This isn’t really bigfoot, it’s a statue
Chris Tarantino is the Communications Director for TOBET. He studied History at The University at Texas A&M and has written for the Tennessee Register and Nashville Catholic.
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