I don't agree with the action or the reaction in this story.
A guy stole a Eucharist wafer from a Catholic service. They (the officiants, the school associated with the church, and, hooray, the Catholic League) bullied him until he gave it back. And by bullied, I mean they physically kept him from leaving, nearly got him thrown out of school, and sent him bunches of death threats.
What kind of dipshit invites this sort of hell on himself? If you don't like what shit they're selling at the Catholic Church, walk down the street and go to the Protestant one (take your pick). Or, hell, start your own! Was he wrong to do it? Of course he fucking was. Is it a hate crime? Are you fucking kidding? Technically, it's not even hate theft since by giving him the wafer, they, well, gave it to him. To keep. They just expected he'd eat it. But it's still a douche-y move, and if you hate the church so much, why would you subject yourself to one of those interminably long services just to get at a cracker? Christian supply websites would have sen you 1000s! Was consecration so necessary?
The response of the church and the batshit nuts who think they've got God on their side, however, is worse than the "crime." Greatest commandment according to their lord and savior who they're eating and who they think they're trying to get back? "Love your neighbor as yourself." These people must hate themselves. I always knew it!
Seriously, though, this guy is an asshole and you're pissed off, I get it. But DEATH THREATS?
There must be a lost section of the Bible where the teachers come and do the "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment" thing and Jesus goes "[see above]." In this lost part, they get more specific. They're all "But this pig-fucker totally pissed all over the temple!"
And Jesus flipped his shit and went "Well screw that guy. He's going to hell. You know what would get him where he belongs faster? IF YOU MURDERED HIM." And, yay, as the Lord hath spake, so was the word received.
Honestly, can't you declare the stupid wafer unholy and let him have his cracker? Certainly, by "desecrating" it, he's removed the blessing, hasn't he?
(Full disclosure: I'm a filthy Protestant by upbringing and I am not putting dead Jesus in my mouth when I--infrequently--take Communion. It's a metaphor. We're good with metaphors in lazy Catholic Church. It just means that I don't know what and what is not holy according to them. I didn't even go to a very good lazy Catholic Church. It was almost Unitarian with the "we'll tell you whatever you want to hear if you just come to church.")
Long story short, for ranting at the Church's reaction exlcusively, PZ Myers has gotten himself in trouble, too, because how do you show God's infinite mercy except by trying to get anyone who talks negatively about Him fired?
Also: Iran photoshops its missiles! Not really noteworthy except for this comment:
We must bomb Iran before they get the LOLcat. If they’ve got photoshop, it’s only a matter of time.
Which reminds me, time to stop ranting and go look at some adorable kitty pictures with stupid, grammatically incorrect captions.
A guy stole a Eucharist wafer from a Catholic service. They (the officiants, the school associated with the church, and, hooray, the Catholic League) bullied him until he gave it back. And by bullied, I mean they physically kept him from leaving, nearly got him thrown out of school, and sent him bunches of death threats.
What kind of dipshit invites this sort of hell on himself? If you don't like what shit they're selling at the Catholic Church, walk down the street and go to the Protestant one (take your pick). Or, hell, start your own! Was he wrong to do it? Of course he fucking was. Is it a hate crime? Are you fucking kidding? Technically, it's not even hate theft since by giving him the wafer, they, well, gave it to him. To keep. They just expected he'd eat it. But it's still a douche-y move, and if you hate the church so much, why would you subject yourself to one of those interminably long services just to get at a cracker? Christian supply websites would have sen you 1000s! Was consecration so necessary?
The response of the church and the batshit nuts who think they've got God on their side, however, is worse than the "crime." Greatest commandment according to their lord and savior who they're eating and who they think they're trying to get back? "Love your neighbor as yourself." These people must hate themselves. I always knew it!
Seriously, though, this guy is an asshole and you're pissed off, I get it. But DEATH THREATS?
There must be a lost section of the Bible where the teachers come and do the "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment" thing and Jesus goes "[see above]." In this lost part, they get more specific. They're all "But this pig-fucker totally pissed all over the temple!"
And Jesus flipped his shit and went "Well screw that guy. He's going to hell. You know what would get him where he belongs faster? IF YOU MURDERED HIM." And, yay, as the Lord hath spake, so was the word received.
Honestly, can't you declare the stupid wafer unholy and let him have his cracker? Certainly, by "desecrating" it, he's removed the blessing, hasn't he?
(Full disclosure: I'm a filthy Protestant by upbringing and I am not putting dead Jesus in my mouth when I--infrequently--take Communion. It's a metaphor. We're good with metaphors in lazy Catholic Church. It just means that I don't know what and what is not holy according to them. I didn't even go to a very good lazy Catholic Church. It was almost Unitarian with the "we'll tell you whatever you want to hear if you just come to church.")
Long story short, for ranting at the Church's reaction exlcusively, PZ Myers has gotten himself in trouble, too, because how do you show God's infinite mercy except by trying to get anyone who talks negatively about Him fired?
Also: Iran photoshops its missiles! Not really noteworthy except for this comment:
We must bomb Iran before they get the LOLcat. If they’ve got photoshop, it’s only a matter of time.
Which reminds me, time to stop ranting and go look at some adorable kitty pictures with stupid, grammatically incorrect captions.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 06:59 pm (UTC)You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it does.
Granted, I'm a dirty Jew, and we have a long history of descrating the holy host. I mean, seriously, you make one traditional holiday food out of the blood of Christian babies, and a religion that magically turns a near-identical food into messiah-meat once a week gets all upset...
no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 09:31 pm (UTC)