Updates:
1. The student gave the Church its cracker/savior back:
ttp://www.wftv.com/news/16806050/detail.html
2. The Catholic League (i.e. Bill Donohue) condemned PZ Myers for
proposing to desecrate a communion wafer if someone provides one, and
he broke his hate-mail record:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/07/fight_back_against_bill_donohu.php
Question: Should he do it? If someone manages to steal an official,
consecrated "Host" from a Catholic service, should Myers really publish
photos of it being vandalized?
This would bring a lot of attention to one religion's rather extreme
reverence for a small foodlike object, but only at the direct expense
of the adherents' emotional distress. No one has the
right to claim offense just because someone else believes or says
something they disagree with; Myers is welcome to say loudly that a
cracker is always just a cracker, and he's welcome to make or buy a
similar-looking one for use in graphic art. But to at
least one of the parties involved, dishonoring the stolen Eucharist
would be more than just an act of free speech: they believe, as
they're free to do, that the cracker is a transubstantiation of their
Savior's actual Body, and Myers would be corporally abusing It/Him.
Eating it is one of
the most important parts of their religion, perhaps the most important
– "excommunication" literally refers to being denied the Holy
Communion. Most importantly, the only reason this proposal is
interesting is because it
would make a lot of people very upset. But it's beyond just "offense;"
the
members of the Florida church prayed for their own pardon because they
were responsible for losing the anointed wafer. As far as they're
concerned, he'd be causing them tangible spiritual harm, and as far as
he's
concerned, that's precisely why it's exciting.
What do you think? Should he leave the Body of Christ alone?
Joe
P.S. This response has also been posted on Hemant Mehta's blog, The
Friendly Atheist:
http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/07/10/wafergate/
On 7/9/2008 1:33 PM, Mark W. Thomas wrote:
IT'S A FRACKIN’ CRACKER!
Category: Religion • Stupidity
Posted on: July 8, 2008 8:05 PM, by PZ Myers
There are days when it is agony to read the news,
because people are so goddamned stupid. Petty and stupid. Hateful and
stupid. Just plain stupid. And nothing makes them stupider than
religion.
Here's a story that will destroy your hopes for a reasonable
humanity.
