I was linked to a story today regarding a University of Central Florida student who smuggled a Eucharist out of an on campus Catholic mass. A Eucharist is that little cracker they put in your mouth at communion.
I don’t know why he took it, I don’t know what his motivation was, and I don’t care, the fact that he took it doesn’t interest me at all. What is interesting is the bible thumper reaction.
Catholics worldwide became furious.
Some choice quotes:
“We don’t know 100% what Mr. Cooks motivation was, however, if anything were to qualify as a hate crime, to us this seems like this might be it.”
- Susan Fani, a spokesperson with the local Catholic diocese
“It is hurtful, imagine if they kidnapped somebody and you make a plea for that individual to please return that loved one to the family.”
- Father Migeul Gonzalez with the Diocese
For a student to disrupt Mass by taking the Body of Christ hostage–regardless of the alleged nature of his grievance–is beyond hate speech. That is why the UCF administration needs to act swiftly and decisively in seeing that justice is done. All options should be on the table, including expulsion.
- Bill Donahue, bible thumper extraordinaire
I got to eat the communion wafer a couple of times when I was young. I didn’t know what it was supposed to represent, I was just sick of the endless cycle of kneeling and standing, and I was happy that I got to get up to do something, and eat something.
I was brought up Methodist, but visited a Catholic church with relatives now and again. I have never been very religious, and I was only a Christian by default because that’s how my family brought me up.
That said, give me a break. A hate crime!? Kidnapping!? Taking a hostage!? Beyond hate speech!? How about some perspective people, IT’S A FUCKING CRACKER! You can buy them online in boxes of 1000!
Apparently this student returned the cracker because he has received death threats. That’s the tolerant peace-loving Christians for you, the same ones who bomb abortion clinics. As equal opportunity crusaders, they’ll stone you to death for stealing a cracker right along with the homos and heretics.
Returning the cracker isn’t enough, though. The bible thumpers demand vengeance, and will settle for no less than his expulsion or death. Apparently, to some people, ruining this kids education and/or ending his life is appropriate punishment for stealing a cracker. Wait, he didn’t even steal the cracker, they gave it to him!
I was also linked to a blog article by a University of Minnesota Moorhead professor named PZ Myers. Although I live in Minnesota, I had never heard of him, but apparently he’s a renowned biologist, a vocal atheist, and a loud critic of intelligent design and organized religion. I ended up spending a few hours browsing his site and listening to various interviews and debates, and it’s pretty apparent he knows his stuff, and has a large following.
Anyways, at the end of his post he made a tongue-in-cheek offer to desecrate in some way consecrated communion wafers if his readers could get a hold of some and send them to him. As I understand it, when a priest blesses the cracker it becomes consecrated and takes the form of the body of Christ. I don’t mean symbolically, I mean they literally believe it becomes the body of Christ. If that’s not wacko I don’t know what is, never mind the fact that turning the body of Christ into poop somehow isn’t sacrilege, but taking the cracker out of church is.
PZ Myers has posted several updates today on the Crackergate fallout. Thousands of wackos have not only sent him hate mail and death threats, but have deluged the university president with demands for his termination. Thanks to tenure, his job is safe, and hopefully the president isn’t a member of the Christian Cult and can see the situation for the witch hunt that it is, but as a counterweight to the criticism he is receiving I sent a brief email to the President Robert Bruininks defending Myers against this insanity. That’s what it is, insanity. Logic doesn’t work with people who act on faith, faith is the lack of objectivity and reason, and that’s my problem with religion. I watch every day as people disregard what they see and sense and what is logical and what we have evidence for while believing with all of their might and hate in something that all evidence indicates is essentially voodoo magic.
This is my first real rant on this blog, and I guarantee you religion is a topic that will come up again, probably often, but i’ll add a disclaimer now. I personally know many religious people, the vast majority of my family, excluding me, is religious to some extent. I realize that the worst of any group make the most noise, and the internet makes it easy for them to congregate. I’m quite sure there are many religious people who would agree that the Catholic reaction in this story is overboard.
I don’t hate religion or religious people, in fact I think religion helps many people to live honest, fulfilling, happy lives, albeit through ignorance. So this may be the only apology you get: i’m sorry to generalize. And you’re wrong.
