Archive for the ‘church’ tag
I Kidnapped Jesus
Yesterday I commented on a news story about a student in America who took a wafer from a Catholic Mass, incurring the wrath of quite a number of Catholic organizations in the process. The “crime” was referred to repeatedly as kidnap because of the strange belief of transubstantiation which states that the wafer and wine turn to the body and blood of Jesus Christ once blessed, although our sense still perceive them as food.
In this sense, taking a wafer without eating it is apparently equal to the crime of kidnapping Jesus himself. For atheists, this claim is completely ridiculous and illogical; not so much because there is no way of proving any of this transubstantiating actually happens, but because by their own logic, Catholics (and other denominations which subscribe to the process) are partaking in ritual cannibalism of their Saviour.
The whole debacle got me thinking about churches in England, and I found that my “local” cathedral followed a rare doctrine introduced by one of it’s early bishops to unite both Catholics and Prostestants on the issue of transubstantiation. As such, they adhere to the doctrine that the wafer and wine literally become the body and blood, but can only be “grasped by faith”. I decided to mimic the student in America, go to church for the first time in 10 years, and take Jesus’ body home with me.
When I first announced my plan, some people said it was disrespectful of faith and I would be violating someone else’s freedom of expression in order to fulfil my own. Such an idea was not the case, and it was if I had planned to run up to the alter and grab a handful. In my defense, I will tell you exactly how the morning went.
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Taking The Church Hostage
Pharyngula reports that a student walked into a Catholic Mass and walked out with the small bread wafer that represents Christ. Apparently the Catholic world is outraged, saying he took the poor piece of bread hostage. It’s been called a hate crime, the student has been sent death threats, and Bill Donahue from the Catholic League says the student should be expelled.
So much for freedom of expression, but I tell you what, it’s given me an idea.
I’m ofiicially going to be the first English copycat. I’m going back to church for the first time in 10 years, and I’m going to steal a wafer. To top the American student Webster Cook, I’m going to steal the wafer from one of the most famous cathedrals in England. No, not St Pauls, but Salisbury Cathedral. It’s a medieval cathedral that’s celebrating its 750th year this year, and it has the tallest spire in England. It’s a mega tourist attraction.
The schedule for events can be found at their website.
Regretfully I cannot do this today (Wednesday), but I am in town on Thursday, and I will be attending the late morning Holy Communion at 11:15. I will go to the Morning Chapel, attend the full service, receive communion and pocket it.
Jesus Is A Gender-tolerant Sexist And A Homophobic Homophilic
…or so claims the Archbishop of Canterbury. As the Church of England suffers yet another crisis, with the entire system being ripped apart over the issues of homosexuality and women bishops, it seems that Dr Rowan Williams has turned to the infallibility of the completely contradictory Jesus.
As his comments in a recent sermon show, he seems to have lost all sense of logic:
Jesus is going to be with those who feel the waterlessness of their position, with those traditionalists feeling the Church is slipping away from them, the landmarks have shifted….
He will be with those in very different parts of the landscape who feel that things are closing in, that their position is under threat and their liberties are being taken away by those anxious and eager to enforce new ideologies in the name of Christ.
He will be with those who feel that their liberty of questioning is under threat, he will be with gay clergy who wonder what their future is in a Church so anxious and tormented about this issue.
Presenting Jesus Christ, the perfect electoral candidate in any situation! Able to have multiple contradicting opinions on absolutely anything! Homosexuals? Surely an abomination but also a reality. Women clergy? Well, my dad says it’s against the law but I’m fine with it…sort of.
The Cathedral Of My Lost Faith
I lost my faith in Christianity (and religion in general) at the age of 11. At the time I had just started attending secondary school (high school) that was located next to the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral. The school was founded by a Bishop of the cathedral, and was an all boys school. It is quite appropriate to say that whilst worshiping at Salisbury Cathedral, I lost my faith.
However, the building itself is remarkable, and nobody could deny the fact that it is beautiful. The medieval architecture, combined with the tower and spire (the tallest in Britain) makes for great tourism and photography. I recently went on a amateur photography course at the cathedral which was great fun. I have been playing around with WordPress image galleries, and I have uploaded the photos for anyone who wishes to have a look.
The best way to view them is to let the page load completely, and then click on the first image thumbnail. The screen will darken and the image should load. You should then be able to go through the images by clicking on the arrows at the bottom.
Another Killed By Religion
Just less than 3 months ago I reported on the arrest and presecution of the parents of Ava Worthington, a 15 month old girl who died because instead of taking their daughter to a doctor, they left her healing up to faith. Quite unsurprisingly, she died from a combination of bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection, which were both perfectly treatable by modern medicine.
The family were members of a large fundamentalist church know as “Followers of Christ”, and they have a dark history of child abuse, neglect, and manslaughter. Now Ava Worthington’s own cousin, 16 year old Neil Beagley has died from a heart failure caused by urinary tract blockage. Members of the same church, Beagley’s parents believed that the power of prayer would heal their son, and called on fellow churchgoers to a prayer session last Sunday when Neil’s condition worsened. He died two days later.
A 1999 Oregon state law prevented parents from using a religious based defense in court, and this law was first used to prosecute the parents of Ava Worthington. However, since by Oregon law people over 14 years old are allowed to choose the method of medication they receive, it is doubtful anything will happen to the parents.
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