Student kidnaps Eucharist - commits mortal sin

http://www.wftv.com/news/16798008/detail.html

A college student, upset that his student fees in a state supported school were being used to finance Catholic religious ceremonies, pocketed the Eucharist and took it home!

The Eucharist is a dry, tasteless, unleavened piece of flour which when blessed is the actual 'Body of Christ'.

"It is hurtful," said Father Migeul Gonzalez with the Diocese. "Imagine if they kidnapped somebody and you make a plea for that individual to please return that loved one to the family."

Gonzalez said intentionally abusing the Eucharist is classified as a mortal sin in the Catholic church, the most severe possible. If it's not returned, the community of faith will have to ask for forgiveness.

"We have to make acts of reparation," Gonzalez said. "The whole community is going to turn to prayer. We'll ask the Lord for pardon, forgiveness, peace, not only for the whole community affected by it, but also for [Cook], we offer prayers for him as well."

The student involved claims he’s getting death threats for messing with something sacred.

I read that. How can that be a hate crime?

Still in the bible Genocide, Rape, Sexual slavery, War crimes, brutality, all OK, however you steal a piece of bread!!!!!.........

Also is it me but the idea of eating the flesh of any human, Christ or otherwise, (whether it is symbolic ie the Anglican Church and literal as in Catholicism), is Cannibalism and somewhat sick?!?

[Single Serving Jack]

I assume most of you will have seen P.Z.Myers post about this:

IT'S A FRACKIN’ CRACKER!

Well Bill Donohue has seen it and the Catholics are going menkle about it:

Fight back against Bill Donohue!

Why is it that so many people believe that freedom of speech means freedom from the consequences of that speech? In this country that particular right only guarantees that the government won't lock you up. Everyone else is going to exercise his or her right to react to that speech as they wish. To not understand that is to invite grief. Meyers needs to grow up quickly and learn how the world works.

It is simply too bad that you don't understand why every single Catholic in creation would be livid (a weak word in this context) over this act. You don't have to understand anything. Just be very certain that actions have consequences and that certain actions are, by their nature, going to arouse some very deep passions. One arouses those passions at one's own risk.

Surely the Father involved should be requesting for calm and order in the wake of this.

In the most literal sense, stealing what appears to be "just a cracker" isn't worth any kind of reaction at all, let alone the furor this has caused. I am, however, able to concede that I understand why they are annoyed - that was a section of their fundamental belief that was disrespected (I suppose) by this guy's actions. I'm just puzzled to why they are so annoyed. The magnitude of this should never have even reached any kind of animosity; if he was looking for a reaction then boy did he get it. The best practice, in my opinion, would have been for the Catholics directly involved to just shrug it off and discuss it amongst themselves. Perhaps ask the student for an apology - explain why it upset them so much. Excessive media attention for this just alienates them from the rest of the population.

[Broga]

Atheist Geordie wrote

Also is it me but the idea of eating the flesh of any human, Christ or otherwise, (whether it is symbolic ie the Anglican Church and literal as in Catholicism), is Cannibalism and somewhat sick?!?

It tastes wonderful if you are a Catholic, I am told. Haven't tried it myself. I think we should seek advice on this one from Lily.

Crest: That entirely misses the point. The body and blood of Jesus Christ, soul and divinity, under the species of bread, have been profaned. You might just as well flog him and crucify him again. It doesn't matter that you don't believe this or understand it. You don't mess with those things except at your own risk. Now Catholics don't, as a matter of policy, cut people's heads off-- even for this, which is why that unspeakable toad felt free to do what he did. However, there is no telling how an unstable person or a number of unstable people may react in a situation like this.

As always, when reading the secular press on religious matters, my IQ dropped a few points. It was not very well reported, as to the why and what of the matter. However, to answer your question about the priest, it does look as though he was calm and did say what little could be said to keep the matter from blowing up. This one is out of his hands, though.

For Broga and other curious: The wafer has no flavor at all. The wine is not esp. flavorful either, although one can recognize it as wine.

Lily wrote

That entirely misses the point. The body and blood of Jesus Christ, soul and divinity, under the species of bread, have been profaned. You might just as well flog him and crucify him again. It doesn't matter that you don't believe this or understand it. You don't mess with those things except at your own risk.

Missing the point? I adressed the fact that I don't understand the scale of the reaction, but I said I can see why they are pissed. I would be pissed off if something I held sacred was taken from me, yes. I would never threaten to kill somebody to retrieve it. The entire charade by the student (who I think was an idiot for doing this anyway) was obviously to provoke some kind of negative reaction.

Now Catholics don't, as a matter of policy, cut people's heads off-- even for this, which is why that unspeakable toad felt free to do what he did. However, there is no telling how an unstable person or a number of unstable people may react in a situation like this.

Ominous quotation.

As always, when reading the secular press on religious matters, my IQ dropped a few points. It was not very well reported, as to the why and what of the matter. However, to answer your question about the priest, it does look as though he was calm and did say what little could be said to keep the matter from blowing up. This one is out of his hands, though.

I'm interested, Lily. How would you propose the article would be reported in an unbiased fashion? Do you mean that the slant should have been more in favour of the people whose beliefs were disrepected, or the idiots who think they can begin to threaten a, frankly, immature student into getting their own way?

Crest: I am not claiming that the article was biased. I am claiming that it was clueless about the gravity of what went down and why it is was so grave.

I see that what prayer and requests could not accomplish, threats to break into his room to recover the Eucharist did. Still, he is not off the hook. If the article is correct and he was raised Catholic, he doesn't even have your excuse of not knowing how grave a sin he committed. You don't understand the scale of the reaction because you don't understand the scale of the crime. That is ok-- it goes back to what I said originally-- you arouse strong passions at your own risk. It doesn't matter if you don't understand why. It is basically a good idea to mind your manners and not deliberately trample on the objects held sacred by anyone. The student in question *knew* what he was doing. Unfortunately, he was too stupid to foresee the result..

[psychodiva]

this one is apparently called a 'Florida Cracker'

[psychodiva]

Teddy Bears, crackers- when it comes down to it the true behaviour comes right out in front

[Riddler]

Just curious:

At what point in the digestive process does this stuff cease to be literally the body of Christ and become literally shit?

[GodlessHeathen]

Riddler wrote

Just curious:

At what point in the digestive process does this stuff cease to be literally the body of Christ and become literally shit?

In the small intestine - but it becomes Holy Shit.

[Riddler]