Come off the Cross
I haven't commented on the whole Professor P.Z. Myers debacle, but I might as well add my two cents. I am sure that when I was an atheist I would have applauded him for what he is doing because I was just as ignorant as he is, if not more.
"I have to do something," he said in the interview. "I'm not going to just let this disappear. It's just so darned weird that they're demanding that I offer this respect to a symbol that means nothing to me. Something will be done. It won't be gross. It won't be totally tasteless, but yeah, I'll do something that shows this cracker has no power. This cracker is nothing."
This only shows that this shows he has zero understanding of what he is trying to mock. That he has no familiarity with the concepts involved or even a basic understanding of Christianity and theology. If he did he would know his little desecration demonstration proves nothing.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus and his reply from Deuteronomy was "You shall not put the Lord your God to the Test." This is precisely what the professor is attempting. That Jesus who would not come down off the Cross will in this case do something to prevent his being abused in this manner. That somehow we can make God appear at will by threatening to do something evil.
So the professor is trying to do some materialist's demonstration that only proves God's love for us if it proves anything at all. That he loves us so much that he will allow us to abuse him in his sacramental form. He felt the weight of our sins in the Agony of the Garden and continues to bear the weight of our sins that good may prevail. There is Eucharistic desecration daily as people receive Communion unworthily and even those of us who believe can receive Communion can do it without the preparation Communion deserves. Yet he allows alls of this and continues to give us graces to bring us out of of spiritual stupor.
As an ex-atheist I can totally understand P.Z. Myers attitude and ignorance and the only outrage he invokes in me is a turn to prayer for him. So I won't be making any death threats, just life-after-death threats in that I am praying for him and hope to see him on day in the Beatific Vision.
Known as 
I wish responses like yours were given more airtime in the mdeia.
Very good commentary. I like your take on it. God will respond, but on his own terms. I'll say a rosary for the professor. Perhaps we can all treat this as his own personal cry for help.
This guy seems to be under the delusion that we're all sitting around waiting for him to be struck by lightening. And one gets the impression this is more about his own ego than his ideology.
These guys run around calling themselves "Brights" but the self-designation comes off looking like a self-help mantra.
Wise perspective, Jeff. Thank you.
On August 11th, 1834, Henry Creesy broke open a tabernacle (which had been in the chapel of Ursuline Nuns of Charlestown, Mass before it was hidden in an asparagus bush by the nuns when the convent was being ransacked by a Protestant mob), shoved the hosts in his pocket and declared that he had God in his pocket.
He slit his own throat the next day.
Sleeping Beastly, I totally agree with you, praying is what we need to do.
David Sailer, that is disturbing....(not that I'm questioning it's authenticity)
Indeed, it is disturbing, and very sad.
The best thing that we can do at this point is pray for Prof. Meyers.
[For anyone who is curious about its authenticity, here are a few references:
Nancy Lusignan Schultz, Fire and Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834, (New York, 2000), pp 1-2, 180-181 and Robert H. Lord, “Religious Liberty in New England: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834,” United States Catholic Historical Society: Historical Records and Studies. 1932: vol 22.]
Yes, so-called Catholics will bear the responsibility all the more for receiving unworthily the precious Body and Blood of Jesus at Mass. When "Catholic" politicians publicly defy the Church, persist in sin and insult ordinary Catholics who do try to live the Faith, Professor Myers probably won't be at the front of the line to explain to the Lord why he persecuted Him. If Saint Paul, who persecuted many, could be "caught" by Christ, Prof. Myers deserves an opportunity to modify his ways. He also deserves an opportunity to hear why his provocations are so offensive, unsettling, insensitive and shocking.
He's not an atheist, he's an anti-theist. The former is indifferent to religion, the latter is vehemently opposed to it.
Matt,
I'm no expert on the terms, but isn't he both an atheist and an anti-theist? From the way you use the words, it sounds like "indifferent to religion" and "anti-theist" can be used to describe people in different camps.
For example, take a person who doesn't explicitly deny God but believes we can't know whether or not He exists or know anything about Him if He does. If this person thinks that because we can't be certain of our beliefs we shouldn't believe in any god and is vehemently opposed to all forms of religion, I would call this person an anti-theist agnostic.
On the other hand I would call someone who explicitly believes that there is no God or gods but is open to everyone forming their own beliefs and religious practices an atheist who is indifferent to religion.
It seems to me that Professor Myers is both an atheist, denying the existence of God, and an anti-theist, vehemently opposed to all who believe in some form of God.
He's also a racist. Notice how he throws the word "cracker" around. :)
Matt, I'd expressly agree with your statement.
a-theist means without theism, or without a belief in god(s). anti-theist is against theism.
Brian Walden, I'd suggest that your first hypothetical would really be more a deist than agnostic (a-gnosis, or without-knowing).
Then there is the case of the Active Agnostic (his own term), who feels that as God is not proven nor disproven that it is illogical to be atheist, but who feels that how to live rightly is so obvious if you think about it that you should be living rightly no matter if there is or isn't a God; in short, God is not relevant and if he exists he would approve of the active agnostic and if he does not exist or turns out to be some advanced alien who only looks like a god to us primitives, it does not matter; what does matter is to live so as to create the world you want to live in, and to be the person who is of the world you want to live in, and in doing this, you will do right by all people because that is the only right way to be in a world where justice and mercy are done for all people. Live it to have it--existence of God not important.
I agree very much that this prof needs prayers said for him. His very public offense is interesting but ought to only garner pity. Imagine if he persists in this hatred for God into his death--pity is certainly the correct response for someone deliberately and willfully courting a bad eternity.
This is some of the better commentary I've seen on this situation in the Catholic online media. Thanks!
Besides the evident need for prayers for this lost soul (may I also suggest the Divine Mercy Chaplet?) and the always-timely reminder that we need to keep our own "house in order" and receive Our Lord worthily as Catholics, I also think we need to consider how much desecration of the Eucharist is likely happening regularly and how to lessen the odds.
It doesn't take much imagination to theorize that Our Lord is regularly (if quietly) stolen from the Communion line ("palmed" or removed from the mouth subtly in the pew) and desecrated by Satanists and other lost souls.
Now, if someone is determined to do this, Our Lord clearly allows it because He loves us enough to be so readily present to us. We cannot stop such acts entirely, though we can always pray and sacrifice in reparation and for conversions.
My suggestion is that we all receive Our Lord on the tongue -- out of respect for Him, and as an implied prayer for an end to these sacrileges. Also, perhaps if the "need" for distribution in the hand drys up, we will see a return to reception in the mouth only.
(I do not look down on those who receive in the hand; I myself did for all of my life until I attended an excellent Miles Christi retreat recently and became convinced that my unconsecrated hands shouldn't touch Our Lord's Body. I also see now that widespread reception in the hand has facilitated some profound evils...)
May God bless us all!
Kristen J
Great commentary, Jeff! You do a wonderful job capsulizing the entire situation, with understanding and mercy.
(Darn if I didn't try to type the Greek characters in the word verification again!)
For myself, I hope for a breathtaking demonstration on the part of God that the Blessed Sacrament is in fact Jesus Christ. It is worth praying for, for the salvation of Prof. Myers, the world, and the Catholic people, for that matter. We badly need this, really.
In the midst of all the argument and counter-argument about the existence of God, the Church's teaching on marriage- and everything else- we need a Eucharistic miracle. Perhaps the Lord in His goodness is permitting Prof Myers to provide the setting, to show that the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.
We shouldn't worry about God. He can take care of Himself just fine.
The good news is that God is omnipotent and cannot exactly by harmed by whatever acts this man is planning. If anything, he is harming himself. But because we Catholics have faith in the Real Presence, what he is planning is certainly harmful to us. It is an assault on a loved one. What surprises me is how plain mean this man is. He hides behind his God Reason, but reasonable debate about the merits of faith is not advanced by this action. The desecration adds nothing to whatever arguments he presents. It is hurt for the sake of hurt; cruelty just to be cruel.
It's easy for us Catholics to hate someone who would be so cruel, and that is a mistake. We need to remember that Our Lord prayed for those who persecuted him, and that since we are all sinners we have all persecuted him ourselves. I like to think about the case of Bernard Nathanson, who was the head of NARAL for many years, but who repented and converted to Catholicism under the weight of his guilt. All things are possible with God!
I don't get it. This professor feels that he must do something to a consecrated host because they exist? What, he just found out about this whole "Jesus-bread-thing" and its very existence calls out to him for some sort of personal response? Is he then going to go on to other symbols that mean nothing personal to him -- spit on some American flags, maybe, or rip up a Koran, or urinate on a Terrible Towel in the middle of Heinz Field?
Setting aside for a moment that a consecrated host is not a symbol as most people mean the word -- so what if it WERE? It is common courtesy to respect symbols that mean something to others, even if they don't mean anything to you. I'm not Jewish but I wouldn't knock a mezuza off a door simply because I saw one nailed up there. I wouldn't kiss my hand to it either, but I wouldn't feel compelled to desecrate it. Being confronted with a symbol that others respect does not automatically call forth a response, unless we are talking about a Nazi swastika or something. And maybe that's what this professor is trying to say. But I don't go to that school so why should I respect his opinion anyway? Just because some university CALLS him a professor and all... his position means nothing to me personally so I think I will send him a Waffle House hat to show him what I really think of him!
Not only might we all consider a return to receiving on the tongue, but mightn't we want to cut out all of those Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion? Too many hands and I'm getting a little tired of McMass...
Jeff, this is well said. Thank you.
This is an outrage. The fact that this man is not already fired from his job is on us. This University of Minnesota at Morris ought to be hearing from us regularly. We should demand that they fire him.
I was an atheist too in my younger years, but I never had any hostility toward religion so I have a hard time understanding Myers' attitude. And even if I had been opposed to religion rather than indifferent to it, even as a teenager, I had better manners and cared more about other people's feelings than to want to offend or hurt them, and more taste than to equate a vulgar, childish display of spite with a philosophical argument.
Another pseudo-tough guy ready for the fall...nothing to see here folks, just move on...
Doesn't God create good out of evil? Methinks this whole ordeal has opened the eyes of many catholics about how much they really care about and believe in Our Divine Lord's presence in the Holy Eucharist.
The immense fear and sorrow I felt upon reading this kinda caught me off guard. Someone hates the children of God so much that they would attack Christ Himself even though they really don't believe He is there himself?
That is when my prayers went out for the conversion of this guy and to atone for the desecrations that have occurred and will occur. It has also highlighted the bad liturgical practices that have occurred since VII. This is our wake-up call folks. The enemy is at our gate and plans on desecrating that which is most precious to us.
I was not suprised at these desecrations and planned desecrations happening in university settings by "university types". Academia is the point where most of the hatred for Jesus is strongest and most virulent.
God save us from "experts" and "professors".
Fiat Voluntas Tua
Perhaps an exorcist prayer is in order. His hatred appears to be beyond reason. And you know who loves to use human weaknesses...esp. when it comes to the Eucharistic Presence.
Gail, your post was so much nicer and wittier than mine, but it is exactly what I wanted to convey. Wonderfully said.