My sister has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and has spent years in research on breast cancer. From what I can tell, her credentials are pretty much on par with Dr. Myers'. There is a difference between the two, however: Monica believes that the "cracker" through which Dr. Myers drove a rusty nail, then threw in the trash and covered with a banana peel and coffee grounds, is indeed the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that belief has made all the difference. When Monica exchanges her vows this afternoon with my future brother-in-law, Jim Hamell, in the Sacrament of Marriage, it will be because their mutual belief in that same Lord brought them together. That faith will give them the strength to stand together in Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Hoover, Alabama, in front of their God and their family and their friends and to commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. The love of Christ will help them to welcome further life into the world, if God wills it, and to raise up children in the same faith and love.
Today, P.Z. Myers has thousands of admirers congratulating him on his blog for his "courageous" act in desecrating a Host that he claims to believe is nothing more than a "horrible little cracker." But it hardly takes courage to ridicule and trample on the deeply held beliefs of others. Today, standing in the front of that church, I will witness a truly courageous act, and I will see with the eyes of faith something that P.Z. Myers cannot even begin to comprehend: How the Lord of Hosts, Who created and redeemed us and gave His own Body to us for our food, can give two people true courage--the courage not to hate and destroy, but to love and give life.
I’ll be praying for your sister and her new husband as they begin this new phase of their lives together, and for you in your travels.
As to PZ Myers…it has perplexed me through this whole ordeal why, if he believes this is only a cracker, he needed a consecrated Host to descecrate. If it’s just a cracker to him, what does it matter if it’s the Eucharist or a Wheat Thin? All he wanted was attention and to rile up Catholics so he could claim we’re irrational and angry. I’ve refrained from commenting on this ordeal on my blog because I haven’t wanted to feed into it. However, I will be remembering him in prayer, and praying that he will learn to respect others in the way he demands respect for himself.
Nicole:
To show that it’s just a piece of bread, of course. I mean, he wasn’t struck down by lightning, it didn’t bleed, the earth didn’t tremble, the stars didn’t fall from the skies. Nothing happened, just as one would expect if the eucharist were simply a piece of bread and not, as a lot of people apparently believe, a god.
And also to demonstrate that no idea is sacred.
Scott,
Excellent post. Thanks for writing it.
Arsenb,
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly states, quoting St. Thomas Aquinas, that the Eucharistic presence of Our Lord can be perceived only through faith. No one expected anything to “happen” to the host. Myers’ desecration proved nothing, except for his hatred and contempt.
Tom Piatak:
Okay, so if the eucharist really were nothing more than a piece of bread, how would you be able to tell?
Hi Scott,
I really appreciate your about.com section and the emails I receive from you. I somewhat agree with the previous poster that maybe we should not be reporting this “professor”. We should not be giving him publicity. Every time I could sense in your article that you would start describing what he did or planned to do, I would skip over it. It is just too disturbing for me to read. I’m sure a lot of Catholics feel the same way.
Click my name to read my blog.
please do not comment on this guy P.Z. Myers, he only wants attention, is so easy critize what you do not know and religion in general, there are several like him….let him enjoy his ignorance alone.
Excellent post, Scott. I wish your sister and brother-in-law every happiness.
I’ve avoided PZ’s blog – it’s so sad to read about so much hatred and disrespect. I know he’ll eventually have to deal with the consequences of what he’s done.
This guy has a huge chip on his shoulder. He criticizes religionists of all stripes for actually believing something, but he is the biggest dogmatist of all. Can he not see that?
I am ashamned to call this Myers a fellow Minnesotan, we promote Tolerance here not this intolerance he has shown.
Just came across this.
I always find it fascinating that Evangelicals and Atheists have the same view of the Eucharist – except that the first group claim they believe in miracles. At least it shows the Atheists aren’t being disingenuous