The Holy Cracker

So a guy took a cracker. And lo, it was a holy cracker.

I'm an atheist now, but I wasn't always one. I used to be a catholic. Way back then, before I went to university and let the brainwashing fade away, I used to love the ritualism of a catholic mass. Very fancy, very organized and planned. Everything had some kind of symbolic meaning.

This whole escapade brought back the memories. You see, catholics are actually supposed to believe that the host is literally the body of Christ. I recall, now, as everyone is making a big deal out of it, how many instances there were - in church - of a big deal being made of it.

If it is dropped on the ground, it should be covered with a cloth (lest someone step on it) and the area should be washed thoroughly after the mass is over. I remember the priest following someone back to his seat to make sure that he ate it. There are a bunch of other weird rituals for unused hosts and other things.

On the other hand, as an atheist, it's a cracker. So I can't really sympathize too much with the people freaking out over this (especially now that it's been returned) while many demand the guy who ran off with a cracker be tried for hate crimes.

Sure, you have your rituals and you have the right to them. Catholics don't come knocking at my door and preaching to me, so I don't bother much with them (although in Ontario they get my tax dollars for their schools, so I do have some issues). In that vein, I don't think it would be right to go sneaking in to catholic ceremonies and running out with their crackers. Legal? Yes. Since they're handing you the cracker, it's yours. But also dumb, pointless and antagonizing.

The route to atheism is not through crude gestures like this. It only makes the religious feel persecuted which strengthens their faith.

So yes, the religious people are dumb for going nuts like this. But, on behalf of a desire to see more people arrive at the rationality of atheism, I don't think this was in any way a productive step.

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