Media response to Eucharistic Desecration

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In the last two years, followers of Atheist writer Richard Dawkins have been posing as communicants at Catholic Churches and stealing Consecrated Hosts. Then they desecrate the Blessed Sacrament by burning/defecating on/urinating on It. The most publicized incident was of a Professor Meyers in Minnesota. These incidents are all over YouTube.

However, we hear nothing–not in the press or from left-or-rightwing talk show hosts. However, someone talks about building a mosque 13 blocks from a secular holy place (Ground Zero) or someone threatens to burn the Koran, and every talk show host (left and right) is complaining endlessly about things being desecrated.

Where was the supposedly Catholic Sean Hannity or his lefty twin Rachel Maddow when Dawkins and his followers were attacking the Blessed Sacrament?

Secular and Moslem “holy” things are important, but Catholic (the Eucharist–the body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord) holy things aren’t?

What does this say about the United States?
 
Sadly, people will only react if there is a threat of violent retaliation. That is why my fear is that some misguided soul at some point would fall into Christian Extremism. I pray it won’t come but the assault on our faith by the secular society seems to point to that direction.
 
One big, glaring difference between Catholicism (and I emphasize Catholicism, not the rest of Christianity) and Islam is that we pray for our enemies and pray for the conversion of their heart.

We pray that Dawkins one day sees the souls he is leading astray and repents. We pray that Madelyn O’Hair, her son and granddaughter had a conversion of heart before they were murdered.

Dawkins takes advantage that Catholics are peaceful and prayerful. If he and his wacko Anti-theist followers dared to do to Islam what they do to Catholicism, they’d be in hiding. Note how Penn and Teller don’t have an hour long show on Showtime dedicated to bashing Islam’s holiest people or Islam in general.
 
It doesn’t take extremism, it takes being the squeaky wheel. The Catholic League contacted the Minnesota state legislature and the University in an effort to put some heat on Professor Meyers. Imagine the reaction if a few million Catholics jammed the University President’s email box full of letters of protest, same for the Board of Regents, and the Speaker of the House and President of the Minnesota State Senate? Every Catholic blog all over them like white on rice. Phone calls. Follow up letters.

That’s what it takes to put enough heat to turn this kind of stuff around. It’s exactly what got Prof. Ward Churchill investigated/booted from his job. Until we unite and present a solid front like you see if you threaten to burn a Quran, no one outside the Church will see any problem abusing the Eucharist.
 
It’d be a whole lot tougher to steal the Host if we all took Communion on the tongue instead of the in the hand nonsense. It’s not fool-proof but a lot more difficult to do this stuff.
 
Similarly, if Catholics cancelled their subscriptions to Showtime and boycotted the Las Vegas casinos/ hotels and cruises that employ Penn and Teller, they would change their tune so fast.
 
gurneyhalleck1 said:
It’d be a whole lot tougher to steal the Host if we all took Communion on the tongue instead of the in the hand nonsense. It’s not fool-proof but a lot more difficult to do this stuff.
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This isn’t a CITH-COTT thread. Let’s stick to relevant discussion.

And just like people “cheek” their medications, they can “cheek” the Host. After practicing law for 16 years, I have learned that a determined thief will steal what he wants to steal regardless of the safeguards.
 
PacoG said:
One big, glaring difference between Catholicism (and I emphasize Catholicism, not the rest of Christianity) and Islam is that we pray for our enemies and pray for the conversion of their heart.
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Don’t forget that Catholics and Christianity in general has a history of violence in the name of conversion. Not that the Church taught it, but because some people took the teachings in their hands and twisted it to their own personal agenda. But still the events are attached to the image of the Church, justly or unjustly. Don’t forget the Inquisition.
 
gurneyhalleck1 said:
It’d be a whole lot tougher to steal the Host if we all took Communion on the tongue instead of the in the hand nonsense. It’s not fool-proof but a lot more difficult to do this stuff.
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It has been done in the past. Those who wish to do such atrocities can and will find a way, sadly.
 
I think it’s an odd topic in a way. First, as a journalist (former) and a protestant, I’d never heard of eucharistic desecration until I began visiting here. I think it’s rude and misguided but I don’t think the people that do this are deserving of any real attention. I know there are kids in this area who think it’s funny to wrap strips of raw bacon around the door handles of the temples in the area. Rude? Yes. Stupid? Yes? Deserving of newspaper space? No. To do so is like giving a screaming toddler the toy they want.
 
PacoG said:
Similarly, if Catholics cancelled their subscriptions to Showtime and boycotted the Las Vegas casinos/ hotels and cruises that employ Penn and Teller, they would change their tune so fast.
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I know at least two priest who love Vegas and go there 3-4 times a year.
 
Lutheranteach said:
I think it’s an odd topic in a way. First, as a journalist (former) and a protestant, I’d never heard of eucharistic desecration until I began visiting here. I think it’s rude and misguided but I don’t think the people that do this are deserving of any real attention. I know there are kids in this area who think it’s funny to wrap strips of raw bacon around the door handles of the temples in the area. Rude? Yes. Stupid? Yes? Deserving of newspaper space? No. To do so is like giving a screaming toddler the toy they want.
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I tend to agree with this. Miscreants thrive on publicity. If the media had stayed away from the mosque story (or away from the Koran-burning story), the planners of such events would have been denied all that publicity, and they probably would have backed away.

That’s especially true in NYC, where a zoning committee is responsible for granting or denying requests to build, and that committee could have ruled “No” for the mosque to be built, just as they routinely deny bars, churches, restaurants, homes, businesses, etc. a permit to build if the area is not appropriate for the proposed building project.

If someone like Hannity raised a ruckus over Dawkins, Dawkins would be absolutely thrilled over the publicity, and it would spread his evil work all around the U.S. and silly copycats (especially rebellious teens) would “copy” his work and try the same thing in their parishes.

So it’s best to not say anything publicly and let Dawkins wallow in anonymity.

I wish that Hannity would not have publicized the mosque-building. But other media (liberal and leftist) media DID publicize it, so Hannity kind of had no choice. He couldn’t remain silent and allow the leftist media to pervert the thinking of decent Americans with untruths. (One example of an untruth is tha the mosque-building issue is a “religious freedom” issue. No, it isn’t.)

I agree with other: pray for Dawkins and his misguided followers. If you see him or any of his misguided followers actually descrating the Eucharist, stop them or ask the priest to stop them.

And one more thing–I’m not sure why you called Hannity “supposedly Catholic.” I don’t think you should do this. Bashing fellow Catholics who, for whatever reason, don’t do what you think they should do, is not a good thing to do in the Church. The Bible admonishes us to be “one” and to preserve our unity. When you bash fellow Catholics for not adhering to your personal agenda, it makes a division in the ranks of the Church, and to be honest, it makes it harder for me (and other Catholics, I’m sure) to trust you (or to trust Hannity). Don’t do this. Don’t destroy your Church from the inside. It’s OK to mention names and ask why they don’t do a certain thing, but don’t added perjorative phrases (e.g., supposedly) to their names. Besides, we do not have the privilege of judging the state of other Catholics’ souls. That’s up to God, not us.
 
WHAT!!!

Eucharistic Desecration!!!

This will endanger the troops in Iraq…the President will surely call for restraint…General Patreaus will surely call these people and tell them to stop this insanity…!!!1

oh wait, we’re catholics. We don’t get violent - my job is to pray and to vest myself with the Lord’s peace and tranquility.

Gospa Mir!
 
In Ireland meyers the Minnesota atheist publically drove a rusty nail through the consecrated host. we all know that it is open season on the church. The sensibilities of catholics are not protected by Political Correctness. There is a need for a hate fugure and it is The Church.

In a curious way I welcome that. Where Christ Our Lord is so there is His cross. He is Risen. They cannot hurt him but hey can hurt us and do wilfully hurt us by these acts. We must try to bear that goading as Christ Himself did. On His cross Our Lord prayed " forgive them. They know not what they do." I am sure He reacts similarly to this.

Remember the thousands, tens, hundreds of thousands of our brothers in Christ who have been starved, shot, hung and tortured but atheist tools of Satan. Compared to that our hurt at the insults to Christ is little and Our Lord can look after Himself.
 
Unless it has been shown that Mr Dawkins has incited these people by specific comments to desecrate a Host, it might be better, more charitible, and closer to the actual truth to leave his name out of the discussion. He may well be an atheist, but that does not in and of itself imply guilt for the choices of others.

Note: I am no fan of his. However, if he is an atheist, and someone who follows him is also an atheist, it does not follow that what he has said about not believing in God equates with inducing others to desecrate a Host.
 
What annoys me somewhat about this sorto f thing, is a lot of people who are doing the “descreation” tend to be of a liberal mind, so they’re all about tolerance and love and letting two men engage in rude things in parks.

So where exactly is their tolerance for a group of people that totals over a billion.
 
Christ is treated today just as he was 2000 years ago when he walked the earth. The fact that he continues to be treated this way should not make us marvel; instead, it should make us check our own resolve. Remember, there was only one disciple that remained with Jesus at the Cross.

Let us not fall into the trap of pointing fingers, debating customs and laws as the Pharisees and Sadducees did. Let us instead live out our faith at the foot of the Cross where we see Him crucified and naked before the world. Let us unite ourselves with Him and not be afraid to find ourselves abandoned and left alone as He was for the sake of love.

There will always be those who blaspheme Our Lord. But we must imitate Him, and be that light He so earnestly desired us to be. A light that will chase away the darkness and bring peace to all mankind.
 
vera_dicere said:
What annoys me somewhat about this sorto f thing, is a lot of people who are doing the “descreation” tend to be of a liberal mind, so they’re all about tolerance and love and letting two men engage in rude things in parks.

So where exactly is their tolerance for a group of people that totals over a billion.
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I would not be so quick to frame this in terms of a liberal/conservative thing.

One of the most obnoxious atheist writers is also a conservative icon…Ayn Rand.
 
wxboss said:
Christ is treated today just as he was 2000 years ago when he walked the earth. The fact that he continues to be treated this way should not make us marvel; instead, it should make us check our own resolve. Remember, there was only one disciple that remained with Jesus at the Cross.

Let us not fall into the trap of pointing fingers, debating customs and laws as the Pharisees and Sadducees did. Let us instead live out our faith at the foot of the Cross where we see Him crucified and naked before the world. Let us unite ourselves with Him and not be afraid to find ourselves abandoned and left alone as He was for the sake of love.

There will always be those who blaspheme Our Lord. But we must imitate Him, and be that light He so earnestly desired us to be. A light that will chase away the darkness and bring peace to all mankind.
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More eloquent and well put than than my own earlier effort to say the same. That Christ and by extension His followers, is insulted is hardly new.
 
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