We must STOP EBAY from selling the Eucharist! (4-19-05)

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GodBlessJoanie

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Hello everyone,
Another consecrated Host is for Sale!

We must take action! Jesus is vunerable!

First: Get your Parish Priest to post an article in your Parish Bulletins with the information below.

Second: Contact Ebay=Evil-Bay management with your objections by snail mail, email and phone. Let the deluge of objections make them add the Eucharist to their prohibited items page!!! (They won’t sell Native Prayer sticks, but the Eucharist is auctionable!)

How dare they!

See the eBay prohibited items page:
pages.ebay.com/help/policies/artifacts.html

See the listing of the latest Consecrated Host:
cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6171703649&category=1447&sspagename=rvi:1:1v_home

Let the deluge begin to:
Mr. Pierre Omidyar, Founder and Chairman of the Board
Ms. Meg Whitman, President and CEO
Mr. Jeff Jordan, President, PayPal
2145 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, California 95125

To express your objection to eBay:
eBay Customer Support:
rswebhelp@ebay.com
Or call:
1-800-322-9266
1-888-749-3229

Blessings to all,
Joanie
 
I’m definately not defending ebay here and will certainly reconsider using the service in the future, but I think there needs to be an acceptance that this stuff happens.

I recall as a kid being at mass, and all of a sudden the priest who was distributing communion stopped everything and bolted out the door. Apparently he saw that someone had taken the host and not consumed it and was going out the door. The priest confronted him in the parking lot, and from what I understand there was a physical confrontation for the priest to get the host back. Apparently this guy was a member of some sort of cult that wanted the host for something.

The point is that this stuff has been going on, and I’m sure most of the individuals that have tried to steal a host have gotten away unnoticed. I’m sure that Jesus understands the situation: to have the eucharist be available to the faithful it must also be exposed to this type of activity. This is really just an added aspect of Jesus’ sacrifice, imho.

I think the Christian response is to just pray for the people that want to desecrate the eucharist and feel some sympathy for them. After all, the eucharist only has value to a believer. Anyone that believes in Jesus, His sacrifice, and His Church but still is angry and hateful enough to want to desecrate the eucharist has serious problems.

I can not fathom why ebay is tolerating this practice though.
 
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Dorsey2:
I’m definately not defending ebay here and will certainly reconsider using the service in the future, but I think there needs to be an acceptance that this stuff happens.

I recall as a kid being at mass, and all of a sudden the priest who was distributing communion stopped everything and bolted out the door. Apparently he saw that someone had taken the host and not consumed it and was going out the door. The priest confronted him in the parking lot, and from what I understand there was a physical confrontation for the priest to get the host back. Apparently this guy was a member of some sort of cult that wanted the host for something.

The point is that this stuff has been going on, and I’m sure most of the individuals that have tried to steal a host have gotten away unnoticed. I’m sure that Jesus understands the situation: to have the eucharist be available to the faithful it must also be exposed to this type of activity. This is really just an added aspect of Jesus’ sacrifice, imho.

I think the Christian response is to just pray for the people that want to desecrate the eucharist and feel some sympathy for them. After all, the eucharist only has value to a believer. Anyone that believes in Jesus, His sacrifice, and His Church but still is angry and hateful enough to want to desecrate the eucharist has serious problems.

I can not fathom why ebay is tolerating this practice though.
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I do not agree at all. We should never tolerate evil acts.
 
I think Ratzinger has written an article stating “tolerance isn’t an execuse for allowing evil” when he was a cardinal
 
I went to the link you followed, and recieved a webpage saying the item had been removed by ebay.

Josh
 
I got the standard form letter from Ebay yesterday - it ended with this:
EBAY} We appreciate the fact that you may disagree with our position on this issue. We cannot change our guidelines based on your objection. If you would like to see a change in one of our policies or procedures:
http://pages.ebay.com/community/suggestion/
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So I went there - I urge everyone else to do it too.

This is what I wrote:

I got Ebay’s standard form letter regarding the selling of a consecrated Eucharist on Ebay. I’ve even read some online that Ebay equated receiving the Eucharist with getting a dinner mint.

I know that you can’t please everyone all the time, and that there could be any number of items that offend people at any given time.

However I don’t think Ebay truly understands the Eucharist and what it means to Catholics. IT is the CORE Of our religion. We truly believe that it holds within it, just under the appearance of bread, The Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This isn’t just a religious ‘item’ or ‘relic’ This to us IS JESUS. Jesus is not for sale. The Eucharist cannot be given to someone who is not Catholic. The Eucharist cannot be given to someone who is Catholic but in the state of mortal sin. The Eucharist can only be taken from the church by a priest or eucharistic minister who is taking the Eucharist to a homebound parishoner. If extra hosts are consecrated during mass, they are placed in the tabernacle. Which is LOCKED when mass is not taking place.

So in essence this is FRAUD based on the person who took it who was not Catholic, and THEFT since they removed it from the place of the mass. This is not simply receiving an extra dinner mint at a restaurant. This is someone who has not been received into the church stealing a sacrament. There are only 7 sacraments in the Catholic church. You can’t just show up and partake in them. There are procedures, steps you take.

If you notice, the complaints against Ebay aren’t for blessed relics, medals, or other icons of the Catholic Church. But to allow the sale of the Eucharist is making Ebay complicit in this Fraud. I understand that Ebay is a lot like a newspaper in that you just allow the forum for the listings. But since you do have an extensive list of banned and prohibited items you obviously are trying to maintain an honest forum.

But Ebay seems more than willing to bend it’s own rules (against selling items received in Fraud or theft) because it is a Catholic Item. Yet I know that Ebay has removed items that were ‘offensive’ to other religious groups - or in the name of “tolerance” to groups with altermative beliefs or lifestyles. Ebay seems to bend over backwards not to offend Jews, Mormons, fat people, gay people, etc etc, but will bend over backwards to make sure that the Catholic Faith is denegrated to nothing more than a cult or secular “club.”

Catholics make up over 1 Billion people world wide. With the current media attention over the death of John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI, I’d say we probably are going to experience a resurgence in our faith and gain many more new members.

Members who spend money. 1 Billion people can really hit you right in the pocket book. I’d suggest Adding the Eucharist to your prohibited items. You’d probably get Catholics coming to Ebay as new members just in appreciation for your support in keeping the Eucharist pure and out of hands of those who’d wish it harm.
 
(1) Ebay isn’t selling the Eucharist. Some mysterious third-parties are claiming to be selling the Eucharist through Ebay.

(2) I don’t understand why we should expect Ebay to be an enforcer. To the secular humanist working at Ebay, a host is just a piece of bread.

(3) We are not even sure that these hosts are consecrated. What proof is there that they were really consecrated by Pope John Paul? Maybe some guy just bought a package of hosts from a local Catholic supply store.
 
Here’s the response I got from eBay regarding my e-mail to them:
eBay:
Hello Steven,

Thank you for taking the time to write eBay with your concerns. We
welcome your comments and will certainly take your suggestion under
advisement for future policy changes.

We understand that you are upset at having seen certain Catholic items
on eBay. Because eBay’s community is a diverse, international group of
users with varied backgrounds and beliefs, there are times when some
items listed on eBay might be offensive to at least some of our users
somewhere in the world. At times, members may see auctions that could be
considered morally wrong or objectionable. However, even though these
auctions may be offensive to some, please remember that eBay hesitates
to prohibit any item that is not otherwise illegal.

eBay has made the decision not to prohibit any item on the basis of the
item being endowed with sacred properties by certain religious groups.
In general, eBay will remove items for a violation of our Offensive
Materials policy only in extreme examples.

Please keep in mind that many of us at eBay may also share your distaste
for an item, and may not support the sale. However, we do our best to
understand and tolerate the many viewpoints held by our worldwide
community. Religious items are not prohibited for sale on eBay, and will
generally be allowed as long as the seller does not otherwise include
hateful text or images in the listing. Although we realize that you may
not agree with this decision on eBay’s part, we hope that you can
respect the diverse and open nature of eBay’s marketplace.

We appreciate the fact that you may disagree with our position on this
issue. We cannot change our guidelines based on your objection. If you
would like to see a change in one of our policies or procedures, I might
suggest you take a moment to submit your concerns in this regard through
our community feedback form, which can be accessed by navigating your
browser to the following URL:

http://pages.ebay.com/community/suggestion/

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Shea
Community Watch Team
eBay Trust & Safety
Whether you’re new to eBay or an experienced buyer and seller, the eBay
Security & Resolution Center can help you protect yourself on eBay and
online. For more information, please click the “Security Center” link at
the bottom of most eBay pages.
For our latest announcements, please check:

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/announce.shtml
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quote=Benedictus Ebay isn’t selling the Eucharist. Some mysterious third-parties are claiming to be selling the Eucharist through Ebay.

(2) I don’t understand why we should expect Ebay to be an enforcer. To the secular humanist working at Ebay, a host is just a piece of bread.

[/quote]

I wouldn’t blame EBay if they didn’t know what was going on. But they do.

It is like if someone became a vendor in a mall selling crack cocaine. The mall would have a legal obligation to stop it, and would be considered drug dealers themselves if they did not.You can’t provide the means for somebody to do something and then claim all innocence. EBay makes money from sales on its site, it is directly profiting from sales of the Eucharist.

Again, the nature of EBay means that EBay itself is often unaware of what is happening all over its site. I’d have no problem with EBay if a Eucharist was sold without EBay figuring it out first. But EBay should have a policy of not allowing this, and take down any auction that does. That really isn’t too much to ask, is it?
 
To an agnostic working at Ebay, what’s the difference between a supposedly consecrated host and a blessed Rosary?
 
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Benedictus:
To an agnostic working at Ebay, what’s the difference between a supposedly consecrated host and a blessed Rosary?
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To an agnostic I don’t think there is a difference between a consecrated host, a blessed rosary, or a collection of baseball cards.

But it is extremely disrespectful to Catholics to sell a consecrated host, at the very least.
 
I have officially quit ebay with this final email.

Please close my account. I have complained about the sale of the Eucharist and I have started a message that has over 130 posts to date to complain about it in Collectibles Message Center. I have been sent you form letters letting me know you don’t intend to stop the sale of future Holy Eucharist. Since I believe this is Christ, I can no longer participate in this auction center. I am saddened by your lack of response. Since I believe that the Catholic Faith is the last area in this country that people don’t care if they discriminate against, I will take a stand when it is this blatant. This is getting great coverage on Catholic websites, and on Catholic radio. You are doing yourself great harm. So be it. You have decided. Sincerely, XXXXXXXXX
 
Mister E:
Just today eBay DID retract the sale of the hosts. Here is a link to drop a note of thanks to the folks over there. We should let them know we appreciate their, however eventual, respectful choice.
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eBay cancelled the listing on Wednesday, not today. I know, as I was a bidder. See my other comments linked in a post above.

eBay IS NOT deserving of receiving any letters of thanks. It appears they only cancelled this auction because the bidding had got up to an outrageous (near $20 million) and they did not want the bad publicity. I’ve repeatedly asked them if they’ve changed their policy and they continue to say that the listing of eucharist on eBay is not prohibited. eBay needs to be contacted and requested to change their policy, not to thank them.
 
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MyDearJesus:
eBay cancelled the listing on Wednesday, not today. I know, as I was a bidder. See my other comments linked in a post above.

eBay IS NOT deserving of receiving any letters of thanks. It appears they only cancelled this auction because the bidding had got up to an outrageous (near $20 million) and they did not want the bad publicity. I’ve repeatedly asked them if they’ve changed their policy and they continue to say that the listing of eucharist on eBay is not prohibited. eBay needs to be contacted and requested to change their policy, not to thank them.
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Fully agree:yup:
 
I am in receipt of a dozen emails from Evil-Bay with their standard “template” about being a free and diverse marketplace and the Eucharist is a fair trade item.

Therefore, I have officially closed my account. This will be somewhat of a hardship, but doing the right thing is usually the harder thing.

Ebay prohibits the sale of Native American Prayer sticks and Nazi war materials, but the Eucharist is OK. – This is unacceptable.

Whether or not the host is concecrated or not is not the point. One needs to err on the side of caution. Christ is most vunerable in this state. One person asked me “what’s the big deal - it’s only Christ to those who believe…?” and this of course is not true. It’s like saying one who believes that a socket in their house is not full of electricity is entitled to stick their finger into it withOUT consequence. Go ahead and try… It is what it is.

As Catholics it is our duty to protect Christ in HIS most vunerable state. That’s why I am totally against receiving the Eucharist by hand and have not done so for almost a year.

I believe that that demise of the respect for the Eucharist started with this first smallest step.

In the words of Fr. John Corapi "If you teach the wind you’ll reap the whirlwind.
Blessings,
Joanie
 
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MyDearJesus:
eBay cancelled the listing on Wednesday, not today. I know, as I was a bidder. See my other comments linked in a post above.

eBay IS NOT deserving of receiving any letters of thanks. It appears they only cancelled this auction because the bidding had got up to an outrageous (near $20 million) and they did not want the bad publicity. I’ve repeatedly asked them if they’ve changed their policy and they continue to say that the listing of eucharist on eBay is not prohibited. eBay needs to be contacted and requested to change their policy, not to thank them.
Click to expand...
NO letter of thanks from me.
 
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