# Re: How do I get myself excommunicated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 8, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018 "2008-10-08T16:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wygtya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Wygtya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wygtya)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/1 "2008-10-08T16:46:12Z")
I have a question about the bell, book and candle ritual. (I always thought it was something to do with witches until now). I get the book - the bishop reads from it. I get the candle - the priests hold them and dash them to the ground. I don’t get the bell, where does that come in? Does the excommunicant have to wear bells on his clothes from then on so all good Catholics know to shun him, or what? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/2 "2008-10-08T17:05:49Z")
A link to the column is appreciated. This is the one: [How do I go about getting excommunicated?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1164/how-do-i-go-about-getting-excommunicated) According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell,_book_and_candle) (for whatever that’s worth) > [@](#): > > The bishop would ring a bell to evoke a death toll, close a holy book to symbolize the excommunicant’s separation from the church, and snuff out a candle or candles, knocking them to the floor to represent the target’s soul being extinguished and removed from the light of God. ---
**Author:** ![Wygtya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Wygtya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wygtya)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/3 "2008-10-08T17:24:25Z")
Thanks, I knew there had to be a bell in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/4 "2008-10-09T18:57:46Z")
FWIW, the movie _Becket_ contains an excommunication scene. In it, the cathedral bell is tolling as it would for a death. ---
**Author:** ![missx3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@missx3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missx3)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/5 "2008-10-16T08:52:22Z")
> [@Wygtya](#): > > I have a question about the bell, book and candle ritual. (I always thought it was something to do with witches until now). I get the book - the bishop reads from it. I get the candle - the priests hold them and dash them to the ground. I don’t get the bell, where does that come in? Does the excommunicant have to wear bells on his clothes from then on so all good Catholics know to shun him, or what? Oh come on! That is crazy. Where did you get this info from, respondents? There are very few religions more misunderstood than some parts of Catholicism. (chuckling). It is the crazy PEOPLE that make a religion nuts, with their invented themes and ideas. It isnt ritual, it has meaning. The meaning is between you and your own belief of someone who created you, a spiritual belief. None of this was going on back in 1 ad when Christianity began, so dont follow any of this.. no one has the right or the audacity to claim they have a right to ‘excommunicate’ anyone. But you never see complaints of other religions as much as you do of Catholics and Christianity.. again, this is likely because you are looking at the individuals involved in making rules.. that is dogma. Don’t confuse dogma and the basic principles, which I hope were established in a man called Peter in 1 a.d. .. those that came afterwards added their own crazy ideas.. and their crazy misinterpretations in establishing a ‘religion’. ---
**Author:** ![missx3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@missx3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missx3)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/6 "2008-10-16T08:53:40Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > A link to the column is appreciated. This is the one: [How do I go about getting excommunicated?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1164/how-do-i-go-about-getting-excommunicated) > > According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell,_book_and_candle) (for whatever that’s worth) I only knew bell, book and candle as a movie about witches. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/7 "2008-10-16T18:54:05Z")
> [@missx3](#): > > Oh come on! That is crazy. Where did you get this info from, respondents? There are very few religions more misunderstood than some parts of Catholicism. (chuckling). It is the crazy PEOPLE that make a religion nuts, with their invented themes and ideas. It isnt ritual, it has meaning. The meaning is between you and your own belief of someone who created you, a spiritual belief. None of this was going on back in 1 ad when Christianity began, so dont follow any of this.. no one has the right or the audacity to claim they have a right to ‘excommunicate’ anyone. But you never see complaints of other religions as much as you do of Catholics and Christianity.. again, this is likely because you are looking at the individuals involved in making rules.. that is dogma. Don’t confuse dogma and the basic principles, which I hope were established in a man called Peter in 1 a.d. .. those that came afterwards added their own crazy ideas.. and their crazy misinterpretations in establishing a ‘religion’. Uh, Christianity as a religion, especially with Peter involved, didn’t begin until sometime around 30 A.D. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/8 "2008-10-16T18:54:22Z")
\*\*missx3 \*\* said: > [@](#): > > Oh come on! That is crazy. Where did you get this info from, respondents? **Wygtya** was clearly making up something ridiculous because he/she didn’t know. Chastising him/her for not knowing seems extreme. > [@](#): > > It is the crazy PEOPLE that make a religion nuts, with their invented themes and ideas. It isnt ritual, it has meaning. The meaning is between you and your own belief of someone who created you, a spiritual belief. This seems an awful lot like proselytizing, and isn’t relevant to the thread or the question. Within the context of Roman Catholic Christianity, what is the significance of a bell during excommunication rites? > [@](#): > > None of this was going on back in 1 ad when Christianity began, so dont follow any of this.. no one has the right or the audacity to claim they have a right to ‘excommunicate’ anyone. j Personal opinion about what religious beliefs to hold or not hold. > [@](#): > > But you never see complaints of other religions as much as you do of Catholics and Christianity.. Probably because you see complaints from folks in Western Civilization, which is predominated by christian and especially Catholic history. Also, Catholicism is a particularly involved form of christianity, with lots of ritual and symbolism. Makes good fodder for questions about esoteric elements. > [@](#): > > again, this is likely because you are looking at the individuals involved in making rules.. that is dogma. Don’t confuse dogma and the basic principles, Some might argue the two are inseperable. > [@](#): > > … which I hope were established in a man called Peter in 1 a.d. Funny, most christians would pin it on _Jesus_, with perhaps some historians laying a lot on _Paul_. > [@](#): > > .. those that came afterwards added their own crazy ideas.. and their crazy misinterpretations in establishing a ‘religion’. As if the craziness started _after_ that point. ---
**Author:** ![tadpaul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@tadpaul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadpaul)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/9 "2011-04-09T01:36:08Z")
How about getting your baptism and/or confirmation annulled, like a marriage or an ordination? ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018/10 "2011-04-09T17:52:52Z")
Virtually impossible. To get a baptism or confirmation annulled, you’d have to prove that the minister was thinking, “Ha-ha! They all think I’m baptizing/confirming this kid, but I’m really not!” or, in the case of confirmation, that the officiant wasn’t really a bishop. Or you’d have to prove that you’re not a human being, which would entail very serious difficulties. Or that something was obviously wrong in the service, like being baptized with beer.