# Student Kidnaps the Eucharist... PZ Myers to the Rescue! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 11, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147 "2008-07-11T16:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/41 "2008-07-11T17:06:13Z")
I read the article fully expecting to learn that the “thief” had broken into the church sacristy and absconded with a case of communion wafers. Are you fucking kidding me? This was a wafer _given_ to someone during the service. Voodoo mysticism and doctrine aside, this was a “theft” like taking a church program is theft. That article (which is actually [here](http://www.wftv.com/news/16798008/detail.html) at present, by the way) could appear, verbatim, in _The Onion_. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/42 "2008-07-11T17:06:21Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] There’s no harm. You’re fucking crazy. [/QUOTE] How odd. And so are most other people here must also be crazy. You notice this a lot in your life? What do you think it means? You may be one of the few sane ones, I suppose. I would also entertain the opposite conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/43 "2008-07-11T17:06:54Z")
Careful, folks. Catholics have a long history of going off the rails over host desecration. From Wiki: > [@](#): > > The first recorded accusation was made in 1243 at Berlitz, near Berlin. As a consequence all the Jews of Berlitz were burned on the spot, which was subsequently called Judenberg. Another famous case that took place in 1290, in Paris, was commemorated in the Church of the Rue des Billettes and in a local confraternity. In 1370 in Brussels, the charge of host desecration, long celebrated in a special fest and depicted in artistic relics in the Church of St. Gudule, led to the extermination of the Jews of the city. Over a wafer made of simple carbohydrates. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/44 "2008-07-11T17:06:59Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Oh no you refuted my arguments. Have a cookie. Next time I’ll try to make bullet-proof analogies so I can shield myself from your razor-sharp wit. [/quote] Bulletproof analogies are not necessary, but perhaps one with a passing resemblance to the subject would be good. > [@](#): > > The point is the guy who took a Eucharist/cracker/death cookie for the purpose of making a point was being a disrespectful dick. It’s sad that some people are so hateful towards all religion that they are blinded to this simple fact. Cite that he did it to make a point? I don’t think his motivation has been established. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/45 "2008-07-11T17:07:46Z")
The guy did it, with the full intention of getting folks upset: > [@from OP's quote](#): > > I’ll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare. I won’t be tempted to hold it hostage (no, not even if I have a choice between returning the Eucharist and watching Bill Donohue kick the pope in the balls, which would apparently be a more humane act than desecrating a goddamned cracker), but will instead treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web. I shall do so joyfully and with laughter in my heart. He fully intended to be a dick, and he succeeded. That doesn’t excuse the death threats, but just because he received death threats doesn’t make his act less dickish than it would be if he didn’t receive them. And, it’s not about criminal law, but social etiquette, to me. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/46 "2008-07-11T17:08:27Z")
[QUOTE=Don’t Call Me Shirley] Why, because he did something that is against your religion? By this argument, every time you eat pork you are being rude to all Muslims. [/QUOTE] One, I’m not Catholic. Fomer Catholic but I am not one now, nor do I follow that once one is Catholic you always are. Two, you must not understand what they are talking about. The Eucharist was _consecrated_. You know, sacred. You may believe what they do, but basic respect says you don’t take something considered sacred and desecrate it. How would you feel about someone pissing on your father’s grave? Big deal, it will make the grass grow. He’s dead. Maybe you would be OK with that. I wouldn’t be. It is just rude. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/47 "2008-07-11T17:09:34Z")
[QUOTE= Diogenes] So what if it offends people? Who says you have a right to not be offended? Any declarative statement about ultimate truth is going to offend people. No one can point out how smuggling home a communion wafer actually hurts anybody, though can they? Offending someone does not harm them. [/QUOTE] This post does a great job of answering exactly none of the questions I asked you. [QUOTE= Ogre] There’s no harm. You’re fucking crazy. [/QUOTE] You’re perfectly welcome to think so. It doesn’t make me wrong about this, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/48 "2008-07-11T17:10:19Z")
[QUOTE=mlees] The guy did it, with the full intention of getting folks upset: He fully intended to be a dick, and he succeeded. That doesn’t excuse the death threats, but just because he received death threats doesn’t make his act less dickish than it would be if he didn’t receive them. And, it’s not about criminal law, but social etiquette, to me. [/QUOTE] Whoa, pardner. PZ Myers DID NOT STEAL anything. He’s merely suggesting that someone do so. Try to keep it straight. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/49 "2008-07-11T17:10:58Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] So what if it offends people? Who says you have a right to not be offended? Any declarative statement about ultimate truth is going to offend people. No one can point out how smuggling home a communion wafer actually _hurts_ anybody, though can they? Offending someone does not harm them. [/QUOTE] The church does have to pay for those things. They are not provided by heaven. Even though the cost of a single wafer would be small it is theft of the church property. I think the guy is clearly reaping what he has sowed. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/50 "2008-07-11T17:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Theft by deception is still a crime. It was a dick thing to do, but it affects me not even the least little bit. If Catholics are right and there is a God, this person will have to account for his actions, and that’s good enough for me. [/QUOTE] I’d pretty much agree with this. I think I would tend to question the faith of those who feel the need to cause material problems for someone on an issue when the punishment is pretty much in other people’s hands. He broke no Earthly law; if someone has faith in unEarthly law, then the guy will be punished to the precise amount he deserves. God generally doesn’t seem to require \*our \* help. But yes, dick move. The wrongness of theft depends not on how much the stealer values the stolen item, but how much the person stolen from values it. He does nobody, especially himself, any good whatsoever by doing this. It’s not just jerky, it’s _stupid_. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/51 "2008-07-11T17:12:18Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] Whoa, pardner. PZ Myers DID NOT STEAL anything. He’s merely suggesting that someone do so. Try to keep it straight. [/QUOTE] So we have the Krusty the Klown defense of “I didn’t do it.” Think that flies in any way, shape or form? Why? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/52 "2008-07-11T17:12:25Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Scrappy Hero Pup] Hey, did you happen to read about “scope” a few lines up? Probably not. [/QUOTE] They gave him a gift. Unless you have a cite that they told him that the giving of the gift was contingent upon him swallowing it, I think you’re wrong. Once that cracker is in his mouth he’s accepted the gift and the church cannot say a damn thing about what he does with it, as you of course well know. Way to ignore the rest of my post though, and just nitpick at legal semantics. About what I expected. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/53 "2008-07-11T17:12:42Z")
It appears that this thread was opened for the sole purpose of maligning Catholics. Given the author of the OP I shouldn’t have been surprised. I would implore all Catholics in this thread to stop feeding the trolls. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/54 "2008-07-11T17:12:46Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] I think the guy is clearly reaping what he has sowed. [/QUOTE] Wait… you’re not saying the death threats were warranted are you? Please tell me I’m misinterpreting this! ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/55 "2008-07-11T17:13:14Z")
> [@](#): > > You’re perfectly welcome to think so. It doesn’t make me wrong about this, though. The only possible harm that could come of it is if Catholics freak the fuck out and start killing people, as they are wont to do. As of now, there is NO HARM that has been done. None. Zero. It lies with the Catholic community to either turn the other cheek, or kill somebody. My guess is that somebody eventually ends up dead. THERE’S harm for you. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/56 "2008-07-11T17:13:45Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Theft by deception is still a crime. [/quote] Not in this case, it isn’t. It’s illegal to break into a church and steal a case of communion wafers. It’s not illegal to smuggle one home after receiving the sacrament. It wasn’t a “crime.” Let’s at least be factually accurate here. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/57 "2008-07-11T17:14:19Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] So we have the Krusty the Klown defense of “I didn’t do it.” Think that flies in any way, shape or form? Why? [/QUOTE] Uh, wut? He didn’t do it. The guy that stole the cracker is a completely different person. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/58 "2008-07-11T17:15:53Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] So we have the Krusty the Klown defense of “I didn’t do it.” Think that flies in any way, shape or form? Why? [/QUOTE] There doesn’t have to be a “defense.” Myers did not ask anyone to do anything illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/59 "2008-07-11T17:17:05Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] Two, you must not understand what they are talking about. The Eucharist was _consecrated_. You know, sacred. You may believe what they do, but basic respect says you don’t take something considered sacred and desecrate it. [/quote] Muslims consider pork to be sacred, and eating pork to be a desecration. Explain to me how a non-Muslim desecrating pork by eating it is any different from a non-catholic desecrating a cracker by taking it home. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147/60 "2008-07-11T17:17:26Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] The only possible harm that could come of it is if Catholics freak the fuck out and start killing people, as they are wont to do. As of now, there is NO HARM that has been done. None. Zero. It lies with the Catholic community to either turn the other cheek, or kill somebody. My guess is that somebody eventually ends up dead. THERE’S harm for you. [/QUOTE] What is your deal with Catholics? The amount of bile you’ve spilled in this thread is quite impressive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/student-kidnaps-the-eucharist-pz-myers-to-the-rescue/456147.md?page=4)