There\u2019s no way to get your hands on a consecrated wafer for the purpose of desecration ethically<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This is a pretty prosaic point and was the focus of the\u00a0original\u00a0post, but it keeps coming up, so I\u2019ll go through it again. \u00a0A consecrated wafer starts off in the possession of the Catholic Church. \u00a0They don\u2019t just \u2018give it away\u2019 as some commenters have claimed. \u00a0People\u00a0receiving\u00a0communion are required to be\u00a0baptized\u00a0Catholics and they need to consume what they take. \u00a0If you go up to the rail with the intention of pocketing and desecrating the wafer you are given, you are committing fraud. \u00a0The fact that the priest handed you the wafer \u2018willingly\u2019 signifies nothing, since his actions were premised on your\u00a0deceit. \u00a0This is no more licit than using a fake id to buy booze, and the fact that your deception succeeded does not mean your victim deserved to be tricked.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible to avoid deception by simply stealing consecrated wafers from a church, but, unless people object in the comments, I\u2019m going to assume I don\u2019t have to prove that stealing is unethical.<\/p>\n There are circumstances where theft and\/or fraud might be the least bad option, but I think the remainder of arguments in this post puts paid to that contention.<\/p>\n You\u2019re not proving anything to Catholics<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n People in the comments threads have argued that Myers\u2019s was somehow striking a blow against Catholic truth-claims. \u00a0That is simply not true. \u00a0Here are the two allegedly shocking truths Myers illuminated:<\/p>\n The first point I addressed in a standalone post (\u201cDebunking a Debunking<\/a>\u201c), but it\u2019s also answered in part by the main disproof of the second point: Myers was not being original<\/em>.<\/p>\n People have been desecrating the Eucharist since the practice started, without much of an adverse effect on Catholicism. \u00a0My boyfriend\u2019s confirmation name is Tarcisius<\/a> \u2014 a third century saint who was killed trying to protect the Host from a crowd. \u00a0No one is surprised that their holy object is not respected in the same way by nonbelievers, but Catholics may be surprised by your aggression. \u00a0After all\u2026<\/p>\n You\u2019re acting with deliberate intent to harm<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n You can\u2019t be deliberately trying to get a rise out of people and not understand that they get angry because they feel upset\/hurt\/assaulted. \u00a0Some atheists who endorse this behavior wouldn\u2019t feel good about destroying people\u2019s sentimental keepsakes or hurting someone\u2019s best friend, but the subjective pain a Catholic feels when a Eucharist is destroyed is certainly\u00a0comparable. \u00a0Pain experienced as the result of false beliefs is still pain, and your compassion shouldn\u2019t be dampened because you think your victim is\u00a0deceived.<\/p>\n If you want to defend this behavior, you\u2019re free to persuade me that the benefits outweigh the harm, but you\u2019ll get no sympathy from me if you have no empathy for your victims or regret that your actions were necessary.<\/p>\n You\u2019re ceding the moral high ground in the debate<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6cqAI5kWxOI\/TZOnmp5czBI\/AAAAAAAABW0\/733CrmFhUlk\/s320\/cartoon-robber-009.jpg\")
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