PZ Myers’ Hateful Protest

Posted by Censor Librorum on Jul 31, 2008 | Categories: Scandals

PZ Myers is a biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and author of the blog, Pharyngula.   The blog is eclectic, and Myers writes about science, education and religion.   Raised a Lutheran, Myers is now an atheist.  pz.jpg

But he cares deeply and passionately about Christianity, and Catholicism in particular, to have pulled his latest stunt.   He made good on his protest pledge to desecrate a Communion host.   “I pierced it (the Host) with a rusty nail (I hope Jesus’s tetanus shots are up to date). And then I simply threw it in the trash.”

Saying he did not want to “single out just the cracker,” Myers also tore pages from the Koran along with a few pages from Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and nailed them to the Host.   He then said, “They are just paper. Nothing must be held sacred. Question everything. God is not great, Jesus is not your lord, you are not disciples of any charismatic prophet.”

Myers was given consecrated Hosts by an unknown person in response to his appeal:

“Can anyone out there score me some consecrated communion wafers? There’s no way I can personally get them – my local churches have stakes prepared for me, I’m sure — but if any of you would be willing to do what it takes to get me some, or even one, and mail it to me, I’ll show you sacrilege, glady, 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. If you can smuggle some out from under the armed guards and grim nuns hovering over your local communion ceremony, just write to me and I’ll send you my home address.”

What he did–the desecration of a Host–is an offensive and deliberately provocative gesture of contempt to people for which the Eucharist means something and is sacred.   It was a violent act.   I would certainly say it was a hateful act, but not necessarily a hate crime.

The University has received calls for his firing, and Myers has received hundreds of emails protesting his action.   Myers sighed, “There are days when it is agony to read the news, because people are so goddamned stupid. Petty and stupid. Hateful and stupid. Just plain stupid. And nothing makes them stupider than religion.”

He summed himself up very well.

There aren’t many instances when I’m in accord with conservative Catholic bloggers Jimmy Atkin and Mark Shea, but we all agree today.

Bookmark and Share
 

2 Responses to “PZ Myers’ Hateful Protest”

  1. Thom Says:

    Well said.

  2. Jim Says:

    PZ is a modern hero. We need more like him.

Leave a Reply