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Is all water "holy"?
#1
Is all water "holy"?
Christians believe that a man in a robe saying some magic words transforms "regular" water into "holy" water, thus giving it magical properties. Well, what happens when that water evaporates? Are those water molecules still "holy"? In that case, as the molecules scatter they would rise into the atmosphere and form water droplets and eventually fall as rain somewhere. Does the presence of a molecule of "holy water" transform a drop of rain into "holy water"? And, since priests have been making "holy water" for nearly 2,000 years, this would mean that there must be molecules of "holy water" in virtually everything we use. We wash our cars with "holy water". We use "holy water" in our toilets. There is "holy water" in beer, and when we urinate, we're pissing out "holy water".

What do Christians think of this? Does "holy water" cease to be "holy" when it evaporates? What if I pour "holy water" down the drain? Is it still "holy" when it mixes with water in the sewer? When does it stop being "holy"? And why would it stop being "holy"?

Any thoughts?
Science flies us to the moon and stars. Religion flies us into buildings.

God allowed 200,000 people to die in an earthquake. So what makes you think he cares about YOUR problems?
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#2
RE: Is all water "holy"?
The holiness of the water fades at exactly the same rate as the smell of bullshit.
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#3
RE: Is all water "holy"?
It's just like the nonsense of holy sites, given that God is meant to be everywhere. Is God more concentrated in some places, and more dilute in others? If God is everywhere, then my arse is just as much the house of God as a church is. Which is appropriate, given what comes out of both.
'We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.' H.L. Mencken

'False religion' is the ultimate tautology.

'It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.' Mark Twain

'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.' Abraham Lincoln
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#4
RE: Is all water "holy"?
And with that logic shit is holy too, especially when you have diarrhea...
Quote:Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends.

Gandalf The Gray.
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#5
RE: Is all water "holy"?
(October 25, 2010 at 11:44 am)Thor Wrote: Christians believe that a man in a robe saying some magic words transforms "regular" water into "holy" water, thus giving it magical properties. Well, what happens when that water evaporates? Are those water molecules still "holy"? In that case, as the molecules scatter they would rise into the atmosphere and form water droplets and eventually fall as rain somewhere. Does the presence of a molecule of "holy water" transform a drop of rain into "holy water"? And, since priests have been making "holy water" for nearly 2,000 years, this would mean that there must be molecules of "holy water" in virtually everything we use. We wash our cars with "holy water". We use "holy water" in our toilets. There is "holy water" in beer, and when we urinate, we're pissing out "holy water".

What do Christians think of this? Does "holy water" cease to be "holy" when it evaporates? What if I pour "holy water" down the drain? Is it still "holy" when it mixes with water in the sewer? When does it stop being "holy"? And why would it stop being "holy"?

Any thoughts?

"Holy Water" is purely a symbol for purity and renewal. You seem to think that this water just becomes "holy" and stays like this forever, like in vampire movies. This is nonsense. The water poured on a child's head for baptism is holy in the context, in the instant, because of what it represents. Same goes for the "holy water" that christians dip their fingers in and then make a cross on their foreheads with. It's symbolic, it represents an idea.
Just like a candle lit on the altar is not a holy candle, it is a symbol of life and light.

If you take an american flag, then paint it red, is it still an american flag ? No, because it is no longer a symbol.

For example, Lourdes, in France, is supposed to be a holy place where you can go to be cured. But it's not being at Lourdes that carries the significance, it's the journey, and that is where the whole notion of pilgrimage comes from.

The water stops being "holy" the moment it is no longer a symbol, that's it. I really don't see how this is an issue.
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#6
RE: Is all water "holy"?
(October 25, 2010 at 12:25 pm)Rwandrall Wrote: "Holy Water" is purely a symbol for purity and renewal. You seem to think that this water just becomes "holy" and stays like this forever, like in vampire movies. This is nonsense. The water poured on a child's head for baptism is holy in the context, in the instant, because of what it represents. Same goes for the "holy water" that christians dip their fingers in and then make a cross on their foreheads with. It's symbolic, it represents an idea.
Just like a candle lit on the altar is not a holy candle, it is a symbol of life and light.

If you take an american flag, then paint it red, is it still an american flag ? No, because it is no longer a symbol.

For example, Lourdes, in France, is supposed to be a holy place where you can go to be cured. But it's not being at Lourdes that carries the significance, it's the journey, and that is where the whole notion of pilgrimage comes from.

The water stops being "holy" the moment it is no longer a symbol, that's it. I really don't see how this is an issue.

Your reply makes sense if Christians believe that "holy water" is merely symbolic. It's my understanding they truly believe that the water, once blessed, has magical properties such as healing powers. Am I wrong?
Science flies us to the moon and stars. Religion flies us into buildings.

God allowed 200,000 people to die in an earthquake. So what makes you think he cares about YOUR problems?
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#7
RE: Is all water "holy"?
I hear it stops being holy if you piss in it.
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#8
RE: Is all water "holy"?
(October 25, 2010 at 1:18 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I hear it stops being holy if you piss in it.

Imagine going up to the "holy water" fountain in a church and pissing in it? The congregants would be apoplectic!
Science flies us to the moon and stars. Religion flies us into buildings.

God allowed 200,000 people to die in an earthquake. So what makes you think he cares about YOUR problems?
Reply
#9
RE: Is all water "holy"?
(October 25, 2010 at 2:08 pm)Thor Wrote:
(October 25, 2010 at 1:18 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I hear it stops being holy if you piss in it.

Imagine going up to the "holy water" fountain in a church and pissing in it? The congregants would be apoplectic!

Maybe you'll get away with it if you claim to be adding to the holiness by injecting the processed blood of Jesus that you drank .


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#10
RE: Is all water "holy"?
(October 25, 2010 at 12:44 pm)Thor Wrote: Your reply makes sense if Christians believe that "holy water" is merely symbolic. It's my understanding they truly believe that the water, once blessed, has magical properties such as healing powers. Am I wrong?

Nope, they do not actually believe that a priest says a few words to a bowl of water and then uses it to cure cancer. That simply does not happen. In the New Testament, when Jesus uses water to cure people, the water is again just a symbol, Jesus is the one doing the mumbo jumbo.

A few hardcore Christians actually do think the act of drinking the water in some of the holiest sites (most famous is Lourdes where mary is said to have appeared) possesses some healing power, but even then it's not the water itself that is magic, it is the act of drinking it, being in communion with the Virgin Mary, that carries a significance.

See, most Christians are not crazy. For the most part (by that, all the ones i know, and that's quite a few), they believe in a vague idea of afterlife, they may attribute some of the best coincidences in their lives to miracles, and some, quite rare (less than 10% in my country, France), go to Church an hour a week and that's the only time they think about religion at all. Out of the 168 hours in a week, they spend about 1 on God. The other 167 they are exactly the same person as you or me.
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