I'll inform him. Hey God! We have a vaccine against you!

will offer vaccines this week to anyone who received communion

@2ns - Has anyone informed God?

these people have nothing to worry about- God will protect them if that is his will, otherwise, if they get it, that is still God's will.

if they do get it, they better hope that God is able to stop the republicans from overturing the new health care bill otherwise they might have to choose between dogfood and medicine or tithing and medicine. tough choice!

I will pray for you.

If you feel like wasting your time praying for me, go ahead, even though it is completely offensive to my beliefs. Of course, you religious nut jobs don't give a rats arse about respecting anyone else's opinion but your own.

No bonos, other people make people sick. God didn't sip on the cup.

Myth? Then explain how these events happened if it wasn't for Divine (God's) intervention:

1. Padre Pio's ability to read the undisclosed sins of those going to him in the Sacrament of Confession.

2. The stigmata of Padre Pio and St. Francis of Assisi.

3. St. Bernadette being told during an apparition to dig for water in the ground. A spring came out that stands to this day in Lourdes. Unexplained medical cures occurred there shortly after the spring started and some continue on to this day.

4. The miracles that happened after people prayed to those who have died to aid in their cause of canonization and such miracles have been documented by the Vatican.

5. The fact that the Catholic Church has existed in its structure for nearly 2000 years. What other hierarchal institution has? It was also predicted to last and so far has come true: See Mt. 16 :13-20

6. People have been possessed by Demons. The movie the Exorcist was based on true story about a boy in St. Louis. Some power always beats the demon. That power is unquestionably God.

7. Movement of the Sun that was documented by so many at Fatima Portugal in 1917 during a Marian Apparitition. 70,000 saw it. How did this movement of the sun happen?

8. The tilma of Juan Diego has a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe that has been preserved without decay for over 500 years? How?

9. Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta's order is flourishing--yet she never had more than the clothes on her back as her possession. How did she accomplish all that?

10. Mother Angelica, the main founder of the cable channel EWTN, legs were miraculously cured. Her leg braces were no longer needed. One day, she needed $600,000 to pay for her first television transmitter. She had no money. At the time it was going to be repossessed a gentleman read one of her religious tracts she wrote years earlier and asked if he could donate $600,000--the exact amount she needed for the transmitter. She asked if he could wire the money. He did.

This is just scratching the surface of Divine Events in human and salvation history. Any one of these should give pause to the unbeliever. The fact that there are so many means that any one using their intellect would have to come to the conclusion that something supernatural exists to cause these events--nothing else can explain it. If it isn't God causing these events, what is? Until you give me an explanation for each one the belief that there is no God is incredibly dumb. It is also incredibly dumb because this God who is all-knowing and all-powerful loves you beyond all human understanding. He will intercede in your life to get you the trials of life through prayer, you desire to live a life based on His rules (called conversion) and you prepared to suffer for Him just as he did at Calvary for you. No sin is greater than God's mercy.

Shalom2U, your arguements are lame. The problem is each of your points occured in history. It is easy to explain how over time stories become engrained in culture. Making these stories fantastical is an addiction many people seem to have.

And so what? God only cares enough about a few people and glosses over the rest?

Secular is the path for me.

Shalom2U, is this next season's lineup of skits on Saturday Night Live?

Dave 2267

The problem is each of your points occured in history.

Not all on Shalom2U's list are historical events. Mother Theresa's order is still flourishing. Mother Angelica is still living.

ButtonsHT, you are a cowardly piece of @!$%#,afraid to post your name. Knowing that people like you live in this world is depressing.

How about providing a link to one single scientific, repeatable experiment that proves the existence of any type of supernatural force of any kind? Can't do that can you? I can do that for any claim I make. Easy to do when the things you claim are real actually are real and can be proven.

Varuka Salt. I asked how the events I described happened. You have provided no evidence that they didn't happen or how they happened--because you know only a supernatural explanation is possible. You can't explain how they happened otherwise can you?

Shalom ... you've provided no evidence that these events happened (what the hell is "movement of the sun" supposed to mean?) or that they happened more frequently than could be explained by random chance? So, someone received money at just the moment they needed it? How many devout, deserving Christians DIDN'T receive money when they desperately needed some? It is a sampling error to count the successes and ignore the failures.

Barry-NJ

what the hell is "movement of the sun" supposed to mean?

I believe this is the event Shalom2U is referring to:

The Miracle of the Sun (Portuguese: O Milagre do Sol) is a miraculous event witnessed by 30,000 to 100,000 people on 13 October 1917 in the Cova da Iria fields near Fátima, Portugal. Those in attendance had assembled to observe what the Portuguese secular newspapers had been ridiculing for months as the absurd claim of three shepherd children that a miracle was going to occur at high-noon in the Cova da Iria on 13 October 1917.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_Sun

It is very interesting. The wiki article offers several natural explanations for the occurrence.

Um Shalom, a lot of those so called miracles are actual scientific manifistations. As far as the nun who's body didnt decay. Her body turned into wax. It has happened to another woman in france where her fat, combined with whatever elements there was turned her body into a wax like substance. And the catholic church has stood because of their corruption, money grubbing greed and those who enforce their ways. NEver mind all the child molestation and lord knows what else. Priests are not the only ones....nuns did it too. Or perhaps Shalom you still think the earth is flat?

Um Indigogal, please read the list of events agian. No nun whose body has not decayed was mentioned. It was the Tilma of Juan Diego with the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe that has not decayed over 500 years. Even with all this time, no one has given any reasonable explanation how this happened. If it was just coincidence that it hasn't decayed then it is also just a coincidence that a supposed supernatural event caused it. Because both supposedly happened at the same time as part of the same event any reasonable person would have to conclude that something supernatural caused it. If not, please re-create the Tilma and the image and let's see how long your's last without decaying.

Indigogal

the catholic church has stood because of their corruption, money grubbing greed and those who enforce their ways.

In the last 2,000 years there have been many corrupt, money grubbing institutions with armies more powerful than any the Catholic Church has assembled and not survived. For a reasonable person, this begs the question: "Why has the Catholic Church survived, but the others have not?"

Zealotry, rigid followers, an absolutist system of rule enforcement, fierce extermination of anyone perceived to be competition, keeping the general population ignorant, etc.

For example, what do you think St. Patrick was all about? He "drove the snakes out of Ireland", but there never were any snakes in Ireland. The snake was a pagan symbol, and he persecuted the pagans until the religion was forced underground.

1492 was the year all Jews were banished from Spain. Witch burnings, the inquisition, the crusades, all the abominations in the name of the church which all contributed to the reign of terror with which the church held power. If this can be attributed to any Christian deity, I would think it would be Satan, not a miracle of God.

It was on the discovery channel about a woman in france who died and her body fat turned into a waxy substance. In fact there is such a body in the museam of oddities in the U.S. I hardly call that a miracle. As far as the catholic church surviving...so did christanity...the catholic church has more money than god....check it out...with that kind of financial backing even the US could make it out of this financial debt.

Shalom2U I understand what you're getting at regarding reasonable explanations. As I said above concerning the Miracle of the Sun event, the wiki article offers several natural explanations for the occurrence; however, none of those explanations address every issue. Explaining the occurrence as a natural phenomenon does not explain the shepherd children's advance knowledge of the event or why some people in attendance saw the event while others did not. Alternatively, explaining the event as a collective hallucination or mass hysteria does not explain why it was seen by people miles away who had no foreknowledge of the event. Believers call it a miracle; skeptics call it a mystery.

Wow. Athiests [sic] got up early to spread their cheer.

You don't have to be atheist to use reason over superstition, but it helps.

Happy day to you, too.

Barry-NJ

So, someone received money at just the moment they needed it? How many devout, deserving Christians DIDN'T receive money when they desperately needed some? It is a sampling error to count the successes and ignore the failures.

Let me get this straight...in your opinion a cloistered nun receives $600,000--which just happens to be the exact amount she owes on a transmitter to start a 24 Hour Catholic Television Station--and she receives it at the exact moment they were about to take the transmitter away--and you think that is random chance? Any reasonable person would not ignore those facts to draw some conclusion that Divine Intervention took place because the chances that the exact amount of money (and the size of it), and the timing of receiving it at the exact time of need, are so small that it is virtually impossible to have happened otherwise. Same with the 3 children at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, predicting the Movement of the Sun at the exact moment it happened. Because both of these extremely rare events had an extremely strong Religious connection as to why they happened in the first place only a willful, ignorant fool would ignore these facts and say a supernatiural power could not have caused them to happen.

I'll second that.

I know. I report them as advertising over and over, but it takes days (or sometimes it's completely ignored). It's pretty annoying.

I'll third that ... what a pain in the butt! Do people really look at these sites when posted here??

Yeah, I think Ray is on a crusade to take it on himself. MSNBC, please help Ray in his mission. Failure is not an option.

Back about thirty years ago my roommate caught mononucleosis. He was very sick for over a month. He never knew for certain where he got it but always assumed he got it from drinking from the common challis in church.

Actually, it's typical for most Catholic churches these days to offer only the bread for communion to prevent this sort of thing. During the whole H1N1 flu last winter, the bishops even discouraged hand shaking during the service.

Gentlemen, this story is, as titled, a "scare". It mentions no actual transmission of disease in the church, via the chalis, or otherwise.

Isn't communion in a catholic church the bread only?

As someone else noted, I don't see them pass around the cup these days - only the clergy drinks. Additionally, the article indicates it was one of the preparers of communion that was infected and so could potentially have sent it along. No differently from if your local McDonald's sandwich builder turned up with Hep A. In other words, one of the priests was ill and they aren't saying which.

Really? My sister in law says they drink from the cup and the priest wipes it and they continue drinking around the cup. And isn't the church in the article Catholic? Maybe churches are different. I just know that drinking from a communal cup is a bad idea. Shot glasses are much better. : )

My brother & his family attends this church (also had gotten married there) and went on Christmas Day for mass and took communion. He said that they do have the chalice, but you don't have to drink from it. During our conversation, this led to a discussion on using individual cups or glasses, which we both concede is a good idea.

I guess my brother, his wife & little girls will be heading off to get their shots shortly! Wish them well!

I think the cup sharing thing is a decision made by the head priest & some bishops encourage it in their dioceses.

I was told as a kid (in a Lincoln Nebraska Catholic school) that the cup wasn't shared anymore due to disease transmission. You can imagine how I about fell over when I saw the cup being sipped from & wiped after each use 15yrs later in a Indiana church. Ewe!

Every region is a little different - the diocese where I am now encourages people to hold hands during mass prayer (kinda of like when the Whoville people sing in the Grinch movie) and it totally grosses me out. I dunno where those hands have been & would rather not know. I think God understands. Religious practice & preference is a personal thing.

I'm guessing since it was "Our Lady of Lourdes", it was most likely Roman Catholic and were most likely using some kind of wine or even "fortified wine" which has grain alcohol added to it...

Back in 1969 at my bachelor party I was given champagne fortified with 190 proof grain alcohol and it damn sure neutralized a heck of lot of my brain cells.

I've heard that those Catholics are real particular with their wines. I have a source that informs me that the wine must only be grape wine with no other fruits. I'm no expert but my source has informed me that it must have some alcohol content. I don't know what happens if the wine is imperfect but I imagine it's something bad.

BillyBoy-298303

Mono? Get it from a kiss, sharing a soda, etc.

Such as drinking from the common challis in church.

The church was identified ... "identified the church as Our Lady of Lourdes in Massapequa Park."

Reread the article. The church is named.

because its blastable alright - not to mention laughable

@!$%# you, you anti-Catholic bigot. I got steered to this site to read the rest of rthe story, only to find it filled with ignoramuses. MSNBC is the pits.

not anti catholic - just anti morons - free country - go look at some of the sites that have your boy coming back may 21st - when that does not happen another nail in the cross

Maybe there's so many anti-catholics, as you put it, because they are the largest ring of child molesters on the planed and they have done NOTHING to stop it or hand over the sicko priests to the police. http://bsalert.com/news/1418/Pope_Caught_Orchestrating_Church_Pedophile_Cover_Up.html

Head pedophile Ratslinger even made a statement blaming child rape by priests as a symptom of society as a whole, rather than taking responsibility for it himself.

http://hollycraw.newsvine.com/_news/2010/12/22/5698841-the-pope-explains-priestly-pedophilia-and-draws-ire-from-many-bloggers-readers?commentId=20232796

This is only one reason people are anti-catholic and there are many, many more. Before you say I don't know or understand the church, I went to 13 years of catholic school, was an altar boy and a eucharistic minister, so I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, thankyouverymuch. Luckily I survived with my sphincter intact and unmolested. 1000's of other children were not so lucky.

Don - I think post 15.3 applies to you, too.

... and there you go. Another idiot I cannot stop.

The fairy tale saw you coming Dave 1500 years ago. I don't and you don't know so stop acting like you do.

KA - the book also says:

Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, THOU FOOL, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

With your arrogant name calling, it looks like you're in violation of at least three scriptures. I'll finish with:

Matthew 7:21-23

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

edgar thou art insane

Thanks, fred! Remember when you ran away . . . .

refresh my memory - im sure it was not on purpose - but we can pick up where we left off

fred - I guess you're not old enough to remember. In 1966, there was a 45rpm record released by Napoleon XIV, titled "They're Coming To Take Me Away". You can Google it to find the lyrics, or listen to it on Youtube. The reverse side of the record had it recorded backwards. If you put in on a turntable and turn it backwards, by hand, you'd hear that it was, indeed, the same soundtrack.

Hey the same way people get infection at hospitals when its suppose to be a sterile enviroment. And what about those who took communion and did not catch it what about them.

The article does not mention anyone actually getting sick, simply the "scare". Perhaps you are correct that "God did protect them during such a holy act", although I think it is just as likely that the disease was never transmitted in the first place.

KABradley, Well, hospitals never claimed to be omnipotent. Hospitals never claimed to have spoken the world into being.

If transubstantiation had actually taken place, how could hepatitis have survived? And on Christmas Day, no less.

After all, just touching the hem of His garment was able to heal.

So, it's a case of transubstantiation never haven taken place or else the parishioners (who seek treatment) never really believed it happened.

Well edgar what is unusally is it happened at Our lady of Lourdes church. Now according to St. Bernadette and what happened and is still happening at Lourdes maybe they should try the Holy Water. I guess you will deny that also.

And as of now no one is sick.

edgar - are you ready for may 21st - it appears you should be going on a little trip with your lord - if your picked, i understand seats are limited - you should have a bag packed - i think you would definitely be in the running - happy trails

fred, I think you misunderstand my posts. I love to point out hypocrisy of arrogant Christians. Their very arrogance is out of line with the scriptures they CLAIM to follow.

I've posted, elsewhere, this statement:

The Old Testament is telling the Jews how to live, and them alone.

The New Testament is telling the Christians how to live, and them alone.

Anyone using "Moses' Book of Fairy Tales", to try to tell the rest of us how to live, should be dealt with accordingly.

@KABradley: That's the spirit. Fight fire with fire. Communion gave them hepatitis, so throw on the holy water.

they should try the Holy Water

Your first statement is unintelligible.

Well edgar what is unusally is it happened at Our lady of Lourdes church.

@Vivat Jesu: Ignorance is bliss, or NOT. The religious have ignored facts for eons to maintain a belief in the their religion. Fortunately, Hepatitus A is rarely fatal. I wonder how many of those Catholics are going to decline the vaccine because of denial or a belief that their "god" will in fact protect them.

Perhaps you are correct that "God did protect them during such a holy act", although I think it is just as likely that the disease was never transmitted in the first place.

sorry edgar - i see scriptures thrown in my face and i attack - l- should party like its 1999 when the big guy returns

Do you know whats in those inoculation shot you were given? Or did you just stand in line because someone told you to Baa Baa little sheep.

In response to KABradley - That post is a hoot. You ARE, of course, referring to those catholics who are now standing in line for their hepatitis vaccine, aren't you?

Food-borne illnesses: how prevalent are they? Roughly 48 million Americans – or 1 in 6 – get sick and about 3,000 die from some type of food-borne illness each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Reports published Wednesday in Emerging Infectious Diseases also provide a picture of which pathogens cause the most illnesses. Salmonella tops the list for hospitalizations and deaths. Read the CDC reports here for the full list of pathogens.

No I was talking about these people who are not standing in line they are dead.

Now that shows your completely irresponsible and certainly had no regard for any of the Congregation! You Sir embellish the true Christian philosophy! "Don't worry God will take care of it"

Isn't it men who interpreted whichever copy of the text they received and then made the canon?

Mostly Catholics and some other denominations drink from the same chalice. but the cloth has alcohol on it so the germs are killed trust me. I have prepared the communion table at my Catholic Church before, and I doused the cloth in rubbing alcohol and rinsed it with water and let it sit and dry up a bit for effect. It is not a sin, but if you have been baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit then you are called to take communion, so you are obligated to do so.

Don't worry! Eucharistic wine is usually at LEAST 18% alcohol, which kills germs. The chalice bearer is supposed to both turn the cup 1/4 of the way and also wipe it with the purificator (the cloth) after each person drinks from it, but this is done mostly for visual comfort. It's the alcohol that really helps.

I had no idea that the cloth was doused in alcohol.

Not politically incorrect, no. Just ignorant.

Philosophy! Empty thinking by ignorant conceited men who think they can digest without eating!
Iris Murdoch

To attempt to advise conceited people is like whistling against the wind.
Thomas Hood

An interesting point in the verses you've cited is that the Apostle Paul wrote of people getting sick from partaking in the Lord's supper (1 Cor. 11:30). Paul did not say anything about viruses but he did warn that the bread and wine should be received in a worthy manner. It would seem that the possibility of getting sick should be a concern to the recipients.

Sometimes innovation can be a good thing. Most people are glad they switched from Latin to the language of the people. If there is a better way it should be explored. Wafer dunking in my opinion seems a little ridiculous. They're just germs no biggy.