The Jesus-Eating Cult

I was asked to respond to an article on Fox News regarding Larry Doyle's article in the Huffington Post entitled:  The Jesus-Eating Cult of Rick Santorum.  Article here.

I honestly don't want to respond to the Fox News article because it's a spin off the original.  I prefer to go to the source instead.

A few things hit me right off the bat as I looked at the page:

#1. It's under the comedy section.
#2. The guy wrote for and produced the Simpsons for four years--which, if I recall, had more mentions of God than any other show on television at the time except for those which were religiously themed.
#3. The piece is obviously satire.

I remember as a kid watching the movie "Gandhi."  At one particular scene, a priest is riding atop a rail car with several other Hindu's.  The priest isn't wearing his clerical collar, and he strikes up a conversation with the guy sitting next to him.  The priest informs the man of his religious background.  The Hindu responds, "Ah, my sister is a Christian.  She is a cannibal." 

The priest is taken aback!

The Hindu replies, "She eats the body and blood of Jesus."

I laughed.  I personally thought it was hilarious, but I also know my Church history.  This Hindu's response toward cannibalism, and Larry Doyle's satire are not the first instances of Christians being called cannibals.  In fact, it was one of the charges used to spur persecution in the Roman Empire.

I mean, you have to look at things from an outsider's point of view.  Christians (especially during the early days) met in secret, only allowed those who were members to partake of the sacrament, closed out anyone else, and spoke of receiving Jesus' body and blood.  It's no mystery how folks believed the Christians practiced cannibalism.  It's also no wonder that Doyle does the same thing in his satire.  Doyle is pushing to prove a point.

And what is that point?

To prove the absurdity of the complaints raised against Santorum.

1. The Catholic Church practices cannibalism.
2. Santorum takes his orders from the Pope.
3. The Catholic Church will return to its days of persecuting Protestants and other faiths.
4. The Catholic Church and NAMBLA have a working relationship.

All of these are absolutely absurd, and anyone with a brain knows it.  Especially if one hearkens back to the days when John F. Kennedy was running for president of the U.S.  Remember the anti-Catholic rhetoric that was used against him?  (I personally don't because I wasn't living yet.)  Remember how that all turned out to be garbage.

Doyle nails that in his last sentence, "Need I remind you that only once in our great history has a Roman Catholic been elected president, and how tragically it ended?"

Yes, it ended tragically with Kennedy's assassination, but he is also regarded as a great president.  Funny how Doyle makes such a connection, and funny how conservatives seem to be up in arms with this piece.

Personally, I think it's brilliant.