One of the creepiest things about the One True Church (Catholicism, that is) is their institutional mania for relics--religious souvenirs, if you will. These range from the benign--supposed splinters from the cross--to the downright macabre--bone fragments and whatnot from saints. (I may have been high at the time, but I seem to recall someone who supposedly owned Jesus Christ's foreskin--Skull and Bones, maybe.) All Catholic churches, I think, are required to have some sort of relic hidden in their main altar.

The church takes a dim view of these things--many rich priests during the Middle Ages and later got richer by peddling these themselves--presumably, the church does not like competition. Whatever, canon law does say "it is absolutely forbidden to sell sacred relics."

Enter Tom Serafin, a rich guy from California--he has appointed himself the lay version of the Inquisitor General of relics, self-righteously harassing anyone--especially eBay--who dares sell off this stuff. Last month, he called for yet another boycott of eBay."I just wonder where the heck is accountability," he is quoted as saying, in a 2/11/08 Newsweek article. He keeps a list (and checks it twice, I suppose) of eBays stuff he objects to.

Here's where it gets amusing. The guy owns some 1,700 of them himself--enough to fill two large safes. Evidently, he thinks himself to be on the side of the angels, since he didn't pay anything for them, never mind that they are worth a fortune. He got them by begging for them.

(BTW--among the goodies for sale recently on eBay was a "splendid rare, antique" reliquary", containing not one, not two, but relics of SIX different saints. Starting price: $625.)

Did you see the 3/23 episode of 60 Minutes? Well, Bob Simon did a piece on two biblical antiquities. One was of a box found 5 years ago that reportedly belonged to Jesus's brother, because of an inscription on the box that read "James, Son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus". Needless to say the box caused quite a stir and was eventually sold for quite a large sum of money. Only later was the inscription found to be fraudulent, rendering the box worthless.

As for each Catholic church having a relic, I remember my family's church had one. It was the bone chippings of a saint (nobody was quite sure which saint exactly) positioned in the shape of a cross in the middle of the alter.

Nah, I haven't watched 60 Minutes for over twenty years. During the Iditarod, I watch the local news, and catch SNL or a concert on PBS once in a while, and that's it.

Anyway, thanks for responding--I was starting to think I maybe should have picked a sexier title for the thread.

Not all catholic churches have relics. And it's probably safe to say that MOST relics are fake (especially "splinters of the cross" etc). Buuuuut....There's bound to be a few REAL ones. And keeping that in mind...what reverence should be paid to them?

Not all catholic churches have relics. And it's probably safe to say that MOST relics are fake (especially "splinters of the cross" etc). Buuuuut....There's bound to be a few REAL ones. And keeping that in mind...what reverence should be paid to them?

Personally, I don't think much reverence should be given to these objects. I mean yeah it'd be cool to see a splinter of the cross or the arc of the covenant, but these objects really don't bring us closer to spiritual enlightenment. They're more of a see-we-told-you-so from the church to skeptics.

This is not all that the Roman Catholic Church has that is strange. I find it peculiar that the church went down the road of Scholasticism (medieval form of logical thinking) meanwhile, they rejected the spiritual tradition, this is peculiar: If people can agree that spirituality is not up for argument and rational thought, than why would the Church want to try and rationalize the supposed "irrational?" It seems contradictory...

I was reading this book called "Forbidden Faith" and in it (for at least a few paragraphs) they talked about the Picture called "The Stone Operation" ( http://barista.media2.org/wp-content/stone%20operation.jpg ) as you can see the men on the left are the Church clergy while the women on the right is a Cathar, the alleged "gnostic heresy." What the clergymen are doing is removing not a stone as the title implies but a flower and this flower represents our spiritual nature. The cathar lady is depressed because, the Gnostics believed that spirit is the highest thing and its being removed. Curiously, scholasticism was employed in the church the same time of this painting...

To those spiritual its curious moment, ponder it greatly...

It's a bit sad that they have assigned so much value and reverence to pieces of wood, metal and cloth. I would love to destroy them just to make a statement of what Christianity should really be about

It's a bit sad that they have assigned so much value and reverence to pieces of wood, metal and cloth. I would love to destroy them just to make a statement of what Christianity should really be about

Be not angry there ignorance will destroy themselves... I mean really, just look at my explanation above and see how Ignorant they are, not all Catholics are ignorant but the higher up you go on the hierarchy the more they seem obsessed with power as away to further there own religion.

There is a piece in Gnostic texts where Jesus is above is crucified body and laughing at how the supposed "powerful" think they won over Christ, but obviously, this is a metaphor for how they are mistaken.

I would love to destroy them just to make a statement of what Christianity should really be about

So by you, Christianity is supposed to be about destruction?

So by you, Christianity is supposed to be about destruction?

Hahaha, oh that Arms...

Hahaha, oh that Arms...

Well, it really wouldn't be setting the intended example.

You have to question the validity of a religion that pays reverance to peices of dead flesh and bone, or to items of torture (the cross).

You have to question the validity of a religion that pays reverance to peices of dead flesh and bone, or to items of torture (the cross).

Agreed. When you look at it dispassionately, a lot of Chrsitian theology is downright creepy--the ritual cannabalism springs to mind.

Agreed. When you look at it dispassionately, a lot of Chrsitian theology is downright creepy--the ritual cannabalism springs to mind.

Actually, it is because of Christianity's ritual cannibalism (bread, wine/flesh, blood) that made many South American natives such good converts to christianity. Many South American tribes held the belief that if you killed a worthy opponent in battle, eating his flesh would give you his battle skills. So, of course the Spanish and Portugese came along preaching the saving power of the body and blood of Christ, and found many easy converts.

You have to question the validity of a religion that pays reverance to peices of dead flesh and bone, or to items of torture (the cross).

Agreed... Unless, you look into the inner traditions being used as metaphors for their religious texts. For example: The Fish was a sign of Christians in the Catacombs, the fish was merely a symbol to a deeper perhaps more elusive truth.