Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Steven Champeon <schampeo AT hesketh.com>]

on Thu, Feb 26, 2004 at 01:20:45PM -0500, Lee Haslup wrote:
> While you are thinking about that one, consider also a priest who wants 
> to use his food stamps to buy "communion" bread for his church.  He 
> argues that "spiritual food" considerations aside, the small white disks 
> are edible and, thus, constitute "food."  Since he, and presumably his 
> congregation, meet the economic criteria for under-privilege, and since 
> he is buying food, he claims he should be able to use his food stamps.

So, a Satan worshipper should be able to use Food Stamps to buy a goat
that is to be sacrificed in a Black Mass? But only if the participants
eat and derive nourishment therein? That's ridiculous, don't you think?

> ... I am at least sympathetic to the argument that those 
> little white wafers are more properly an intriguing form of edible 
> styrofoam and that they fail the "food" test.  I would not be 
> particularly upset by a decision that forbids the use of food stamps to 
> buy communion bread as long as it was narrowly worded. 

I'd say the point more properly should be stated in terms of its use
in a /ritual/. Especially a ritual in which the participants believe,
for the sake of an argument, that said wafer is transformed through an
act of holy magic into the body of Jesus Christ, and therefore cannot,
without violating some statute or another, be considered "eating food".
 
And I suppose said priest would be SOL if he tried to buy wine ;)

-- 
hesketh.com/inc. v: (919) 834-2552 f: (919) 834-2554 w: http://hesketh.com
Book publishing is second only to furniture delivery in slowness. -b. schneier