Is PZ Myers an Atheist Supremacist?

Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic has called PZ Myers, a biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris, (pictured here on the right) an anti-Catholic bigot. He wrote in The Daily Dish:

It is one thing to engage in free, if disrespectful, debate. It is another to repeatedly assault and ridicule and abuse something that is deeply sacred to a great many people. Calling the Holy Eucharist a "goddamned cracker" isn't about free speech; it's really about some baseline civility. Myers' rant is the rant of an anti-Catholic bigot. And atheists and agnostics can be bigots too.

I completely agree. To which I add: he is hateful and narrow-minded, no less a "raving lunatic" than John Hagee, to borrow Myers' own words. It is not just Catholics who are offended by Myers, but many people who hold the Eucharist dear and sacred, as I do. Even so, I'm not offended. I'll get to the reason why shortly.

So what brought about Sullivan's assessment. This, in Myers' own words:

"Can anyone out there score me some consecrated communion wafers? There's no way I can personally get them — my local churches have stakes prepared for me, I'm sure — but if any of you would be willing to do what it takes to get me some, or even one, and mail it to me, I'll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare. I won't be tempted to hold it hostage (no, not even if I have a choice between returning the Eucharist and watching Bill Donohue kick the pope in the balls, which would apparently be a more humane act than desecrating a goddamned cracker), but will instead treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web. I shall do so joyfully and with laughter in my heart. If you can smuggle some out from under the armed guards and grim nuns hovering over your local communion ceremony, just write to me and I'll send you my home address,"

I have a pet theory. Remember that stunt, the Blasphemy Challenge? As ABC News reported it, Brian (whose real name was withheld by the network) challenged people to make videos of themselves, "denying, denouncing or blaspheming the Holy Spirit," and then posting them on YouTube. ABC said, "Brian is on the cutting edge of a new and emboldened wave of atheism."

Actually I think it was silly. I don't believe that someone who does not believe in the Holy Spirit can blaspheme the Holy Spirit. In the same way, I don't think that Myers can actually desecrate consecrated bread, transubstantiation notwithstanding. I think God's grace is above such stunts. Brian misunderstood Mark 3:29, which reads, "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." It is always amusing when a non-believer insists on applying a selective and literal interpretation to the Bible to denounce Christianity. And Myers does not understand the nature of things considered Holy. Myers, who is supposed to be smarter than this, is stuck with a medieval mindset.

Myers, who sometimes makes some intellectually interesting arguments in his little corner of ScienceBlogs, a wonderful website hosting numerous scientific blogs, accomplishes nothing with an attempt to desecrate the Holy Eucharist other than to insult many people and show how bigoted he is. Is this science? Is this planned desecration an experiment? He is asking that someone mail him a consecrated wafer. How will he know that he has the real thing?

"[I will] treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web. I shall do so joyfully and with laughter in my heart."

I have in my mind the image of a small frail women I once saw in a small parish church in England. Dressed in black and wearing a communion shawl over her head, she knelt at the communion rail to receive. "Amen," she said as she struggled to her feet. You could see in her face how meaningful this was. She probably knows little about molecules and atoms and cares nothing about arguments of substance about substance. It is, for her, the body of Christ. It is the moment of receiving the elements that for her is important.

Myers thinks this is mere superstition. He is entitled to this opinion. He is entitled to his belief in scientism, for ultimately that is his philosophy. Myers, who frequently argues intellectually, scientifically and rationally well, now wants to make a point with a stunt to has none of those redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Myers wants to shake the silly woman and explain to her that her belief is "silly superstition." On his blog he repeatedly tries to do this. His attacks on creationism and Intelligent Design and the existence of God have often been formidable and well articulated. But that is not what this is about now. He seems to have lost it, emotionally and intellectually."Okay, woman," he now seems to say. "Since I can't convince you I will trample on your holy bread, on your holy moment, on your faith."

It is a hurtful act.

I'm an Episcopalian. I don't believe in transubstantiation in the sense that there is a change in the substance of the bread. But the word substance, in this sense is a theological term and not a scientific one. For me the bread is the body of Christ and the wine is the blood of Christ. It is not about chemistry or physics. Nor is it about magic. The consecration by the priest and the acceptance by me is a shared moment in communion with God and God's people. That makes it sacred. That makes it holy. That makes it substantive. That gives it substance. Without that sharing, and the belief it entails, it can not be desecrated. But that is my personal point of view. For others, for the woman dressed in black wearing a communion shawl, it is mean-spirited, hateful desecration.

The Buddhas of Bamyan in Afghanistan may not have been a god or a godly person in an incarnate sense, but the destruction of them by the Taliban was nonetheless a desecration. A purposeful mistreatment of a consecrated communion wafer , regardless of one's belief about presence or substance, "with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented . . . on the web . . . joyfully and with laughter in my heart" is a desecration. It is no less a desecration than the desecration of a Buddha, a church or a temple.

Not all white people are white supremacists. But sometimes because of arrogance, sometimes because of a sense of inadequacy, sometimes because of a sense of feeling threatened and sometimes because of utter ignorance, a few white people become white supremacists. We find some of the same seeds in anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny and radical religious fundamentalism. Often, these bigotries lead to hate crimes.

Sullivan said: "Myers' rant is the rant of an anti-Catholic bigot. And atheists and agnostics can be bigots too."

No, it is more. First of all, it is anti-Christian, not only anti-Catholic. But when a capable scientist, a biology professor, an able critic of creationism and Intelligent Design (and I agree with him on this) abandons all reason and even meaningful demonstration and resorts to a senseless act he goes beyond bigotry.

The term Atheist Supremacist comes to mind and a reading of Myers' more recent postings to his blog seems to support this. But there may be another explanation, noticeable in the progression of his blog entries.  Myers has a following that from the comment sections of his blog seems like a cheerleading squad . "Hit em again, harder, harder," seems to be their cry. And Myers seems to oblige. Maybe it is the adulation.

When Richard Dawkins wrote his now famous book, "The God Delusion," Michael Ruse, a world renowned and highly respected atheist and professor of philosophy at Florida State University wrote: "The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist . . ." Can any less be said of PZ Myers' writings? There are a few notorious Christians who give Christianity a bad name. Similarly, there are some notorious atheists who do the same for Atheism. Myers is one of them.

Ask yourself: Is what Myers intends any less nasty than painting a swastika on the side of Jewish Synagogue? Any less than burning a cross on a lawn? Any less than burning someone's books? He is (realize this) asking someone to "steal" a consecrated wafer for him so he can treat it with "profound disrespect."

Comments

[Ken Brown]

I'm not sure if PZ is quite an "atheist supremacist" (I think he was mainly just trying to respond in kind to Bill Donohue's exaggerated reaction to what should have been a minor incident), but this is an outstanding post!

[Francis Campbell]

It is an interesting term, atheist supremacist. It nicely describes the irrational thinking of some new atheists. Paul Myers is one. He seems hell bent on trying to out Dawkins Dawkins. But he is a lightweight. He will fade fast.

Francis Campbell

[Thinking Atheist]

If Myers were to burn the Koran, I rather suspect that the University of Minnesota would take severe action. If he were to desecrate a Jewish Temple he would be dismissed from his teaching post. If he desecrates a Euchartistic host, will they do anything. I rather doubt it.

Myers behaves worse than any professor should, any scientist should, any atheist should. He is not worthy to teach young people in a university.

[Robin Edgar]

The answer is an emphatic Yes. I have been describing P.Z. Myers as an Atheist Supremacist and a fundamentalist atheist on his Pharyngula blog here -

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/07/fresh_crackers.php

See my comments #1090, #1129, #1133, #1137, #1160 and #1194.

In searching for them to refer you to them I was gratified to come upon post #385 which says -

"The self-righteous sneering of fundamentalist atheists almost makes me ashamed to be an unbeliever."

Posted by: David Harley | July 10, 2008 11:06 PM

When moderate atheists are using the term "fundamentalist atheists" to describe Atheists Supremacists like P.Z. Myers, Richard Dawkins et al you don't even need God on your side. . . ;-)

[Madeleine, Brussels]

He's a silly little man desperate for his fifteen minutes of fame. I wouldn't sack him - that would lend too much importance to his puerile behaviour.

[tony]

Catholics and Muslims and people of good will should demand and get an apology from PZ and his followers. Decency demands that.

[Paul Thoreau]

PZ Myers has committed the perfect crime. After all, PZ Myers Has Killed Jesus Christ, and seems to have gotten away with it.

[Peter Irving]

This is coming from a Minnesotan. My state of Minnesota has always prided itself on promoting tolerance what Mr Meyers has done is unconscionable we believe in promoting tolerance. Not on promoting bigotry. This man is a scab on my state and for that I denounce him. I also believe that it is likely he is not just using his private life to promote his bigoted views but the class room I believe his class room conduct should be investigated.

[Chris P]

Tolerance? Tolerance for what? Religion is supreme stupidity that is responsible for lots of problems. Atheists have had a bum deal for decades.

We get a president who talks to God and it's ALL WRONG. The man has sunk the whole damn planet. Religious folk think that their god will fix things for them despite the fact that they continue to screw up the planet. They have no clue about facts and keep stuffing their made up rules down our throat. No - we atheists have had enough of this unsupportable BS. PZ is not a supremacist - atheists aren't "supreme", just better educated and more rational.

Funny that people are all worried about a stupid cracker and yet don't give a fig about child abuse, stonings, wife beatings and all the other BS that goes with religion.

Promoting "tolerance" is about letting religions control us and that leads to crazy made up garbage.

[DaveG]

What Chris P said.

[Thomas]

Dr. Myers, in fact, threw pages of the Qur’an in the trash along with the cracker and a banana peel... meaning.. it's all the same.. a cracker.. some pieces of paper.. and a banana peel. That's it.. nothing more.. and it means nothing to him that Cathoics are upset about it because of your made-up symbolism.

Go ahead and "investigate" his classroom conduct. You'll find nothing but one of the premiere biology professors in the world, and maybe you might learn something instead of stuffing your heads full of fantasies.

[Dominic]

Atheists belong on the moral garbage -heap of society.

[LD]

He comes across (as do so many of the attention-seekers in this group) as nothing more than a bullying teenager - hopelessly immature, and seeking not to reason but to hurt. If he's an example of the superior and rational atheist, I'll take irrationality any day. I'm not a believer in any religion, btw; I believe in Spirit and the afterlife.