My name is Matthew P. Schmidt, and I approve this message.
I am, as the title suggests, Matthew P. Schmidt: papist, writer, and programmer. (I do plenty of other things, too, of course, such as breath, play video games, and write long parenthetical remarks (sometimes nested)). I have been a writer since 5 or so, when I dictated stories to my parents, and a programmer since early youth as well. (I remember Q-BASIC!) The papistry is relatively new, yet nonetheless critical.
I dislike taking pictures of myself. (and have no instrument suitable for such use.) Have an ASCII art heron instead.
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I also blog at smithgift.wordpress.com, and you can find books of mine on Amazon. You can also find me in the various corners of the Ethereum community, and, apparently, now the steem community. 'Sup.
What have you found in Catholicism that you haven't found anywhere else?
The Eucharist. (Well, so do the Orthodox, but taking churches with Apostolic Succession as a whole...)
It's not so much "finding" something, as if I was picking and choosing what was reality. It's a matter of objective reality: is the base floor of existence an intelligent, living God (who also comes in three Persons?) If the objective answer is "yes", then there is a claim upon us that goes beyond any search or difference of opinion. Particularly if said God is not some kind of NPC, but self-aware and watching us right now.
But, if I must speak in terms of "finding," I'll say that there's no better religion (see: the Eucharist). My attempt to optimize my beliefs lead to here. And here I am.
That rite was practiced in the church I was forced to go as a child and we weren't even close to being Catholics, so I am still left to wonder what's so special about it to you. In any case, what does The Eucharist mean to you? Why does this touch you?
Catholics believe that it is literally the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Not a symbol. Not in some "spiritual" way. Not a "if you feel like it" doctrine. Actually, literally, Jesus. Same way as if you started nibbling on him the moment he left the tomb.
My previous psuedo-taoism had a distaste for physical reality. Here we have an intensely physical reality, a blood and guts Savior who you can actually eat. A God you can actually eat. Any religion that offers less is meaningless to me.
And, no matter what I'm feeling, no matter what I believe, no matter if I'm hypomanic or in deep depression, the Eucharist still is Christ.
But what is so special about a cannibalistic ritual? Why not instead plant trees as a celebration of the life this christ allowed us to have through that sacrifice or something like that. Seems a litle gory to me. Like children are supposed to visualize themselves eating guts? What is the purpose of this ritual in your eyes?
Planting a tree doesn't involve any particular communion with the Divine. With Nature, perhaps, but not with a Deity that transcends nature. And on a purely logistical note, it is far more difficult (and expense) to plant a new tree every day than to consecrate a few wafers of unleavened bread.
But the Eucharist is really communion with the Divine, in the same way that sex is communion with your wife. (Yes, I went there.) Divinity Itself is entering my body through my throat. This is no sterile contemplation of an algebraic god, or a stoic attempt to free myself to some otherworldly nonexistance. It is. And it's so easy! I don't need to work for it, or reach some magical plateau of perfection, or spend years studying under an ancient master in some far-off monastery just to catch a glimpse. I don't have to visualize some image or feel some feeling. I don't even need to believe in it in the first place. God has brought Himself down to Earth--and all I need is to eat and drink.
Welcome to Steemit! There is lots to see, do and learn here!
I am trying to learn more about crypto and ethereum myself.
Welcome to Steemit! :))
Welcome upvoted and followed.