Holy Toast Batman!

Woman 'blessed by the holy toast'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4...

Mrs Duyser took a bite from the toast 10 years ago A half-eaten slice of elderly cheese on toast purportedly showing the image of the Virgin Mary has attracted 100,000 hits on the eBay auction website. A Florida woman put the sandwich up for sale, saying it has brought her great luck since she found it 10 years ago. eBay originally withdrew the item, suspecting it might be a joke. But it has now apparently been reassured that the offering is genuine. The snack has attracted a bid - thought to be a hoax - of $99.9m. Diana Duyser, 52, of Hollywood, Florida, set a starting price of $3,000, and pleaded with people not to post hoax bids. 'Total shock' She described how she came across the mysterious morsel. "I made this sandwich 10 years ago. When I took a bite out of it, I saw a face looking up at me - it was Virgin Mary starring (sic) back at me. I was in total shock," she explained. Mrs Duyser has since kept the toastie surrounded by cotton wool, in a plastic container on a stand. I do believe that this is the Virgin Mary Mother Of God Diana Duyser She says a decade on from its conception, it has not shown any sign of mould or crumbling - which she considers "a miracle". She also believes its mystical properties have brought her blessings, including $70,000 won in a nearby casino. Other visitors to the website were sceptical, however. Mocking imitators posted pictures of Elvis and a "burnt George Bush" depicted on slices of toast. Another tried to sell T-shirts showing Mrs Duyser's sandwich, while a budding artist posted a watercolour based on the image. There were no bids. Mr Duyser dismissed the naysayers. "I do believe that this is the Virgin Mary Mother Of God," she proclaimed. eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the company had decided to allow the auction to continue. "There's nothing to indicate that the seller isn't willing to give up this cheese sandwich to the highest bidder," he said. But Mrs Duyser added a note for any misguided bidder wh...

1 comment

It is phenomena such as this, along with living amongst singaporeans, that caused me to completely cast aside the association between ‘maturity’ and ‘adulthood’. 

Why does it have to be ‘the Virgin Mary’ whose face is supposed to adorn ‘the holy toast’?  Other than the girl who’s reported to have seen the Virgin Mary at Fatima, has anyone else seen her?  If you think about it, such a toast in the hands of Hugh Hefner might very well be construed as the patron saint of bunnies.  Hmmm….or the patron saint of toasters perhaps?  It all depends on your religious point of view. 

The human face is very easily replicated in natural phenomena as all it takes is a couple of dots and a couple of lines – I dare say that nature is the supreme mistress of minimalist/abstract art.  And as just about any toast comprises these, it is quite probable that a human face would appear in a slice out of every loaf if we took the time to look for it before subjecting it to a dollop and a half of vegemite. 

However, on the other hand, religion is indeed a personal thing.  And if Mrs. Virgin-on-a-toast becomes a more humane person because of that, then I will not be counted amongst her critics.  But the Gods of many a religion are, verifiably, for collectivism, i.e. ‘Oi! love thy neighbour as thy self’.  Thus, we could say, when God gives you something, s/he does so so that you might be a satellite for its transmission, and not because God gets a celestial kick out of playing favourites with terrestrials.  The latter is an archaic protestant view of things where God playing favourites was seen as a sign that you were one of the ‘elect’ who has been earmarked for heaven upon your not requiring anymore toast or overdosing on vegemite. 

So are we to see Mrs. Duyser’s winning 70kat the casino and her effort to profit from this 'relic' via e-bay as a validation of gambling and opportunism, and indirectly, of not questioning a system that forces many to seek vicarious sources of hope via lotteries, gambling, preying on hopes and fears, etc.  as opposed to acquiring the non-self serving vision, knowledge and intelligence required to realise the Kingdom of Heaven on earth?  Such a God can just as well be seen as the God of the Netherworld as opposed to its Celestial nemesis.  If anything, this virgin-on-a-toast farce is more of a mockery of God/s than its validation and serves to illustrate the viewpoint of philosophers who have criticised religion as being opiatic (derivative of ‘opium’). 

Religion, my sisters and brothers, is more than a comforting personal faith.  It is supposed to be a foundation upon which it is collectivised.  It is not realised by its residence within you or your purse, but by its realisation of self and community, for the community.  Go in peace.

[sermon ends]

Amen

ed’sperience

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