red-blood-cells asked: Catholics don't pray to saints, they pray through them to God (like a middle-man). No time is spent at Catholic masses to worship them; sainthood is just basically a way of honouring those who had lived by serving God in a charitable and benevolent manner. But I'm sure I'm wrong because I'm sure you spent several years researching Catholics and sainthood, and you've been to several Catholic masses to observe them worshiping. I definitely wouldn't know more about it since I've clearly never done any of that.

And while the kissing the blood vial certainly looks creepy to you (and to me, too, actually), it's a tradition that predates the church. It's a different culture, Joe; what's creepy to us, isn't as creepy to them. Just like cutting the foreskin off a baby's penis is creepy to certain people.

Well for one I didn’t use the term worship, Shannon did. I said pray. And the fact is Hail Mary is called a prayer. They’re written on prayer cards, they say what to say to a saint. But I’m not catholic, I’ll admit that (because never did I claim to be, or to even know more than you or Shannon, which guys just love to tell me, defensive much?) But whatever, gussy it up however you’d like, we’re arguing semantics. And I get that sainthood is mainly a way to honor someone but the prereqs to become a saint include things like performing miracles. And I’m baffled how people, even people like you, an computer engineer, a field born out physics and math, buy into that kind of stuff. That’s all this is about. I’m not attacking you or Shannon. I’m just astounded and confused by it all.

Appreciate it if you and Shannon could drop the whole sarcastic asshole bullshit because despite what you might think I never claimed to know more than you or Shannon about Catholicism, you guys are just jumping to being defensive and attacking me when I never attacked either of you.

And Juan, my friend, thanks for the history lesson there on kissing blood but its moot. I don’t care. I was just saying its creepy. You don’t have to defend it to me as being tradition. Circumcision is a tradition, thanks for pointing that out, I knew that too and I still think its creepy. You know some people eat bull testicles? I bet that one goes way back. I guess I shouldn’t find it creepy though because people have done it forever. Wait, no, because how long something has gone on has no bearing on the very simple fact that I just found it creepy.

So this is last thing I’m going to acknowledge from you guys. One last sorry if you’re offended.

Cheers.