My brother is convinced that his Catholic religion is infallibly true, which means he is convinced that, at least with regards to anything having to do with Catholicism, he is likewise infallible. That’s what happens when your brother becomes a Catholic Priest. It’s not that they know everything, they just know they’re right about everything. Period.
To illustrate the point, I asked my brother what evidence he relies on to support his belief that Catholicism is so "infallibly" true. (This is a trick question, by the way, since "faith" that does not need evidence is considered the strongest, but it is also the most foolish.) He offered the example of what Catholics call “The Incorruptibles.”
According to https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/incorruptible-saints.htm, “The Incorruptibles are saints whose bodies are miraculously preserved after death, defying the normal process of decomposition. St. Cecilia is probably the first saint known to be incorrupt, but the bodies of these saints can be found in many places throughout the world.” The article then goes on to point out that “Modern science relegates the incorruptibles to the status of mummies, pretending it understands and can comfortably categorize these saints.” Yes, it is science that is “pretending,” obviously, not those good old Catholics who pretend to know that God preserves the bodies to prove he exists, but only to those same believers who already believe he does anyway, making such “miracles” ultimately meaningless. I mean, it's not like those same believers intended to jetison their beliefs if God didn't provide them with some corpses that don't decay. Ya know, kinda like vampires.
According to CatholicExchange.com, “The miracle of incorruptibility points to eternity (https://catholicexchange.com/the-miracle-of-incorruptibility-points-to-eternity). (Really? That’s what it points to? And NOTHING else?) Notice that the articles does NOT say “eternal life.” This is noteworthy for all kinds of reasons, but not to my brother. “There are churches all over the world today in which you can see incorruptibles on display. Some have begun to decay.”
These “saintly” corpses, which God leaves like petrified Easter eggs under the ground until someone thinks to go grave-robbing (which is the real miracle to figure out which corpses have failed to decompose before ever exhuming them) are not unlike a body that has died in the frozen tundra, atop Mount Everest, or outer space. But such lack of decomposition is certainly not limited to Catholics or saints. In fact, there are plenty of other examples of bodies that have not decomposed. One such example is The Soap Lady, who’s body is on display at the Mutter Museum. (See https://muttermuseum.org/exhibitions/soap-lady) “The Soap Lady is the name given to a woman whose body was exhumed in Philadelphia in 1875. The specimen is unique because a fatty substance called adipocere encases the remains. Adipocere formation is not common, but it may form in alkaline, warm, airless environments, such as the one in which the Soap Lady was buried."
Other non-saints whose bodies have not decayed are examined in an article published here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/9-incredible-corpses-that_b_8116908. Of the 9, 8 of the corpses are NOT Catholic saints.
One example is even a religious sacrifice. As the article points out, “Shortly before the arrival of Europeans in South America, a young Incan woman was sacrificed in a religious ceremony high in the Andes Mountains. Her cause of death: freezing while drugged on cocoa leaves. The harsh mountain climate killed the poor girl, yet it also preserved her body. La Doncella was discovered more than 500 years later, frozen in sleep in a slumped position. Archeologists who found her said she was one of the best-preserved corpses they'd ever seen.”
Another is Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, a Buryat Buddhist monk. Still another is a body found in a bog. Known as Tollund Man, of Jutland Peninsula in Denmark, he lived and died during the 4th century BCE.
How Stuff Works helped to shed some light on this curious case of Incorruptible saints. As it says, “Some saints have remained in such a state for decades. But the ravages of time eventually have an effect on a body -- even a saintly one. While some of the incorruptible saints have taken on a mummy-like appearance over the centuries, the fact that their bodies remain in one piece is something of a mystery. At the very least, it's difficult to explain.
“Some cases of incorruptibility have been revealed as fraudulent. In other cases where incorruptibility actually did exist, it was further preserved later by embalming the corpse. In the 20th century, the Catholic Church discontinued the practice of using incorruptibility as a prerequisite for sainthood. The Church wasn't responding so much to the fraud of some cases, but to the cases in which incorruptible corpses didn't extol Catholic piety. Members of other religions have been discovered in uncorrupted states. And at least one case of incorruptibility was discovered in a person who clearly hadn't exactly lived a saintly life. Cardinal Shuster, an Italian archbishop, had been a fascist and friend of dictator Benito Mussolini. His corpse was found uncorrupted 31 years after his death.”
One example that IS a a Catholic Saint is Saint Bernadette. The “believer” insists on “believing” she is a miracle from God to give the faithful something to hang their faith on. Truth be told, however, she is mummified (which is to say, her corpse has dried out past the point of putrefaction). A similar thing happens with biltong and prosciutto.”
As Vivienne Marcus points out on https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-scientific-explanation-for-how-some-saints-bodies-never-decompose, “It’s not uncommon for human bodies to undergo this process spontaneously; it certainly isn’t miraculous. The bit you see (her face and hands) is actually a layer of wax. I’ve been to the convent at Nevers and seen her body on display.” Likewise, Snehal Biswas points out that “As a believer, what do you have to say about the countless well preserved bodies and organ specimens of humans and other assorted creatures, currently housed at various research institutes, hospitals, labs and other facilities? See my point? The thing is that the bodies of the saints that you speak of, have in all possibility been preserved using various embalming processes, much like the mummification process followed in ancient Egypt.
As Associate Professor of Anthropology, Floyd A also pointed out on https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-scientific-explanation-as-to-why-some-human-corpses-dont-decompose-after-death, "Anaerobic conditions, acidity, frigidity, arid conditions, or any other environmental conditions that limit the activity of bacteria will result in slowing down, or even cessation of decomposition. It has nothing to do with the “saintliness" of the deceased, and everything to do with the conditions in which the remains are stored. If preservation was linked to a “saintly” nature, we would have the remains of St. Francis and St. Augustine, but not Lenin or Stalin. (Or Ötzi, ot Tollund Man, for that matter.)"
But don’t bother explaining any of this to a Catholic, especially a Catholic priest who is devoted to only "believing" that incorruptible corpse are PROOF POSITIVE that his catholicism is indeed infallible, because clearly a God who hides from every scientific attempt to verify his existence would only ever hint at his existence with evidence that humans can just as easily duplitcate with a frezzer, or shrink wrap, or a sharp knife, some embalming fluid, and some thread.
To illustrate the point, I asked my brother what evidence he relies on to support his belief that Catholicism is so "infallibly" true. (This is a trick question, by the way, since "faith" that does not need evidence is considered the strongest, but it is also the most foolish.) He offered the example of what Catholics call “The Incorruptibles.”
According to https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/incorruptible-saints.htm, “The Incorruptibles are saints whose bodies are miraculously preserved after death, defying the normal process of decomposition. St. Cecilia is probably the first saint known to be incorrupt, but the bodies of these saints can be found in many places throughout the world.” The article then goes on to point out that “Modern science relegates the incorruptibles to the status of mummies, pretending it understands and can comfortably categorize these saints.” Yes, it is science that is “pretending,” obviously, not those good old Catholics who pretend to know that God preserves the bodies to prove he exists, but only to those same believers who already believe he does anyway, making such “miracles” ultimately meaningless. I mean, it's not like those same believers intended to jetison their beliefs if God didn't provide them with some corpses that don't decay. Ya know, kinda like vampires.
According to CatholicExchange.com, “The miracle of incorruptibility points to eternity (https://catholicexchange.com/the-miracle-of-incorruptibility-points-to-eternity). (Really? That’s what it points to? And NOTHING else?) Notice that the articles does NOT say “eternal life.” This is noteworthy for all kinds of reasons, but not to my brother. “There are churches all over the world today in which you can see incorruptibles on display. Some have begun to decay.”
These “saintly” corpses, which God leaves like petrified Easter eggs under the ground until someone thinks to go grave-robbing (which is the real miracle to figure out which corpses have failed to decompose before ever exhuming them) are not unlike a body that has died in the frozen tundra, atop Mount Everest, or outer space. But such lack of decomposition is certainly not limited to Catholics or saints. In fact, there are plenty of other examples of bodies that have not decomposed. One such example is The Soap Lady, who’s body is on display at the Mutter Museum. (See https://muttermuseum.org/exhibitions/soap-lady) “The Soap Lady is the name given to a woman whose body was exhumed in Philadelphia in 1875. The specimen is unique because a fatty substance called adipocere encases the remains. Adipocere formation is not common, but it may form in alkaline, warm, airless environments, such as the one in which the Soap Lady was buried."
Other non-saints whose bodies have not decayed are examined in an article published here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/9-incredible-corpses-that_b_8116908. Of the 9, 8 of the corpses are NOT Catholic saints.
One example is even a religious sacrifice. As the article points out, “Shortly before the arrival of Europeans in South America, a young Incan woman was sacrificed in a religious ceremony high in the Andes Mountains. Her cause of death: freezing while drugged on cocoa leaves. The harsh mountain climate killed the poor girl, yet it also preserved her body. La Doncella was discovered more than 500 years later, frozen in sleep in a slumped position. Archeologists who found her said she was one of the best-preserved corpses they'd ever seen.”
Another is Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, a Buryat Buddhist monk. Still another is a body found in a bog. Known as Tollund Man, of Jutland Peninsula in Denmark, he lived and died during the 4th century BCE.
How Stuff Works helped to shed some light on this curious case of Incorruptible saints. As it says, “Some saints have remained in such a state for decades. But the ravages of time eventually have an effect on a body -- even a saintly one. While some of the incorruptible saints have taken on a mummy-like appearance over the centuries, the fact that their bodies remain in one piece is something of a mystery. At the very least, it's difficult to explain.
“Some cases of incorruptibility have been revealed as fraudulent. In other cases where incorruptibility actually did exist, it was further preserved later by embalming the corpse. In the 20th century, the Catholic Church discontinued the practice of using incorruptibility as a prerequisite for sainthood. The Church wasn't responding so much to the fraud of some cases, but to the cases in which incorruptible corpses didn't extol Catholic piety. Members of other religions have been discovered in uncorrupted states. And at least one case of incorruptibility was discovered in a person who clearly hadn't exactly lived a saintly life. Cardinal Shuster, an Italian archbishop, had been a fascist and friend of dictator Benito Mussolini. His corpse was found uncorrupted 31 years after his death.”
One example that IS a a Catholic Saint is Saint Bernadette. The “believer” insists on “believing” she is a miracle from God to give the faithful something to hang their faith on. Truth be told, however, she is mummified (which is to say, her corpse has dried out past the point of putrefaction). A similar thing happens with biltong and prosciutto.”
As Vivienne Marcus points out on https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-scientific-explanation-for-how-some-saints-bodies-never-decompose, “It’s not uncommon for human bodies to undergo this process spontaneously; it certainly isn’t miraculous. The bit you see (her face and hands) is actually a layer of wax. I’ve been to the convent at Nevers and seen her body on display.” Likewise, Snehal Biswas points out that “As a believer, what do you have to say about the countless well preserved bodies and organ specimens of humans and other assorted creatures, currently housed at various research institutes, hospitals, labs and other facilities? See my point? The thing is that the bodies of the saints that you speak of, have in all possibility been preserved using various embalming processes, much like the mummification process followed in ancient Egypt.
As Associate Professor of Anthropology, Floyd A also pointed out on https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-scientific-explanation-as-to-why-some-human-corpses-dont-decompose-after-death, "Anaerobic conditions, acidity, frigidity, arid conditions, or any other environmental conditions that limit the activity of bacteria will result in slowing down, or even cessation of decomposition. It has nothing to do with the “saintliness" of the deceased, and everything to do with the conditions in which the remains are stored. If preservation was linked to a “saintly” nature, we would have the remains of St. Francis and St. Augustine, but not Lenin or Stalin. (Or Ötzi, ot Tollund Man, for that matter.)"
But don’t bother explaining any of this to a Catholic, especially a Catholic priest who is devoted to only "believing" that incorruptible corpse are PROOF POSITIVE that his catholicism is indeed infallible, because clearly a God who hides from every scientific attempt to verify his existence would only ever hint at his existence with evidence that humans can just as easily duplitcate with a frezzer, or shrink wrap, or a sharp knife, some embalming fluid, and some thread.
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