Not the best analogy
Listening to EWTN radio running its pledge drive. As usual the Romans are evangelizing on the basis of something called the Eucharist. They say that loving this Eucharist thing is the key to religion. I'm always rooting and cheering for religion, even though I'm spiritually retarded and incapable of getting it; so I'm always open to a route that might bring me into religion.

One of the announcers gave an analogy that probably won't bring me any closer to this Eucharist thing.

"If you've just spent an hour in a room full of enriched uranium, you won't know it immediately, but you'll know it later. It's the same with the Eucharist. Spend an hour in adoration, and you won't know it immediately but you'll know it later."

Hmm. Might want to rethink the metaphor just a bit. Or maybe it's exactly correct......

= = = = =

Good teachers and salesmen know that the best way to sell an experience is to let the customer try the experience. The customer needs to feel that he's discovered it for himself. It's his idea, not the salesman's idea.

An electronics teacher sets up a lab session where the students can SOLDER UP a simple circuit and see it work. If this type of experience resonates with your genes, one soldering session will hook you forever.

A salesman offers a test drive of a car or a demo version of software. If this experience resonates with your genes, the trial will hook you.

Rome puts the Eucharist thing at the END of the selling and training. You're supposed to go through a whole bunch of other stuff first, and then you get to try out the experience. You can't just walk in and get the wine and crackers. Makes me think the Eucharist thing is not really the 'solder' of the church.

In fact the 'solder' is the community. If you walk into a church and feel USEFUL and RESPECTED, you'll stick around. If you don't feel USEFUL and TOTALLY 100.00000% RESPECTED, there's no purpose.

Back when I still had the delusion that I might be wanted or wantable, I tried several churches. The experience was always WORSE than ordinary life. I felt instantly rejected, instantly outside, instantly punched in the face. An hour with enriched uranium. Why bother? I can get those feelings anywhere.
  ¶ 6:44 AM