TheQueen ([info]idasusan) wrote in [info]episcopal,
@ 2008-04-14 20:54:00
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There was a lovely Cat picture to go with this.
The Doctrine of Feline Sedentation

How should Christians deal with ‘The cat sat on the mat’ if it appeared in the Bible?

The LIBERAL THEOLOGIANS would point out that such a passage did not of
course mean that the cat sat literally on the mat. Also ‘cat’ and ‘mat’
had different meanings in those days from today, and anyway, the text
should be interpreted according to the customs and practices of the
period.

This would lead to an immediate backlash from the EVANGELICALS. They would
make it an essential condition of faith that a real, living cat, being a
domestic pet of the Felix Domesticus species, and having a whiskered head
and furry body, four legs and a tail, did physically place its whole body
on a floor covering, designed for that purpose, and which is on the floor,
but not of the floor. The expression ‘on the floor’, but ‘not of the
floor’ would be explained in a leaflet.

Meanwhile, the CATHOLICS would have developed the Festival of the
Sedentation of the Blessed Cat. This would teach that the cat was white
and majestically reclined on a mat of gold thread before its assumption to
the Great Cat Basket of Heaven. This is commemorated by the singing of the
Magnificat, lighting three candles, and ringing a bell five times. This
would cause a schism with the Orthodox Church which believes that
tradition requires Holy Cats Day (as it is colloquially known), to be
marked by six candles and ringing the bell four times. This would partly
be resolved by the Cuckoo Land Declaration, recognising the traditional
validity of each.

The CHARISMATICS would welcome the chance for the full experience of the
feline presence. This to be shown resting, on all four limbs, on the floor
and meowing in the feline spirit. It would, naturally, only be possible
following the singing, for some 30 minutes, of inspired songs such as ‘O
cat, cat, cat, come to our mat, mat, mat, catty, catty on matty, matty, we
truly believe we’re not really batty’; ‘Feline, we enthrone you, we
proclaim you as cat’ and ‘If you scratch us we know that you’re here’. The
house church elements might even agree a common doctrine, after pauses, in
a statement of may clauses.

The remnant PRESBYTERIANS would formulate a Catminster Confession, with an
uncertain priority of authority in relation to the true word of cat,
stating the ‘Chief end and purpose of man is to stroke cat and enjoy his
presence forever.’ In worship Psalm paraphrases would be sung; such as ‘I
joyed when to the mat of cat go up they said to me’ (Tune: Glasgow) and
‘Lift up your head O mighty cat, your claws of sharpness shield’ (Tune: St
Georges, Edinburgh). The rump of Presbyterians in the Reformed Cattery
(URC for brevity) would simply find the new doctrine irksome.

Eventually, in the CHURCH OF ENGLAND, the House of Bishops would issue a
statement on the Doctrine of Feline Sedentation. It would explain that,
traditionally, the text describes a domestic feline quadruped superjacent
to an unattached covering on a fundamental surface for determining its
salvific and eschatological significations, we follow the heuristic
analytical principles adopted in dealing with the Canine Fenestration
Question (How much is that doggie in the window?) and the Affirmative
Musaceous Paradox (Yes, we have no bananas). And so on for 210 pages. A
key recommendation would be that Mattins become Mattons. The General Synod
would then commend this report as helpful resource material for clergy to
explain to the man in the pew the difficult doctrine of ‘the cat sat on
the mat’.



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[info]merseine0613
2008-04-15 04:10 am UTC (link)
Brilliant!!

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[info]idasusan
2008-04-15 04:16 am UTC (link)
Well, I didn't write it, I stole it. But I thought it was so funny. There was a cat from can I haz cheezeburger accompanying, but I have the basic LJ account. I'm too cheap to pay and It would not import the jpeg. Darnnit!

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Glad you posted it!
[info]merseine0613
2008-04-15 05:25 am UTC (link)
It's great as is - doesn't really *need* the cat pic...

but do you have the citation from whence it came so when others want to post it the author can be credited?

thanks!

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Re: Glad you posted it!
[info]idasusan
2008-04-15 05:29 am UTC (link)
Well, no. I got it from a friend's blog. One of the comments to her post was that it had made the email rounds long ago and was still funny. That's as far back as I can get. And you know emails...they're never credited!

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Re: Glad you posted it!
[info]merseine0613
2008-04-15 06:21 am UTC (link)
True....true.

Ah well... one can hope. :)

But thanks again for sharing it here - I hadn't seen it yet!

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[info]quinns_crossing
2008-04-15 10:54 am UTC (link)
Will they let you upgrade to a plus account? I have that, and I can import the cheezeburger and lolcat jpegs. I just have to put up with silly commercials.

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[info]idasusan
2008-04-15 03:33 pm UTC (link)
Oh, I'll stick with the basic. I hate commercials and I really only have this account so I can keep up with my son's occasional posts ;-)

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[info]honeysuckleaura
2008-04-15 07:44 am UTC (link)
Funny stuff. I'm passing it along ... is that OK? Since I'm not the one who originally stole it?

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[info]merseine0613
2008-04-15 02:18 pm UTC (link)
Steal away - it's all over the web, most with "author unknown" and some with various "by This Person" of which I've found at least 2 different attributions.

The best part of looking around the web was that I found a few other faiths to added to the end, of which I found this one the most amusing:

"And the Mormons would come up with an entire rite in the Temple of the Baptism of the Dead Cat on the Mat, and would find innumerable proofs in the Book of Mormon supporting the Cat and Mat, while spending millions of dollars on archeological research to find the Mat or the Cat's bones, ultimately proving it for themselves while the rest of the archeological world scoffed."

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[info]sea_cucumber
2008-04-15 08:23 am UTC (link)
genius :)

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[info]quinns_crossing
2008-04-15 10:52 am UTC (link)
LOL, I kinda like the Catholic version! I'd enjoy that. So would my cat (pictured in the icon here).

Actually, my kitty would also approve of the Charismatic and Presbyterian interpretations of this.

I could barely understand the Episcopal (Church of England) paragraph. But who cares? The organ's great, I like the hymns, and Patricia makes the best chili for the potluck dinners! ;)

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[info]idasusan
2008-04-15 03:37 pm UTC (link)
That's because it really is about the Church of England, not the Episcopal church. I don't think ours would be quite so complicated. Americans would never use the word 'superadjacent'!

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[info]kaph
2008-04-15 12:34 pm UTC (link)
Hunh . . . for "liberal theologians" read "biblical scholars" . . . Still, it's pretty funny. :)

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[info]cinchntouch
2008-04-15 08:09 pm UTC (link)
Did you mention the kitties virginity?

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[info]idasusan
2008-04-15 08:19 pm UTC (link)
It had to be mentioned? That was already an Assumption

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[info]synonym4shedog
2008-04-15 10:26 pm UTC (link)
Absolutely delightful.

I've seen it come around a couple times, each with subtle changes.

Loved the Mormon addition!

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