Holy Water Not So Holy

Despite its purported cleansing properties, holy water could actually be more harmful than healing, according to a new Austrian study on “holy” springs.

Researchers at the Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology at the Medical University of Vienna tested water from 21 springs in Austria and 18 fonts in Vienna and found samples contained up to 62 million bacteria per milliliter of water, none of it safe to drink.

Tests indicated 86 percent of the holy water, commonly used in baptism ceremonies and to wet congregants’ lips, was infected with common bacteria found in fecal matter such as E. coli, enterococci and Campylobacter, which can lead to diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever.

Public awareness has to be raised to perceive holy springs as potential sources of illness.

abcnews.go.com...

86%? Ewww This kind of blew me away! How could such a "holy" process and substance be so dirty? Ignorance? Neglect? The article states that Nitrates were found as well. It doesn't take much to disinfect tainted water, nor does it seem to hard to find fresh water so I am guessing folks(clergy included) just assumed the water was pure.

I wonder how many babies were affected? Hopefully this will be resolved immediately, and not with just prayers.

Why dont you check mints on a hotel desk table, or even your bosses skittles.

Piss everywhere.

reply to post by Biigs


Oh I know the funk is everywhere, but baptism water is the last place I would suspect. It sounds like they may not even change the water between baptisms. I would guess this is just ignorance to the harm, but hopefully the water gets cleansed before used for cleansing. Jeeeeesus! (whoops, wrong reference) no offense

I filled up my water bottle from a fountain inside the Vatican a few years ago on a tour.

It tasted fine, but I didn't receive any Jesus-like powers

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


No one got sick from it did they?

The lord works in mysterious ways.

oh wait they did..... yeah make the 11th commandment "thou shall wash thy hands after pee or poopsies" I guess moses sorta drifted off after ten

reply to post by Biigs

Ha ha, yea I am surprised they are recommending that the priests change out the water. This seems like common sense unless the priests wanted to keep the same water thinking it was indeed holy and pure.

The lord works in mysterious ways.

So does that thar devil eh?

"Holy" water. What a joke. Yah, earth is the only planet with liquid water which is one of the things that make life possible. The water of life.

This ritual they make with the bowl of water in Churches is a misunderstanding of the true message.

And Peee ewww-- what a bad hygiene habit hold out from the Dark Ages.

Land before microscopes.

reply to post by intrptr


Its holy because its got ring worm in it.

reply to post by Biigs


Urine is actually sterile... by the way people...

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


How many people do you know that were made sick from holy water? This is just one more thing to delegitimize/demonize Christianity. "See, you get sick and dirty from Baptism."

reply to post by Bilk22

Hmm, well I had not considered the article as a slam against religion, more of a health issue with a touch of irony I suppose. No I do not know if any got sick, but common sense says it is likely since an infant is submerged and the water may enter the eyes or orifice(s).

As my Dad (a lifelong gardener) would say... A bit of sh*t never hurt anybody!

And he's basically right, stop worrying.

reply to post by Grifter81

Touche' friend, but it is still an issue of concern imho. Especially since keeping clean water in the bin is not impractical or hard to do. I would not put my baby in there, if I had one to be baptized. Not a huge deal I suppose, but cleanliness is next to godliness so....

The problem right out of the gate is anyone believing any water is holy!

MystikMushroom
I filled up my water bottle from a fountain inside the Vatican a few years ago on a tour.

It tasted fine, but I didn't receive any Jesus-like powers

Christ! You drank that fetid water that every drongo on the planet wants to dip their body parts into?

Oh my deity.

Are you sure you didnt' die and rise again from the infection??????

oO

(because sometimes a is just not good enough!)

Akragon
reply to post by Biigs

 

Urine is actually sterile... by the way people...

edit on 17-9-2013 by Akragon because: (no reason given)

Well piddle may be sterile, but the weeners and veevee's are pretty funky..

I bet...

especially when they don't get much air time and are left festering in the undies of god fearing folk!

reply to post by Grifter81


Yeah... well you can smother yourself in excrement and urine all day long man, that's your perogative.

Me.. Well, I'll think twice before shaking a religious persons hand after mass.

A little dab'l'do'ya!

reply to post by Akragon


Your own urine is sterile- to you.

minkmouse
The problem right out of the gate is anyone believing any water is holy!

Water is the substance of life... without it life as we know It can't exist...

And its the most precious substance in the universe...

Why isn't it holy?

reply to post by Akragon


You have a point...I'm gonna start bagging up "Holy Air!"