I didn't phrase it that way, of course - I think I asked if there was any spiritual effect and if so, what. They were offended at the idea of anything non-mundane.
> Ask your "bods" if the bread and wine become the
> Body and Blood of Christ, in any sense.
Have done. Some stared at me blankly (as a general rule, I know more about what they claim is their religion than they do, and I know very little), others said "of course not" or words to that effect. "Just a symbol" was the most coherent response. Most had no idea that that was even what it was a symbol of. And one friend of mine has just produced a multi-page thesis discussing that very subject - but he doesn't believe a word of it AFAIK, it was a theoretical exercise.
> > Baptism - chance to show off new baby and posh
> frocks,
> > while gathering all relatives together and
> expecting
> > arguments. Never heard of any effect beyond that
> > expected by any participant, especially the
> parents.
>
> So in your denomination, YHWH isn't paying any
> attention to it?
This isn't *my* denomination, it's the CofE ceremonies that some of my relatives attend when they want to play dressing up. Baptisms and the Xmas sing-along. I have no idea what any affected deity may think of them. I know I read through the vows a god-parent takes at that ceremony, asked the new godparents how they intended to carry them out, and discovered that they'd never even considered trying to do so.
> Weddings are just civil contracts, for most
> Protestants (and in most
> nominally Protestant, anti-clerical, or non-clerical
> countries).
Yes, quite. It's a ceremony, but there's nothing religious about it. (OT: I wonder why "civil" is the word used for that?)
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