Ramblings of a Constipated Mind

Yesterday in Biology class we dissected rats. I was fortunate enough to walk in just in time to see Dr. Jenner finish killing them. He picked them up, and then slammed their heads against the side of the sink multiple times, completely breaking their necks. It was at this point that all the girls started screaming, and I stood there thinking "This is awesome!"

We were split into groups of four. Before we started working, Dr. Jenner poked the rats in the head with some sort of sharp object in order to pierce the brain and make sure they were, in fact, dead. Then we cut the skin off its belly, revealing a thin layer of muscle protecting all the intestines. All of a sudden, we heard:

"Squeak...squeak..."

I nearly had heart attack. Turns out there was just some extra air still in the lungs being pushed out. It wasn't actually alive. *phew*

Anyways, then we sliced through the muscle and got to view all of the wonderful guts and innards of a rat. We figured out which organs were what, and then proceeded to take them all out. The point was to see how long the "gut" actually was. Turns out it's reeeeally long, just folded up inside. We were left with just skin and bones. Fun fun fun. If we had flipped it over, it's possible no one would have realized it was actually dead.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I wasn't wearing gloves. These rats had been specifically bred to be fed to snakes, so they didn't have any diseases. Dr. Jenner poked around without gloves a ton. The only thing I really touched other than scissors was the brain (we got bored, so we thought we'd see what it looked like). It was surprisingly cold.

Also, the heart was still beating. It takes a while for it to stop after death. That was really cool, even though it meant blood eventually got everywhere.

That was the highlight of yesterday. I didn't film anything, and I doubt I will until this weekend. Today was boring.

Also: never quote Dogma to a really traditional Catholic. They'll think you're satanic or something.

This is the part where I go into vent mode: The church is fallible. I repeat: The church is fallible. Church laws are created by man, and men are fallible. Therefore, it's possible for them to be fallible. Any religious person who doesn't admit that the church can and has made some really terrible mistakes (the Crusades, anyone?) is fooling themselves. To quote Dogma, on what kinds of mistakes the church has made that God doesn't really enjoy: "What He really hates is the shit that gets carried out in his name. Wars. Bigotry. Televangelism."

That last one was a joke. At least partially.

The church is not at the same level of God, who is infallible. And it can be quite easy for their "laws" to contradict the Bible. And no, I'm not just talking about any particular denomination (don't get me started on that subject). All denominations can do it, because in the end, they are led by man. Yeah, they all try to do what God wants them to do, but you can't change the fact that the church is run, and made up of, corrupt beings. Unlike the Bible, I do not believe that church laws are dictated by God. Though if anyone shows me a Bible passage disproving me, I'll be happy to change my mind.

I mean, really. God forbid I insult the church, of all things! (end sarcasm)

To conclude: Churches can make mistakes. End of story.

Note: I don't mean to pick on Catholics with the following quote. They're just the ones mentioned.

Quote of Da Moment:

Cardinal Glick: The Catholic Church does not make mistakes.
Rufus: Please. What about the Church's silent consent to the slave trade?
Bethany: And its platform of noninvolvement during the Holocaust?
Cardinal Glick: All right, mistakes were made.
--Dogma