You can't be serious

Well, it's the Holy Week, at least for Christianity. That's why there were two St. Patrick's Days over this past weekend, and why, we assume, we see a story like the one we're looking at today. And, well, we normally have science to thank for these types of articles, but science and the church don't always get along that great. So looks like today's thanks go out to the big G, and all their followers here on the terrestrial plane.

Okay, so the warning didn't come from the church. After all, they don't really approve of people reenacting pieces of the Passion during this week (or, really, any time). And yet, if it wasn't for the church, we probably wouldn't see people flogging themselves, or others willing to get crucified to show their dedication and religious fervor. And, without those events, we certainly wouldn't have heard health officials in the Philippines point out the inherent health risks involved in those activities.

That's right, folks. For those of you who are just catching up to the subject of life, we got to learn today that being crucified could be hazardous to your health. Whew. Thank heavens that someone put that out there. We were fairly certain that whipping the flesh from your back was a good thing, and we thought that pounding nails into your skin was just a harmless way to pass an afternoon. Guess we can now put those things up there with bathing in acid and eating at McDonald's.

Of course, this will not deter people from reenacting the Passion to atone for their own sins, but, hopefully, it will lead to people being a bit safer about the whole thing. After all, the last thing that we'd want to see is someone getting hurt because of all of this self-mutilation.

For our part, we'll perform our own penance by eating Taco Bell. Seems just about as dangerous.