It is a favorite tactic of religious critics, and especially critics of Catholicism, to ridicule one religious rite or another as proof that religion is bunk. Because Catholics cross themselves with holy water before entering a church, for example, we must all be under the spell of shamans.
Suppose someone knew nothing about France, not even its existence. That person might ask me, "What is France?" I could respond by saying, "The French enjoy eating freshly baked bagettes." This response, while peculiar, is true enough, and quite characteristic of the French. Yet it hardly answers the question. The response seems senseless, but, if I then went all the way back to the beginning of French history, explained how French culture and society came about, after a few hours of explanation I could finally get around to showing why the French like bagettes, and why it is reasonable that they should.
The same could be said about the idiosyncratic practice of genuflection, or any other peculiar Catholic practice. The question is never the practice itself. It is the orgins of it that count.
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