It comes back to the same argument. Either the water is special, or it's psychological.

If the only benefit of blessed water is psychological- that is, "Ooh, the priest blessed this water, so I'm even MORE focused on purity and health and life, which are the symbols water evokes," then, again it DOESN'T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING. It's just a mental trick, the equivalent of Dumbo's feather to get people in the mood.


If the water actually is special- i.e. favored by God, "magic water," - then using it in rites does have an effect- you feel closer to God, prayers are more likely to be heard, etc. I'm pretty sure any priest would deny that this is the case (though I could be wrong).




Basically, you're saying that holy water is a "more potent symbol" than regular water. But the strength of any symbol is in our minds. For example, a Jewish person would find a yarmulke a symbol of their religion, whereas Gentile tend to think they look kind of silly. The swastika has a very different meaning in the West than the East. Symbols have no intrinsic meaning, they are what we tell them to be.


So. Since the concept of holy water is just a psychological aid, I've always found it a bit ridiculous. I can just as easily go "Ah, God created this water, I will dunk my baby in it so his sins are symbolically washed away."