Eucharist and Communion?

Question

I just would like to put the communion thing out there.
1. The Roman Catholics believe that they are actually taking in the body and blood of Christ.
2. Several Protestant churches believe that it is just wine (juice) and crackers - and it is all symbolic
3. Some Protestants churches believe that the elements turn into the body and blood of Christ once you take of them.

Catholics - before you start saying 'Protesnats believe' get your facts straight or if you don't know - ask. That is how you learn.
I learned because I asked.

Being of Protesant background, I know what I believe about Communion. I am also part of a 60 woman Protestant group of 7 different denominations - I asked them what their beliefs are.
I talked to two different Catholic Priests on their belief.
There are other beliefs out there - I am just tired of Catholics saying 'Protestants believe..." when there are so many denominations of Protestants, one statement cannot cover them all

Answer 1

You have to realize, there are some catholics, like my mom and grandma, who have a common sense.
and then you have your fanatics.
the fanatics are the ones most likely to REALLY belive wine and crackers are the blood and body of christ.
I do not have a bible handy, so I can't give you the exact verse, but baisically, during the last supper (when jesus supposidly passed the church to peter) he said everytime you give communian, remember me, by this bread being my body, and wine beeing my blood. I realize that's not the exact quotation frm the bible. But the bible is taken too litterally. It is meant as guidlines to live by, for being a good person: treet your neighbor, acceptance, don't judge.
These are the principals we should follow,
Not if you sin, god woll flood the world, that's hard to believe.

I asked my priest the same guestions when I took communion for the first time, and that is what he told me.

I hope that gave you a little insight,
And for everyone else: just because you are set in your religion, doesn't mean you can't learn about different ones, you'd be suprised by how similar they are.
Hey big dog: catholocism has been around for thousands of years huh? Well paganism has been around since the dawn of time, but I don't sit here and say I make all the rules now do I

Answer 2

In general, Protestants believe that it is symbolic. When Jesus said that only those that eat his body and drink his blood can enter the kingdom of heaven, he was talking about entering the body of Christ (the church) and being covered by the blood (forgiveness of sins). Incidentally, the Catholic church is not the sole vehicle for spreading the gospel. In fact, the Catholic church of today does almost nothing to spread the gospel. Most members of the Catholic church are not converts, but are born into the church.

Answer 3

To be accurate about what a religion believes, it is better to read about the religion in a book written by the heirarchy of that religion because most people don't really know what their religion really teaches. Thus, you could get a whole assortment of different answers from the same religious group.

Answer 4

But how many protestants did you ask?? You have to remember that one catholic will say something totaly different than anothere just like protestants..It all depends on the church or elder or priest that they listen to..Teaching differ from one sect to anothere.

Answer 5

When Jesus preached about the Eucharist, his listeners were getting rather uncomfortable. Eating His flesh and drinking His Blood was not an easy concept to accept. But they probably assumed that He was speaking metaphorically, so they stayed and listened. But instead of making a parable out of His teaching, Jesus came on even stronger. "Unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you have no life in you". At that point his listeners were really getting upset, murmuring among themselves, saying "How can this man give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink". Obviously they were beginning to realize that He was speaking literally, not symbolically. But still they listened. They may have still maintained some small hope that Jesus would explain that what He was saying was symbolic. Rather than ease their minds, Jesus came on even more boldly, teling them outright "My flesh is REAL [not symbolic] food; My blood is REAL [not symbolic] drink". At that point every person present recognized that he was indeed speaking literally. As a result, many of his disciples left him that day and followed Him no more, the only time recorded in Scripture when people abandoned Him for purely doctrinal reasons.

It is apparent that they understood Jesus to be speaking literally; otherwise there would have been no reason for such an extreme reaction to His words. Of course they could have been mistaken in their understanding. But, if all these disciples were walking away from the Lord and Savior of the world, abandoning salvation over a simple misunderstanding, because they took Him to be speaking literally when He was actually speaking metaphorically, why did Jesus just sit there and sadly watch them walk away? Why didn't He just speak up and clarify the misunderstanding? Why didn't He say, "wait, you don't need to leave, here is what I actually meant". The answer to that is plainly obvious. They had understood Him exactly as He meant to be understood - literally. And now they had to choose to accept a difficult teaching on the basis of Who was teaching it, or give in human weakness and lack of faith, and walk away from the truth.

Jesus then asked the Apostles, "will you abandon me also?". Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we Go? You have the words of everlasting life". Notice, Peter didn't indicate in any way that He understood what Christ was taking about. The Apostles may well have been in confusion themselves over these words of Jesus, for they like everyone else present, were well aware that He was speaking literally. But they had already accepted Him as Lord and Savior, and fully committed their lives to Him. So they could say, "even though we do not yet understand how you can give us your flesh to eat and your blood to drink, we know who you are, so if you say it, we believe it".

Therefore, at the Last Supper, when Jesus raised the bread and said "This IS My Body; take and eat; This IS the cup of my Blood; take and drink of it", the Apostles didn't react with confusion. They had been prepared. They knew He was literally going to give them his Body and Blood to become a physical part of them, because He had told them so. So now their reaction was peaceful, accepting - "Yes, now we see and understand how He intended to so what He promised to do".

Then Jesus told them, the first priests of His Church, "Do THIS [what I have just done] in remembrance of Me. From that day onward His Church has obeyed that divine command, at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Does your church obey this direct command from the lips of God Himself?

Answer 6

A comment--most people do the Lord's Supper as Communion. But the other name is Eucharist, which means "thanksgiving". We should not only remember Christ but give thanks to God for Him.

It really doesn't matter whether or not you believe in the true presence of Christ in Communion. What is in your heart is what counts. Your attitude should be quiet thankfulness.

Answer 7

We see scriptures refer to the elements as the body and blood, but we also see Jesus clearly stating that the words He was speaking were spiritual words: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life," (John 6:63). He did not say they were literal words; that is, He did not say that they were His actual body and blood.
But, a Catholic might object and say that Jesus clearly said, "This is My blood..." and "This is my body..." This is true, but Jesus frequently spoke in spiritual terms: "I am the bread of life," (John 6:48); "I am the resurrection and the life," (John 11:25); "I am the true vine," (John 15:1), etc. Jesus often spoke in figurative terms and in the context of Jesus telling His disciples that they must eat His body and blood, He clearly says He was speaking in spiritual terms, "...the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life," (John 6:63).
After Jesus said, "This is my blood," (Matt. 26:28), He said, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom,” (Matt. 26:29). Why would Jesus speak figuratively of His blood as "the fruit of the vine" if it was His literal blood? We can clearly see that Jesus was speaking figuratively.

Answer 8

I think it's just a symbol to all of them. I used to be Catholic and you have that right, but I still only recognized as symbolism.

Answer 9

The Catholics have been around for over a thousand years longer than the Protestants. We created the traditions. We name it as we please.

Answer 10

What's the question? I only see a placing of facts.