Another religious question I'm curious about. So, from what I know (unfortunately vague), some Christians take part in drinking wine and wafers (Jesus' this is my blood, this is my body thing). But cannibalism is bad. So therefore, wouldn't this be cannibalism, therefore Jesus said it? I understand that a lot of transubstantiation is involved, but a friend of mine goes to a church where they honestly believe they are taking part in the body of Christ. So where's the sense in it?
2007-03-20 12:20:07 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Bull Horn: This isn't a silly question. I'm honestly asking so I may better understand it. I'd appreciate it if next time you have something nonconstructive to say if you just keep it to yourself.
2007-03-21 10:41:24 · update #1
We are doing that in remembrance of Him on the cross...
2007-03-20 12:23:16 · answer #1 · answered by I give you the Glory Father ! 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
There is no sense in transubstantiation. Watch the movie Lady Jane. She asks a simple question, "Jesus said He was the Door--was He a door?"
The purpose of the bread (not wafer) and cup has to do with something profoundly Jewish... not Catholic. No wonder you are confused. The Catholic wafer becomes nothing but a dissolved wafer. The grape juice? Just grape juice. Now consider this. When the disciples took the unleavened bread from Jesus and partook, did it become His flesh? Or the wine His blood? Ridiculous to even answer--NO.
What Jesus and the disciples were having was the Passover Supper. In this feast, you were to partake in the drinking of 4 Seder Cups. This cup that Jesus gave the disciples was part of this feast. It was the third cup--the cup of redemption. The fourth cup, Jesus said, He would not drink of until He drinks it anew with us in the coming kingdom.
Read my study below for the whole story and a true answer to your question.
http://www.schneblin.com/studies/pdfs/joseph_and_the_seder_cups.pdf
2007-03-20 19:24:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Jesus used figures of speach, do not miss the teaching by missing the genre of the speach.
Not everything is the same type of speech. Jesus used parables (stories to make a point); narratives (citing historical events); in this case it was hyperbole, an overstatement for emphasis' sake.
Cannabalism was the charge that was made against the Christiasn in the second century AD.
Jesus also said that this was to be done in "memory of me."
Luke 22:19
And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
The Lord's Supper is a memorial of His life and death; and promise of his soon return.
2007-03-20 19:30:10 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
All Christians believe celebrating communion is important in proclaiming the death and resurection of Jesus It is a reminder to them and challenges them to a godly lifestyle
when Jesus said eat of my flesh and drink of my blood He was in part saying to make HIm and His teaching a part of you... a Chrstians is dependent on God and God is glorified in man's dependance.
I think Jesus is spiritually pressent at communion but do not agree with transubstantiation or consubstantiation personally... but there is room for sincere disagreement
2007-03-20 19:26:38 · answer #4 · answered by whirlingmerc 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cannibalism is eating another human ... Jesus is the son of God, therefore you are "eating" we call it receiving the body of the son of God, not another human ... when the priest blesses the host it becomes His body ... we practice this because at the last supper Jesus preformed this ritual of turning the wine into his blood and the bread into his body and sharing it with his closest friends ... just another way he reminds us of how he loves us and all he sacrificed for us ... we are blessed for receiving Him and are cleansed in away ...
it is a bit confusing if you don't believe in Christianity ... I hope I helped to clear it up a little bit for you
2007-03-20 19:30:01 · answer #5 · answered by Like Nothing Else 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In ancient times (and probably in modern times, wherever the practice still exists), a sacrificed animal was usually eaten by the people making the sacrifice. The practice of communion is simply an extension of this "eating the sacrifice" by proxy, or metaphor. Jesus became a sacrifice for our sins by surrendering his own life on the cross. (Interestingly, his suffering and death was amazingly similiar to "proper" sacrifice techniques according to Jewish law.) Since it is impossible for us (and improper to consider doing for those actually present) to eat Jesus' physical body, we have the "proxy" for his body and blood: the bread and wine of communion. In this way, successive generations of Christians can all take part in the "eating" of the sacrifice of Christ, and hence take part in that act of worship.
2007-03-20 19:30:00 · answer #6 · answered by MamaBear 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
To be honest, thats one of the reasons I left the Roman Catholic church.... and then I realised that not every church sees it as his body and blood.... The LDS church drinks water, because in the early days of the church the wine was getting poisoned and they were losing their people. We LDS do not believe that we are eating his body....
2007-03-20 19:34:43 · answer #7 · answered by joeyfarlz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hopefully this will give you some answers.
It also goes back to the Last Supper. Jesus says, "This is my body, this is my blood..." He didn't say "This bread represents my body and this wine represents my blood."
There is also a tie into Jewish tradition as well... Too many things to make this brief...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamb_of_God
Hope this answers your question,
Mon :-)
2007-03-20 19:29:46 · answer #8 · answered by santan_cat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know what you mean, but it is a symbolic expression of taking in his crucifixion and resurrection.
After all if you can order wafers and grape juice from some factory in Ohio, that's not Jesus. It's all about a symbolic partaking of Christ. It's quite wonderful if you hink about it.
Cannibalism, hardly.
2007-03-20 19:27:04 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, that is cannalbalism and no it is not scriptural. It is to be a symbolic rememberance of what Christ did for us. The Catholic church is the doctrine that believes it is actually his flesh and blood, which is nasty. If you think about it, Jesus actually said what he did "This is my blood" etc. when he was still alive, so how was it NOT symbolic.
2007-03-20 19:26:25 · answer #10 · answered by Miss Momma 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You want to know something freaky...... I was thinking about that very same thing last night.
Yea I think its cannibalism...
Yea I think its crazy
And yea I'm wondering the exact same thing as you?
WHATS THE DEAL WITH THE BLOOD AND SKIN OF JESUS STUFF?
2007-03-20 19:26:18 · answer #11 · answered by ʚϊɞ Krysti ʚϊɞ 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋