Does anyone really and truly believe in transubstantiation?

Question

If so does the wine really taste like blood and the wafer like flesh?

Answer 1

The trouble with all these things lies in the translation, which can be theorised about for eternity.
Generally speaking in old philosophy;
the bread or the body symbolises sustenance or nourishment of the physical manifestation.
The wine or the blood is the life force, the vitality of the physical manifestation.
Calling it the body and the blood is just a way of simplifying the symbolism of this act:
The acknowledgement that all life is given by a higher source.
The significance of the Last Supper is that Jesus, does not expect a substitute sacrifice to be made in his place, he offers himself.
This was done at a time when animal sacrifice was still common practise.
In other words to take part in the Eucharist you must except that you give yourself to God, not a false substitute, he in turn will then sustain you.
Well that's the theory anyway.
Whether and how you choose to believe is up to the individual.

Answer 2

A non-believer who went through the Confirmation and Communion stage at school.
The wafer tasted like very thin ice-cream wafer and the wine was a sweet sickly wine.
Have since had a lot of association with the Jewish Community and been invited to a couple of Passover Suppers where the bread and wine play a very important part in the meal.
The bread (Unleavened, so a thin and brittle water biscuit) representing the unleavened bread baked before going off into the wilderness. There is one piece of bread called the "Afikomen" (sp?) which represented the longed-for Messiah and this was hidden for the children to find. It has been suggested that when Jesus said "This is my body" he was actually saying "I am the Messiah".
Don't know - perhaps someone who is better informed may log on and put me right.

Answer 3

People who do not believe in transubstantiation, can NOT be catholics. There are catholics, so....

People have believed in it, that is certain. It was told in my primary school that Jews and freemasons stole the host and ritually carved it with a knife. Lo and behold! God made blood flow from the host.
There is a painting of a scene like this, I think 18th century in a catholic church in Leuven, Belgium)

Profanation of the host was often a (false) signal for a pogrom.

Answer 4

I know, isn't it sick. Rome is very good about not putting their strange dogma out in the open. Oh and don't forget about Luther's consubstantiation.

Answer 5

If people are prepared to believe in god then they will believe anything.

Answer 6

huh? what's that???