http://www.nobeliefs.com/communion/communion.htm I looked up the Biblical chapter in John 6 and found this diabolical revelation: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. (John 6:53-55) These people are crazy!
Can we say, RELIGION FORUM, and by the way, Jesus was speaking of the Sacrement, Communion, whatever your sect calls it, and it was a metaphor. STUDY the darned thing, for crying out loud! And by the way, He isn't exactly human anymore.
A cannibal eats dead flesh. The point of communion is that his flesh and blood lives inside of us. So the flesh is living.
There are different views here. There are some who say that it is a metaphor others who say that it's not. Most of the pictures in that site are roman Catholics recieving communion. However the picture of the leavened bread cube is an orthodox church. In either case, all christians believe that Jesus is within them.
You know... this sounds like something from a Black Mass (not that I've ever been to one), but it does! If we really did have a savior (which most of you know I do NOT believe), why would we want to eat our savior? Wouldn't simply praying to him, adoring him in the manger, for example, or begging forgiveness for our sins beneath the cross work just as well toward salvation? But why would we want to eat the savior? The RCC (Roman Catholic Church) believes that the bread and wine REALLY turns into the flesh and blood of Jesus. It's called the "transubstantiation," and of course, this is one of those "mysteries" of the RCC. They can't explain "how" it actually changes, but they just know it does. What's even funnier are those protestant sects (Baptist for one) who hand out miniature crackers and thimbles of grape juice and say THAT turns into Jesus' body and blood! I was at least theorizing that the fermentation in the wine may have some sacred properties, but grape juice? Come on... When that Bible quote was originally written, about 100 years had passed since Jesus (if he ever) was alive. Also, the Bible was to be taken allegorically, not literally. The RCC calls it "the sacrifice" because they teach Jesus was sacrificed for us (yeah, right). The truth be known, Jesus escaped the Xifixion. The Essenes believed in consuming bodily fluids in their rituals of purification. I still don't see why they thought that this type of cannibalism was necessary. All in all, I suppose if you must be a Xian, its better to eat the little cracker and grape juice than somebody's flesh and blood that didn't even die nor save anyone! Hey, if it makes the Xian's happy, and keeps them away from my door, I'm happy for them! They're all sick and deluded.
Well personally I've I wouldn't think it was real unless if a voice said to "are you here yet" while meditating on it. But there are good reasons why it is called a sacrifice. I believe that all Jesus is doing is presenting his sacrifice to us. He is not being sacrifaced all over again of course. This presenting of the sacrifice must continue because Daniel 12:11 says "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there shall be on thousand two hundred and ninetyh days." And Jesus says "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, give us our daily bread..." and he also says that when the abomination that Daniel speaks of happens flee from Jerusalem. Isaiah 55:2 says "Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David". God also says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word of God". So obviously the bread is not physical nourishment, but is spiritual. Nor do I think that the twelve disciples or the 5000 and 4000 were tasting human flesh, so it must have appeared just as strange to them as it appears to us. Of course we cannot explain how it changes. It's a mystery, that's why the priest says the mystery of faith. I also disagree with you, that's it is necessary, but that it gives grace. You could envision endless situations of being a trapped on a island and not being able to recieve the Eucharist. But really it doesn't matter, Jesus said that he will feed his sheep and will be always with us. There have been many <a href ="http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html">miracles</a> validating the sacredness of the sacrament.
That's the word I was looking for. I should have said allegorically, not metaphorically. He spoke allegorically, to use the better word.
