Ahhh see ... I am not Catholic. I am a Biblical New Testament Christian, which I guess is Protestant. We don't believe in transubstantiation at all. We believe the Bible is clear in the symbolic representation of that event. We differ in other significant ways with the more orthodox religions too.
Ahhh see ... I am not Catholic. I am a Biblical New Testament Christian, which I guess is Protestant. We don't believe in transubstantiation at all. We believe the Bible is clear in the symbolic representation of that event. We differ in other significant ways with the more orthodox religions too.
For instance: infant baptism. No where in the Bible are infants baptized, nor does God or Jesus or any disciple or prophet instruct anyone to baptize a baby. The only thing that even comes close is in Samuel where at the age of 2, not as a baby, Samuel's mother dedicates him to God. That is why most protestants dedicate their children and don't baptize them as infants. We believe the Bible is very clear that baptism was used to openly express and declare when one has chosen to follow God and is ready to live their life for him and follow Jesus’ ways, but it happens only when they are at a point in their life where they understand what that choice is and make it of their own accord, and then receive the Holy Spirit. This can happen at varying ages for each person, but they can't possibly intellectually understand that choice to be made as a baby. (I was 10 when I first fully understood, while my husband was 24.) We also believe God is clear that children are precious and protected by him until such a time when they have acquired the full, cognitive awareness to either choose him or reject him. Until then, they are perfectly safe and if they die before they have that awareness to make a choice, they will go to heaven. The Catholic practice of infant baptism is one that was created by man and became a tradition for them for reasons I understand but don't feel is Biblically mandated or supported. They truly believe an unbaptized baby will go to hell if it dies. That is a manmade notion and has no basis anywhere in the Bible. But churches have all kinds of practices they do at each service or within their families that aren't necessarily mandated by the Bible or practiced within it, but it is something that they enjoy as a way to express their faith. It doesn't make it bad or wrong. It's just a different expression of faith.
However, having said all that, what I DO understand of transubstantiation for the Catholic church is that it is NOT the same as cannibalism at all and such a comparison is sort of juvenile. Cannibals consume the flesh of a DEAD person in a way that "uses it up" AND profanes the corpse. And even if done in an innocent way, such as to keep someone alive on the side of a mountain in a frozen wilderness after a plane crash, once gone it's gone and has no more use beyond the period of days of nutrition that it gave. But the sacrament of the Eucharist is Jesus freely giving of himself fully while he is ALIVE and it is for our spiritual sustenance, not physical nutrition in the way that "meat" would give. They believe he is giving of his living body and soul to sustain us and it does not kill him or diminish his life in any way - it and He are endless - sort of like he is sharing his life with us in this way and he continues to live on in us. I can respect their interpretation even though I don't agree with it or believe that's what Jesus meant in the Bible. We believe it is to be done in remembrance of him, they believe it is to be done to receive spiritual sustenance. Both of us believe it brings Christ to the room and to feel closer to him.
It's a difference that doesn't matter in the greater picture. For instance, you can drive a Volvo and I can choose a Harley but we both arrive at the same place taking the same road. Which vehicle we choose doesn't matter. Which road we choose might. However, if I choose to use gasoline and you choose to use orange juice, one of us isn't going to get out of the driveway. In the same way, some things DO matter in the interpretation of the Bible, while other things are less critical to what we are supposed to be doing. What both Catholics and I believe is that God is three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirt, that Jesus was the son of God, and accepting that is the only way to heaven, and the Holy Spirit is given to us on this earth to help us while we live here because we can't do it without HIm. Jesus is the road, and the Holy Spirit is the gasoline. The eucharist can be Volvo for them but a Harley for me
Ahhh see ... I am not Catholic. I am a Biblical New Testament Christian, which I guess is Protestant. We don't believe in transubstantiation at all. We believe the Bible is clear in the symbolic representation of that event. We differ in other significant ways with the more orthodox religions too.
For instance: infant baptism. No where in the Bible are infants baptized, nor does God or Jesus or any disciple or prophet instruct anyone to baptize a baby. The only thing that even comes close is in Samuel where at the age of 2, not as a baby, Samuel's mother dedicates him to God. That is why most protestants dedicate their children and don't baptize them as infants. We believe the Bible is very clear that baptism was used to openly express and declare when one has chosen to follow God and is ready to live their life for him and follow Jesus’ ways, but it happens only when they are at a point in their life where they understand what that choice is and make it of their own accord, and then receive the Holy Spirit. This can happen at varying ages for each person, but they can't possibly intellectually understand that choice to be made as a baby. (I was 10 when I first fully understood, while my husband was 24.) We also believe God is clear that children are precious and protected by him until such a time when they have acquired the full, cognitive awareness to either choose him or reject him. Until then, they are perfectly safe and if they die before they have that awareness to make a choice, they will go to heaven. The Catholic practice of infant baptism is one that was created by man and became a tradition for them for reasons I understand but don't feel is Biblically mandated or supported. They truly believe an unbaptized baby will go to hell if it dies. That is a manmade notion and has no basis anywhere in the Bible. But churches have all kinds of practices they do at each service or within their families that aren't necessarily mandated by the Bible or practiced within it, but it is something that they enjoy as a way to express their faith. It doesn't make it bad or wrong. It's just a different expression of faith.
However, having said all that, what I DO understand of transubstantiation for the Catholic church is that it is NOT the same as cannibalism at all and such a comparison is sort of juvenile. Cannibals consume the flesh of a DEAD person in a way that "uses it up" AND profanes the corpse. And even if done in an innocent way, such as to keep someone alive on the side of a mountain in a frozen wilderness after a plane crash, once gone it's gone and has no more use beyond the period of days of nutrition that it gave. But the sacrament of the Eucharist is Jesus freely giving of himself fully while he is ALIVE and it is for our spiritual sustenance, not physical nutrition in the way that "meat" would give. They believe he is giving of his living body and soul to sustain us and it does not kill him or diminish his life in any way - it and He are endless - sort of like he is sharing his life with us in this way and he continues to live on in us. I can respect their interpretation even though I don't agree with it or believe that's what Jesus meant in the Bible. We believe it is to be done in remembrance of him, they believe it is to be done to receive spiritual sustenance. Both of us believe it brings Christ to the room and to feel closer to him.
It's a difference that doesn't matter in the greater picture. For instance, you can drive a Volvo and I can choose a Harley but we both arrive at the same place taking the same road. Which vehicle we choose doesn't matter. Which road we choose might. However, if I choose to use gasoline and you choose to use orange juice, one of us isn't going to get out of the driveway. In the same way, some things DO matter in the interpretation of the Bible, while other things are less critical to what we are supposed to be doing. What both Catholics and I believe is that God is three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirt, that Jesus was the son of God, and accepting that is the only way to heaven, and the Holy Spirit is given to us on this earth to help us while we live here because we can't do it without HIm. Jesus is the road, and the Holy Spirit is the gasoline. The eucharist can be Volvo for them but a Harley for me