What if Protestants are right about the Eucharist?

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Michie

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archer75

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I accept that communion involves the Body and Blood of the Lord, but only as part of the faith of the Church. Not - even though I hear it from some Catholic and Orthodox priests - because Jesus says "This is my body..." - if that kind of literalism is how we do this, then why didn't he mean just THAT bread? He didn't say "all the bread from now on that is consecrated in a certain manner"...
 
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Michie

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Why is this so important?

Because this means that these Protestants aren't just saying, "I think that Jesus' words at the Last Supper are meant to be merely symbolic," but "I think that the entire Church misunderstood one of the most basic aspects of Christianity for centuries." Call this the "everyone got the gospel wrong" position.

This just isn't about rejecting the Church's teaching authority, but about rejecting all of Christianity prior to a certain point in history.
 
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archer75

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Why is this so important?

Because this means that these Protestants aren't just saying, "I think that Jesus' words at the Last Supper are meant to be merely symbolic," but "I think that the entire Church misunderstood one of the most basic aspects of Christianity for centuries." Call this the "everyone got the gospel wrong" position.

This just isn't about rejecting the Church's teaching authority, but about reflecting all of Christianity prior to a certain point in history.
Indeed. I have a lot of trouble understanding the Sola Scriptura position. Not that I disagree - though I do - I just can't even understand it.

I guess someone could say "RCs and EO and Orthodox and some Anglicans and others only appear to be on one side, while the non-real presence people only appear to be on the other, and the problem is a misunderstanding of what 'real' and 'symbolic' mean."

But I've never read a coherent argument along those lines.
 
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Albion

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There are a great many intelligent Protestant Christians, well-versed in Scripture, faithfully seeking to know and follow the will of God, who have concluded that Jesus' words about the bread and wine of the Last Supper becoming His Body and Blood are merely symbolic.
Michie, it might be worth noting that the article concludes that these Protestants are wrong because the symbolic view wasn't very old, that it was an innovation, etc. That's correct.

However, most Protestants do believe in the doctrine of the Real Presence, meaning that that particular point would not apply to the majority of Protestants.
 
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FireDragon76

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The ELCA actually does not require bread to be "confected" again if we were to run out during Communion. We would simply go into the sacristy or tabernacle to get more. Though in practice, I don't think that happens that often.

I think our theology actually matches up with what Schmemann said about the sacrament in For the Life of the World.
 
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FireDragon76

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Michie, it might be worth noting that the article concludes that these Protestants are wrong because the symbolic view wasn't very old, that it was an innovation, etc. That's correct.

However, most Protestants do believe in the doctrine of the Real Presence, meaning that that particular point would not apply to the majority of Protestants.

Memorialism is common among American evangelicals, though far from unanimous. Only a small percentage of the US population belongs to a Protestant church that actually emphasizes the sacraments as a means of grace. In contrast, even larger numbers belong to churches that do not believe the Lord's Supper is a means of grace.
 
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Michie

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Why is this so important?

Because this means that these Protestants aren't just saying, "I think that Jesus' words at the Last Supper are meant to be merely symbolic," but "I think that the entire Church misunderstood one of the most basic aspects of Christianity for centuries." Call this the "everyone got the gospel wrong" position.

This just isn't about rejecting the Church's teaching authority, but about rejecting all of Christianity prior to a certain point in history.
Had to fix that word in bold. My phone took over.
 
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eleos1954

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There are a great many intelligent Protestant Christians, well-versed in Scripture, faithfully seeking to know and follow the will of God, who have concluded that Jesus' words about the bread and wine of the Last Supper becoming His Body and Blood are merely symbolic.

What if they're right?

Continued below.
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/what-if-protestants-are-right-about-the-eucharist

Regardless of ones professed religious affiliation, one should diligently study Gods Holy word themselves and weigh the biblical evidence ... that is does scripture in the Holy Bible support the teaching, overwhelmingly? Everyone should be putting their beliefs under the microscope using Gods Holy word.

Luke 24

25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Transubstantiation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation

God Bless.
 
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Michie

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Why are you giving me a wiki source on transubstatiation when I just posted a Catholic source about why we believe as we do? Did you even read it? Really? Wiki?
Regardless of ones professed religious affiliation, one should diligently study Gods Holy word themselves and weigh the biblical evidence ... that is does scripture in the Holy Bible support the teaching, overwhelmingly? Everyone should be putting their beliefs under the microscope using Gods Holy word.

Luke 24

25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Transubstantiation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation

God Bless.
 
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Glaucus

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Why is this so important?

Because this means that these Protestants aren't just saying, "I think that Jesus' words at the Last Supper are meant to be merely symbolic," but "I think that the entire Church misunderstood one of the most basic aspects of Christianity for centuries." Call this the "everyone got the gospel wrong" position.

This just isn't about rejecting the Church's teaching authority, but about rejecting all of Christianity prior to a certain point in history.
It's really bizarre. History shows that the Real Presence was always believed in and taught. Christians were even called cannibals.
 
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Michie

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It's really bizarre. History shows that the Real Presence was always believed in and taught. Christians were even called cannibals.
Very true. I do not understand how one can discard the practices of the early Church for centuries and suddenly call it error.
 
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A_Thinker

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This just isn't about rejecting the Church's teaching authority, but about rejecting all of Christianity prior to a certain point in history.

All of Christianity except for what's recorded in scripture, I guess ...
 
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Rhamiel

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... as opposed to made up religions, in general ???

as opposed to historical Christianity with a living link to the Apostles and the early communities founded by them, the communities we read about in the Epistles
 
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