Comments on: Explaining Communion to Children

By: ATL-Apostate

ATL-Apostate — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:02:28 +0000

Now if they’d said Jesus was in a Bojangles chicken biscuit, I might just believe it.
Those things are awesome!

By: Josha

Josha — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 10:57:43 +0000

I remember learning about transubstantiation in religion class in middle school when I was 11. I had just been baptized into the Catholic church and I actually won a book about miraculous experiences of transubstantiation. My family went on a road trip and I brought the book. The book contained stories about when the communion wafer itself actually turned into flesh and blood. Catholics believe it becomes Christ but remains in the wafer form, but this book told stories of times when people bit into the Eucharist and they tasted blood and flesh. I read a couple of these gruesome stories, getting sick and disgusted. For awhile after I was afraid I would get a Eucharist that would actually turn to flesh in my mouth. Even looking or touching the book would make me feel ill so I had to hide it from plain sight.

By: philosophia

philosophia — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:38:16 +0000

I think the first time I heard about transubstantiation was in history class at high school. Something about Catholics and Protestants bickering over it in 16th century England? It was a while ago and history was not my favourite subject, so forgive me if I’m vague on the details. At the time, I simply assumed it was one of those silly things they believed in back then. It took a full semester of Religious Studies at university and repeated confirmation from the blogosphere for me to realize that people really do still believe the cracker literally becomes Christ.

By: Matt Stone

Matt Stone — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:44:54 +0000

This is where it needs to be remembered that there is diversity within Christianity. Transubstantiation is a Catholic teaching, not a Protestant one.

By: Pamela

Pamela — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:37:48 +0000

Just skimmed, didn’t read all the comments…did anyone else notice that the first girl interviewed was sitting on a Playboy Bunny blanket?!?!

By: hoverFrog

hoverFrog — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:53:39 +0000

When I was at school they used to give us drink (usually milk) and cookies. I was a milk monitor for a year. If someone had told me that it was blood and flesh I would have been sick. What a horrible thing to say to someone who is so impressionable.

Playboy sheets and clothing have been popular with increasingly younger kids for some years in England. I think the connection to the porn industry isn’t even considered. Not that I’d ever buy them for my kids.

By: Izzib3th

Izzib3th — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:39:43 +0000

I don’t remember much about communion until First Communion. I was young but I remember being pretty excited even though the seeds of doubt had already been sown in my mind. I just wanted to be able to do what the grown-ups were doing since I’ve always been in such a rush to be older for whatever reason.

I remember them saying when the priest blessed the wine and the wafer that it BECAME the body and blood of christ. But again, by the time I got my First… I didn’t really believe it. I think I just wanted an excuse to drink the wine…

By: 5ive

5ive — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:10:12 +0000

Grimalkin! I was totally stuck on the same thing! maybe it is different in England?

By: John Moeller

John Moeller — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:47:56 +0000

If I recall correctly, I was taught that it was symbolic. So it wasn’t nearly as hard to swallow (no pun intended). Literal transubstantiation (I was taught) was something that Catholics did.

See, the primary thing that I learned about Lutheranism, at least Missouri Synod style, was exclusion. That’s what helped push me toward atheism.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:02:15 +0000

@ cathy

back in the day, they were made by nuns. Now, you can order them from various companies online.

I went to a big parish, and I just remember them coming in a large, clear plastic bag. The priest used to let us kids eat the un-blessed broken ones. Why we even wanted them, I don’t know. They have absolutely no flavor.