THE NINETEEN QUESTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN CLERGY
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QUESTION 12
Transubstantiation or consubstantiation or pretentious
cannibalism?
"Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat
the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no
life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For
my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink."(John
6:53-55).
Encyclopedia Americana (1959) under the title Eucharist
gives an enigmatic information about the Holy Communion.
Here is the first paragraph:
"The Roman Catholic Church teaches and maintains that it has
always taught that the Holy Eucharist is a sacrament, that
after the consecration of the bread and wine in the Mass,
Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is really, truly, and
substantially present under the appearances of bread and
wine. It teaches that He is not present there, as most
Protestantism maintains, merely symbolically, or
figuratively, or virtually; it teaches that there is
contained in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, together
with His body and blood, really, truly, and substantially
present, also the soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, that is, the whole Christ; it teaches further that
by the consecration of the bread and wine at Mass, the whole
substance of bread is converted into the substance of the
body of Christ, and the whole substance of the body of
Christ, and the whole substance of wine is converted into
His blood, and that only the appearances of bread and wine
remain. The conversion that takes place in the Eucharist is
called Transubstantiation. The presence of Christ in the
Eucharist is known as the Real Presence." (Henry R. Burke,
S.S., Catholic University of America).
The translation of the above mumbo jumbo is this: Bread and
wine are the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. This is not a
metaphorical or an allegorical statement. When consecrated
in Eucharist, bread and wine convert to the substance of
Christ's body. This is called Transubstantiation. This odd
theological doctrine and liturgy, however, is not shared
exactly by all the sects and denominations of Christianity.
The founder of Protestantism, while accepting the chemical
reaction of bread and wine changing into the flesh and blood
of "God," yet uses another term:
"Luther alone retained the doctrine of the Real Presence of
Christ in the Eucharist, but replaced the doctrine of
Transubstantiation with that of consubstantiation or
impenation." (Encyclopedia Americana, Eucharist).
The fact remains that regardless of what it is called bread
and wine converting to flesh and blood is beyond my chemical
knowledge and beyond the knowledge any modern chemist. This
appears to be a type of symbolism. But, what type of
deranged mentality wishes to allude to cannibalism in their
religious rights.
Pretentious cannibalism
As we questioned the reliability and authenticity of the
Bible in previous questions, we have no doubt that Jesus'
words have been distorted by Paul and his disciples. His
allegory on bread and water must have been refracted and
distorted through oral narrations and some deliberate
interventions. If we read Luke 12:1-2 we will see that
"leaven" is used by Jesus Christ for "doctrine". Jesus may
have told his disciples: "Eat my bread, drink my water; not
others." Why should these allegorical words be transformed
to what we have today, "bread and wine is God's flesh and
blood. When we eat them in Sacrament we will gain eternal
life"? The answer lays under the title of "Cannibalism":
"A common and widely occurring custom, it is an expression
of blood-thirstiness or exultation over an enemy's downfall,
and in many cases is motivated by a belief in the
possibility of acquiring the enemy's strength, prowess, or
certain magical qualities by swallowing flesh. Where, as
among the tribes of East Africa, the flesh of a deceased
relative was eaten, the purpose was to conserve his spirit
and virtues for the family." (Encyclopedia Americana).
Defining the Holy Communion as "pretentious cannibalism" is
not a euphemistic manner. However, the practice, the theory
and the victim do not yield to a milder definition.
Attribution of this absurdity to one of the wisest figures
in history is the most wicked lie and defamation.
Calamitously, the faith and the practice of hundreds of
millions of people once again confirms Goebbels, Hitler's
Minister of Propaganda:
THE BIGGER THE LIE THE MORE LIKELY IT IS TO BE BELIEVED.
Related questions:
1. How does bread convert into Jesus's flesh, and wine into
his blood? Which transformation is correct,
transubstantiation or consubstantiation?
2. After witnessing so many intentional, unintentional
errors and distortions in the Bible how can you assure
us that Jesus used to drink wine, instead of water or
fruit juice?
3. Why do you consecrate wine, an intoxicating drink?
What is the contribution of the Holy Communion to
the widespread alcoholism in the Western world?
4. Was Jesus drinking his own blood,
and eating his own flesh?
5. Why do you accept the "leaven" in Luke 12:1-2 as
an allegory for "doctrine", but on the other hand take
the "bread" and "wine" literally?
Moslem Questions on Christianity Edip Yuksel P.O. Box 43476, Tucson, AZ 85733-3476 U.S.A. Tel/Fax: (520) 323-7636
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