Is a belief in the Real Presence Cannibalism?

It is sometimes claimed that Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and others who confess Christ's real presence in the Supper are guilty of cannibalism. This video addresses that concern.

[jamesworkman]

"A mystery"....yes, I think I of like the Holy Spirit is in where in our organ that pumps perhaps our big not being sarcastic, I'm just thinking out loud. There are some things that we accept by faith from Scripture without completely being able to understand and dissect them. We believe in the Trinity....we don't completely understand that either. I was having a difficult time with the Lutheran understanding of the Sacrament of Communion....but now I believe I understand it better. Thank you Pastor.

[republicbmc]

You are knowledgeable and articulate as always, Dr Cooper! In my Baptist majority Christian high school, whenever I espouse the belief in real presence I get immediately dismissed as being cannibalistic. It's really frustrating, as I always find the accusation against Lutherans (and other Sacramental Christians) of being cannibals as lazy insults rather than thought out argument.

[francesbrisco]

Jordan makes my evenings so much more alive now turned off my am news talk to listen to a truthful person thank you so many or us can become free from the turmoil going on in this world by redirecting our attention to a positive mentor Jordan has so many of us appreciating what he is as a spiritually minded man never stop what you're doing for the church

[ATrustedAuthority]

This has been very helpful.
I am currently in a old Baptist church. The Pastor referred to Lutherans and Catholics as cannibals. That drinking blood has always been forbidden, *BUT* at the same time he reads: "John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." and says Jesus is the bread from Heaven and is the living waters. He explains that he does not understand how, but that is what the scripture says. *How can Jesus be the bread from heaven, the manna in the wilderness but not be the bread of communion* ? He is a good pastor, uses scripture for most everything he says, is clear and logical expect on a few points. I think he is confused on this point because he has been taught all his life that it is not the blood and is having trouble seeing the situation clearly.

[lc-mschristian]

I am ask to believe not to totally understand. Like many things in the Holy Scriptures: the virgin birth of Jesus, the Holy Trinity, Baptism, etc., the Lord's Supper is a true Sacrament ( mystery) that we believe by faith, which God gives to His people. Thanks for not dodging the tough questions. God's peace be with you.

[Adam-ueig]

Even Zwingli if you read him in detail I think is falsely accused of being a bare memorialist

[Adam-ueig]

If you read Peter Martyr Vermigili The Oxford Disputations on the Eucharist...he says Lords supper is sacrament and Luther accuses Theodore Beza, Calvin, Zwingli, etc as being "Sacramentarians" on the Eucharist. Calling them Sacrementarian was apparently meant as a slander.

[ScrunchBug]

Thanks for this explanation - one thing you mentioned in this video that I am more interested in (please direct me if you have a video on this question/topic), is when you said some people call it a spiritual eating, and thus the first thing we think of with the word 'spiritual' is non fleshly, or non-bodily, or more concretely and simply - non-tangible/physical...and I thought that for a while and was told it by some people...some who thought that just 'eating the word' was like essentially reading the bible and inwardly or what they called 'spiritually' digesting it and its message, or its guidance on living or morality or that all other things concerning the physical matter of the earth was pointless (I've since learned this is close to what Gnosticism taught, no? A hyper understanding of physical vs. spiritual)...anyways, I am very interested on this topic and am curious if you have more to say on it.

I will say that I have really found the Lutheran tradition to be a blessing in my life - I have been attending an ELCA church recently, and I simply appreciate the things stated in the liturgy that are just not attempted to be explained or defined further. My mind sought to understand and explain such unexplainable things more fully and always came up short, and then I found out that I don't have to know/explain all the details or the 'how' question...but it simply just 'is'.

[theadventurousprogrammer]

The bible says "This is my body, this is my blood." Our goal is not to explain away how this can be but just trust in the word of God given to use. Not using majisterial reason but ministerial reason

[dankiusmemeiusmaximustheth]

If I go to a non-denominational church and they give out those bread (basically styrofoam) and juice elements, can I still assume Christ’s real presence is there or is there some ecclesiastic body that must administer and bless the bread and wine for it to be valid?

[hexahexametermeter]

Wow you pretty much articulated Calvin's doctrine of the presence in the supper at the end! Spiritual presence that does not mean it doesn't communicate the real body and blood of Christ!

[DozerfleetProd]

He's 4D. He administers it to us quantumly. It'd be like us dropping some skin cells and a drop of blood into something. But he's doing it quantumly. Therefore, we don't consume it in the normal way, and we don't digest it normally. Therefore, we're still getting all four, but we're not devouring him like a duck dinner.

[j_deo]

Real Presence isn't the question here, really, is it? In laymen's terms any protestant might say they believe Jesus is there really. The reality is that Jesus is there, body, blood, soul and divinity. Meaning....he is there (in all that he is, thus body, blood, soul and divinity (both natures). He told us and He is. So why use "real presence" in the title?

[sethfrazer]

Logically....

•God is SPIRIT and we worship Him in SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH (Jn. 4:24).
•Jesus is God (Jn. 8:58)
Therefore, when Jesus says “This IS My body/blood” (Matt. 26:26-28), the Spiritual presence of Him as God exist in the sacrament (cf. Jn. 6:53, 63)

The bread and the wine is Jesus IN, WITH, and UNDER it 🥖🍷 ✝️

[WaterMelon-Cat]

So would you say that Christ is spiritually present withing the physical elements of the bread and wine, indwelt in them ? That way when a believer eats bread and wine, with chrsit spiritually indwelt in them, they recieved Christ. However when a disbeliever recieves the bread and wine with Christ indwelt in them, they do recieve Christ, however their lack of faith brings upon spiritual condemnation instead of spiritual strengthening ? Almost like a reverse calvaniat approach. Calvinists things you ascend through faith, whereas I am asking if Christ is present is spiritually but withing physical means, so anyone can atill partake of him?

[thuscomeguerriero]

Question:
If the "benefits" of our Lord's sacrifice is transferred by participation in the Eucharist how do we explain the ENTIRE book of acts where the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is initiated with belief in the work of Christ at Calvary?
To hear real presence proponents one might think they had never considered that the Holy Spirit already dwells in the believer.
Therefore..what is LACKING in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer that one must make this continual end-around to insure the presence of Christ in the believer?

[kolab]

So would it be accurate to say it is a spiritual eating, just not in a way the calvinists would normally mean it?

[rustyyb]

Jesus is not a son of Adam. Jesus, like Adam, are unique creations. A scientific examination of the body of Jesus would be interesting. The body of Jesus is apparently not distracting in the way our bodies are. Jesus could do nothing that wasn't the will of God his father. His body didn't lead him to manifest sin.

[vinniebasile]

Without even watching the video, I can answer this question Scripturally:

*John‬ ‭6‬:‭63‬ ‭KJV‬‬*
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; *the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, * and they are life.”

Jesus says this after people feel offended by the idea of "eating his flesh and drinking his blood." JESUS SAYS HIS WORDS ARE SPIRITUAL. NOT LITERAL!

[aaronsaunders]

That’s why I prefer episcopalian; more symbolic