e)Forgiveness through Eucharist and Transubstantiation
e) Forgiveness through Eucharist and Transubstantiation:
The Popes of the Roman Church introduced another way of forgiving sins: through Eucharist and transubstantiation. The root of this story is found in Paul's epistles and John's Gospel. It is said that Jesus shared his last supper before crucifixion with his disciples. The supper consisted of bread and wine. The bread stood for Jesus' body, and wine for his blood. In his epistle to the Corinthians, Paul said, " For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do chew the Lord's death till he come."
In John's Gospel, Jesus is claimed to have
said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of the man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whose
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
As for transubstantiation, according to Christians, it is represented by some rituals performed on Easter by those who seek pardon from God. Easter is believed to correspond to the day of the Holy Communion. Therefore, if the scene of last supper is performed by a Christian, eating bread and drinking wine, he is believed to have eaten Christ's flesh and drunk his blood. In this way, his sins will be remitted, and he will be admitted to the Kingdom of God.
How did it occur to Christians that eating bread and drinking wine could symbolize such a strange idea as eating their worshipped God's flesh and drinking His blood? How dare they drink wine since it is strictly forbidden in the Old Testament in which they believe as part of their faith? Furthermore, there is no documented evidence that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) advised them to do so.
In concluding this chapter we can say that the Christian concept of sin and its means of forgiveness are irrational, illogical, perverted, damaging to man's physical, mental, social and spiritual health and well being.
