[Mrs. Don-o]

But there's at least three problems here:

• Communion in the Sacrament signifies unity of belief. The Sacrament is the real Body and Blood of Christ, as Christ said ("My Flesh is true food and my Blood is real drink" - John 6)---and the Church teaches exactly that. If someone does not believe in this true Eucharistic Realism, then that person, if he receives, is proclaiming a unity of belief which he actually do not have.

  He is saying "Amen" and thinking "Not really."

• Moreover, this "unity of belief" involves more than belief in Body-and-Blood Eucharistic realism. It also involves ecclesial communion with everyone else who receives the Sacrament, since the Church is the Body of Christ. If a person wishes to be part of this ecclesial communion, one should first join the Catholic Church (the ecclesial communion), and then receive the Eucharistic communion which signifies it.

• Holy Communion is the one and only Sacrament that has a curse attached:

  1 Cor. 11:27
  Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the Body and Blood of the Lord.

  'Answer for the Body and Blood of the Lord'? That means you incur blood guilt.

  And why?

  1 Corinthians 11:29
  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the Body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

In short: if you are in union, come to Communion.

If not, not.

Otherwise, there is an objective contradiction between receiving and not believing. Without union with Christ, a profession of Eucharistic belief, and union with the Church, receiving this Sacred Banquet would be a sacrilege, signifying divergence, not communion.

[Mr. K]

Oh I see, ... that must have been in the fine print of the bible somewhere.

Jesus said “Do this in memory of me*”

[*unless you are not in ‘unity of belief’ and a whole bunch of nonsensical gobbledygook about ‘true Eucharistic realism’.]

[ealgeone]

Context, Mrs. D.....context is your key to properly understanding this topic.

[Mom MD]

You had me until you define the church as the Roman Catholic sect. My denomination professes the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in His supper. When inviting folks to the communion rail this is emphasized and those who do not share the belief are asked to refrain. It is a serious thing to share communion with any group. I would not commune at the Roman altar out of respect for you as well as not wishing to join in what I feel are unbiblical beliefs. I would think you would offer my denomination the same respect. That does not make me less a member of the Church. Church does not equal Roman Catholic.