Cannibalism?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Emmett95
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
E

Emmett95

Guest
Hi, this is my first post. It came up in my Theology class the other day and there was a lot of confusion. Now I’m not exactly asking this because I don’t understand this, but more because I can’t explain it. Someday someone may ask me this and I would like to be able to give them a good answer. Anyway, onto the question:
First of all, why is cannibalism bad in the first place? If you didn’t kill them, and they just died from natural causes, then why can’t you eat them? Secondly, if cannibalism is a sin, then why is the Eucharist such a important thing? It is truly Jesus right? Then aren’t you eating Him?
Thank you, and please remember I’m asking this so I can answer this question better, I don’t actually think cannibalism is okay! I just wanted to make that really clear. Thank you in advance for all your responses.
 
First of all, cannibalism is just disrespectful to the dead person and there family. Second, the euchrist is not the same as cannibalism because it is a resurrected (or made from nothing) body of Christ. It is one of those mysteries of the faith how it comes too be.
 
cessnawag said:
First of all, cannibalism is just disrespectful to the dead person and there family. Second, the euchrist is not the same as cannibalism because it is a resurrected (or made from nothing) body of Christ. It is one of those mysteries of the faith how it comes too be.
Click to expand...
👍
 
cessnawag said:
First of all, cannibalism is just disrespectful to the dead person and there family. Second, the euchrist is not the same as cannibalism because it is a resurrected (or made from nothing) body of Christ. It is one of those mysteries of the faith how it comes too be.
Click to expand...
The resurrected body of Christ is not “made from nothing”.
 
Emmett95 said:
Hi, this is my first post. It came up in my Theology class the other day and there was a lot of confusion. Now I’m not exactly asking this because I don’t understand this, but more because I can’t explain it. Someday someone may ask me this and I would like to be able to give them a good answer. Anyway, onto the question:
First of all, why is cannibalism bad in the first place? If you didn’t kill them, and they just died from natural causes, then why can’t you eat them? Secondly, if cannibalism is a sin, then why is the Eucharist such a important thing? It is truly Jesus right? Then aren’t you eating Him?
Thank you, and please remember I’m asking this so I can answer this question better, I don’t actually think cannibalism is okay! I just wanted to make that really clear. Thank you in advance for all your responses.
Click to expand...
I would say the answers are both similar. We don’t eat people because people are above all animals…God says so, we are His last creation, and in His image. If a person wanted to argue this point with you, he/she, would have to subscribe to that fact. MANY folks out there see no difference, or even put animals above humans, ie) the strict laws on some bird eggs, but the destruction of human eggs, and embryos are acceptable, or even encouraged
. Basically we’re talking about desecration of a corpse…It is a law because even the secular courts believe that humans are above other animals that we do eat. It is a terrible thing, but people who kill, or abuse animals are given very light sentences, so another point to show that humans are above all other animals (I volunteer for the LA county shelter system, so know first hand what happens).
The Eucharist is an action in faith. It is a mystery how the body and blood are truly present in the Eucharist…however micro-biologically, it is bread and wine. The “cannibalism theory” is big with protestants to try to throw you off. Just keep returning to John,6. Jesus states six times in one chapter that this is true food, and drink, and truly His body and blood. When the people leave him he doesn’t call them back as if it were a parable…he let them go as they were unable to understand the mystery of faith in the Eucharist. The priest, through his sacrament of holy orders and in following with apostolic succession to turn the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Keep in mind if you do end up in such an insane debate, the person would have to believe people are above humans.A secular way to prove it are the instances I spoke of with animal abuse and adjudication. Also, we Euthanize our pets when they are dying. Humans know there is a sacredness in suffering, or can at least understand how/why it happens if not a religious person.
So I guess, being long winded as usual, you just have to have faith in God for both scenario’s
 
I think the cannibal issue was addressed in the first reply, as for the Eucharist, A first century Jew could not eat any kind of blood, let alone eat human flesh, so Jesus was really off the reservation when he told us to eat His Body and drink His Blood. If you’re interested in knowing/explaining this aspect of Eucharist I suggest you get a copy of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre.
 
Emmett95 said:
Hi, this is my first post. It came up in my Theology class the other day and there was a lot of confusion. Now I’m not exactly asking this because I don’t understand this, but more because I can’t explain it. Someday someone may ask me this and I would like to be able to give them a good answer. Anyway, onto the question:
First of all, why is cannibalism bad in the first place? If you didn’t kill them, and they just died from natural causes, then why can’t you eat them? Secondly, if cannibalism is a sin, then why is the Eucharist such a important thing? It is truly Jesus right? Then aren’t you eating Him?
Thank you, and please remember I’m asking this so I can answer this question better, I don’t actually think cannibalism is okay! I just wanted to make that really clear. Thank you in advance for all your responses.
Click to expand...
Which do you prefer to be called, a cannibal or a zombie?
John 6:53 " Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man,and drink his blood,you shall not have life in you".
’
 
Emmett95 said:
Secondly, if cannibalism is a sin, then why is the Eucharist such a important thing? It is truly Jesus right? Then aren’t you eating Him?
Click to expand...
Excellent questions, my friend! I would like to offer a concept for your consideration:

Cannibalism is defined as the practice of eating the flesh of your own kind. During Eucharist, we are eating the flesh/Body of God, which is not our own kind. Therefore, it is not cannibalism.
 
First of all, why is cannibalism bad in the first place?
Click to expand...
The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2300)

Though not explicitly condemned, cannibalism would seem to be contrary to this command.
 
Let’s put aside the Catholic view for a moment.

What about symbolic cannibalism? Why consider the bread and wine (grape juice) to be symbolic of Christ’s body and blood? Isn’t that essentially just as bad?
 
SPH1 said:
Let’s put aside the Catholic view for a moment.

What about symbolic cannibalism? Why consider the bread and wine (grape juice) to be symbolic of Christ’s body and blood? Isn’t that essentially just as bad?
Click to expand...
Is a mother breast-feeding her child cannibalism? Why or why not?

What are the essential elements of cannibalism that make it “bad”?
 
SPH1 said:
Let’s put aside the Catholic view for a moment.

What about symbolic cannibalism? Why consider the bread and wine (grape juice) to be symbolic of Christ’s body and blood? Isn’t that essentially just as bad?
Click to expand...
Interesting questions, please consider the following: are you stating that Holy Communion is cannibalism?

Please consider the following concept:
Since the bread and wine become the body and blood of God…
When we eat and drink the body and blood of God, it is no more cannibalistic than eating and drinking the body and blood of a cow (eating steak).
 
Nobody ever mentions that cannibalism is acceptable if it is the only thing that can be done to maintain life. It is a last resort.

eg: as in the book “Alive” where a South American soccer team crashed in the Andes (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguayan_Air_Force_Flight_571) and ate those who died in the crash to remain alive for the 2 months to took to be rescued. The opinion of the Church was, in this case, the cannibalism was not a sin.

I assume a similar opinion would be coming for the Donner party(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party). But they never checked with the Church afterwards to get an opinion.
 
Emmett95 said:
Hi, this is my first post. It came up in my Theology class the other day and there was a lot of confusion. Now I’m not exactly asking this because I don’t understand this, but more because I can’t explain it. Someday someone may ask me this and I would like to be able to give them a good answer. Anyway, onto the question:
First of all, why is cannibalism bad in the first place? If you didn’t kill them, and they just died from natural causes, then why can’t you eat them? Secondly, if cannibalism is a sin, then why is the Eucharist such a important thing? It is truly Jesus right? Then aren’t you eating Him?
Thank you, and please remember I’m asking this so I can answer this question better, I don’t actually think cannibalism is okay! I just wanted to make that really clear. Thank you in advance for all your responses.
Click to expand...
There are documented cases of people digging up corpses to consume them in order to survive. Is the moral calculus “disrespect for a dead person vs survival of a love person?”
 
jochoa said:
Excellent questions, my friend! I would like to offer a concept for your consideration:

Cannibalism is defined as the practice of eating the flesh of your own kind. During Eucharist, we are eating the flesh/Body of God, which is not our own kind. Therefore, it is not cannibalism.
Click to expand...
👍👍👍👍👍
 
In fact, cannibalism has been regarded as the holiest of all rituals. It has been a common ritual all over the world. The Aztecs took part of the sacrificial victims that were rolled down from the sacrificial altar at the top of the pyramid. Typically the victim symbolizes a god or a divine king. The Celts elected a ritual king (similar to Jesus - King of the Jews). He was given the name of the god-man Hercules. They tied this man to an oak which had been lopped into a T-shape (the cross!). He was then beaten, flayed, blinded or castrated, impaled upon a mistletoe stake and finally hacked into joints on the altar stone. All this was done with the utmost ceremony, and his blood, caught in a stone basin, was sprinkled over the whole tribe. All those present partook of the body of the dead king to make them vigorous and fruitful.

C. Matthews in The Celtic Tradition verifies that gruesome sacrifices took place among the Celtic tribes. J. Frazer, in the Golden Bough p.653ff, describes Celtic human sacrifices, drawing foremostly on Posidonius. R. Graves’s description of a Celtic sacrifice by fire is here:
celticattic.com/olde_world/myths/oak_lore.htm

Mats Winther
 
Cannitalism is a sin if it is used as a means of contempt for the dead person, but to stay alive or out of respet for the dead person, in all likely hood, no. That is just my opinion. 🙂

ps One of the things that early Christians were accused of by the Romans was that they (the Christians) were cannibales.
 
The point here is that we don’t perform any kind of cannibalism.

The Body and Blood of Jesus are not lessened or destroyed when we consume a transubstantiated Host. The Body and Blood would not do us any good if they were that of someone who was only an ordinary human; they only do us good because He is true God as well as true Man.

It is closer to say that He is giving us a blood and organ donation of His Precious Blood and His Flesh, so that we will live with His Life. He can be a donor that “works” for us, because His Humanity is compatible with ours; but it is His Deity, and His Death and Resurrection, that make the whole thing do us good.

He is the Good Physician. He knows what treatment will make us live instead of die.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top