You typed that you “didn’t” but I’m going to assume that’s a typo and that you did look into things for yourself.
Shannon, yes, that was a typo. (My bad!

) And, yes, I did look into it myself.
What would have happened with your n-C brethren had you come to a conclusion that was completely opposite of what they held?
That’s a genuinely fair question. It depends on “what” the issue was. If it was something non-essential, like the frequency of receiving communion, then it’s something I could remain in fellowship with them. If was something that involved salvation or another essential Christian doctrine, then if they wouldn’t listen, then - Scripturally - I would have to break fellowship with them. But I would still love them & pray for them, as I would hope they would me.
I read John 6:53 and conclude that Jesus really wants us to eat someone’s (the Son of Man) flesh and drink His blood.
You read the same thing and say “Nahhh, it’s a metaphor.”
How are we to determine who is right? You keep bringing up abortion and homosexual unions, when everyone here knows that most Christian denominations are opposed to those things. But by participating in the thought experiment above, we’re looking at an issue that happens daily, i.e. two conflicting beliefs from the same text.
Regarding John 6:53, again, employing sola scriptura (which prevents one’s
personal views from being imputed into the text that isn’t in there) you get your answer. The words Jesus uses (“bread,” “eat,” “drink,” “body,” “blood,” etc) even in the Greek has numerous different meanings & definitions. Christians who read this fall into 2 camps. One camp chooses to read it literally, while discounting the other meanings & definitions of the words, as well as discounting the
entire passage, as well as other related passages in both the OT & NT. Plus, whatever view you take can’t conflict with rest of the Word of God. First, communion isn’t occurring in John 6:53. If you read earlier in the text, the breaking of bread occurred earlier & in a different location. Second, Jesus never describes any sort of “transubstantiation” of the communion elements (which, again, aren’t even there) like the way it’s understood & taught in the CC. Third, if Jesus was talking literally there, in the absence of communion food, in order for His disciples to be obedient, they would have to start literally eating Him & drinking His literal blood right then & there. Fourth, since the OT Law was still in effect, Jesus would not have commanded them to break the Levitical Law that
He commanded to refrain from eating the blood of “
any flesh” (Leviticus 17:10-14), not “just” not the blood of animals. Fifth, Jesus states that “
UNLESS one eats the flesh of the Son of Man & drinks His blood, you have NO LIFE in you.” If Jesus is speaking literally here, then ANYONE who doesn’t literally eat & drink Him, would end up in Hell, which would include baptized babies who die (as well as unbaptized babies who die) & small children or anyone for that matter, those “invincibly ignorant,” those “baptized by desire,” “baptized of blood” (martyrs),
because they didn’t literally “eat” & “drink” Jesus literal body & blood. Sixth, the key to understanding what Jesus meant is with sola scriptura - such as going back earlier in the passage & reading John 6:35, which is clear that Jesus is speaking in figurative, spiritual terms, not literal. If fact, when many of His disciples walked away, Jesus said that His words were spiritual, not meant to be literal. And this is why they walked away - they believed Jesus “was” speaking literally, & didn’t want to break Levitical Law. And since Jesus knew their hearts, this is why He didn’t call them back & correct them. No matter what He said, or explained, because of their hardness of hearts, they wouldn’t have accepted Him anyways. So, it’s not that I’m just saying “Nah! It’s a metaphor,” because sola scriptura doesn’t allow for that kind of “non-answer.”
Let me ask you, is agreeing with the (correct) stance of the CC that God does not approve of abortion & gay “marriages” & gay/female “pastors” solely based on your “agreement” with them? Or is it because you are able to make this determination from Scripture alone? IOW, do you “need” the CC to tell you they are wrong, or can you discern this solely on Scripture?
Now, I would like to ask again, where did you get the authority to proclaim your definition, and no matter what you say, post 50 is YOUR definition (because there are others) is more right than any other one floating around out there?
From Scripture alone: [Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Isaiah 30:1; Jeremiah 26:2; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 22:18-19] Scripture never states “do not add nor take away” from extra-biblical tradition.