Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: halley!cfii!bill@cs.utexas.edu (Bill Baker) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: How does the Eucharist work? Message-ID: Date: 30 Nov 89 08:24:38 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 36 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu [dg@lakart.uucp (David Goodenough) commented that it is not necessary to agree on how the Eucharist works to celebrate it. He compares it to automotive technology: we don't necessarily have to understand it to use a car. --clh] While it is true that most of us do not understand how a car's engine works, it is important that somebody knows. It is helpful for an automechanic to understand some princibles of air/gas mixtures to better tune my carborator. It is also true that the better I understand how my car's engine works, the better I can care for it. In other words, while I do not believe anyone must understand the theology behind the Eucharist to participate in the Sacrament, if an individual does obtain a deeper understanding, their participation will be deepened. On a more general topic, why should we study theology at all. We could simply beleive the faith handed down to us with out question. But we don't. It is our nature (our God given nature) to question all that we see. So the point is not that we don't know, or that we don't need to know, how the Sacrament of the Eucharist works. The point is that we don't know yet, and it is a question that evokes natural curiosity in many people. (It is my personal belief that the Eucharist is the sacrement that brings us closest to Christ and a better understanding of this sacrament brings me a better understanding of my relationship with Him.) More importantly (most importantly), none of the sacraments are magic acts. No one 'does Eucharist'. Christ only instruction was to "Do this in memory of me." He never told us exactly how to do it. Bill Baker Tandem Computers, Inc, Micro Products Division e-mail: bill!halley!cs.utexas.edu... us-mail: 14231 Tandem Blvd. Austin, TX 78727 phone: 512-244-8083