How do i address a concern about church?
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| Mon, 01-02-2006 - 12:38pm |
I have a question i belong to an Episcopal Church in my area and have only one problem with the services and am not sure how to address this. When you take your communion they let the entire church drink from the same cup..with the bread. Heres my problem, this is very unsafe. They typically have a teenager pass the cup around to the members..and between people they wipe the rim with a cotton cloth this will not kill bacteria and other things that you can catch by coming in contact with others saliva. My family and i went to the christmas eve mass and were sitting towards the back of the church after noticing half of the church was sick and coughing..we declined doing communion altogether in fears we would definitely get sick. How do i address this concern i have? My motherinlaw disagrees with me and told my kids to just dip there bread in the glass. but that doesnt solve the problem. The minister drinks before everyone so she is not very concerned. I have actually thought about switching churches due to this ritual..I know in Baptist churches they pass you an individual cup..and catholic churches just hand you a wafer of bread..so the idea of drinking after 200 strangers is very unsettling..DO you have any advice on how i can direct my concerns to the church on this matter? Thanks so much.

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Unity they do it but the meaning is different, I think and I was
never comfortable with the ceremony because of my upbringing.
Aids has to be direct contact with body fluids. Saliva is very low on the list unless
you have a cut in your mouth and someone's blood from a cut in their mouth
gets in your body. I think of that with kissing.
It isn't good to use someone's tooth brush, esp if they just brushed, aids virus will die in the air. So wait on the brushing!!!!!!!!!
it is actually a wimpy virus. Remember it is a transfer of body fluids. Isn't the alcohol in wine somewhat
helpful for germs?
I also believe we get sick if we think we will get sick, as Louis Pasteur said on his death bed, " it isn't
the germs it is the terrain of the body" There are germs everywhere. I say, do what you believe in, think positive,
let people do what they believe in. Now my son with the baby, 14 months: I am not allowed to kiss the baby!!!!!!
what extreams on germs we have. I eat what falls on the floor, don't tell anyone. Bink cracked me up with all the
people falling dead at church.
love, leila
I do not have any idea how strongly you feel concerning the doctrine of this denomination. However, I do agree with you concerning the health issue surrounding drinking after 200 or more others. Unless you know their health condition as well as where they have been and who they have been with........you may not want to go drinking or eating after someone these days. Yes, the Baptist denomination as with many others, gives you an individual small cup and wafer or cracker to eat. With this being the flu season and especially now with the Avian Bird flu such a scare, it is wise to consider these matters. Thank the Lord we have not had the Bird flu in the U.S. yet, but with international travel so common, we do need to be concerned.
If I were you, I would truly seek out theological beliefs and determine where I will go to church as to which denomination I agree with the most. You may need to do some serious digging into scripture and your soul for that determination. May the Lord bless you and enlighten your footsteps this new year in 2006.
As far as people being polite and passing the cup when they are sick fine and dandy, but you can spread germs days before you actually get the symptoms of an illness. I respect that this is the way of them doing things because that is sacred to them, but it is also an extreme health risk. I do not think God would frown upon many little cups as opposed to one cup to share. That is just "religion" if you ask me, not a relationship with God. It is true that you can use faith and say that you won't get sick because you are doing what the bible tells you to, but how many missionaries get killed everyday doing what the bible tells them to do? I would not chance catching something over a mans interpretation of having to drink out of one cup.
To the OP, if you are uncomfortable with this and it cannot be changed, then pick a new denomination.
Edited 1/12/2006 11:51 pm ET by spankeyzgirl2006
Suggestion:
Tradition and ritual in worship
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