Actually I do hold to the real presence. My point is that Scripture doesn't mandate it. Neither Jesus nor the apostles state this. Jesus could just as easily been using a metaphor as He does so many time. Let me ask you, Is Jesus literally a branch?
I am not sure it is a mandate - I think it is simply a description of reality. The Bible does not mandate many things - it simply tells what happened.
When Paul chastised the Corinthians for their abuse of the communion He had a particular event in mind. He was not randomly telling them make sure you don't abuse it. They were turning the Eucharist into a gluttonous meal and not sharing with the poor in the congration. that is the abuse they were guilty of.
The funny thing about reading Paul's writings is that his writing style makes it very easy to decide who his audience is based on private belief. I am just making an observation, not an accusation. Most disagreements involving Paul's writings fall on either side of this line - if you happen to believe that women should be able to speak in church, Paul was speaking specifically; if you happen to believe that homosexuality is a sin, Paul was speaking generally. I tend to believe Paul was always speaking specifically about important ideas - I do not believe he was attempting to teach the world, although we can learn amazing things about God through his words.
Where does Scripture teach the adoration of the Eucharist??? I thought Scripture commended us to worship God.
You are making my point - the Eucharist has taken the form of Christ's Body. I think you are beginning to realize the ramifications of participating in the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is idolatry to participate in the adoration of the Eucharist if you do not believe it is Christ's Body - same with taking the Eucharist.
Now, I realize that the Catholic church believes in continuing revelation which the Scriptures do not support. I suspect that is where they get the authority for this claim.
Actually, the Catholic Church rejects the idea of continuing revelation - Jesus is the fulfillment of all revelation. In fact, many Catholics believe the Book of Revelation has already happened and we are in the 1000 year reign of Christ - we are simply waiting for His final return and Judgment.
Catholics do, however, believe in the development of doctrine. This means that we recognize the Bible is a living document, applicable to all generations and contains a wide variety of emphasis depending on the time period. Therefore, different parts of scriptures are emphasized at different times in history. We also believe in scholarship - since humans have a 2000 year history of sanctification, we understand the scriptures in a more complex manner now.
You're correct, that is one of the reasons I rejected it, another is the plethora of false teachings, I also don't hold to Sola Scriptura. The ironic thing about those who hold to Sola Scriptura is that they reject every other authority yet the Scriptures that they claim are the final authority tell them to adhere to the oral traditions handed down by the apostles. So, in effect they don't really believe in Sola Scriptura.
Yep - it is thick with irony. So, I am interested, what do you hold to as your authority?
I can agree with you statement because anyone who really understands what it means to believe that Jesus is the Christ knows that that means He is deity.
I don;t know that you could classify Mormons as Christians, I'm not that familiar with their beliefs.
Yeah - when I say "Trinity" I am talking about the full nature of God that He has revealed to us.