RE: cannibalism and you (christianity)
August 27, 2015 at 1:56 pm
(This post was last modified: August 27, 2015 at 1:59 pm by Alex K.)
I'm hungry now.
Anyways, I've somewhere read this explanation, maybe even here: in Aristotelian philosophy, objects have their accidental properties, but also essential ones. So a chair (it's always a chair) has accidental properties such as color, material and so on - but it also has an essential chairness property which makes it a chair and which does not change if you change one of its other aspects. Now, transsubstantiation does obviously not change the accidental properties of the cracker such that it would look like a holy t-bone steak, nor with the wine. But it changes the essential nature of the cracker and the wine while leaving its unimportant accidental features unchanged. So: it has really become a piece of J-meat, but it doesn't look it to the naive observer who only sees the accidental features with their senses. The essential features can be glimpsed by faithy faith alone I suppose.
Anyways, I've somewhere read this explanation, maybe even here: in Aristotelian philosophy, objects have their accidental properties, but also essential ones. So a chair (it's always a chair) has accidental properties such as color, material and so on - but it also has an essential chairness property which makes it a chair and which does not change if you change one of its other aspects. Now, transsubstantiation does obviously not change the accidental properties of the cracker such that it would look like a holy t-bone steak, nor with the wine. But it changes the essential nature of the cracker and the wine while leaving its unimportant accidental features unchanged. So: it has really become a piece of J-meat, but it doesn't look it to the naive observer who only sees the accidental features with their senses. The essential features can be glimpsed by faithy faith alone I suppose.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
