The 3-in-1 idea is verbally contradictory. It isn’t asserting that God sometimes has properties of one entity and sometimes has properties of 3 entities. It is asserting that he is 3 and 1 entity(ies)….even when he may seem to be exhibiting the properties of just one or three. But Mark’s point remains, whose to say that reality cannot also contain contradictions? A Zen Buddhist would consider us kind of silly for getting so bent out of shape dealing with mere paradoxes!

Take another proposition that’s obviously false, light is a particle and a wave rationalizations. Take a proposition that’s obviously false (surely a thing cannot be a particle and a wave at the same time) and use fancy footwork to make it sound plausible.

Okay, I see your point.

Or perhaps reality is not always as simple as you would insist if nature and reality was according to your preference.

The point being, simple is not always right.

Of course it’s a hedge! You’re just looking for a fancy way to say, “well obviously it’s a cracker and not flesh… but if we squint, we can kind of say it’s a cracker AND flesh. Or disguised flesh. Or flesh doing a great imitation of a cracker!”

It’s the same as the 3-is-1-but-not-1 rationalizations of the Trinity. Take a proposition that is obviously false and use fancy footwork to make it sound plausible even though we all know deep down that it’s obviously false.

Is it insane to believe that? Maybe but I’m pretty sure that is the standard orthodox belief among Catholics. Many Protestants, though, would share you skepticism and be more inclined to lean towards the ‘it symbolizes’ or ‘it represents’ mode of thinking.

Minor point, the story is either unclear or it isn’t Ms. Pelosi who contradicts the girl. You’ll note that the in the story Pelosi (speaker of the house) is attending her *granddaughter’s* communion. Her *granddaughter* says it is literally the body of Christ and the *mother* contradicts her. If this is how it played out then it isn’t Pelosi speaker of the house whose unorthodox but either Pelosi’s daughter or daughter-in-law.

Right, and my point is that no sane person believes that it literally turns into human flesh, “disguised” (another hedge word!) or not. So either there are hardly any “real” Catholics in the world, or Mark’s being way too picky about Pelosi. Perhaps the problem is just that she didn’t “disguise” her words enough? She should have said, “it’s just disguised flesh!”

I think the answer would be both it is divine as well as literal human flesh…although I think the term they use is ‘disguised’ since it obviously doesn’t look or taste like actual human flesh. But yes that is the idea you are literally eating flesh just as much as if you grabbed Jesus’s arm and took a bite.

And there’s that jargon again. What’s “divine?” We’re talking about literal flesh and blood here. Isn’t that the opposite of “divine?” Are you saying the wafer turns into “divine flesh” as opposed to “human flesh?”

You won’t find that, instead you’ll find demands for more tax cuts anywhere and everywhere. As of right now every American who has a job has had a tax cut from Obama and he has decided not to raise taxes on those over $250K per year. Already done.

The problem with the logic of “If, on the other hand, ‘raising taxes in a recession’ is really harmful then the anti-stimulus crowd is really admitting that stimulus works after all” is that assumes taxation is a zero-sum highly efficient process and that government spending is equivalent to private spending. It’s not and it isn’t.

Are you suggesting (regarding Pelosi) that conservatives don’t jump on conservatives make theological missteps. They do. It’s just that it liberals especially those in politics rarely, if ever, fail to make horrible theological errors.

JA,
I should mention that as an Orthodox convert I too believe in true or real presence. It’s why Orthodox are permitted (by Catholics) to partake in Eucharist with them (although they are forbidden by their own church so it doesn’t happen). But real presence means what you think it does, and isn’t as such a weird usage of language (words not meaning what you think it does). It’s just that Christ has two natures, human and divine.