Not only is it okay for Christians to eat the "body of Christ," many are encouraged to do so regularly during church services. They are encouraged to do so in front of countless family members and friends. There's Grandma sitting right there as I devour Jesus. Is that Jesus' blood dribbling down her chin? Is this church or a scene from one of my favorite King Diamond albums? Imagine the message this sends to a young child!
Isn't Jesus supposed to be someone we are taught to revere? I mean, wasn't he supposed to have been someone far different and far superior to anyone who lived before him or who has lived since him? Isn't that why we are supposed to pretend we have a "personal relationship" with him even though I'll get it a world of trouble if I claim to have such a relationship with deceased family members? And his reward for being such a kick-ass dude is that we eat his flesh and drink his blood? And the people doing this are the same ones who find Halloween too gruesome?
Why are Christian parents so intent on encouraging their children to engage in cannibalism? What do they think their kids are going to learn from this Jesus-consuming nonsense? Does it ever occur to them that one of the things their kids are learning is that eating people may be not only permissible but actively encouraged? Is Communion a planned gateway to cannibalism, or is this just a case of nobody stopping to consider what all this looks like to a child?
Atheists have been absolutely correct to point out that threatening children with hell is emotionally abusive. Of course, there are many aspects of religious indoctrination that are abusive and take a psychological toll on those subjected to it. The notion of "recovering from religion" is a real thing, and it takes some of us years to do so. It seems to me that the pro-cannibalism stuff hasn't received enough attention in this context.
