Poll: Have you heard of the Eucharist?

In My Humble Opinion
1

On Easter I went over to my friends’ house and the dad asked me how church was (Catholic Mass for me) and in that context I mentioned the Eucharist. “And the Eucharist is…?”

:confused: Now he’s was brought up Quaker and doesn’t think too highly of the Catholic church because of his lapsed wife, but I don’t think he was deliberately being obtuse.

I admit to being ignorant of a lot of other religions’ rituals and beliefs, but I like to think I would at least have heard of some of the key ideas??

So, would you have known what I referred to?

2

Quakers don’t do communion, so he’d have no personal experience of it. His ignorance seems a bit odd, perhaps, but well this side of astonishing.

twicks, another Quaker – who has heard of the Eucharist, but who also studied religion for many years

3

Well, being Catholic, yes, I’ve heard of it. But I was raised “non-denominational” and until I started exploring Catholicism, I knew what Communion was, but I was not familiar with the term “Eucharist”.

4

I didn’t know about it until I was in college. My first wife was Catholic and I heard it at mass when I would go with her to church. The Baptist church I knew about didn’t use the term. Same with the Communion vs. Lord’s Supper and all sorts of other things.

5

Rings a bell from my Anglican upbringing.

I’ve never been clear on the distinction between Eucharist/communion/service/etc. But I knew it happened at church on Sunday mornings.

6

Well, I know it as I was razed Catholic (I’m copyrighting that!) but I know from asking some life-long friends who were raised Catholic and two of the four didn’t know it was communion (body of Christ).

You should ask Catholics if they know what the Immaculate Conception is. 99% will get it wrong.

7

I was not raised catholic, but doesn’t it refer to…

The doctrine that Mary was born without original sin?

I know what the eucharist is, but growing up protestant we called it communion.

8

Ding ding ding! Spread the word when someone says “Me pregnant? Ha, that would have to be an immaculate conception!” In fact, I can almost bet you’ll hear the wrong usage within the next five days.
Thanks for the perspective on this, folks!

9

People mustn’t be paying attention in Mass or reading their prayer books. I’m sure ‘Eucharist’ is visible or audible all the time. No cites, though.

10

I think the term ‘mass’ or ‘taking communion’ is better known, especially to Protestants.

11

Yeah it’s something to do with Christians.

Other than that not a clue.

12

Definitely heard of it, but also raised Catholic, so I don’t count.

13

Does that mean she never menstruated? Or does it refer to something else she did/didn’t do?

14

Yes, I’ve heard of the Eucharist. I think of it as a fancy word for Communion/the Lord’s Supper. (And when I say fancy, I kind of mean Catholic, though I wouldn’t swear that Christian groups other than Catholics never use it.)

(I’m Methodist with lots of friends from other Christian backgrounds.)

15

Mary was conceived without original sin in the womb of her mom, through her mom and dad having good old intercourse. This was the Immaculate Conception.

It is often confused with the Virgin Birth, when Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb through a miracle and her not having had sex. Hence the mistaken sort of quote women will utter.

Oh, and while there’s no reason to thnk Mary didn’t have the usual female plumbing and menstruation (if that’s who you meant), Catholic dogma holds that she remained ever-virgin.

16

So the original sin was nothing to do with menstruation? Is original sin different to the idea of ‘Eve’s curse’?

How did Mary’s parents conceive her without original sin? Or is it something she did that made her conception without sin?

17

I would have. I’m Episcopalian if that makes a difference.
http://members.vincennes.net/stjames/eucharist_explained.htm

18

Am Catholic, I don’t think I ever hear the term ‘Eucharist’ outside of mass or discussions about the order of mass. Otherwise its Communion. As in “Dad wanted to watch the game so we left after Communion”.

19

Forgot the other link

20

I was raised Protestant and I did not come across the term until I studied religion in depth for confirmation class. It really does not surprise me that people familiar with communion could be ignorant of what the Eucharist is.