Re: [asa] Pregnancy & Communion

Hi Christine--

The theological implications of this are not clear at all to me, but I hesitate to grant that an implanted human embryo "partakes of the same food & drink that the mother does." What the embryo does is absorb nutrients from the mother's blood. This means that the embryo gets to see a set of chemicals that originated with the contents of the mother's stomach, but the embryo never sees the vast majority of the molecules the mother actually took in, and certainly never experiences the substances that the mother experienced in her mouth, stomach and intestines. In fact, the chemical that is most likely to affect the embryo without being processed beyond recognition is alchohol (perhaps in communion wine). Fructose? Flavor? Fiber? None of that will be absorbed by the embryo. And it may be that some of the most distinctive ingredients in many foods will never be absorbed by the mother (fiber, for sure), so that the embryo is better said to have "partaken" in a highly-processed chemical mixture derived from a restricted subset of the ingredients in the mother's diet.

Steve Matheson

>>> Christine Smith <christine_mb_smith@yahoo.com> 11/04/08 3:54 PM >>>
Hi all,

On a different note than is usually discussed on this listserv, I've been pondering this question...

Following implantation in a mother's womb, an embryo essentially partakes of the same food & drink that the mother does, yes? This being the case, what does it mean, from a theological point of view, when an embryo or fetus partakes of Communion via the mother? From a Christian perspective, would this mark the beginning of spiritual life in some sense (if you're not already of the opinion that it begins at conception)? If so, how would this tie into the question of abo*rtion, and the question of eternal life for a baby that is lost through miscarriage?

Would be curious for your thoughts on these questions. Thanks!

In Christ,
Christine (ASA member)

"For we walk by faith, not by sight" ~II Corinthians 5:7

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Received on Wed Nov 5 16:31:25 2008