I can't see any problem with it.  So the dog got a little piece of bread.

My only concern would be for people who might be allergic to dogs, sitting in their pew, only to find a dog sitting next to them.  They might have to move to another part of the sanctuary. 

In the UCC I attend there is a young woman who sometimes brings her dog to church with her.  It is small, elderly, and quiet.  It sits beside her or on her lap.  Few people even know it is there, but those who do don't seem to mind.  I sometimes pat it, with her permission.  If she were to have it with her on communion Sunday she would probably carry it under her arm as she went forward for communion.  I can't see anybody minding if she or the minister gave it a little square of bread (we don't use wafers).  It would be a whole different thing if it were to dip in the common cup.

We have a church dog named Tongo. He's part Lab and part Bloodhound. He is our Director Of Greetings and Associate Caretaker Responsible for the Cleaning of Carpets. He is also in charge of security. He is well-loved and much appreciated by everyone.

Back in June, when we were celebrating communion, a piece of bread fell off one of the bread plates and ended up on the floor. Normally I clean that up during the last hymn. But not this time. Tongo trotted down the aisle first, headed for coffee after church and snapped up the fallen bread before I could get to it. No one said anything, although lots of people saw it.

I can see both sides of the issue.  I can understand why it would be instinctual to feed a dog when everyone else is eating, too.  And I can understand why a person would be upset, but I can't imagine leaving a beloved congregation over such a thing.

My biggest concern, as seeler mentioned, is why the dog was in church in the first place.  If it's a guide dog, I don't think that the minister should be interacting with the dog.  If it's not a guide dog, I don't think that it belongs in church.

DKS ..... I see your point .....

Perhaps I was a bit too rash.... (well ....more than perhaps...)

Hugs

Rita

A dog can eat bread and drink wine, but it's not communion.  It's only a hunk of bread and something to drink.  Such things happen when you have Christianity without (theological) content.

Not everybody believes in transubstantiation.  Check out the four Reformations:  the Protestant Reformations (both in Germany and the reformation in lands beyond Germany), the English Reformation (i.e., Anglicans), and the Catholic Reformation for further info.  Some people receive communion and, to them, it's just a piece of bread and some wine/grape juice.  To others, it represents the body and blood of Christ and to the third group, it IS the body and blood of Christ. Some ecclestiastical bodies use it as a 'reminder' or a 'symbol' rather than accept the 'real presence'.  I'm not going to 'dis' those who disagree with me.  It needs to be clarified that there is diversity of opinion regarding the 'real presence' and to paint the whole church with the same brush is academically and theologically untenable.

A good treatment of transubstantiation is given in Wikipedia for a concise view of the historic views before and after the Reformation.  Some of the 'high church' Anglicans who consider themselves 'English Catholic' adhere to transubstantiation. Thanks for you comment, Witch.  It is possible to operate under 'christian' principles (small 'c') without necessarily accepting 'orthodox' doctrine.  It's a stretch, but human beings are quite the inventive, resourceful creatures.

Would those be the crumbs that the dogs eat from their masters table?

i have met many intelligent atheist and good hearted ones, but your just simply an asshole

42.

Or a crumb.

It doesn't matter.

No, our eyes would turn brown and our ears would leak...

@ Seeler

it wasn't the bread its self but the fact that it was given jurying a communion service , i see it as an abuse of the Lords supper.

Abraham , was told by God to remove your shoes for you are standing on holy ground, a sign of respect and honor to God and though today we live under grace, post resurrection we cant even give Honor and Respect to Christ at his supper?

disgusting because the act came from a believer

I wonder why you would want your dog, or cat or hamster to take communion.

 I would think that it might make sense and be considered a good idea for certain Christian theologies. After all we have theologies which declare all life is sacred, and that human life is no more scared to God than other life. 

I tend to think of communion as representative of the banquet God has prepared for us on Earth, and the equality of all humanity before God.

So if in this time of ecological crisis, Jesus might be seen as having a message or meaning only to humans, but is not creation and the banquet God provides for us through creation meant for all life?

Are there not cats, dogs, and hamsters in Paradise?

or your delight if a cannibal...

Which brings one to wonder how the missionaries managed in Papua New Guinea when they were blackmai...er I mean converting the cannibals there.

"You must stop eating the flesh and drinking the blodd of your enemies... Now here, eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus..."

This raises the issue of how creating accessibility for some people with disabilities can cause barriers for others.

More and more people are using animals to over come barriers for people with disabilities, seeing -eye dogs for those with vision problems are well know. However we are also seeing animals being used for people who have hearing disabilities, physical disabilities, and a lot of people also use animals to help them overcome barriers related to anxiety disorders. I heard an interview on CBC about a women who had been attacked by a man and suffered life threatening injuries as a result. After her body had healed, she still could not go anywhere without her dog.

.

Perhaps this man's dog was not just a pet, but a necessity. Anyway we should be prepared as more and more people will be going to church with animals, which will affect not just those with allergies, but also others. 

Actually human tastes a lot like pork

*blink*

I mean, so I've been told.... of course....

And why would you assume I'd need a "starter" book? Please don't make the foolish mistake of assuming that just because I'm not a Christian now that I don't know anything about it.

I notice you didn't actually answer any of my points either. I understand if you find it difficult to refute them.

Another great resource is:  "The Christian Faith: An Introduction To Dogmatic Theology" by Claude Beaufort Moss, available free online.  I am not here to refute, I'm here to proclaim.  I set my own agenda(e).

You'd be surprised how foolish assumptions make you look. I wwas a fundamentalist "orthadox" as you put it, Christian for many years. I attended on of the best fundamentalist conservative Christian theological seminaries while I was in training for the ministry.

And yes, I understand that you will likely now resort to the same old tired fundie fallacies of "just because you claimed to be a Christian", or "scholarship means nothing", or "You couldn't have been a TRUE Christian", and I understand your need to purport that anyone who disagrees with your fundie attitudes is simply lacking in understanding. Nothiong new there.

Yes you obviously are here to pro-yourself claim. And, like most fundies you don't want to refute, or rather address, because that would mean you'd have to actually take responsibility for your spurious claims, and actually address the points other people make, rather than just get up on your soapbox and preach where you can look all-important like and holy"

Yes you fundies usually do. Which is one of the reasons your particular brand of Christianity is in a 200 year death spiral.