For those of a religious bent (or, I guess, for that matter, not), who wonder whether sharing a communion cup increases the chances of getting sick, the answer is … apparently not.
“People who sip from the Communion cup don’t get sick more often than anyone else,” said Anne LaGrange Loving, a New Jersey microbiologist who has conducted one of the few studies on the subject. “It isn’t any riskier than standing in line at the movies.”
[…] Loving, the microbiologist, said the risk of infection is reduced because the chalice is wiped after each sip, the alcohol in the wine can kill germs and, unlike ceramic cups, the silver and gold used in most chalices don’t harbor microbes. “There is a difference sipping from a Communion cup and sipping a cup of coffee that someone left on the curb,” she said.
[…] But next she wanted to find out whether illnesses were caused by Communion. In 1997, she surveyed 681 people in New Jersey over a 10-week period and found no difference in illness rates among those who attended church and received Communion, those who attended church and didn’t receive Communion, and those who never attended church. “This even held true for the participants who attended church and received the sacraments every single day during the 10 weeks,” she wrote.
Given the far less healthy things we run into, we’re probably at more risk from folks coughing in the congregation, or from shaking hands with people, than sharing a sip.
Just thought it was interesting.
OK: so what about communion in churches that are a little less formal? For example, on the rare occasions my old Church used the same vessel, it was glass, they did not wipe the lip afterwards, and of course we were using grape juice (Methodists, don’tcha know).
Probably the risks go up a bit — but, honestly, most diseases are going to be passed in the air and between hands in a church, minimally by sharing a cup, I’d think.
Of course, you could also go the route of some churches I visit and dispense the wine (or whatever grape-based beverage you choose) in racks of little individual shot glasses. Though one good sneeze by someone, even a few rows back …