Catholic kuru

David H. said:

For example, when Jesus says truly truly anywhere in scripture he is always saying something non-metaphorical and he is putting extra emphasis on the words.

Also, he uses the word for "chew" or "gnaw" so there could have been no confusion by the Jews that he was only speaking of sacrificial language. The canibalistic language was what was offensive and this is clear in the context. And that is the where I will stand by what I said about torturing the text to make it say something other than what it is saying. Jesus verily verily or truly truly language never allows ambiguity in scripture. . . .

So please tell me why he would emphasize, with a truly truly, that his flesh was TRUE food and his bloood TRUE drink? This was the point I was trying make (which was, I admit, sloppy).

Jesus was not prone to Clintonisms. He said "true" because he meant "true". I cannot see how [John 6] verse 55 can mean anything other than what it is actually saying. Jesus leaves no doubt by saying truly truly and true. He is making himself very clear. Any other explanation is simply eisegesis.

According to eMedicine, kuru ("the shakes") is a prion disease transmitted by endocannibalism. It is characterized by a relentless progression of neurological symptoms through well-defined clinical stages:

1. During the first stage, which is known as the ambulant stage, general coordination begins to deteriorate. The patient may experience symptoms such as an unsteady gait, shaking or shivering, slurred speech, and twitching eyes. In general, failing coordination begins in the feet, legs, and hands, and slowly moves upward.
   
   
2. The second stage of kuru disease, which is known as the sedentary stage, is defined by a worsening of stage one symptoms that prevent the patient from walking without support, ataxia, or loss of muscle coordination and severe muscle jerking. Additionally, a new set of symptoms begins including depression, fits of laughter, and deteriorating mental capacity.
   
   
3. The third stage is the terminal stage. At this point the symptoms include an inability to sit upright without support, fecal and urinary incontinence, trouble swallowing, and eventually coma followed by death. Death typically follows a clinical course of 4 months to 2 years with most patients dying within one year of symptom onset. Kuru is invariably fatal.

Kuru was first witnessed in the 1900s among members of the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea. Kuru was spread by the endocannibalistic funeral practices of the Fore. Family members were ritualistically cooked and eaten following their death. When first investigated in 1957, kuru was found to be present in epidemic proportions with approximately 1000 associated deaths in the first five years of observation, 1957-1961. The total number of kuru cases from 1957-2004 exceeded 2700 with more than 200 dying of the disease every year in the late 1950s.

The prohibition of cannibalism in the 1950s led to the decline in the epidemic in Papua New Guinea. Numbers fell to approximately six per year in the early 1990s and between one and two cases per year in late 1990s with only 11 cases identified from July 1996 through June 2004. More recently, kuru-related deaths declined to only two from 2003-2008.

These statistics are for the Papua New Guinea populace. But it appears the disease is far from being eradicated globally. It has apparently persisted in large numbers into the present century primarily because of the cannabilistic practices among a religious cult originating in the central-western region of the Italian peninsula in and among a polis situated on the Tiber River.