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Why Do Christians Eat Pork?

AdamRaja

AdamRaja

Islamic Philosopher
columbus said:
This is the crucial passage from your link:
"These issues make it hard to isolate the health effects of pig-derived products and determine the safety of their consumption."

The New Testament scripture eliminated a batch of irrational rules, including dietary proscriptions. Depending on your attitude towards Abrahamic religion, you might see these in at least two ways.
A) A blatant marketing ploy, greatly expanding the pool of sheep to be shepherded.
B) Focusing Christianity on God, rather than empty rules and rituals that aren't very rational.
One of Jesus's big things was distinguishing between being truly moral and following rules.

To me, that makes Him stand out among the ancient prophets.
Tom
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks for sharing!
 
Audie

Audie

Veteran Member
Jumi said:
You have good taste. :D Those berries also grow here also, I've picked a liter or two in central Finland. There's even a municipality in Finland that has that as their symbol and name.
Click to expand...

I thought they would probably be circumpolar
in their distribution. Sometimes I think I would love
to live in Finland, but possibly my tropical metabolism
would not be suitable.

Do they grow those commercially somehow, maybe
make wine?
 
AdamRaja

AdamRaja

Islamic Philosopher
Nowhere Man said:
What makes an animal "clean" or "unclean" anyways?

It's clearly a religious dictate, yet no real explanation as to exactly the reason why.
Click to expand...

Unclean to me means having a higher risk of harming someone who ate it.
columbus said:
It's hard to say if it was Jesus Himself.
Read Acts 10, 10-16.
Clearly it was a message from God.
Tom
Click to expand...

What if He just cleaned it for Peter once for that occasion? lol. It could be argued either way.
I see now why Christians do eat it though so my thread was worth it for me. Thank you!
 
Rival

Rival

Diex Aie
Staff member
Premium Member
AdamRaja said:
What if He just cleaned it for Peter once for that occasion? lol. It could be argued either way.
I see now why Christians do eat it though so my thread was worth it for me. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Some argue that this vision was given to Peter because he would only eat with other Jews and so forth. He was being told not just to associate with Jewish people; so that vision is a metaphor saying that there is now no difference between Jew and non-Jew.
 
Vouthon

Vouthon

Dominus Deus tuus ignis consumens est
Premium Member
Because diet is an entirely personal decision for the individual, based upon the conviction of their conscience, according to the New Testament.

The attitude is one of tolerance for the "conscience" of each individual believer:


Welcome a man whose faith is weak, but not with the idea of arguing over his scruples. One man believes that he may eat anything, another man, without this strong conviction, is a vegetarian. The meat-eater should not despise the vegetarian, nor should the vegetarian condemn the meat-eater.

Again, one man thinks some days of more importance than others. Another man considers them all alike. Let every one be definite in his own convictions. If a man specially observes one particular day, he does so “to God”. The man who eats, eats “to God”, for he thanks God for the food. The man who fasts also does it “to God”, for he thanks God for the benefits of fasting. The faith you have, have as your own conviction before God. Let us therefore stop turning critical eyes on one another. If we must be critical, let us be critical of our own conduct and see that we do nothing to make a brother stumble or fall.

We should be willing to be both vegetarians and teetotallers if by doing otherwise we should impede a brother’s progress in faith. Your personal convictions are a matter of faith between yourself and God, and you are happy if you have no qualms about what you allow yourself to eat. Yet if a man eats meat with an uneasy conscience about it, you may be sure he is wrong to do so. For his action does not spring from his faith, and when we act apart from our faith we sin.

(Romans 14:1-23)
​

So, from the beginning, Christianity was tolerant about dietary matters but emphasized that every individual Christian had to live in accordance with their own conscience: if you feel guilty about eating something, then it's sinful for you to do so but don't impose your personal conviction on others, was the advice from Paul.

IMHO there is no logical, ethical rationale for abstaining from pork out of compliance with some antiquated custom of the ancient Israelites, while eating meat in general. Being a vegetarian makes sense to me (i.e. animal welfare) but ritual concerns about the "impurity" of certain foods just doesn't float my boat.

The only reason the Torah introduced these dietary rules was to distinguish the Hebrews from surrounding societies, helping to give them an independent, national-ethno-religious identity as a people set apart by God for His chosen purpose.

For Jews to continue abiding by the laws of kashrut out of respect for their heritage, and for Muslims as well vis-a-vis halal, is perfectly fine - but no one else is bound in conscience by these rules unless they want to be.

It's all about having the freedom to choose for oneself as an autonomous agent.
 
AdamRaja

AdamRaja

Islamic Philosopher
Rival said:
Some argue that this vision was given to Peter because he would only eat with other Jews and so forth. He was being told not just to associate with Jewish people; so that vision is a metaphor saying that there is now no difference between Jew and non-Jew.
Click to expand...

Neat. I like that. Sweet and simple.
 
Manoah

Manoah

Member
Jesus declared all foods clean when he said, "It's not what goes into a body that defiles a person but what comes out of the person." The gospel of Mark provides the literal commentary that when Jesus spoke these words, he declared all foods clean.
 
Rival

Rival

Diex Aie
Staff member
Premium Member
Manoah said:
Jesus declared all foods clean when he said, "It's not what goes into a body that defiles a person but what comes out of the person." The gospel of Mark provides the literal commentary that when Jesus spoke these words, he declared all foods clean.
Click to expand...
Actually I believe this is an addition. Neither my Berkeley Bible, nor my KJV, nor the D-R has this passage. There is evidence that it was added, but others that it was always there. The part in brackets is not in Codex Sinaiticus, but there are differing translations; some of which say 'purges all meats' and others 'cleansing all meats' &c. Rather seems to be a doctrinal issue at play.
 
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C

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Manoah said:
Jesus declared all foods clean when he said, "It's not what goes into a body that defiles a person but what comes out of the person." The gospel of Mark provides the literal commentary that when Jesus spoke these words, he declared all foods clean.
Click to expand...
The declarations about "What Jesus said" do have a way of contradicting each other.
It's why I don't believe much of the New Testament had anything to do with what Jesus taught.
Tom
 
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