IS THEIR A ROLE FOR FOOD IN RELIGION?
In religion, food is one of the most important parts of religious ceremonies. The role of food in religious culture is an important part of showing respect among their communities and many of these religions obey the religious commandments, hence food is prepared in different ways.
The predominant religion in the US is Christianity. Generally speaking, there are no dietary restrictions. Individuals may choose to forgo alcohol and may choose whether or not to eat meat.2During Lent Christians may stop eating certain foods.
Jews requires that food is kosher, meaning the food must meet the standards of kashrut, the Jewish laws about food. Food must be suitable and pure.Kosher does not restrict foods from any particular food group.
Muslims eat halal (lawful) foods, which include fruit, vegetables and eggs. Any meat and meat products they consume must be from a halal slaughtered animal. Milk and dairy foods are halal, cheese may be halal depending on ingredients.
Hinduism is a diverse religion, with no central authority and with multiple scriptures and holy texts. Hindus believe that all living things have a soul, and believe in the concept of reincarnation, making Hindus reluctant to kill any living creature.
For the sake of this article, let’s focus on Kosher and Halal.
KOSHER: The simplest explanation is that Kosher meat comes from animals that have split hooves — like cows, sheep, and goats — and chew their cud. When these types of animals eat, partially digested food (cud) returns from the stomach for them to chew again. Pigs, for example, have split hooves, but they don’t chew their cud. So pork isn’t kosher.
HALAL: Halal food is that which adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Koran. The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry, dhabiha, involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe. Simply stated, animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter and all blood is drained from the carcass.
So, what do you think? Is there a role for food in religion or should we be able to eat what we want? Feel free to leave a comment.
I think whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
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Here are some ways that I try to embrace each of these fruits when I eat.
Savor Every Bite {Joy} …
Trade Your Guilt For Grace {Peace} …
Slow Down {Patience} …
Practice Saying No To Yourself {Self-Control} …
Pray Before Eating {Faithfulness}
Interesting blog. Could create debate but perhaps that was what you were going for. If so, let me get it started.
In the New Covenant of grace, the Bible is far more concerned with how much we eat than what foods Christians eat. Physical appetites are an analogy of our ability to control ourselves. If we are unable to control our eating habits, we are probably also unable to control other habits such as those of the mind (lust, covetousness, unrighteous hatred/anger) and unable to keep our mouths from gossip or strife. As Christians, we are not to let our appetites control us; rather, we are to control them (Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 23:2; 2 Peter 1:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 10:5).
Now, for the issue of eating pork, I don’t eat it but don’t knock those who do.