Is Pork Forbidden to Muslims Only? The Jews and Christians are also forbidden from eating pork. Here is a quote from the Old Testament to that effect: "And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase." Deuteronomy 14:8
Many Christians believe that this verse was directed only at the Jews. But Jesus himself says during the Sermon on the Mount; "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Some Christians say that, after a vision by St. Peter, God cleansed all animals and made them fit and lawful for human consumption. If ALL animals are cleansed by Peter's vision, this includes dogs, cats, vultures, and rats: but you just don't see people getting excited about a cat-meat sandwich like they do over barbecued pork or bacon. Others say that it was Paul who rescinded the law forbidding pork to humans, in order to appease the Romans, who enjoyed the taste of pig-meat. Many excuses have been given, but none are very sound.
Many Far Eastern traditions also discourage the eating of pork. The 3,000 year old Confucian Book of Rites says, "Agentleman does not eat the flesh of pigs and dogs." Although many Chinese are avid eaters of pork today, physicians of ancient China recognized pork-eating as the root of many human ailments. Buddhists, Jains and Hindus usually avoid eating any kind of meat.
http://srkriger.com/blog/?p=907 Why I Don’t Eat Pork October 18th, 2009 I don’t eat pork. (You probably guessed that from the title.) Not only do I not eat pork, I don’t eat other products derived from pigs, including bacon, lard, and gelatin, or any sort of food containing those items. Up until now, if you’d asked me why not, I’d shrug and explain: I’m Jewish. I grew up in a Jewish household and went to a Jewish school for my entire childhood. It’s never really been an issue – the same way that not eating insects has probably never really been an issue for most Canadians. But that’s not good enough. The religious reason Jews don’t eat pork is because it’s outlined very clearly in Vayikra (Leviticus) that pigs are not kosher – that is, legal to eat. The Torah specifies pigs in part to avoid confusion: any land animal that both chews its cud and has a split hoof is kosher. Pigs have split hooves, but they don’t chew their cud. So even though they’re not kosher, you can see how an error might be easy. The reason pigs aren’t kosher? Well, that’s a tougher question. It’s often suggested that there was a logical reason behind pigs being unkosher: pigs are prone to host parasites such as tapeworms, and if they or their eggs are consumed in improperly cooked pork, these parasites can take residence in humans. Usually, the person offering this explanation goes on to argue that such a reason was valid only in Biblical times, when people lacked the technology to ensure pork could be safely consumed, and this being the case, there’s no reason why the law shouldn’t be struck from the books. But this isn’t the reason Jews are prohibited from eating pork. I know because we used to suggest it in Torah class to our teacher, the rabbi, and he would explain that, yes, that reason made sense, in a limited way, but we shouldn’t presume to know the mind of G-d. If G-d meant that it was OK to eat pigs as soon as we developed tools to make sure their meat wouldn’t harm us, G-d could have written that. And why would G-d make pigs unkosher but not other species equally prone to carry disease? In the end, we were taught, although one can come up with logical reasons for many mitzvot (Biblical commandments), one can’t assume that our understanding of the law is the same as G-d’s, or even that G-d has the sort of reason we’d consider to be logical. The point is, obeying G-d’s laws isn’t supposed to be the same as obeying a doctor’s advice.
In Leviticus, Chapter 11:7-8, in the Bible, it says;
"And the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet it does not chew the cud;he is unclean to you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you."
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http://www.themodernreligion.com/misc/hh/pork.html
Is Pork Forbidden to Muslims Only?
The Jews and Christians are also forbidden from eating pork. Here is a quote from the Old Testament to that effect: "And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase." Deuteronomy 14:8
Many Christians believe that this verse was directed only at the Jews. But Jesus himself says during the Sermon on the Mount; "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Some Christians say that, after a vision by St. Peter, God cleansed all animals and made them fit and lawful for human consumption. If ALL animals are cleansed by Peter's vision, this includes dogs, cats, vultures, and rats: but you just don't see people getting excited about a cat-meat sandwich like they do over barbecued pork or bacon. Others say that it was Paul who rescinded the law forbidding pork to humans, in order to appease the Romans, who enjoyed the taste of pig-meat. Many excuses have been given, but none are very sound.
Many Far Eastern traditions also discourage the eating of pork. The 3,000 year old Confucian Book of Rites says, "Agentleman does not eat the flesh of pigs and dogs." Although many Chinese are avid eaters of pork today, physicians of ancient China recognized pork-eating as the root of many human ailments. Buddhists, Jains and Hindus usually avoid eating any kind of meat.
http://srkriger.com/blog/?p=907
Why I Don’t Eat Pork
October 18th, 2009
I don’t eat pork. (You probably guessed that from the title.) Not only do I not eat pork, I don’t eat other products derived from pigs, including bacon, lard, and gelatin, or any sort of food containing those items.
Up until now, if you’d asked me why not, I’d shrug and explain: I’m Jewish. I grew up in a Jewish household and went to a Jewish school for my entire childhood. It’s never really been an issue – the same way that not eating insects has probably never really been an issue for most Canadians.
But that’s not good enough.
The religious reason Jews don’t eat pork is because it’s outlined very clearly in Vayikra (Leviticus) that pigs are not kosher – that is, legal to eat. The Torah specifies pigs in part to avoid confusion: any land animal that both chews its cud and has a split hoof is kosher. Pigs have split hooves, but they don’t chew their cud. So even though they’re not kosher, you can see how an error might be easy.
The reason pigs aren’t kosher? Well, that’s a tougher question. It’s often suggested that there was a logical reason behind pigs being unkosher: pigs are prone to host parasites such as tapeworms, and if they or their eggs are consumed in improperly cooked pork, these parasites can take residence in humans. Usually, the person offering this explanation goes on to argue that such a reason was valid only in Biblical times, when people lacked the technology to ensure pork could be safely consumed, and this being the case, there’s no reason why the law shouldn’t be struck from the books.
But this isn’t the reason Jews are prohibited from eating pork. I know because we used to suggest it in Torah class to our teacher, the rabbi, and he would explain that, yes, that reason made sense, in a limited way, but we shouldn’t presume to know the mind of G-d. If G-d meant that it was OK to eat pigs as soon as we developed tools to make sure their meat wouldn’t harm us, G-d could have written that. And why would G-d make pigs unkosher but not other species equally prone to carry disease?
In the end, we were taught, although one can come up with logical reasons for many mitzvot (Biblical commandments), one can’t assume that our understanding of the law is the same as G-d’s, or even that G-d has the sort of reason we’d consider to be logical. The point is, obeying G-d’s laws isn’t supposed to be the same as obeying a doctor’s advice.
In Leviticus, Chapter 11:7-8, in the Bible, it says;
"And the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet it does not chew the cud;he is unclean to you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you."
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