Is it morally permissible to eat at a foreign god temple themed restaurant?

[wayman]

My wife and I are both Catholic. We found this restaurant that got a good review by a restaurant critic, but it has a design that is modeled after an ancient temple that was made for the worship of a foreign god. So, I need to know if it can be morally permissible to eat at such an establishment or if we should look for a different restaurant.

 

[Baelor]

What leads you to believe it would be morally impermissible?

 

[wayman]

What leads you to believe it would be morally impermissible?

The foreign god temple theme of the restaurant makes me wonder if it’s ok to eat there. The restaurant is also named after this foreign god.

 

[Publisher]

Is it a mythic design inspiration of decor…OR are actual worship/rituals taking place by followers of the “foreign god”? If it’s a simple matter of mythic decor…and food is not being sacrificed and offered to the “god”…and even then if it’s also a business restaruant…but that’s open to interpretation…I don’t see how it could be wrong to eat at a restaurant decorated in mythic style.

 

[Nate13]

The foreign god temple theme of the restaurant makes me wonder if it’s ok to eat there. The restaurant is also named after this foreign god.

From first look I’d say its not a temple, your eating not worshiping, and its probably commercialized beyond reason. If there is more to the experience than eating, that would be something to question though.

 

[Bookcat]

I would not…

 

[Baelor]

The foreign god temple theme of the restaurant makes me wonder if it’s ok to eat there. The restaurant is also named after this foreign god.

Thanks. I think I understood that point, my question was more referring to why you would wonder if you could eat there because of the foreign god temple theme.

 

[Matrix_Refugee]

It sounds as though the people who run the restaurant are likely either of a particular non-Christian culture, or they’re utilizing it since their cuisine is from the same culture as the temple/god it’s named after (eg. in the next town from where I live, there’s a Cambodian restaurant named the Angkor Wat, which is run by a family from Cambodia, or a Greek restaurant named the Parthenon, run by a Greek family – though there again, most Greek folks around here seem to be Greek Orthodox). At the end of the day, it’s a place where you eat. I really doubt most pagans would mix their place of worship with a restaurant. It would kind of commercialize and therefore minimalize their belief system.

 

[carguy]

Yea how many diners are named after greek gods? It doesn’t stop me from eating there and most of them since I know a few owners of these diners are Orthodox Catholics so it is just a name. Also, by that logic it is wrong to read any greek mythology, which have very good stories to them or watch movies or TV shows that take place in Rome or Grease before Christ.

 

[Matrix_Refugee]

Yea how many diners are named after greek gods? It doesn’t stop me from eating there and most of them since I know a few owners of these diners are Orthodox Catholics so it is just a name. Also, by that logic it is wrong to read any greek mythology, which have very good stories to them or watch movies or TV shows that take place in Rome or Grease before Christ.

Yeah, by that reasoning, the names of the days of the week and the months of the year would be suspect, since they’re named after Norse, Greek, and Roman gods. Oddly enough, there are several saints named after various gods: eg. a Church Father named Dionysus, after the Greek god of wine and good times; followers of St. Paul named Hermes (Greek god of messengers…and thieves, for some odd reason) and Apollo (Greek and Roman god of the sun). And then there’s one I’m particularly fond of: a little-known Egyptian abbot named Anubis, after the ancient Egyptian god of the dead.

 

[Barbkw]

Order take out

P.S. St. Paul talked about this. The eating of meat that pagans had blessed.

1 Corinthians 10

 

[Hokomai]

Unless you live in Palestine or Israel I think you will find that Jesus is a foreign God.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Unless you live in Palestine or Israel I think you will find that Jesus is a foreign God.

Yes, and we keep going to His Temples for meals.

I don’t think I have a problem with pizza at the Zeus cafe.

 

[Bookcat]

I would not…

Depends on what is meant…and the intent of the resturant…(I imagined at first --from my quick reading–a more not so good approach…not just naming a place something like Zeus Pizza and having some columns as part of the decor)

 

[Legal_Eagle]

My wife and I are both Catholic. We found this restaurant that got a good review by a restaurant critic, but it has a design that is modeled after an ancient temple that was made for the worship of a foreign god. So, I need to know if it can be morally permissible to eat at such an establishment or if we should look for a different restaurant.

How’s the lamb curry?

Peace,

 

[Publisher]

Have any of you entered a Chinese or Thai restaurant and up in the corner they have a statue of some deity with an electric candle lighting it up…do you eat the food there or take out?

 

[martininthefiel]

Skip the braised feline.

“When traveling in Kathmandu,
One should generally eschew,
The feline stew.
And be prepared to vigorously chew…”

 

[wayman]

Yeah, by that reasoning, the names of the days of the week and the months of the year would be suspect, since they’re named after Norse, Greek, and Roman gods. Oddly enough, there are several saints named after various gods: eg. a Church Father named** Dionysus, after the Greek god of wine and good times**; followers of St. Paul named Hermes (Greek god of messengers…and thieves, for some odd reason) and Apollo (Greek and Roman god of the sun). And then there’s one I’m particularly fond of: a little-known Egyptian abbot named Anubis, after the ancient Egyptian god of the dead.

Actually, the restaurant is named after Bacchus which, from what I have looked up, is the name for the Roman god of wine and intoxication and is supposed to be equated with the Greek Dionysus.

 

[wayman]

Have any of you entered a Chinese or Thai restaurant and up in the corner they have a statue of some deity with an electric candle lighting it up…do you eat the food there or take out?

Good point. Thanks.

Edit:
I just finished calling in the reservation.

 

[Bookcat]

Actually, the restaurant is named after Bacchus which, from what I have looked up, is another name for the Roman god of wine and intoxication and is supposed to be equated with the Greek Dionysus.

Hum…