Old testament and diet

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eo_chibears

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Leviticus and Deuteronomy restrict the eating of pork. Does it say somewhere else in the Bible that it is ok to eat pork? If not, why do many Christians eat pork?
 
yes it says so in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter’s dream, Acts 10
 
If I remember correctly, there’s even provisions in the Talmud that allow one to bypass the kosher laws. something to the effect that, if you have no other food available except for something forbidden (ie. pork, shellfish, meat cooked in milk) and there’s a significant risk that you could starve, it’s okay to eat it. I remember reading an account of some Christians hiding a Jewish family in their home during WWII, who were only able to get pork sausage one week, and they were worried that one especially orthodox Jewsh gent might be offended by this, or that he’d have to break the kosher laws. He surprised them by smiling and saying, “You know, there is a provision for this in the Talmud…”
 
eo_chibears said:
Leviticus and Deuteronomy restrict the eating of pork. Does it say somewhere else in the Bible that it is ok to eat pork? If not, why do many Christians eat pork?
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Eo:

I do not think there is any direct permit given for the consumption of pork in the Bible. However, St. Paul, throughout Galatians and Romans repeatedly talks about the fact that Christ, and Redemption are to replace the law. And Paul was originally a good Jew.

Now, did St. Paul want pork to be eaten; is that why he wanted the people of the era to replace the law, or, more properly, the “laws?” Or, did he wish to replace the laws (including circumcision) with the chronicle of Christ, and to let the Jewish community know that the Gentiles were now included in the New Covenant? In any event, the restriction against eating pork probably went the way of the other 800 (+ or -) laws.

I’m no expert here. This is merely my conclusion.

jd
 
eo_chibears said:
Leviticus and Deuteronomy restrict the eating of pork. Does it say somewhere else in the Bible that it is ok to eat pork? If not, why do many Christians eat pork?
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Yes, there are many, although it doesn’t specifically pertain to pork as it is to the dietary restrictions of old. As mentioned above, Peter received a vision from God, in which a voice said to him: "“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15).

We also know that it is permissible to eat pork because Jesus said himself that it is “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean”" (Matthew 15:11). This was in obvious reference to the introduction of the New Covenant and a shift away from the Old Covenant.

Hence, it is permissible to eat pork.
 
As an interesting point I know a few Christians (Catholic and non-Catholic) who don’t mainly because of the pig suicide in the Gospel. If you remember Jesus exorcised demons out of a possessed man. The demons begged him to send them to a flock of pigs nearby, and when he did, the pigs drowned themselves.
 
I was raised that Peter’s dream had nothing to do with food but with racism.

🤷
 
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