Can Christians eat Pork??

Linkinboi

Junior Member
May 8, 2005
59
1
34
Singapore
Visit site
✟7,685.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Hi there, eariler on today a Muslim friend of mine showed me some bible verses that claims that pork is unclean and thus we should avoid consuming it, so I'm really puzzled right now on weather it is alrite for me as a Christian to continue consuming pork and what did God really said about eating pork and can Jewish eat pork as well?? If not why??
 

whale8jonah

Newbie
Aug 18, 2011
50
1
Heerde, Holland
Visit site
✟7,678.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Eating pork (along with hundreds of other requirements) was a part of the old Mosaic Law - the law which Jesus came to fulfill and not abolish. No human being could ever possibly keep all of the law - the pharisees tried, and as Jesus said, even more was required (e.g. Matthew 5.20). But because of who Jesus is (the Son of God) and what he did for us (died on the cross with our sin and rose again) we follow Jesus, and not the old written Law - Jesus IS the law! This is why he 'worked' (healed) on the sabbath, for instance.

So back to your question - can we eat pork? Jesus says yes! Take a look at Mark 7.14-23 where he explains why!

I've also had many talks with my muslim friends, and have often suffered faith shakes as they can often present ideas which are similar - but fundamentally different - to the message in the Bible. The trouble with showing muslims passages taken directly from the Bible is that they beleive it to be corrupted...based on the fact it differs from their koran. Your friend might not accept Mark 7.14-23, but then again, (s)he doesn't accept what Jesus did for them...

God bless!
 
Upvote 0

powerpoint

Newbie
Jun 20, 2011
150
16
✟7,857.00
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Single
Yes you can eat pork.

In fact, you should eat pork because bacon is awesome!! You should go and eat some now. :thumbsup:

In seriousness, Jesus did not die to make you follow rules about what you should and shouldn't eat. He died so we could be set free. Those old rules about food and such were appropriate for a time and a people, but look at Galatians 5:4

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."
 
Upvote 0

Angeldove97

I trust in You
Supporter
Jan 6, 2004
31,688
2,181
Indiana
✟121,020.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Some Christians do still adhere to the Old Testament Laws though and they will stick to what not to eat like the Jewish believers do. It's not they interpret the Old and New Covenants-- some feel that with the New Covenant, that Jesus Christ gave believers, that He didn't abolish the various Laws and others feel that under the New Covenant we are only responsible for following the ten Commandments (since they're not considered Laws).

I would spend some time learning about the Old Covenant and New Covenant and go back to your Muslim friend to explain what Christians believe. It's important that your friend doesn't try to use this as a tactic to dissuade Christians from their faith.
 
Upvote 0

NewUser777

Newbie
Aug 31, 2011
556
93
✟9,466.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Like another poster said ... read Mark 7:14-23.

Jesus said ... "Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them."

Therefore, anything you wish to eat is ok, it is not a sin.

However, Jewish people do not eat pork because they are following the Mosaic law. To such people, I would ask, when was the last time you sacrificed a lamb or bull for your sins? If you have not, your sin remains. Jesus' blood is the only blood that washes away sin, for the Jew and also for the gentile.
 
Upvote 0
Sep 4, 2011
8,023
324
✟10,276.00
Faith
Protestant
Marital Status
Private
It's important to notice that "unclean" meant unclean, not necessarily spiritually sinful.

When a person had a contagious disease, they were isolated from others until the germs were under control. For centuries, pork truly was unclean because the treatment of parasites through high heat cooking was not understood. (And people still ignore this.)

Lobster and shellfish were also on the list -- bottom feeders that clean the water of toxins, and retain things like mercury more than scaled fish. Shellfish also live close to the shore where red tide poisoning can hit before people see it in full force.

The new covenant set us free from the curse of the law of sin and death.

Halal meat is very similar to kosher meat.

Most Jews I know do not eat pork, or cheeseburgers that combine dairy with meat... making occasional exceptions. Our household stopped buying pork many years ago -- we will have it in pepperoni, by accident, and when we're invited to dinner. It's not something I miss, but we didn't really give it up for religious reasons. It's more like 1/4 vegan, lol. We don't go out for sushi either.
 
Upvote 0

Sketcher

Born Imperishable
Feb 23, 2004
38,978
9,399
✟377,931.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Republican
Yes we can. The Old Testament does not prohibit non-Jews from eating pork products, and the Lord affirmed in Acts 15 that Gentile Christians do not have to adopt Jewish customs in order to be saved - and in fact through the book of Galatians, he warned us not to.
 
Upvote 0

LoricaLady

YHWH's
Supporter
Jul 27, 2009
18,501
11,546
Ohio
✟1,072,731.00
Faith
Messianic
Marital Status
Private
Hi there, eariler on today a Muslim friend of mine showed me some bible verses that claims that pork is unclean and thus we should avoid consuming it, so I'm really puzzled right now on weather it is alrite for me as a Christian to continue consuming pork and what did God really said about eating pork and can Jewish eat pork as well?? If not why??

You friend is right about pork. Too bad he doesn't follow the rest of what Moses, from the Creator said, for ex. about keeping the true Saturday Sabbath. Maybe he will some day.

If you will read Acts 15 you will see Paul upholding the no blood restrictions of Mosaic food law for nonJewish converts. For ex. strangled animals were forbidden because the blood had not been drained from the throat. In Acts 21 you will see that Paul has been falsely accused (as today) of abandoning the Law of Moses (see KJV as some new versions omit the word "Moses) and he goes out of his way to demonstrate that he does follow the Law.

Also, back to Acts 15 he gives just a few rules for these new non Jewish converts, but he is shown as assuming they will be learning "the rest of the story" in the Synagogues on the Sabbath. All of his actions are approved by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 21.

Some people are catching on that there are lots of traditions of men in the Christian Church. They get it that our Savior was highly unlikely to have been born in December. (No way Caesar would have made people take a trek for a census in the dead of winter, the shepherds kept their flocks in shelters in the winter, based on the birth of St. John the Baptist & visit by Mary to Elizabeth it seems He was born in the fall, etc.). They are getting it that Easter never really falls on the true Resurrection Day thanks to the RCC and is basically a pagan holiday, complete with the bunnies and eggs associated with the goddess for whom it is named.

But if you try to tell them that a Sunday Sabath is also pagan, or that eating pork etc. is pagan, they balk big time.

They keep quoting Paul...Paul....Paul. That is, certain parts of Paul only. They never quote the Father or the Son to show that the Sabbath or food laws have been changed. You can't get them to even discuss what they said since THEY upheld the Law every time. (So did Paul - but as it shows in Acts 21, and as Scriptures show elsewhere, he got misunderstood a lot.)

So, really you are asking for a lot more than you thought when you asked that Q.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

znr

Report THIS.
Supporter
Apr 13, 2010
4,465
56
Silverado
✟30,220.00
Faith
Reformed
Marital Status
Private
IMO pork is one of those iffy meats that should be consumed with care, if at all. It's a haven for bad bacteria. All food is "clean", meaning you are free to eat it, but that does not nec. mean that it is good for the body. If your eating pork is offensive to your muslim friend then out of respect for him don't eat it in front of him.
 
Upvote 0

PROPHECYKID

Veteran
Supporter
Oct 28, 2007
5,982
527
35
The isle of spice
Visit site
✟73,654.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
The argument that clean and unclean meats came about because of the law is flawed since there was a difference in the days of Noah. Noah had to take the clean animals in by sevens and the unclean by twos.

Why would God not want pork to be consumed before and all of a sudden it is ok. Any why would he want this restriction just on Jews. When people make these claims it appears that God is irrational. It is bad for Jews but good for Christians. Are our bodies the same? Is it just a coincidence that medical science has found the foods the bible deems unclean to be the most unhealthy? Can it not be that God put a difference between clean and unclean meats to help us live a healthier life?
 
Upvote 0

Jase

Well-Known Member
Feb 20, 2003
7,330
385
✟10,432.00
Faith
Messianic
Politics
US-Democrat
It's important to notice that "unclean" meant unclean, not necessarily spiritually sinful.

When a person had a contagious disease, they were isolated from others until the germs were under control. For centuries, pork truly was unclean because the treatment of parasites through high heat cooking was not understood. (And people still ignore this.)

Lobster and shellfish were also on the list -- bottom feeders that clean the water of toxins, and retain things like mercury more than scaled fish. Shellfish also live close to the shore where red tide poisoning can hit before people see it in full force.

The new covenant set us free from the curse of the law of sin and death.

Halal meat is very similar to kosher meat.

Most Jews I know do not eat pork, or cheeseburgers that combine dairy with meat... making occasional exceptions. Our household stopped buying pork many years ago -- we will have it in pepperoni, by accident, and when we're invited to dinner. It's not something I miss, but we didn't really give it up for religious reasons. It's more like 1/4 vegan, lol. We don't go out for sushi either.
Actually, the whole unclean thing is not really scientifically valid. The Torah does not ban pork or shellfish for uncleanliness. There is no specific reason cited in the Torah or Talmud for why God commanded it. Jews follow it out of obedience. It may have been that those foods were common among the surrounding pagans, and most of the Torah laws deal with separating the Israelites from the surrounding cultures.

However, health is not the only reason for Jewish dietary laws. Many of the laws of kashrut have no known connection with health. To the best of our modern scientific knowledge, there is no reason why camel or rabbit meat (both treif) is any less healthy than cow or goat meat. In addition, some of the health benefits to be derived from kashrut were not made obsolete by the refrigerator. For example, there is some evidence that eating meat and dairy together interferes with digestion, and no modern food preparation technique reproduces the health benefit of the kosher law of eating them separately.

In recent years, several secular sources that have seriously looked into this matter have acknowledged that health does not explain these prohibitions.


The short answer to why Jews observe these laws is: because the Torah says so. The Torah does not specify any reason for these laws, and for a Torah-observant, traditional Jew, there is no need for any other reason. Some have suggested that the laws of kashrut fall into the category of "chukkim," laws for which there is no reason. We show our obedience to G-d by following these laws even though we do not know the reason.



Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Avniel

Doing my part each day by being the best me
Jun 11, 2010
7,219
438
Bronx NYC
✟31,441.00
Faith
Pentecostal
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
I know an ex muslim lady that is about 70 years old and she taught a class on Christian nutrition I think it is not a sin to eat pork however i do not think it is pleasing to God.

In 2012 I am starting a traditional jewish diet just to see how it makes me feel....Anyone wants to join me?
 
Upvote 0

znr

Report THIS.
Supporter
Apr 13, 2010
4,465
56
Silverado
✟30,220.00
Faith
Reformed
Marital Status
Private
I know an ex muslim lady that is about 70 years old and she taught a class on Christian nutrition I think it is not a sin to eat pork however i do not think it is pleasing to God.

In 2012 I am starting a traditional jewish diet just to see how it makes me feel....Anyone wants to join me?

I don't know how I feel about God/pork but I do know that I would rather be hungry then put pork in my mouth. There are so many other options. When you say how you feel do you mean spiritually or physically, or both?
 
Upvote 0
E

elenore

Guest
God doesn't make up laws because he's bored.

There's a reason for everything. A lot of diseases have been traced to pork and unclean meat. Major, major outbreaks that wiped out large groups of people, particularly in the past before anti-biotics.

I saw a list once, and it was pretty extensive. But who are going to circulate information like that? Christians? Most christians are told it's ok and they don't want to give up their bacon (as already mentioned.)

It's an inconvenient way to live, so mainstream christianity usually discards it as irrelevent. There's a scripture in some translations that has a phrase in brackets claiming that God changed his mind and made all meat 'clean'. But from what I've seen and heard on it, it's a deliberate add on.

(can't find it at the moment.)

You have to read into other passages to get what you want out of them. Like God telling Peter to eat unclean meat in a vision. The whole thing was an anology showing him that he was sent to the gentiles. That God did not consider them 'unclean'. etc
 
  • Like
Reactions: parsley
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

znr

Report THIS.
Supporter
Apr 13, 2010
4,465
56
Silverado
✟30,220.00
Faith
Reformed
Marital Status
Private
Can Christians eat anything without it being sinful...?

Maybe all Christians ought to become vegans, or at least eat nothing but fish, bread and water, since that was a diet of Jesus' followers. Oh wait, they drank wine too... we CANNOT have that. : /

Eating pork is not sinful. It's just totally and completely disgusting.
 
Upvote 0