Symes . . you have never addressed the this passage in the New Testament where Paul tells Christians to eat whatever they find in the market, and whatever is put before them at pagan feasts . . .
and these foods include unclean foods such as SWINE, HORSES, DOGS, etc . .
Here it is again for you:
Now, something that should be taken into consideration, in my opinion, is the issue of meats offered to idols, and the instructions in the New Testament about them, especially Paul's. .
This is what Paul said:
1Co 10:25
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
1Co 10:26 For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
Now, the question is, what kinds of meats were offered to idols?
Just Jewish Kosher meats? Just meats declared CLEAN by the Jewish Law?
Why would someone think this since pagans were not Jewish and not under Jewish dietary laws? Is it reasonable to think this?
I had to do some searching, and becaue there is an abundance of SDA and other sites which want Christians to be restricted to Jewish kosher dietary laws (which are going to give me biased information) it took a long time to go through it, I didn't have time to contiune searching for more information.
But I believe that determining what kinds of food would find their way into the market place after being offered to an idol is essential to helping us to understand the freedom we have in the New Testament . .
I found this as an example:
Worship
The most widespread public act of worship in ancient Greece was sacrifice , especially the blood sacrifice of animals. The temple s of the Greek religion generally were not public gathering places where people gathered socially for collective indoor prayer; most temples were little more than boxes that held a cult idol of the deity. Rather, the temples were part slaughterhouse and part barbecue;ox en, sheep , horses, swine , dogs, various birds, and almost every kind of beast, be it fur, fish, or fowl, were offered as sacrificial victims to one deity or another, again depending chiefly on local custom. When we are told in studies of mythology that "horses are sacred to Poseidon " or roosters to Hermes , what this meant first and foremost was that these animals were customarily offered as sacrifices to those gods. Most sacrificial victims were food animals; for these, the usual practice was to offer the god the blood, bones, and hide of the victim, while the worshippers kept and ate the rest.
The Roman formula expressed the attitude of worshippers to their gods in the formula do ut des; I give sacrifices, so that the god will reward me in return. Public worship was aimed at pleasing the gods so that the gods would send rain, good harvest, military victories, and other public blessings. Private sacrifice was offered for personal goals. Prayer was highly formulaic and ritualized. Most places did not have professional full-time clergy ; priests were local officials whose priesthoods were not full time jobs. Major religious sites such as the oracle s of pilgrimage brought in enough spiritual tourism to need a full time clerical staff.
http://www.tutorgig.com/encyclopedi...=Greek_religion
Now . . looking at what would be the usual foods offered to idols Paul is speaking of, and his instruction to eat whatever was put before one without asking if it was offered to an idol, we see this . .
Here are several translations of this verse from above:
1Co 10:25
(ALT) Whatever is sold in the meat-market, eat, examining nothing, for the sake of the conscience.
(ASV) Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat, asking no question for conscience' sake,
(BBE) Whatever meat may be had at the public market, take as food without question of right or wrong;
(CEV) However, when you buy meat in the market, go ahead and eat it. Keep your conscience clear by not asking where the meat came from.
(Darby) Everything sold in the shambles eat, making no inquiry for conscience sake.
(DRB) Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat: asking no question for conscience' sake.
(EMTV) Eat everything being sold in the meat market, questioning nothing, for conscience' sake;
(GB) Whatsoeuer is solde in the shambles, eate ye, and aske no question for conscience sake.
(GNB) You are free to eat anything sold in the meat market, without asking any questions because of your conscience.
(HNV) Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience,
(ISV) Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without raising any question about it on the ground of conscience,
(KJV+) Whatsoever3956 is sold4453 in1722 the meat market,3111that eat,2068 asking no question350, 3367 for conscience sake:1223, 4893(KJVA) Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
(LITV) Eat everything being sold in a meat market, examining nothing because of conscience,
(YLT) Whatever in the meat-market is sold eat ye, not inquiring, because of the conscience,
Given the wide range of, to the Jews, UNCLEAN anmals offered to idols and sold in the markest, the "WHATEVER" "EVERYTHING" and "ANYTHING " sold in the markets would include these unclean animals . . And Paul was instructing them that they could eat anything they found there . .
WHY?
Paul tells us:
1Co 10:26
For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
Then Paul goes on to say MORE! : 1Co 10:27 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
If Christians are not to eat Jewish Unclean meats, yet the Christian is at a feast given by pagans who eat unclean animals all the time, why would Paul tell them to eat whatever is put in front of them . . and not to even ask questions about it? You were not to ask what animal this meat was from, or if it were offered to an idol . . you were to simply eat it!
NOW AGAIN . .. the meats that the pagans ate were of all types . .they did not hold to the food restrictions of the Jews . . so swine could be offered, anything could be set before you . . and what comes next begs a very important question!
This is what comes next:
1Co 10:28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:
1Co 10:29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?
IF it was SO important to abstain from unclean animals, then WHY did Paul only mention to not eat ONLY because it was offered to idols? (And not because it was wrong, but because you could injure the conscience of the one who brought it to your attention because they thought is was wrong . . Paul is advocating acting in a loving way that puts the other's needs before our liberty in Christ . . )
In fact, IF it was SO important to abstain from unclean animals, then WHY did Paul NOT tell them to make sure that they were ONLY eating CLEAN meats?
He didn't tell them to be careful to do that . . !!!
He told them to eat ANYTHING fully knowing that this ANYTHING most likely would be UNCLEAN animals according to Jewish dietary laws!!
I see absolutely NO evidence that Christians were EVER expected to eat only those meats declared clean by Jewish dietary laws . .
Quite the contrary, I see we are told to eat ANYTHING put before us because the earth is the Lord's and the FULLNESS thereof . .
1Co 10:30
For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
We are under the Law of Liberty . .
Peace in Him!