Should I eat breakfast or not?

Byfaithalone1 · Jul 22, 2008

This is a silly little side topic, but perhaps you might humor me?

Let's imagine for a moment that you are a Christian musician and you have travelled to another town to provide music for a worship service in a non-SDA church. A member of that church offered to have you stay with him overnight. Although that member knows you are a Seventh-day Adventist, he does not really understand what SDAs believe. He wakes early in the morning and prepares only one breakfast item--a breakfast burrito that contains sausage. As you arrive at the breakfast table, you note your host's enthusiasm about the breakfast and his interest in hearing your opinion of his culinary creation.

If you were faced with such a situation, would you:

(1) Politely decline the breakfast and explain the reasons why you choose not to eat sausage;
(2) Politely decline the breakfast and suggest that you aren't hungry;
(3) Try to pick the sausage out of the burrito and then eat it;
(3) Decide to eat the burrito because you believe it is more important to show love than it is to honor dietary laws;
(4) Eat the burrito in the same way you would any other day because you have no conviction one way or the other regarding the consumption of pork products; -OR-
(5) Some other option I haven't thought of (please specify).

Thanks for humoring me.

BFA

mva1985 · Jul 22, 2008

Option #3

I would accept what he has provided with thanksgiving.

My intestines will chastise me a little later in the day.

HoneyDew · Jul 22, 2008

Since you title this as a "silly little side topic" I will respond in a silly way.
You didn't specify what kind of sausage. Would that be beef, chicken-and-apple, turkey, or veggie?

Adventtruth · Jul 22, 2008

Byfaithalone1 said:
This is a silly little side topic, but perhaps you might humor me?

Let's imagine for a moment that you are a Christian musician and you have travelled to another town to provide music for a worship service in a non-SDA church. A member of that church offered to have you stay with him overnight. Although that member knows you are a Seventh-day Adventist, he does not really understand what SDAs believe. He wakes early in the morning and prepares only one breakfast item--a breakfast burrito that contains sausage. As you arrive at the breakfast table, you note your host's enthusiasm about the breakfast and his interest in hearing your opinion of his culinary creation.

If you were faced with such a situation, would you:

(1) Politely decline the breakfast and explain the reasons why you choose not to eat sausage;
(2) Politely decline the breakfast and suggest that you aren't hungry;
(3) Try to pick the sausage out of the burrito and then eat it;
(3) Decide to eat the burrito because you believe it is more important to show love than it is to honor dietary laws;
(4) Eat the burrito in the same way you would any other day because you have no conviction one way or the other regarding the consumption of pork products; -OR-
(5) Some other option I haven't thought of (please specify).

Thanks for humoring me.

BFA

There was a time early in my SDA life I would have chosen to decline with an explanation. In fact I have done such a thing. Then there came a time as a SDA I would have chosen to pick it out. Then there came a time as SDA where I did eat because I had a better understanding of food laws with no conviction that it was a sin.

AT

HoneyDew · Jul 22, 2008

I would eat the burrito. If I had major issues with food, then I would have brought my own. That said, I look at Colossians 2: 16-23, 1 Corinthians 8: 8-13 (which may illustrate just about anything you choose), and 1 Corinthians 10: 25-32 to guide me in those times when I think I need to be aware of not being a stumbling block to another person.

StormyOne · Jul 22, 2008

eat and enjoy.... its a non-issue unless there was some health reason i.e. high blood pressure and the need for a low sodium diet....

Byfaithalone1 · Jul 22, 2008

StormyOne said:
eat and enjoy.... its a non-issue unless there was some health reason i.e. high blood pressure and the need for a low sodium diet....

I would have responded the same way.

BFA

Adventtruth · Jul 22, 2008

Byfaithalone1 said:
I would have responded the same way.

BFA

Did you or do you think you would have respond that way as an early Adventist? Did you work your way to such a level? I at one time had bought into the whole dietary thing hook line and sinker.

AT

moicherie · Jul 23, 2008

I would have told him I had special dietary requirements once I knew I was staying there overnight. Even tho this is a silly topic in this day and age with allergies, health issues etc if one is going to be a host one should ask if the guest has any special dietary reqquirements we can't assume we all eat the same thing these days.

Byfaithalone1 · Jul 23, 2008

Adventtruth said:
Did you or do you think you would have respond that way as an early Adventist? Did you work your way to such a level? I at one time had bought into the whole dietary thing hook line and sinker.

AT

I actually faced this exact scenario when I was in my early 20s and still an SDA. That's why I raised the question; I was enterested to see how others would have handled the situation. When I was faced with this situation, I apologized to the host, claimed that I wasn't hungry and didn't like to eat before singing. I was pretty hungry when we finally got to eat lunch.

In my early 30s, when my approach to SDAism had become more progressive, I probably would have simply eaten the burrito and then would have later felt guilty about it.

Today, I would eat it, enjoy it and feel no guilt about it.

BFA

Adventtruth · Jul 23, 2008

Byfaithalone1 said:
I actually faced this exact scenario when I was in my early 20s and still an SDA. That's why I raised the question; I was enterested to see how others would have handled the situation. When I was faced with this situation, I apologized to the host, claimed that I wasn't hungry and didn't like to eat before singing. I was pretty hungry when we finally got to eat lunch.

In my early 30s, when my approach to SDAism had become more progressive, I probably would have simply eaten the burrito and then would have later felt guilty about it.

Today, I would eat it, enjoy it and feel no guilt about it.

BFA

Yeah....I remember teaching a sabbath school class after I had discarded the Adventist diet and the topic came up. I ask the class what would they do if they where trying to win some one to Christ and the Adventist church and they offered you a pork sandwich to eat, knowing that your Adventist views would loose you the possible convert. The first elder said he would refuse to eat because God would not lead you to sin. I suppose as Adventist, we have all been in his shoes.

AT

JonMiller · Jul 23, 2008

I don't eat meat. Lots of other people don't. I feel perfectly fine telling people what I eat and don't eat, even though they might be put out by it. I just won't eat if there is nothing else available.

It is likely that if I was in a different culture, that I would do differently.

JM

JonMiller · Jul 23, 2008

I would like to note that I don't think that eating meat is a sin. Even pork is just unhealthy (maybe less so with modern methods).

However, it makes me sick (I have eaten some by accident). Most people know that. So I guess I would just say it makes me sick if they enquire.

JM

Mankin · Jul 25, 2008

I would either go ahead and eat it. Or I would say that I'm sorry but I'm a vegetarian and I don't know if my stomach can handle meat. Or I would just pick off the sausage.

IMO its just food. I don't see why God would deny someone salvation cause they ate pork.

MRHarvey · Jul 25, 2008

Hi again, BFA!

Of the options you gave, my inclination would be to go with number 4!

I'm suprised that no one else (at least, no one else who has posted to this thread so far) has brought up what I am about to bring up!

The Apostle, Peter, was faced with exactly the same situation, in real life, in Acts, chatper 10. He was staying as a guest at the home of a gentile. Because his host was a gentile, he obviously would not have kept the kosher dietary laws. Therefore, the food that he was serving would be considered "unclean" according to those laws. And Peter was getting hungry (verse 10). Peter had never eaten anything "unclean" or "defiled" before (verse 14)! Nevertheless, the rest of the chapter (really, from verse 10 onwards) tells us how God showed Peter, in a vision, that it was all right for him to eat anything!

It is a pity that the Scriptures don't tell us exactly what Peter's host was serving! For all we know, it could have been what we now call a breakfast burrito (or someting very simialr to that), with pork in it!

Talk to you again soon, BFA!

With Love in Christ,

Mark

Xenon · Jul 25, 2008

I'd go with option 1. Very little that I've learned about pork, even before I was saved, suggests that it is a good food to eat. I simply wouldn't eat it because of the health issues involved, and I'd have no reservations against explaining this. Even if it was a "clean" meat, I'd still be a bit uneasy thanks to some vegan websites detailing how the meat industry works (good thing I like tofu). That stuff just isn't right.

sentipente · Jul 26, 2008

The problem with that scenario is that it would be unlikely for your host to tell you what is in the burrito unless you asked.

sentipente · Jul 26, 2008

Adventtruth said:
Did you work your way to such a level? I at one time had bought into the whole dietary thing hook line and sinker.

AT

Why do mention this as if it were a crime? You make it seem that you have a chip on your shoulder.

foofighter · Jul 26, 2008

Wow Sentipenti

I think you read a lot into AT's statement. That is just the way it is in SDA'ism. Dietary issues are a big deal. Just brink a pork chop to potluck, or any type of meat for that matter, at probably 95% of SDA churches. Talk about a crime, the chill in the room would be palpable, to say the least!!!! There was a church here, that actually covered the faucet in the kitchen so no one could drink with their meals. Talk about controlling!!!!! It says on your profile that you are a pastor. Are you still associated with SDA'ism. Progressive?

JonMiller · Jul 26, 2008

There are plenty of SDA churchs that have meat dishes. Generally ones from other cultures though.

JM

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