Petrichor Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I know that once upon a time, Christians did follow something similar to kosher laws of slaughter, but do any sects still abide by those laws? I'm specifically thinking maybe the Amish or Mormons have such a thing? Anyone know of the terminology for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebacabunch Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I know mormons don't. We abstain from smoking, all alcohol, coffee and tea. It's called the Word of Wisdom which we believe is the Lord's law of health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 There are rules and regulations as regards our Priesthood and death. I do not know the details, but it came up in a conversation we had once about how we process our own chickens. I do not think priests can kill. On a different note, there are rules about the bread and wine we use for communion. Where it comes from and how it is prepared. Then we have the fasting rules, but those are not the same as Kosher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Great question! None that I have heard of. I do buy Kosher when I can but I really can't explain why. It just feels better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 In Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council it was decided that: 28For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29That you abstain from anything offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Farewell. This is the only Biblical example I can think of about food outside of the Law, pertinant to Christians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 The early church developed the practice of fasting that included no meat, dairy, wine and oil on certain days (Wednesday and Friday to start, other lengthier fasts developed over time). Is that what you mean? The Orthodox church still practices these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 In Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council it was decided that: 28For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29That you abstain from anything offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Farewell. This is the only Biblical example I can think of about food outside of the Law, pertinant to Christians. Were these for the converts from Judiasm who felt the need for dietary restriction? It's been a long time since I studied this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I don't think the Amish keep kosher. I know there are individual Christians who attempt to keep kosher , but I think most denominations will cite St. Peter's vision in Acts 10 or the letters to the Romans or the Galatians as reasons for not needing to keep kosher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 The early church developed the practice of fasting that included no meat, dairy, wine and oil on certain days (Wednesday and Friday to start, other lengthier fasts developed over time). Is that what you mean? The Orthodox church still practices these things. Fasting is different from kosher. Leviticus and Deuteronomy list the rules for which animals can and can't be eaten. There are rules for how clean (acceptable) animals are to be slaughters also. And there are also rules for combining some foods with others such as no meat and dairy products together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Were these for the converts from Judiasm who felt the need for dietary restriction? It's been a long time since I studied this. Sort of. What was happening was that as the Gentiles were converting, there were some who thought they must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. The dispute grew to a level that Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to meet up with other apostles and elders to settle the matter. The conclusion of the matter was that there were 4 things that could be asked of the new Gentile converts for the time present. Meat offered to idols was probably because it could be a stumbling block for some (see 1 Cor 8:10-11) Things strangled was the second, and there was a custom at the time to strangle animals before offering them to idols, so it goes along with the first reason. The third was abstaining from blood. Both that and eating strangled animals would have been considered pretty disgusting to some of the brothers and sisters in Christ, and regard for others conscience is important. The last was fornication, and again, this was a factor in many of the belief systems of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 It is my understanding that almost all of the meat in the middle east during the 1st Century was ritually sacrificed. In a sense, this would have put pressure on the early church to come up with their own "kosher" (that which was not sacrificed to idols) meat supply. I will try to find the article I was reading last night about this. I know it was an issue in the Greco-Roman empire. Well, it was from this book, but I cannot find the article. http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo3775014.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Sort of. What was happening was that as the Gentiles were converting, there were some who thought they must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. The dispute grew to a level that Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to meet up with other apostles and elders to settle the matter. The conclusion of the matter was that there were 4 things that could be asked of the new Gentile converts for the time present. Meat offered to idols was probably because it could be a stumbling block for some (see 1 Cor 8:10-11) Things strangled was the second, and there was a custom at the time to strangle animals before offering them to idols, so it goes along with the first reason. The third was abstaining from blood. Both that and eating strangled animals would have been considered pretty disgusting to some of the brothers and sisters in Christ, and regard for others conscience is important. The last was fornication, and again, this was a factor in many of the belief systems of the day. Thanks for the explanation :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I know that once upon a time, Christians did follow something similar to kosher laws of slaughter, but do any sects still abide by those laws? I'm specifically thinking maybe the Amish or Mormons have such a thing? Anyone know of the terminology for that? I took your question to mean a system of dietary laws rather than merely narrowly slaughter only, since koshering meat also includes salting it, as well as choice of animal. The prohibition against blood transfusions among Jehovah's Witnesses grew out of the Biblical prohibition of drinking /ingesting blood, as far as I know. There are also groups that are vegetarian such as Seventh Day Adventists. I think the Eastern Orthodox church members' vegetarian fasts have already been discussed. The Amish and Mennonite certainly appear to enjoy and eat a lot of pork, but I wonder if their lifestyle implicitly supports local slaughter versus factory farmed meat or to what degree this is important to them? There are some Amish people who sell at my local farmers' market. I picked up a brochure from them that was about their meat that they sell and the conditions they use, and it also included information against corn fed meat, I think, and genetically modified products and things like Corn Flakes. I know "Amish raised" meat commands a higher price, and I regularly see Amish raised halal chicken. So their presumably non-factory environment is resumed to be a plus. Is this religious, though, or an outgrowth of their agrarian culture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 The Amish and Mennonite certainly appear to enjoy and eat a lot of pork, but I wonder if their lifestyle implicitly supports local slaughter versus factory farmed meat or to what degree this is important to them? There are some Amish people who sell at my local farmers' market. I picked up a brochure from them that was about their meat that they sell and the conditions they use, and it also included information against corn fed meat, I think, and genetically modified products and things like Corn Flakes. I know "Amish raised" meat commands a higher price, and I regularly see Amish raised halal chicken. So their presumably non-factory environment is resumed to be a plus. Is this religious, though, or an outgrowth of their agrarian culture? I have lived near large Amish and Mennonite communities and have close relationships with some formerly Amish people. I have never heard of any restrictions or particular beliefs regarding the raising or slaughter of animals. I am sure it varies by the farm and family. The Amish tend to be good business people; I'm sure they know there is a demand for more natural, humanely raised foods and are responding to that. Many of them are also interested in natural healing and health issues. I would hope that some of them might have in mind Proverbs 12:10A: "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast." Sadly, many puppy mills are also run by Amish people, so I can't imagine that animal welfare is important to all of them. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 My boss is a Seventh Day Adventist pastor. He follows the diet prescribed by Leviticus. I believe this is essentially the same as the kosher diet. His wife follows the same diet with the further restriction of being vegetarian. Not all Adventists are vegetarians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 The application of Kosher laws to Christian diets is highly subjective. For example, the Duggar family does not eat pork of any kind. This is their interpretation of the laws in Leviticus. It is true that many Christians feel that Paul had a vision from G-d that basically said Christians didn't have to follow Kosher laws because of Jesus' death. Part of the view is that when Jesus died on the cross there was a new covenant formed between the people and G-d, and that the old rules no longer applied. As for LDS rules, there is also some debate. The Word of Wisdom comes from part of our LDS scriptures. One of the books in our scriptures, in addition to the Old and New Testaments, is called "The Doctrine and the Covenants" (shorthand is D&C). These are, we believe, divine communications from G-d to our prophets about certain issues. In D&C 89 it is here - https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89?lang=eng . It's pretty long, so I'm not quoting it all here. In verse five it is said that "strong drink" and wine are not good for our bodies unless used during the sacrament. Personally, I take this to mean that wine if fine for communion, but other wise it and hard alcohol are to be avoided. There goes my beloved Mojito. Verse six goes on to say that the wine should be home made. Verse eight says that tobacco "is not for the body" but goes on to explain how it can be used as an herb, externally, on cattle and only by those who know how to use it. Verse nine is where people disagree the most. It says that "hot drinks" are not for the body. Traditionally this has been interpreted as coffee and tea with caffeine in it. Herbal tea is fine, not not teas with caffeine or that has been decaffeinated. Some argue that iced coffee and teas are fine, others argue that they are no. Most people are okay with hot chocolate, but some aren't. It's really subjective, IMO. Not many LDS people go beyond the "no coffee or tea" rule, but D&C 89 goes much farther. In verses ten, and eleven some people feel expresses an instruction to eat seasonal foods only. So no oranges in winter in Minnesota. Many feel that verses twelve and thirteen instruct LDS people to be vegetarians during most of the year, and that we're only to eat meat in the winter. Verse seventeen again brings up issues. Some people read the instructions there in to mean that the only grain humans should eat is corn. Then we get into a debate about what "corn" means. We also get into a debate about "barley drinks". Some feel this means that beer is okay. There are many documented instances of Joseph Smith drinking beer. Does that mean that beer is okay, or does it mean that even a prophet is human and sins from time to time. These are points of theological reflection, IMO. So, there is a long answer to a simple question : D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 My boss is a Seventh Day Adventist pastor. He follows the diet prescribed by Leviticus. I believe this is essentially the same as the kosher diet. His wife follows the same diet with the further restriction of being vegetarian. Not all Adventists are vegetarians. :iagree: MIL is SDA. Kosher diet, but their church strongly encourages vegetarianism, however, it's not a law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I have lived near large Amish and Mennonite communities and have close relationships with some formerly Amish people. I have never heard of any restrictions or particular beliefs regarding the raising or slaughter of animals. I am sure it varies by the farm and family. Probably so. Thanks for clarifying the SDA vegetarian thing. I had been a bit confused after seeing apparently meat eating SDAs and also outspoken vegetarian SDAs who seemed to say their religion required it. Glad to have that figured out. Whew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Yeah, SDA law is same as Jewish, in that no pork, shellfish. *Most* SDA ppl I know are vegetarian, it's very strongly encouraged, but it's not law the way no pork/shellfish is. Personally, I've *never* been to an SDA gathering, be it in someone's home, or a public event, where any meat was served. First time I'd ever seen gluten. That carp is GREY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I've never met a meat eating SDA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 My parents are part of a messianic congregation, most of who are not Jewish, and they try to follow the eating guidelines in scripture. They don't believe that it saves them, but they believe that if you are truly wanting to live a life that is honouring to God, that eventually you will eat somewhat kosher. I eat that way cause it's healthier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I've never met a meat eating SDA. Wolf has cousins who are, which is how I ended up getting the diff explained to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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