Posted on 05/11/2007 10:18:42 AM PDT by Alouette
In Islam, pork was forbidden for human consumption more than 1400 years ago. The wisdom behind this Divine prohibition was only discovered in the 20th century by doctors and scientists.
Food and drink have direct effect on our health. That is why Allah (the one and only God) has prescribed regulations about our food and drink. Islam lays great emphasis on our physical as well as moral health, because both of these are equally important for a healthy society.
The abstention from eating pork is one of the steps taken by Islam to practise hygiene and to attain purity of soul. There is a saying in English that "a man becomes what he eats". According to physicians and medical experts, pork is a harmful diet. Consumption of swine-flesh creates lowliness in character and destroys moral and spiritual faculties in a man.
The Quran has prohibited the swine-flesh, hence the Muslims would not dare touch it. The Bible has also forbidden swine-flesh, but Christians disregarded this order and started consuming it.
The life of a man is a compound of body and soul. Anything, which is harmful for the body, hurts the soul as well.
Consumption of swine-flesh reduces the feeling of shame and as such the standard of modesty. Those nations, which consume pork habitually, have a low standard of morality with the result that virginity, chastity and bashfulness are becoming a thing of the past.
The formula of "skin to skin is no sin" is taking its toll but there is hardly any feeling of shame or remorse over the end-result. Since the Western nations have become addicted to wine and pork, sexual freedom with all its attendant evils has got ingrained in their culture.
Medical discoveries of porks harm
Reliable medical doctors and social scientists are able to realise how those food and drinks forbidden by Islam are harmful and destructive to the human spirit and morality as well as to the physique and moral fibre of man and to verify the benefits of Islamic legislations on the subjects.
Dr. E. Kazim. M.D, in his article "Medical aspects of forbidden foods in Islam" (July 1981 issue of Muslim Journal) has described diseases carried or caused by the flesh of swine.
He writes: "The pig is a scavenger. It is an omnivorous animal. It eats everything. There are many diseases carried from swine to man, particularly parasite infestations. Lately extensive research has been focused on senility-old age is characterised by hardening of inner lining of the blood vessels of the heart, brain etc. a process called atheroselerosis. When a clot forms, it results in coronary thrombosis or a heart attack, cerebral thrombosis or stroke.
Different dietary factors are responsible for atheroselerosis. Gross atheroma may be produced in rabbit by feeding it with cholesterol, but when you add lard (derived from hog fat) to the cholesterol, the incidence of atheroma is increased and thus you would produce coronary thrombosis, and myocardial infraction."
Besides, lard contains 2800 units of vitamin D per 100 grams and no vitamin A at all. Lately vitamin D has been held responsible for atheroma, by causing increased absorption of calcium in the blood vessels. In human beings, serum cholesterol is not dependent on the intake of cholesterol in the diet, but depends upon the proportion of animal fats in the diet, which elevates the beta-lipo protein level in the blood. Animal fats contain saturated fatty acids and these saturated fatty acids have been found to be as one of the causes of atheroma in man. Medium fat bacon contains 25% proteins and 55% fat.
According to medical research, the fat content in pork is more than any other meat (beef, mutton etc.) and it takes longer to digest. Dr. M Jaffer in an article in the Islamic Review (London) of January 1997 issue has listed 16 kinds of harmful germs, which have been discovered in pork in modern researches and the diseases, which could be caused by them. The number of patients suffering from tapeworm disease is the highest in the world among pork eating nations. Other diseases attributed to pigs are caused by tri-chinelia spirates and intestinal worms occupy first place among such nations too.
Dr. Glen Shepherd wrote the following on the dangers of eating pork in Washington Post (31 May 1952): "One in six people in USA and Canada have germs in their muscles - trichinosis 8 from eating pork infected with trichina worms. Many people who are infected show no symptoms. Most of those, who do have, recover slowly. Some die; some are reduced to permanent invalids. All were careless pork caters."
He continued: "No one is immune from the disease and there is no cure. Neither antibiotics nor drugs or vaccines affect these tiny deadly worms. Preventing infection is the real answer."
After reading the statement of Dr. Shepherd, one can realise that there is no real guarantee of safety when eating pork that one would not be affected by trichina worm. That is why modern doctors advise three prohibitions during illness: no liquor, no pork and no smoking.
Wisdom of Islam
Muslims follow the divine law which is much higher than the medical advice. The Glorious Quran says: "So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, Lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (16:114-115)
The above is the order from the Creator of the universe and the Supreme Law-Giver. All Muslims are under the obligation to obey it. This is a plain and straightforward answer to those, who usually ask why Muslims abstain from eating pork.
The prohibition is based on the aim of the purification of ones nature, because food, when consumed, does not merely enter the stomach and intestines and become excreta. It is absorbed and metabolised into the system and circulated to all parts of the human body, including the brain, and this in no small way affects mans nature. Take a look at the nature of the pig for example. The pig is naturally lazy and indulgent in sex, it is dirty, greedy and gluttonous. It dislikes sunlight and lacks the spirit and will to "fight". It eats almost anything, be it human excreta or anything foul and unwholesome. Amongst all animal flesh, pork is the favoured cradle of harmful germs. Pork also serves as a carrier of diseases to mankind. It is for this reason that its flesh is not suitable for consumption.
Some people have argued that the "modern pig" reared in farms is given only clean foods, therefore, its flesh should be consumable. The answer is that you may feed the pig on clean, wholesome food, but you cannot change its nature. It is still a pig and will always stay so. A pig is not a plant and you cannot change it by bud-grafting!
Only for sex.
Not only making up excuses.. Makes up the age of Islam.
Didn’t you hear.. toothbrushes are not halel.
Acts 10:9—the remainder of the chapter
Romans ch. 14
Colossians ch. 2
In fact, many Christians abstain from the eating of pork for health reasons, but not as a religious mandate. No Bible-believing Christian believes that eating or not eating pork will affect, one way or another, ones access to God. Since Calvary, there is no religious exclusion of pork.
Many children’s homes and orphanages operated by Christian people keep pork out of the menus, and that for health reasons, not because the directors believe that the children would be affected spiritually by eating pork. When traveling, host families will sometimes serve pork (unconscious of the orphanage rules), and the children are not instructed to refuse the meal.
The late Lester Roloff, the founder of large children’s homes in southern Texas forbad pork, soft drinks, coffee and other things he believed were better left alone. Pork-eating Christians and their (mainly independent Baptist) churches were the principle supporters of Roloff’s homes. Roloff preached against pork on the radio as well as in the pulpits of churches that actually supported his work. But Brother Roloff never once suggested that the eternal destiny of a man’s soul, or a Christian’s access to God’s grace (Hebrews 414-16) was affected in the least by the eating of or abstaining from pork.
Bro. Rollof certainly never refused to sit next to a man who had a pork barbeque sandwich in his sack or in his hands. He would never sue in court; would never be offended by pork-eaters. It was simple to Brother Roloff. When you are caring for hundreds of young people, and you are responsible for their health, you restrict their diet for that purpose. The Roloff homes had/have large farms. The young people fish on the inter coastal waterway for their own fish.
When I was a small boy, I suffered from boils. Our family doctor, a Christian, not a Jew or a Muslim, instructed my parents to take pork out of my diet. They did. The boils stopped occurring. I do occasionally enjoy pork now (51 years old), and I don’t get boils.
When I pastored a church in the Philippines, a man wanted to give lessons on health to our people. He was a strict vegetarian. I told him, that’s fine . . . teach HEALTH, NOT DOCTRINE. He could freely teach what he believed to be good for folks to eat. I told him that the moment he began telling or implying that people were either good or bad Christians based on their abstaining from meats, etc., then I would stop him.
Numbers 13:6 states he was from the tribe of Judah.
there is very clear teaching regarding gerim having the same toratot as benei Ysra'el.
There are two kinds of ger. The ger tzedek is a gentile who converts to full Judaism, the ger toshav is a Noahide who lives in the land of Israel.
Ezra and the Great Assembly codified the conversion process. Prior to that, a convert accepted upon himself (or herself) the laws of Moses.
We see already that Ruth was not accepted by everyone as a valid convert, because of the prohibition against accepting Moabites as converts, however it was taught that female converts of Moab are accepted.
In Acts chapter 10, God DID INDEED tell Peter to eat animals that Peter had, up to that revelation from heaven, known to be unclean. God told Peter to NOT call any of those animals unclean, because God had cleansed them. Peter also knew that it was “unlawful” to company with people of other nations (Acts 10:28), but God told him to go to Cornelius house.
The fact is, there was a change in dispensation. God set Israel and her religious system aside because of the nation’s rejection of their Messiah-King, Jesus Christ, and their oft blaspheming of the Holy Spirit and rejection of the Spirit’s testimony through the post-resurrection ministry of the Apostles (Acts chs. 2-8). (Read about the “casting away” of Israel in Romans chapter 11.)
God saved Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul, the Prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles. Through Paul’s ministry, God revealed the reconciliation of the whole world by the Cross, the Blood and the Merits of Christ, and revealed that He had thrown open the door of salvation to WHOSOEVER WILL believe on Christ. All who will believe on Christ are baptized by God’s Spirit into one Body, Believing Jews and believing Gentiles — one in Christ without religious distinction.
EATING OR ABSTAINING FROM MEATS IS NO LONGER AN ISSUE. PERIOD. You can eat the pork if your conscience allows you, or you can abstain if your conscience forbids you. You can eat the shrimp or abstain from the shrimp.
Christ Jesus FULFILLED THE LAW BY PAYING ITS FULL PENALTY AT THE CROSS.
1 Timothy 4:1-4
1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4. For EVERY creature of God is good, and NOTHING TO BE REFUSED, IF it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
It is a DOCTRINE OF DEVILS taught by seducing spirits to teach a Gentile or a member of Christ’s Body that he must refuse ANY creature in order to have access to God or have a better relationship to Him.
Pigs do not have sweat glands .
You don't have to be that bright to figure out that if you live in a arid environment and keep pigs you'll find your pigs living in the same place that you depend on for your drinking water .They like to wallow in mud to keep cool. At the edge of your pond . Two things happen . One is that the water is constantly dirty and the other is that the surface area of your pond is constantly expanding , which in turn causes more and faster evaporation . Water loss is not good for you ! Without it in the desert you're going to die.
Mohammad got it wrong . Nothing new there.
They start with a conclusion and then seek to justify it.
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In my experience the majority of people do this, most are incapable of doing otherwise.
In days of old, people weren't supposed to eat pork because it wasn't safe. Now it is, just like shell fish is. Eating pork or shell fish is one of the lesser things people need to worry about. God is more interested in what comes out of our mouth than what we put into it. He cares more about the condition of our heart.
No thanks, I'm a Christian.
While I revere your religion, you mock mine. Interesting
lol. What a stupid cult.
9 out fo 10 germs agree!...”pork is the favoured cradle of harmful germs”
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