we are not supposed to eat things sacrificed to the dead or to idols. i read this in the psalms. this would apply to both jews and christians because both of our religions accept this book as Inspired.
the new testament (christians only, of course) says its okay as long as the person offering you the food doesn’t make a point of telling you “this is sacrificed food”.
most of the times i have eaten at someone’s house particulary on CNY, it has been made known to me that this is food that has been before a fouh shiang. i wonder about this from a conscience standpoint. certainly it is more of a sin to insult a host than to abide by food laws?
i got on this subject because of JD’s post about islam and bacon.
[quote=“jdsmith”]I don’t think that Taiwanese people know very much about their own religions, much less the religions of foreigners.[/quote]Ain’t that the truth.
I asked my bro inlaw why he burned bai bai at this home - “Because my parents said I should” was his answer.
me - “How much of that ghost money do you know to burn?”
him - “I dunno, they bring it over to me. I don’t buy it”
me - “What do you do when you burn it…I mean do you say anything or pray or somethin’?”
him - “Naw…I just throw it on the fire. I think my Mother says something but she never told me I should say anything.”
me - “How often do you do this bai bai crap?”
him - “Only when they come over and expect me to do it. I hate this stuff.”
Thats pretty much word for word.
I make it a point to ask people burning bai bai questions about it. Just about everyone has no idea why - they say its lucky or a ‘special day’ - how much - I dunno…we just burn a big pile of it, or what if any special procedure or words go along with it.
i jsut say a silent prayer to give thanks for the food. I actually do have similar misgivings and end up not having much of an appetite either. Specially being the only christian in my chinese side of the family who are nominally buddhist (but of course probably just practice the religion cuz “everyone else does” )
Forgive the longish quote, but I thought I’d provide 1 Cor 8 in full:
“1 Now in regard to meat sacrificed to idols: we realize that “all of us have knowledge”; knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up.
2 If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
3 But if one loves God, one is known by him.
4 So about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols: we know that “there is no idol in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.”
5 Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth (there are, to be sure, many “gods” and many “lords”),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and through whom we exist.
7 But not all have this knowledge. There are some who have been so used to idolatry up until now that, when they eat meat sacrificed to idols, their conscience, which is weak, is defiled.
8 Now food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do.
9 But make sure that this liberty of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.
10 If someone sees you, with your knowledge, reclining at table in the temple of an idol, may not his conscience too, weak as it is, be “built up” to eat the meat sacrificed to idols?
11 Thus through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died.
12 When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ.
13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin.”
Eating any kind of food seems to be morally neutral, so no problem. It doesn’t sound to me like you’ll ‘scandalize’ anybody by eating said food. I think in the case you mentioned, the real danger is being ungracious to your host’s offer of hospitality. There’s my $.02
See Ezekiel’s comment below and remember that the author of Revelation was drawing on several Hebrew Scripture ideas as well.
You’re going to notice a running theme in what I am saying (I’m actually replying to these backwards). But Ezekiel is talking about problems with partaking in worship ceremonies.
Chapter 10 of Corinthians deals with taking part in pagan festivities. Be careful to take a passage out of the entire context.
Don’t forget verse 8:8 “But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do.” What Paul, again, is saying is a condemnation of taking part in pagan religious ceremonies and thinking those are what gets you close to God. It’s not saying “don’t eat food.”
Same thing as mentioned above.
Now, the question is what do you do with this? In a very strict and conservative Jewish faith, you do not open doors on Saturday because it says to not do any extra work on the Sabbath. How strictly you take these is up to you and I’m not going to get into telling you which way is right/which way is wrong. It’s more a practical question of how to carry out your faith and interpretation of what you’re reading. I’m just trying to offer how I read those scriptures.
I will also say one more point. We must realize what the writers’ situations are in Scripture. Several books (Genesis, Isaiah, Daniel) are believed to have different writers over a long period of time. Ezekiel is believed to have been written during the first group of exiles of the Babylonian Exile. So it is really important to see his writings in context of a group trying to take over and get rid of their religion.
Revelation was written under similar circumstances. There is a debate about the time of Revelation, but most scholars believe it was written during the reign of Domition (mid 90’s) while many others believe it was written during Nero’s reign (about 70 AD). Then there are other guesses But either way, it was a time when a religion was being forced upon the early Christian Community and they were having to choose to avoid certain things and stand firm.
Paul was writing in a time when Christianity was spreading and trying to gain its own identity. Paul was a stickler with this sort of stuff.
I hope that helps put things into a certain perspective for those that don’t take it quite as strictly as it sounds. Like I said, if you do, fine…not going to argue it. Just for those that don’t…I guess I’m saying not to worry too much.
Hi Greg. I think verses 8-9 sum up what you are saying perfectly. Very good point.
[quote=“Just Greg”]Forgive the longish quote, but I thought I’d provide 1 Cor 8 in full:
…
8 Now food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do.
9 But make sure that this liberty of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.
…
Eating any kind of food seems to be morally neutral, so no problem. It doesn’t sound to me like you’ll ‘scandalize’ anybody by eating said food. I think in the case you mentioned, the real danger is being ungracious to your host’s offer of hospitality. There’s my $.02[/quote]
[quote=“theposter”]we are not supposed to eat things sacrificed to the dead or to idols. i read this in the psalms. this would apply to both jews and christians because both of our religions accept this book as Inspired.
the new testament (christians only, of course) says its okay as long as the person offering you the food doesn’t make a point of telling you “this is sacrificed food”.[/quote]
First off, Paul was a misogynist idiot apostle wannabe. (I mean, how do you manage to get that exclusion, “The other ones had to live with Jesus, but since I saw him in a vision on the road, I’ll qualify as an apostle?” Nice work. )
Secondly, the whole crux of the (Protestant) Christian faith is salvation through grace. This boils down to the idea that you will be saved through your faith regardless of your works. Naturally in gratitude for this you attempt to do things the best you can, but there are no specific prohibitions or rules for things like what you eat, what rituals you perform, how many times a year and on which days you go to church or pray, etc. that would serve to get you saved.
Notice I said “Christian faith”…there’s a huge difference between Christian faith and Christian churches. The latter are organizations usually with their own agenda and people in power vying for their own ends. Don’t even get me going on the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church – example, yesterday’s text at the Catholic church I attend with my Catholic husband (who takes liberal views of Catholicism, however, having done a double-major BA in Religion and Politics [don’t ask]) was the Prodigal Son (=unconditional forgiveness) and the apparently centrally-assigned sermon topic was “Divorced Catholics who have remarried but not in the Church may not take Communion because Communion is a sign of being one with God’s community”.
Either I’m logic-impaired or there’s something a bit wrong with that matchup. Sounds more to me like the Catholic Church enjoys the power it has over people when they fear damnation if they can’t jump through enough hoops (and pay enough money) to get a bad marriage annulled so as to be eligible to remarry in the Church.
You’re going to notice a running theme in what I am saying (I’m actually replying to these backwards). But Ezekiel is talking about problems with partaking in worship ceremonies.
[/quote]Wow! Excellent post.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“jdsmith”]I don’t think that Taiwanese people know very much about their own religions, much less the religions of foreigners.[/quote]Ain’t that the truth.
I asked my bro inlaw why he burned bai bai at this home - “Because my parents said I should” was his answer.
me - “How much of that ghost money do you know to burn?”
him - “I dunno, they bring it over to me. I don’t buy it”
me - “What do you do when you burn it…I mean do you say anything or pray or somethin’?”
him - “Naw…I just throw it on the fire. I think my Mother says something but she never told me I should say anything.”
me - “How often do you do this bai bai crap?”
him - “Only when they come over and expect me to do it. I hate this stuff.”
Thats pretty much word for word.
I make it a point to ask people burning bai bai questions about it. Just about everyone has no idea why - they say its lucky or a ‘special day’ - how much - I dunno…we just burn a big pile of it, or what if any special procedure or words go along with it.
I think ts just habit for the vast majority.[/quote]
He probably also thinks you think too much, but just didn’t say it
I LIVE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND I AM BEING POLITELY ASKED TO PARTAKE OF A LOCAL CUSTOM
HOW DARE THEY
DON’T THEY READ THE BIBLE? YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE THAT THE WHOLE WORLD AGREES ON AS GUARANTEED 100% REAL JESUS-BRAND FACT?
DIDN’T GEORGE MACKAY COME HERE BACK IN THE DAY AND FOUND, LIKE, SOME HOSPITALS’n’STUFF??? I GET NO RESPECT, NO RESPECT I TELLS YA
and when some muslim cashier in Americatown won’t scan a pound of bacon, the tsai hits the fan, and no one can understand where she’s comin’ from… sigh
christ on the cross!! no one is forcing you to be here, or to eat foods that’ve been offered to “idols”
Just refuse to eat it. Just keep your mouth closed. It’s easy. No matter what the social pressures. The bible demands nothing less. I doubt the locals will grab your nostrils and cram those pagan offerings down your throat.
Christianity is the real habit for the real vast majority of the world!! Is it so hard to find a christian country to live in? Why not demand everyone in Taiwan speak English all the time? After all, that’s the language that our beloved, caucasian Jesus wrote the bible in personally!!