Honey! It's made from honey!
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 Qur’an 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 pork’s 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 Qur’an 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 one’s 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 man’s 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!
like I said - have a great evening
We have no traditions, we have the Bible. I cast out religion when I came into Christ by regeneration. And Christ was talking about the tradition of the Jews making the word of God of none effect, not “invalidate” as says your corrupt modern English version.
Ezekiel 4? No, not the same in purpose, intent or instruction. And the similarities you see only indicate that the two men, Ezekiel and Peter were, in fact, ministers to the circumcision, and neither had yet received revelation of the Church of this current dispensation, and the instruction to neither man was a reference to the Church (Body of Christ) of the current dispensation.
The Body of Christ, consisting of Jew and Gentile in one body, and the dispensation of the Grace of God, were not revealed until they were revealed through an apostle who was not of the 12 chosen during our Lord’s earthly ministry to ISRAEL (Matthew 15:22-27; Romans 15:8; etc.).
The Body of Christ was not revealed to any O.T. prophets or to the 12 Apostles chosen in Matthew 10 (who went ONLY to Israelites by direct command), until after the conversion and calling of Saul of Tarsus, one born out of due time. Paul never received his doctrine from men, but by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus, for the beginning and executing of a MYSTERY dispensation; the one in which we live at present. (Ephesians chs. 1 & 3; Colossians ch. 1; etc.)
If you want to mix up Israel/Jews and the doctrine to them with the Church which is Christ’s Body, and put them in your religious blender, then you will just have to abstain from pork. That’s fine with me. But God told us to RIGHTLY DIVIDE the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15), so we know that the Word of god has proper divisions. We know that we are to make a division in doctrine between the Jew, the Gentile and the Church (1 Cor. 10:32).
If you want to follow Jewish doctrine, you help yourself. But you will never be obeying it in reality. You will always come short of it. James 2:10.
You will have to raise lambs and put them up against disease, and on certain days take them to a stone altar and slit their throats, and drain the blood and think that you are are covering the preceding year's sins with that blood. And there are nearly a thousand other things God commanded to be done from Exodus to Malachi, that you will never do. But then you will say that, because of Christ, this or that has been eliminated. And when you say that, you will find yourself headed in the right direction, but your traditions will keep you from carrying that thought through to its proper concludion. No burden is to be put on the Gentile believers except . . . (Acts 15:28)
28. “. . . it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
29. That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
And it doesn’t say, “. . . ye shall be saved,” but “. . . ye shall do well.”
They WERE JEWS. The instruction was to JEWS! The Jews and Israel’s leaders were being commanded by the JEW, Peter, to repent of their murder of Jesus Christ (ACTS 3:19-26) !!
The only people you see being ministered to in the first 7 chapters of Acts are JEWS. ISRAEL. there is no Church Age setting there yet, for the Body of Christ had not been revealed ... it was still a mystery (Ephesians 3). They were being preached to by 12 Jewish Apostles.
They were being told that if they would repent that Christ would return and forgive them. NOT 2,000 or more years in the future . . . but RIGHT THEN !! They were being promised the reestablishment of the Messianic/Davidic Kingdom in THEIR DAY if they, as a nation, with their rulers would repent !!
Those were temple-worshipping, pork-abstaining, Messianic Jews (and proseltes there-to). There were no CHRISTIANS in Acts chs. 2-7. Nobody was called a “Christian” until Acts 11:26, in a place OUTSIDE of the land of Israel.
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Pig, n. An animal (Porcus omnivorus) closely allied to the human race by the splendor and vivacity of its appetite, which, however, is inferior in scope, for it sticks at pig.— Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary.
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“Think, my pet; to make that bacon, a poor little pig had to be killed. To be killed, Sylvia. Think of that. A poor innocent little pig that hadn’t done anyone any harm.”
”But I hate pigs,” cried Sylvia. Her sullenness flared up into sudden ferocity; her eyes, that had been fixed and glassy with a dull resentment, darkly flashed. “I hate them, hate them, hate them.”
”Quite right,” said Aunt Judith, who had come in most inopportunely in the middle of the lecture. “Quite right. Pigs are disgusting. That’s why people called them pigs.”
— Aldous Huxley, The Claxtons.
Islam is a conglomeration of several different religions of the region at the time of Mohammed. I think the no-pork rule, ironically, was lifted from Judaism. Maybe Mohammed noticed that Jews didn’t get the diseases the other folks got from eating pork products, and figured it was a good idea all around. The idea certainly wasn’t any brainstorm of his.
Cult leaders like the Bhagwan play on basic human nature which desires others to make life simplified for them. The first thing that goes out the door is rational thinking. Once they can get people to suspend their critical thinking, total control over their lives becomes possible. The primary goal is to use human weaknesses for the acquisition of power. The rules of the cult do not require a basis of reality. The rules are for control and not for the benefit of the followers. What a more powerful way to control human beings than to dictate the most basic aspects of human activity? Eating and sex are the most basic things a human does and such are the most used for control.
The damage to peoples lives and the atrocities against humanity that cult leaders lead their followers to commit far outweigh the ill effects from eating pork.
>>Being Jewish, I do not eat pork or shellfish because the Bible prohibits it,<<
No kidding?! Because the Bible prohibits it? Which version do you use? The King James version?
Honestly, I would have expected a Jew to quote the Torah or the Talmud or some other uniquely Jewish scriptures, not the Christian Bible.
You got that right : trichinosis. Maybe they could truly punish al queda/iraqi prisoners in general by only feeding them pigs. Perhaps tie it in w/dems that love PORK too.
I found an error here in this article: “The Bible has also forbidden swine-flesh, but Christians disregarded this order and started consuming it.” The truth is that in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter got a vision from the Lord which ended the need for dietary laws for Christians when the Lord gaved a vision commanding Peter to kill and eat. Will look up the verse.
Here is the passage: Acts 10:9-16, Peter’s vision.
...Until Peter got the vision from the Lord about what animals were accepted to eat not accepted to eat in what is Acts 10:9-16.
Plus it was a command given by the Lord to Peter.
Alrighty then, place into the back and bottom of every seat on planes, buses and taxis worldwide a small well sealed package of pork. As long as the package is not disturbed everything is cool. However....
Somewhere something similar might already be done...but who am I to tell.
Well, we have enough morality left after eating pork that we don't get on airplanes and fly them into tall buildings with the goal of killing as many people as possible.
So, given an choice between the immorality of eating pork and murdering innocent people, I think I'll go cook some bacon this morning.
Works for me.
In other words, keep Muslims dumb and uneducated and they will not question what their religous leaders interpret as right and wrong. As long as the Imans tell the people they are pleasing Allah, the people believe there is no other reason for them to doubt or question instruction.
test
“should have to eat a piece of bacon before getting on an airplane....”
——————that’s the kind of outside-the-box thinking I like!! But of course, you know that would be serious “profiling” , even though the profile of a piece of bacon is bound to be extremely thin.
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