Should we be eating pork?

[lozlg]

Wasn't' sure where to post this so here it is.

I eat pork but i have recently gone off it. Muslims do not eat pork because they beleive it is bad for humans. The Quran and Bible say it should not be eaten and it is known as the 'devils food'.

Just interested to know what people think. Is it really bad?

[gammaray]

I thought the Muslim faith didn't eat pork because they think of the pig as "Holy" Pork isn't bad for you but obviously if your religious beliefs prohibit it's consumption then the decision rests between you and your god. Eating under cooked pork however can give you tape worms.

[gary baldy]

I think has something to do with animals eating around their own 'waste'. I think the Jews are the same with shellfish although if you ask me its all a bit daft.
As Homer once said:
"Pork, Bacon and Ham all come from the same animal? Ooh, yeah, right. A wonderful, magical animal."
Dont eat anything with a face myself (except jammy dodgers).

[waimarie]

I believe the eating of swine is prohibited in both the Bible (Leviticus) and Q'uran because the pig is a flesh eater (some might say cannibalisitc) and a scavenger amongst rubbish, therefore an unclean animal and responsible for the spread of diseases.

As with many other dietary laws, it was possibly quite a sensible health precaution in the days before refrigeration and freezing.

The main reasons for this prohibition no longer seem to exist (in my opinion, I should stress) and the enjoyment of pork meat is matter of personal taste and preference.

[Lonnie]

The Jewish dietry law says that you can only eat meat from an animal that chews the cud, and has cloven hooves, where the Pig is concerned, its completely omnivorous, and will eat its own mess if it was put in front of it, also, the pig likes to wallow in mud, we know why, but they didn't then.

God didn't tell us what or not to eat, God said, 'Thou shalt not seethe the kid in its own milk', thats all he said, from that. the Rabbi's sat down, inturpreted it, and we have the dietry law meat.

I personally think it came from the Exodus, when certain meats didn't keep, {no fridges or cool bags),

I don't know about the Muslims, but I should think it would be roughly the same.

[Lonnie]

The word 'meat' dietry law shouldn't be there, sorry.

[johnlambert]

I thought it was because pigs have cloven hooves just like the devil, therfor muslims belive that eating pork is ingesting the evil one and he will corrupt you from within. (just a thought)

Thats why muslims insult westerners by calling us "pigs", I might be wrong tho

[rescuer]

My view is the same as Lonnie. I have always thought that because pork goes 'off' very quickly and shell fish often present tummy problems that the Elders said they should be avoided.

[brionon]

Lonnie, how do you know what God said ?

Not being Funny, I really want to know.

[Lonnie]

brionon, i'm don't know what God said, i'm Jewish, and thats in the Tora', and the Old Testament, .

If you want to go down that road, for everyone, its what you chose to believe, or not, I won't give you my personel belief, because all the major events happened over two thousand years ago, for todays believers, of whatever faith, it has to be 'Blind Belief, and I personally, wouldn't knock anyones belief, just the way they interpret it.

johnlambert, The Muslims call westerners Pigs, because they mistakenly think the Pig is an unclean, dirty animal, so in their view, and I must stress, not all of them, like to see the West.

[noxlumos]

We don't eat pork or shellfish or rabbbit ( really miss that) in our house as my wife is Jewish and although not observant in other ways is not comfortable eating certain foods.

Also a natural health Dr that we know says that pork is very bad for you because of the way pigs deal with toxins, they expurge them via the skin, so pork meat can be particularly toxic.

[butterfly23]

In reply to gammaray muslims do not eat pork not because they think it 'holy' but quite the opposite 'unholy' and unclean, as has been pointed out by so many others. Most muslims however do not have any qualms about eating shellfish.

[don1]

If you are muslim you shouldn't eat pork, what does that have to do with the rest of us that aren't muslims??

[CheekyChops]

Well I've just had bacon and also pork sausages for my tea - I don't care if it is bad, it was flippin' lovely!

[nikita**]

Poor piggie is only part of God's creation. He eats organic food if he can. Tastes delicious. His cousin, the Boar, apprantly was even more delicious. Who makes these rules anyway and why do they have to pass it on?. As long as you dont eat monkeys, cats and dogs, you're ok with me. There are worse things to eat. Honest.

[hakuna]

Um this might seem kinda off mark but just for the record,"westerners" can also be muslims .. muslims arn't only concentrated in the east :)

[goldenboy]

i read once that the reason pigs are regarded unfavourably in both the jewish and islamic faiths is partially because in the middle eastern environment, the pig eats the same food as humans would and is therefore competition on a food level. the goat will eat anything such as tree leaves, rubbish etc and therefore can be kept alongside humans. obviously in an area where food is not to be wasted and in a pre industrial society there needed to be a way to get people to abide by this. hence pigs are unclean. apparently pigs dont sweat and wallow to keep cool. the shell fish thing is to do with it not keeping fresh very long and going off and poisoning people, hence its also taboo. or so i read.

[Lonnie]

As Shellfish have been mentioned, again, the Jewish laws, and I don't know, but would assume the Islamics are the same, Only fish that has scales can be eaten, Don't ask why on this one, I don't know, but obviously Shellfish come into this category.

[lozlg]

"see, the lord is coming with the fire and with fire and with his sword...the lord will ececute judgement upon all men and many will be those slain by the Lord... those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things- they will meet their end together; declares the Lord" ISAIAH 66:15-17-NIV"

After reading this, i'm unsure whether we should be eating pork. God tells us that we should'nt be eating it.

My muslim friend says that it is devils food. Just like alcohol and drugs, they are all bad things that the devil gave us.

[nikita**]

lozlg, i think you quoted something from the old testament that applied at that particular time. It does not apply now. Things have moved on. Even the bible has a New testament which undid a lot of the rules the old testament laid on people at that time. It was only used as a safeguard during troubles in the ancient times.

[rescuer]

Maybe Winston Churchill was right when he said: dogs look up to you, cats look down on you but pigs are equal to us.