“If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake – the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom by judged by another’s conscience?” 1 Corinthians 10:27-29
We learned in an earlier post about the culture of Corinth, where most of the meat sold in the markets were sacrificed to idols. However, this did not mean that Christians couldn’t eat it, as Paul says, for an idol is nothing (1 Cor. 8:4), and everything in the earth belongs to God (1 Cor. 10:25-26). The fact that the food may have been sacrificed to an idol does not impart any spiritual aspect to it. Jesus taught a similar thing in Mark 7:14-19.
At a first glance, we may think this passage is irrelevant to us, but consider this: more and more today, we are presented with ‘halal food’ options. For example, most of the beef and lamb in New Zealand is slaughtered by specially employed Muslim slaughtermen so that it can be certified as halal for sale in Arab nations. Meat that is halal is not just slaughtered in a particular way, but it is also slaughtered as a sacrifice to the Muslim god Allah.
So right here and now, we have a situation that Paul addressed specifically in his letter to the Corinthians. On the one hand, it is not wrong for a Christian to eat this food, if their conscience permits them. But on the other, if a Muslim friend or colleague invites you to eat some food, and tells you that it is halal, then according to 1 Cor. 10 we should politely decline to eat it. The reason is to be a witness to that person: they make a distinction between halal food that has been sacrificed to their god Allah, and food that has not. By declining the food, it gives you the opportunity to show that you do not worship Allah, but you worship the true and living God.
Can Christians eat halal food? Yes. But should Christians eat halal food? Not if the person offering it to you makes a big deal about it being halal.
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Thank you for this post,helpful
ReplyDeletein the usa, one of my favorite restaurants for shawarma chicken recently put up signs that all their meat is halal. i live near a large jewish and a large muslim community -- i live in the most ethnically diverse part of town. that is awesome, but i was worried about halal meat after eating it for years. call me weak in the faith (because i am) but i would rather be safe than sorry. i feel like a hypocrite because i'm fat and guilty of gluttony. i did find a couple of mediterranean joints that offer non halal shawarma dishes. these places are run by christians, lebanese, coptic, greek, you name it. i guess, if i didn't know it's ok. my issue is, is the designation on the door 'all meat is halal' to be considered as just a piece of information for observant muslims, just like the kosher grocery store is there for observant jews -- so they don't have to worry that they are violating their religious laws. or is it a red flag for me?
ReplyDeletemaybe once again i should apply the 'when in doubt, don't' policy. now if i could only do so in every other area of my life!
Hi Anonymous,
DeleteThanks for sharing. I think you are doing the right thing. Romans 14:23 tells us, "But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." That is, if it goes against your conscience to eat food in an establishment that has a sign up saying the food is halal, don't eat it. It might not go against someone else's conscience, so for them it is ok. As you say, 'when in doubt, don't'.
The sign on the door is there for Muslims to know they can eat the food. But it's a good question you raise: is the sign the equivalent of a Muslim offering you food and telling you it is halal - and thus something we should decline, as a witness? In the case of a restaurant, it's not really a witness to them of our faith because we would simply choose not to eat there, and they don't get to hear the reason why. Something I'll have to think about a bit more!
Thanks again for your comment. I can see this is going to become more and more of an issue in the future.
Bridget
I am going to disagree with your opinion. Christians should never eat food sacrificed to idols. Twice in the book of Revelation, Jesus condemns the churches from eating foods sacrificed to idols.
ReplyDeleteIn Rev 2:14, Jesus condemns the church in Pergamos for eating food sacrificed to idols:
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Again in Rev 2:20, Jesus condemns the church in Thyatira for eating foods sacrificed to idols:
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
If you're going to call youself a Christian, following the words of Jesus is mandatory....do not eat things sacrificed to idols, there are no acceptable conditions attached.
Hi John,
DeleteIn light of what you've written, I'd be interested to hear your take on 1 Cor. 8.
Paul says an idol is nothing (1 Cor. 8:4), Jesus said that what we eat makes no difference because food just passes through the body (Matt. 15:17).
In my opinion, it's not the eating that is the problem, but the sacrificing to idols and the emphasis placed on that - i.e. believing that when you eat this food you are worshipping an idol. As for eating just to enjoy the food, my understanding from the Scriptures is that it is one of those 'grey areas' we have liberty to do if our consciences permit us. But if we have doubts, we should not eat.
I personally try to avoid any restaurant that makes special mention of their food being halal, and avoid buying any products that make special mention of it. But there are many instances where we eat these things without being aware; for instance buying meat from the supermarket or butcher, it is not always labelled. It is not this kind of eating that Jesus condemns in Revelation.
Please understand, I am not trying to change your convictions about this - just seeking to understand all the aspects about the issue. Thanks for your comment!
Bridget
halal purposes are free from material of porks for example we buy
ReplyDeletethese food ingredients food is contaminated with pig oil. This is the
meaning of halal...pork free....
Yes, halal foods are pork-free, but this is not the meaning of the word. Halal means the animal was sacrificed to Allah (pigs being unclean for Muslims, as they are for Jews, are not sacrificed in this way). So there is more to halal than being pork-free.
DeleteErm... Sorry guys and girls..
ReplyDeleteA tad late to this conversation but i think you're having it wrong here.
Halal food does not equate food that is sacrificed TO the God, rather it is asking for God's permission to slaughter it for food and at the same time thanking Him for providing the said food.
Simply put, Christians says grace at the table, Islam teaches us to say grace at the point of slaughter and at the table.
Please don't get confused.. :)
Thanks for your input, however I am not sure that you realise a key point: the god of Islam is not the same as the God of Christianity.
DeleteThe prayer made at the slaughter of an animal renders the meat halal: permissible, sacred. But sacred to whom? That is the issue. If it is sacred to Allah, then for a Christian it has been offered to an idol, or at least the name of an idol has been invoked over it.
SyncGuy. Erm... Sorry but I think you are the guy that has got it wrong. I have several ex-Muslim friends who have turned to Christianity (Praise the Lord), and they assure me that it IS sacrificed TO their god Allah and messenger Mohammed. Check it out friend.
DeleteI disagree completely with you Bridget on one point. The point of idolatry. In what way is God in Islam an 'idol'?
DeleteBy definition an Idol is an image or material object which represents a diety. By definition, Christians worship an idol in churches where they worship a statue or pictures.
Islam, Christianity and Judaism all follow the same god. The difference is that Christians believe that Jesus is God + Gods son. Muslims believe that Jesus was sent as a messenger by God.
Also to the anonymous guy above, Halal food is not sacrificed to Muhammad. It is sacrificed in the name of God.
For the reason I gave earlier, Muslims can eat food sacrificed by a Jew, ie Kosher, as long as he has sacrificed in the name of God. If Christians sacrificed food in the name of a single God, I believe that is to you, the Holy Spirit, then Muslims would be allowed to eat food slaughtered by Christians.
The whole idea is that everything on the earth belongs to God.
God has said certain foods are not permissible, eg pork, blood etc. because they are unclean.
When we kill an animal, we must take Gods name as the animals are His creation and belong to Him.
We MUST use a sharp knife, also not allowing the animal to know they are about to be slaughtered, and the Knife must be sharp enough to cause no pain by cutting. If the knife is rough and causes pain whilst cutting, that is not permissible. If the animal is mistreated in order to kill it, it is not permissible. Animal cruelty is prohibited in islam. Stunning the animal, which people say stops the pain, is not guaranteed to keep the animal alive, and there is no practical way of knowing if the shock killed the animal or the knife. If the shock killed the animal, then it is not permissible as the animal was not killed by a human. That would be carrion (a dead animal) not a slaughtered animal.
It is a very strict process in order to ensure the animal is killed with minimal suffering, and by the knife to the throat.
Also to clear things up, there is no mention of Muhammad during animal slaughter. Only mention of God.
So in my opinion, the only difference is where we believe God is one, and you believe God is three.
Apart from that, the halal sacrificing ceremony does not bear any difference to a christian.
The god of Islam and the God of Christianity are not the same.
DeleteAn idol is anything that takes the place of God. It may be something material - a statue, a carving, or even a car or house; or it may be something invisible - a career, a relationship, an idea. To answer your question, 'In what way is the god of Islam an idol?' - the god of Islam is not the God of the Bible and is therefore a false god.
There is only one living God, the God who gave His only begotten Son because He so loved the world. His Son is the Lord Jesus Christ, The ONLY saviour of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ Is the only one that can bring forgiveness to this sinful world. He did this by the shedding of His blood on the cross at Calvary. Can anyone show me any faith throughout the world who has a god who came in the flesh as man whose life was sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin? No you cannot! So for me, if an animal is sacrificed whilst prayers are being offered up to allah and his messenger mohammed who are both demons serving Satan, then I believe a Christian must not eat this type of food.
ReplyDeleteI think this issue is quite a big one. In some cities it is becoming the norm to have Hilal food - meat factories are springing up everywhere and even our local pub serves Hilal meat and doesn't tell anyone - it's cheaper to buy. Islam believers make a big thing out of not eating meat if it is not Hilal and so their voice is heard and not the Christian voice. We only have 2 muslims in our office and yet our office works do will now be booked in a Hilal restaurant because they say they can only eat that meat and everyone else is supposed to just 'not care'. Most of the others don't know what hilal means. I can eat vegetarian I know but the whole thing is swaying towards everything becoming hilal. Only trained muslim butchers can handle hilal meat and the owners can insist on bringing in more muslims into the country to do this - more meat factories, more immigrants, more butchers, more meat factories etc and then non-hilal meat will not be available in many places. Hilal meat is slaughtered differently and not all to the European laws as they can be exempt - there are cruelty issues here too. I have wonderful muslim friends and I want them to be able to eat what they want but also I want to be able to eat what I want as a Christian. I know Paul said don't worry but that was because people didn't have an option as it was the only meat available. This is not the same as having non-hilal meat as the norm and then it being taken over because we have just stood aside and allowed it. Nearly all indian restaurants serve Hilal but few say it on the menu - they know it may put off some customers - ignorance works for them. Let's label things clearly - the Government is trying to get this done but it is a very slow process. It's quite well labelled in the main chain supermarkets but not in other shops and not in restaurants.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody,
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in the Middle East specifically Lebanon. Where I went to a Christian school and used to recite the prayers and listen to our teachers reading from the Bible. I also have had a lot of Christian friends and neighbors whom I spent a lot of time with, had dinners and lunches with, had a lot of open discussions about religion, celebrated Christmas and Easter with.
Let me tell you something Allah and Ilah are Arabic words of God. And that is the word that I’ve heard from all the Christians that I knew my whole life and read in the Arabic bible with my own eyes. On top of that, in the Aramaic language which was the language that Jesus spoke, the word Alaha means God. In the Hebrew language it’s Elohim and Eloah. So as you notice Allah, Ilah, Alaha, Elohim, and Eloah, they all mean God.
Please check this site http://www.learnassyrian.com/aramaic/church/church.html
As to halal slaughtering, the word halal means permissible. And halal slaughtering consists of using a well-sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, windpipe, and jugular veins to cause the least amount of suffering to the animal. Allah's name must be pronounced during slaughter (bismillah Allahou Akbar) which means” in the name of God and God is the greatest”.
In the Middle East Muslims eat from Christian butchers and Christians eat from Muslim butchers because over there halal (permissible) is the only way of killing the animals. It has nothing to do with sacrificing the animal to Allah.
Sacrificing to God is a whole different thing which we do when celebrating the sacrifice holiday which commemorates the story about the prophet Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice his son. The story that is written in the Bible as well as in the Quran.
One last thing, believe it or not Muslims believe in Jesus and the Virgin Mary. There is a whole chapter in the Quran under the title of sourat Maryam (Maryam is the Aramaic and Arabic word of Mary) and it tells the story of “sitna Maryam” (our lady Maryam) that’s how Muslims call her how she got pregnant without being touched by a man and how she was mistreated by people… How she gave birth in Jerusalem, how “Yeshua or Issa alayh el salam” (Jesus peace on him) talked to people when he was an infant and all the miracles he did... We even name our kids Maryam and Issa up till nowadays. We also believe that Jesus will come back to live 40 years on earth before the Day of Judgment.
Well of course there are some differences in some believes between the Christians and Muslims but this is not our subject here.
N.B It is well known that Christianity is the religion of love and forgiveness. That’s what was Jesus known for. People need to open their hearts and minds, accept others, and respect them.
Although the word may be the same, the god of Islam is not the same God of the Bible.
Delete