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From: david@ssc-vax.UUCP (David Norris)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Eating sacrificed meat
Message-ID: <73@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Apr-84 16:15:03 EST
Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.73
Posted: Mon Apr 16 16:15:03 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Apr-84 00:37:37 EST
Organization: Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
Lines: 29

[]
Judy:

>In other words, some of what he says is his own opinion and he does not always 
> make this clear. One of my favorites is :(paraphrased) Nothing is evil of
> itself. However, if you believe that eating meat is evil - DON'T DO IT.
> I don't have a bible with me, but I believe that was the essence of what he 
> said.

(Speaking about Paul) I'd like to elaborate on Judy's words a bit.  A certain
early Christian community was becoming divided over eating meat that had been
sacrificed to idols.  This meat, after being thus "sacrificed", was taken to
the local meat shop where it was sold at a discount, presumably because it was
like the "day-old" rolls you find in bakeries; it had already been "used", so to
speak.  Some of the poorer Christians bought this meat to feed their families,
and other Christians condemned the practice.

Paul stepped in and, as Judy has said, stated that eating the meat was not evil.
Part of his defense was that the idols (to whom the meat was sacrificed) were
false; they meant nothing, so how could such meat be an offense?  But he added
that, if anything causes your brother to stumble, don't do it.

Personally, I don't believe that drinking wine is a sin.  But I have friends
that do; and when I go out to dinner with them, I remember Paul's words and
have a coke.

	-- David Norris        :-)
	-- uw-beaver!ssc-vax!david