Blood Food among Christians

Thinking: "To be put to death for being raped - there is a Biblical law for that too - looks like double trouble, and not fair at all!"

There are abrupt and evident horrors, and there are seeping horrors. There is something wrong somewhere, because the Bible clearly says no to eating blood food, including black pudding, blood sausages and so on. The New Testament equals it with adultery, and the Old Testament is not milder [Acts 15; 21:25].

And yet, seemingly good Christians eat it even as Christmas food, as they do in Denmark among other countries. Granted that, confusing Christians who eat black pudding and look down on adulterers, are they not vicious clowns somehow?

Now the view that eating blood food is about as bad as adultery is central for all under the deal of Gentile followers (Acts 15; 21:25):

James spoke up: "Brothers, it is my judgement that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided - all agreed - and wrote a letter, saying, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.

You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell." [cf. Acts 15:13-29 passim; 21:25].

Such is the Bible's all-deal for non-Jewish followers. From its history: In the first century, Jewish Christians and new Gentile converts were in dispute as to which particular features of Mosaic law were to be retained and upheld by them. The apostles decided that it was necessary to abstain from consuming blood (Acts 15:28-29, specifically). These New Testament verses prohibited blood food, making it binding on the Christian church. The Apostolic Decree is still observed today by the Greek Orthodox.

Moreover, an Early Christian council was held in Jerusalem and dated to around the year 50. The council decided that Gentile converts to Christianity did not have to keep most of the Mosaic law, including the rules about circumcising males. But the Council retained the prohibitions against eating blood, or eating meat containing blood, or meat of animals not properly slain, and against fornication and idolatry. Descriptions of the council are found in Acts 15 and also possibly in Paul's letter to the Galatians chapter 2.

There is also The Seven Laws of Noah, or the Noahide Laws, that were given by God to Noah as a binding set of laws for all mankind, according to the Talmud. According to Judaism any non-Jew who lives according to these laws is regarded as a Righteous Gentile. The seven laws listed also include prohibition of theft - and to have just Laws is required too. "Flesh with its life-blood [in it] you shall not eat," is included. [Genesis 9:4]

So the "no to blood food" has its religious background and is well documented. A question is how sound the commands of the Apostolic Decree are. After all, they are blatantly ignored around the world. Those who speak of the topic may avoid telling what will become of eaters of blood food after death too. I wonder if that is fair.

[Wikipedia, s.v. "Taboo food and drink", "Council of Jerusalem", and "Seven Laws of Noah"]

Rubbing it in

Adultery is at least put en par with black pudding - with blood food. Speaking against adulterers while eating blood food cannot be all right, according to the Deal of Acts 15 and 21:25, the Apostolic Decree, as it is also called. But for all that, blood food is hardly ever shunned and demonised by Christians today; it is different with adultery. Life seems strange at times, and here's a bit of it.

Judged from the Bible, for a Christian to enjoy a hearty meal that contains blood food - including some sorts of hamburgers that contain blood protein - could enrage the God of Acts 15 and Acts 21:25. So do you want that?

Wild men learnt, too late
Blood pudding was not to be on the plate.
Delicate home-made black pudding.

A recipe for black pudding includes for example a quarter of pig's blood mixed with fat and fillers, stuffed into the intestine of a pig or ox, and boiled. In Britain, many have black pudding for breakfast. And the Law of Moses talks against eating pigs and blood food. How inconsistent can you get in the hope of getting away with it? Is that the most relevant question?

The issue can go deeper. According to the Christian faith God himself decided to make blood food of his Son. Christianity even nowadays focuses on wine called blood as part of its figurative, cannibalistic ceremonialism and ritualism. The most severe flaw of such a scheme is that of using Jesus as a scapegoat - that is, to let morally depraved guys escape retributions at the expense of someone else (Jesus), who did not even want to die for non-Gentiles and barely for Jews. He said about that much. Mind that thinking vicarious sacrifice is great and divine, is not a mark of good and sound moral. Anyway, the scheme of God as we read of in the gospels, apparently failed, and only then then net was cast over gentiles.

"Do not back the wrong horse [American]." Which is worst, eating Wurst or adultery? Maybe you fancy it is adultery, but how can you be sure [Acts 21:25]? When God set out to drown all of mankind, he allowed Noah to live on and have drunk sex with his daughters. And God found favour with him, and also told him to abstain from blood food somehow (above). But there is more:

Blood in the ancient world

"Keep my words to be worthy of me," insisted Jesus and had a lamb slaughtered. You could be called to do even "greater" works [John 14;12]. Who knows?

Consider you are called to do greater works than goofing like "I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I haven't come to abolish them but to fulfill them." [Matthew 5;17-20, excerpt].

Now, the Old Testament would have removed any eater of blood food.

• "This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood." [Lev 3:16]
• "Wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people. (This law amounted to a death sentence in the ancient world.)" [Lev 7:26-27]
• "Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood - I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people . . . Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." [Lev 17:10, 12, 14].
• "Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it." [Lev 19:26]
• "You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. [Deut 12:24-25]"

Observe: "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins [Hebrews 10:4]." That outlook goes against large atonement parts of the Law of Moses [Leviticus 16 tells a completely different tale. Two goats ritually handled yearly - one of them butchered - were all that was needed to save the people from their sins on a yearly basis, it says. God instituted it.

A note in passing: There are over 120 self-contradictions in the Bible. Which parts will you favour?

Adultery in the ancient world

Adultery: We read that the sons of Jacob had sex with the concubines of their father. They were not prudish. They also attemped to kill a brother. Instead of revering such nasty people, listen to such as "If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonoured his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. [Leviticus 20:10-11]."

Now the Law of Moses came only after those "deeds" were done; the twelve sons of Jacob were not put to death, after all. And by the way, "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. [Leviticus 20:13]." "If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal [Leviticus 20:15]."

There is still more where these passages came from. They are opposed to modern forms of "have fun" in some circles.

Gentile take-overs

Peter had a vision on a flat roof of a house in Joppa (Jaffa). He saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air in it. He heard a voice telling three times, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

Right then three men from Caesarea stopped at the house. The Spirit came upon them.

The apostles said, "God has granted even the Gentiles repentance." [Acts 11:5-18]

Peter's vision suggests that eating reptiles and other ritually unclean animals - Gentiles - was all right. Reptiles (and Gentiles?) were called clean and then were later killed and butchered in millions, for some nasty reasons. Why were there no pairs of yearly atonement goats to ward off the tragedies, as God had instituted for his people a long time ago as a lasting ordinance [Leviticus 16]? That side of the tale seems to be awfully overlooked.

First things include seeing the sayings

We may have to build up something in order to attain things. Is siding with the Bible and eating blood food something you can commit yourself to? Where might it take you, in case? To damnation all unawares, for example?

What is the next step? How will you work with this material, trying to get some harmony back into your life? Seek to get into a flow that protects and supports you - being alert to that healthy ones don't need Jesus - says Jesus. Seeing is believing: [Matthew 9:12-13; Mark 2:17]

First things first. And if you find yourself confined or an underling of persons who make stupid mistakes in the name of God, it is not a mistake not to trust them. Instead, further a constructive fare, and refrain from being carried away by hillbilly enthusiasm for blood food around a Danish Christmas table, among others . . .