Eating meat sacrificed to idols?

[Andrew]

What are common examples of this today?
I'm not entirely sure what exactly it means other than literally eating meat from an animal that was sacrificed to an idol/god/image... what about Thanksgiving Turkey?

 

[Fritz Kobus]

I don't see that we would come across this specific problem here in the United States other than perhaps if you ate with some Indians because they may offer food to the spirits before eating. Otherwise, i think some foreign missionaries may have some experience with meat sacrificed to idols.

 

[Andrew]

I don't see that we would come across this specific problem here in the United States other than perhaps if you ate with some Indians because they may offer food to the spirits before eating. Otherwise, i think some foreign missionaries may have some experience with meat sacrificed to idols.

I see, so it's as apparent as eastern medicine is to those regions... superstitious/holistic kind of thing.

I often wonder if we in the west realize how Christian we really are, I mean we don't necessarily have a problem with sheltering and feeding the homeless.. the US has plenty of tax payer government funded resources that can help lift anyone from starvation to a grant in education however those who remain drunkards and druggards won't benefit from government "bread" alone, they need to repent.

 

[tango]

I don't see that we would come across this specific problem here in the United States other than perhaps if you ate with some Indians because they may offer food to the spirits before eating. Otherwise, i think some foreign missionaries may have some experience with meat sacrificed to idols.

A lady I knew at a previous church was a former Hindu who had previously kept an altar with Hindu idols in her house. When she became a Christian it sounded like it wasn't a trivial process to have it all dismantled and removed.

 

[Fritz Kobus]

A lady I knew at a previous church was a former Hindu who had previously kept an altar with Hindu idols in her house. When she became a Christian it sounded like it wasn't a trivial process to have it all dismantled and removed.

Yep, dealing with eastern religions would entail some things like that or perhaps food sacrificed to idols. I attended a Hispanic outreach ministry in Detroit for about 8 years and the Mexicans have some pagan rituals. One lady had idols in her house and after conversion, the pastor was there at her house and she agreed that he could take all the idols and throw them in the trash.

 

[Josiah]

A lady I knew at a previous church was a former Hindu who had previously kept an altar with Hindu idols in her house. When she became a Christian it sounded like it wasn't a trivial process to have it all dismantled and removed.

A good example.

I think the point in Paul's counsel is to avoid giving false testimony, giving the impression by our actions that we Christians believe something that we don't.

PERHAPS Christians participation in Halloween MIGHT fall into that (although I seriously think no one takes that seriously). I recall from history how as recently as a century or so ago, Christians often were involved in occultic things; Mrs. Lincoln (Abe's wife) consulted the dead for example - and yet went to church every Sunday.


Blessings on your New Year...


- Josiah




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[NathanH83]

What are common examples of this today?
I'm not entirely sure what exactly it means other than literally eating meat from an animal that was sacrificed to an idol/god/image... what about Thanksgiving Turkey?

I think that’s what the dream in Daniel was all about. The smashing of the statue was the smashing of all the nation’s idols. Nobody worships idols anymore. Well Buddhists do. And maybe Hindus. But in civilized places where Christianity was spread, idolatry was smashed. Rome and Greece and western Europe, and on into America, idolatry isn’t really a thing anymore. Christianity is what permeated the culture. People now are Christian, or they just reject God and become atheist. But unbelievers don’t typically put little dolls up and worship them. It’s truly amazing what happened when Christianity spread. I think that the rock that was cut out of the mountain and smashed the statue, I think that’s Peter, or rather, the church in general.

But back then, eating meat sacrificed to idols was a big deal.