The HALAL and KOSHER thread: religious food fads.

[Homosapien]

Originally Posted by The Irreverent Mr Black

If you have xtian friends, now is the time to save them from being BAD.

Eat their Cadbury chocolate now and save them...

Why, you may ask.

Well.

• To be certified halal, a product must be submitted to prayer (directed to allah) by a muslim holy man;
• In 1 Corinthians chapters 8 and 10, xtians are told they must not eat food offered to idols;
• The injunction is repeated in Acts 15:28-29, and Acts 21:25.
• If your xtian friend says allah is an idol, then your course is obvious!

Nom nom nom! Profit!

Actually, some Christian friends of mine are not eating it now for the reason that it has been blessed by the opposition. They weren't happy when they found out.

[nari]

...but something expressly forbidden in the bible.

Now I'm puzzled. I thought Mohammad was 500 years after the bible was written. Can someone enlighten me??

nari

[Sir Patrick Crocodile]

When was the Bible written? The Quran if I am not mistaken was completed in the year 622 and this is also the epoch of the Islamic calendar.

[wearestardust]

Originally Posted by nari

Now I'm puzzled. I thought Mohammad was 500 years after the bible was written. Can someone enlighten me??

nari

More like 1,000+ years for the relevant OT texts.

But it's not a matter Islam in particular, it's in relation to food offered to idols (and by inference other gods) generally.

We could do some head of a oin dancing over whether the NT lifting of OT food taboos is relevant, but I think I can restrain myself (maybe something to ask our xmas visiting xians).

Somehow the thought of chocolate having been offered to idols makes it all the more attractive - calories, fat, AND irrational superstition. Supernaturaliscious. But maybe today's a bad mental health day.

I am suddenly reminded of how the sausagacity of offerings to Offler go up to him, but this post has gone on far too long already.

[wearestardust]

Originally Posted by The Irreverent Mr Black

@WAS: The injunction is one of the two specific New Testament rules of behaviour, so the OT taboos issue is not germane to this matter.

Where's the 'embarrassed' smiley when you need it.

It will eventually sink in that glancing through a thread on the blackberry and dashing off a reply is a bad thing. One day.

Now I am in the right mental space, the world maybe would be a better place if xians limited themselves to the minimal requirements set out in Acts for new churches. It would still be pretty crappy for the xians themselves, of course, but they might bother us less.

I am also reminded of Njal's Saga, which straddles the conversion to xianity of whichever Norse community it is concerned with. Their new rules pretty much boiled down to "stop killing each other so much". That, however, was atogether too hard for them.

[Logic]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/envi...0409-ryg2.html

RSPCA is opposed to all inhumane methods of killing of animals, notwithstanding religious dogma and ethnic customs.

"The RSPCA has slammed indigenous hunting practices after a video showing the alleged slaughter of a turtle was posted on YouTube.
The video shows a turtle, which appears to be alive, having its flippers severed while it thrashes its head in pain."

The use of the words 'religious dogma' was in their facebook post of this article. I wonder if their original media release used it and the editor choose to leave it out of the headline. Sounds like the RSPCA would support a secular society as well (animal cruelty legislation = no exceptions for religious beliefs).

[pedrico]

One wonders why indigenous people would be deliberately inflicting pain upon a valuable food source. Something's not right there.

[gruber]

WHAT THE FUCK is wrong with people, this guy should have his arms and legs cut off, see how he likes it. you know it wouldnt have taken much to cut its head off so it died instantly

[KeithW]

What about Kosher and Halal killing of animals, this should also be outlawed, even in its supposed humane form it is not right.

[atheist_angel]

Originally Posted by KeithW

What about Kosher and Halal killing of animals, this should also be outlawed, even in its supposed humane form it is not right.

Many members of the Jewish community would agree with you. (link)

...but not all agree to the same extent. (link)

Is this a cruel way to kill an animal?
Some experts say that the animal killed in this way does not suffer if the cut is made quickly and cleanly enough, because it loses consciousness before the brain can perceive any pain.
Other experts disagree and say that the animal remains conscious long enough to feel severe pain.

Pre-stunning to prevent pain
Secular animal slaughter involves pre-stunning animals so that they are unconscious before they are killed.
Jewish law does not permit pre-stunning because it requires the animal to be uninjured at the time of shechita, and all pre-stunning methods involve an injury to the animal. There is also concern that the pre-stunning might kill the animal, and so render it unfit to eat.
However Jewish experts say that as shechita produces instant loss of consciousness, it incorporates pre-stunning.