There might have been a time in history that these religious laws were based on health hazards then over the years were used for nothing more than another financial line of income by the church... sort of like why Muslim keep the left away from food when eating as it is used specifically for the toilet which was probably brought about by lack of water in the old desert Bedouin days. Just a thought...
There may have been secular justifications, back in the day, in avoiding certain foods, or in slaughtering animals in specified ways to avoid disease pathogens, but many such religious laws are purely arbitrary, with no health benefit to the observant, other than not being stoned to death by one's neighbours for not following the practices of all the other neighbourhood religious sheep. There often is no further justification in observing these kinds of practices, but for many reasons, the sacred texts which contain anachronistic religious dietary laws are rarely if ever repealed; other than that the religious, by common practice, will just simply backslide, and ignore the ancient religious teachings and traditions; as evidenced by shellfish, pork, and beef stroganoff eating Christians. Islam and Halal Certified food programs | Survival Monkey Forums
IIRC there was a report issued by a group of molecular biologist that claimed they studied the Biblical food laws in the Old Testament and as a result said the laws were medically and scientifically sound and would increase the length of ones life and improve their overall well being... need to find that I guess... had it bookmarked on an older machine but lost it all when the machine went belly up big time... Oh and eating of the stuff you were not supposed to was not a good idea... as in decrease etc... but... I do love bacon...
Is this it? http://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=old-testament-pubs
doesn't look like it... this was put together by several/many working together IIRC... and there was not a lot of references about Biblical Law so much as a study of the food items and the possible why's and why nots on a molecular level vs benefits/adverse affect to humans... this does not look familiar will look for it later... not in a rush... as in some ways I don't much care if other believe or not... or have a come to moment... watchman has to watch n call out... after that it's on those called out to... IIRC... for that matter I have noticed... most have already made up their minds and little if anything anyone says is going to change it... unless they get a moment like that female reporter on Fox News that said she was smacked up side the head with it... Christen Powers was it? in fact I have noticed when certain things come up... some people get to hating n such... nice to not see that here...
I do recall some place in the Bible listing specifically the foods that were allowed and the foods that were to be avoided, shell fish and other bottom feeding sea life were to be avoided! I think a lot of the religions went this way as a means to prevent people from becoming ill ( in limited ways, I believe them to be correct) Specifically Pork! We all know it is bad for us, about as bad as Sea chicken( Sea Gulls) but with modern farming practices I think we have removed a lot of the risks that consuming pork would have had! ( Bring the Bacon and the wine, Please) and the shell fish and other bottom feeding sea life would also fit in with this, and I would also add in the strange apprentice of some of those sea creatures would evoke images of evil with folks!!! ( Bring me another Lobster, with drawn butter and another loaf of bread while yer at it) Fresh water species I believe were the only ones that were accepted in those days!
on the shell fish... seen crab shells that had so much lead in em you could draw pictures and the crab was fine... same with copper... many of the things that were forbidden can have or had toxic stuff about em that will not harm the creature... but can kill us... very dead... and often rather painfully... but ya I agree we have learned how to... and IIRC weren't those food bans lifted in the New Testament?
Only for gentiles....a major, and very successful marketing strategy for new religion salesmen (aka evangelists) Possibly one of many reasons why fewer pagans converted to Judaism, than to Christianity. Who, in their right mind would give up bacon just to become a Christian (if Christianity had still enforced the old Levitical dietary laws). Edit: Heaven is an uncertain promise for the future...bacon is a certainty, Now!