{"id":143,"date":"2023-12-02T13:25:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T18:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theydidntteachmethat\/?p=143"},"modified":"2023-12-09T12:26:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T17:26:38","slug":"is-it-a-sin-to-kill-and-eat-octopuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theydidntteachmethat\/2023\/12\/is-it-a-sin-to-kill-and-eat-octopuses\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it a Sin to Kill and Eat Octopuses?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Pixabay image by edmondlafoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Does God tell us what we are allowed to eat and not eat?\u00a0 Do our religious beliefs inform our food choices or do we rely solely on cultural norms?<\/p>\n
Western religious traditions provide some guidance as to which kinds of meat are deemed edible, but that guidance is incomplete.<\/p>\n
In the Hebrew Bible, many kinds of animals are deemed unclean and therefore unfit for human consumption.\u00a0 The camel, the rabbit, the hyrax, the pig, marine animals lacking fins and scales, many kinds of insects, birds and reptiles were deemed unclean by the priests and by their report, YHWH himself<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The Quran likewise forbids the consumption of certain meats:<\/p>\n
Forbidden food substances include alcohol, pork, carrion, the meat of carnivores, and animals that died due to illness, injury, stunning, poisoning, or slaughtering not in the name of God<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The teachings of Yeshua, in the Christian tradition, as far as we know from the sources we have been told by the church are authentic, do not contain any guidance as to which meats are suitable and which are not.<\/p>\n
It is notable, however, that the Roman Catholic Church and several Orthodox denominations have dietary restrictions specifically related to worship.\u00a0 These restrictions have historically changed with the whims of Popes and Patriarchs.<\/p>\n
Unless we are observant Jews or Muslims, or we are bound by worship-related restrictions, our Western religious tradition does not assist us in determining which kinds of meat are acceptable.\u00a0 This places before us the frightening prospect of having to use our own consciences to make this determination.<\/p>\n
Pixabay image by Holger Detje<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
We, of course, rely on our culture(s) to help us make these choices.\u00a0 For example, in Western culture, we have domesticated cats and dogs, making them into pets and companions.\u00a0 We do not eat their flesh.\u00a0 We do eat cows and pigs, sheep and goats.\u00a0 In the U.S., we have developed a special relationship with horses.\u00a0 Unlike some European countries, we do not consume horse meat.<\/p>\n
We hunt and eat the meat of deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, bison, and caribou.\u00a0 Typically<\/em>, we do not eat rodents.\u00a0 There are exceptions.\u00a0 We do not eat bats, bears or large predators.\u00a0 Among birds, we do not eat raptors or corvids.<\/p>\n
We do not eat primates.<\/p>\n
Typically, we do not eat insects, worms or grubs.\u00a0 We selectively eat reptiles and amphibians.<\/p>\n
We eat fish, shellfish and many, many kinds of marine animals. But we do not eat dolphins and porpoises.<\/p>\n