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Why Do Christians Eat Blood?

Rival

Si m'ait Dieus
Staff member
Premium Member
The Eucharist appears to be an ancient Greek ritual.

For example, from Euripides' Βάκχαι (The Bacchae) (tr. Ian Johnston) ─

TIRESIAS:
[...]
Young man, among human beings two things
stand out preeminent, of highest rank.
Goddess Demeter is one—she’s the earth
(though you can call her any name you wish),
and she feeds mortal people cereal grains.
The other one came later, born of Semele—
he brought with him liquor from the grape,
something to match the bread from Demeter.
He introduced it among mortal men.
When they can drink up what streams off the vine,
unhappy mortals are released from pain. [280]
It grants them sleep, allows them to forget
their daily troubles. Apart from wine,
there is no cure for human hardship.
He, being a god, is poured out to the gods,
so human beings receive fine benefits
as gifts from him. And yet you mock him. Why?
'The other, born of Semele' is Dionysos, god of wine (&c).

But of course the NT is written in Greek, Jesus born of a virgin by divine insemination follows Greek mythology, 'take to the roads, meet people, trust in the Lord for your food' is Greek Cynic philosophy ─ and so on.
This has nothing to do with my OP though.
 

rusra02

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
In the UK they eat black pudding, some people prefer rare steak, some eat blood soups (especially in Eastern Europe) etc. even though Acts says this:

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.
- Acts 15:28-29.

As an aside, G-d also forbids eating blood from a live animal in the Book of Genesis:

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
- Genesis 9:4
I think the answer is both simple and serious. Many professed Christians are not real followers of Christ. I believe true Christians take seriously the command to abstain from blood (and thus also avoid eating strangled animals not properly bled.) (Leviticus 17:13,14)
 

Magus

Active Member
Ancients have two elements involved in creation , 'Blood & Semen' , both of which appear in Genesis 2:7 dust of the ground ( Semen and Blood) .

Ancients didn't have microscopes, they didn't know Sperm and Eggs existed, so to them, it was simply
Blood and Semen', two creation elements, since 'Christianity' is about being born-again, they try to emulate birth by smearing themselves in both Blood and Semen.

God Bless ( Smear in menstruation blood) Christ (Smear in semen), so the term 'Christian' means, people that are smeared in Semen , in Hebrew 'Semen' actually means Oil -שֶׁמֶן- (Poured Oil) note the term 'God' means ( Poured Earth).

Blood and Semen are simplified as 'Black and White', so Muslim men wear White, the women wear Black, it is also why the Kaaba is black, or why Pope wears white , or releases White and Black Smoke, from the cult of Vesta.

It is entirely based on sexual superstition.
 

Ben Dhyan

Veteran Member
In the UK they eat black pudding, some people prefer rare steak, some eat blood soups (especially in Eastern Europe) etc. even though Acts says this:

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.
- Acts 15:28-29.

As an aside, G-d also forbids eating blood from a live animal in the Book of Genesis:

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
- Genesis 9:4

So what did the Messiah say about what Christians could eat...

Mark 7:14-23 What Defiles a person

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
In the UK they eat black pudding, some people prefer rare steak, some eat blood soups (especially in Eastern Europe) etc. even though Acts says this:

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.
- Acts 15:28-29.

As an aside, G-d also forbids eating blood from a live animal in the Book of Genesis:

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
- Genesis 9:4
OTOH, other passages suggest the opposite:

Acts 9:9-16

"9 About noon the next day, while they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. 11 He saw heaven opened and an object something like a large sheet descending, being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and wild birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” 15 The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven."

1 Timothy 4:4-5:

"4 For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. 5 For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer."

And Romans 14 explains a particular take on food (i.e. that no food is unclean in and of itself, but Christians shouldn't eat food that causes people around them to stumble in faith.

Short version: the New Testament contradicts itself on the issue of food, so many Christians choose to abide by other passages that contradict the one you cited.
 

Grandliseur

Well-Known Member
In the UK they eat black pudding, some people prefer rare steak,
I already answered once, but didn't see you also mentioned steak.

When a child, there were occasions we had meat that while being fried, or cooked, leaked fluid, clearly blood related. I asked my father how we could eat this when we couldn't eat the other things forbidden.

His answer was very good. He told me that it wasn't possible or asked of us to make sure that the meat we consumed did not contain any blood. What was important was that we followed, obeyed the edict given about direct blood consumption to show God the respect for blood he demanded.

Once an animal had been bled according to the edict, the fact that its meat contained some blood juices was not against God's will for us to eat; otherwise, we couldn't consume any meat. If you then eat the steak rare, medium, or well fried, cooked matters not. Actually, you can eat the meat sashimi style if you want, but be aware of the risk with different kinds of meat. Especially animals that the Mosaic Law shows as unclean must usually be cooked to avoid parasites. (Christians may eat this kind of food, at their own risk)
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
In the UK they eat black pudding, some people prefer rare steak, some eat blood soups (especially in Eastern Europe) etc. even though Acts says this:

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.
- Acts 15:28-29.

As an aside, G-d also forbids eating blood from a live animal in the Book of Genesis:

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
- Genesis 9:4

I believe a Christian led by the Holy Spirit will be a bit more careful. Now that we have scince we know that the blood carries diseases. That is why we are supposed to cook pork and beef really well done. A person can eat rare meat because not every animal is diseased or carrying one but it is like playing Russian roulette.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
Was one of the Catholic rituals I witnessed as a kid that sorta freaked me out.

That and eating the body of Christ. It was rather disconcerting for me as a kid, I didn't want to eat Jesus.

I believe when I was a child I thought like a child but now I have put away childish things.
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
In the UK they eat black pudding, some people prefer rare steak, some eat blood soups (especially in Eastern Europe) etc. even though Acts says this:

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.
- Acts 15:28-29.

As an aside, G-d also forbids eating blood from a live animal in the Book of Genesis:

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
- Genesis 9:4

Nobody who has ever eaten meat of any kind has not eaten blood to some degree.

The quote you supplied does not seem to apply as you stated. it seems to indicate that you should bleed your animal before it is slaughtered, just as Jews do today.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
Nobody who has ever eaten meat of any kind has not eaten blood to some degree.

The quote you supplied does not seem to apply as you stated. it seems to indicate that you should bleed your animal before it is slaughtered, just as Jews do today.

I can't be sure what is practiced today but I remember reading that slaughter houses did it that way but just didn't have a Rabbi available to bless the event.
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
I once went to a church and saw them doing it. They kneeled on these little benches and their priest fed them their god's blood.

Rightly did Paul speak of you:

1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
I can't be sure what is practiced today but I remember reading that slaughter houses did it that way but just didn't have a Rabbi available to bless the event.

Sure, you are correct. But my point was that it is virtually impossible to remove every corpuscle of blood from an animal. So anyone who ever eats meat is fooling themselves if they think they are not eating blood. Why do you think that steak is red?
 
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