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Is eating shellfish a sin?
- Thread starter Rex
- Start date
Colin_Admin
Member
I dont know why it would be considered a sin, when there is lent.
Stained_Class
Member
Yes, according to Chapter 11 in Leviticus (specifically 11:10) but it is best to read the entire chapter for fuller understanding of the laws concerning this.
Also, keep in mind that the first 5 books of the Bible are Jewish oral history, and many of these laws (including ones to condemn homosexuals, which was added in 1946) do not apply to modern day Christians. Regardless of the fact that Leviticus also states if all of these laws are not followed you will surely be put to death.
Ian
Also, keep in mind that the first 5 books of the Bible are Jewish oral history, and many of these laws (including ones to condemn homosexuals, which was added in 1946) do not apply to modern day Christians. Regardless of the fact that Leviticus also states if all of these laws are not followed you will surely be put to death.
Ian
Stained_Class
Member
Some Christians argue that the New Testament abolishes the old, and therefore the rules of Leviticus do not apply, and the "eye for an eye" law goes away with this as well. Also the only law from Leviticus that Jesus taught was "love thy neightbor as thyself" (I think that's 19:18, but I'd have to check)
Other Christians (like myself) would argue that a culture's oral history should not apply (unless voluntary) to the universality of the world, especially when it was written in 1500 BC. Christ's teachings cover the first 35 years of the Common Era (or AD), and since "Christianity" is rooted in His teachings, and those who choose to follow these teachings are no doubt inspired by this point in history afterwards, then such things as "lobster and crawfish are sin" become outmoded and silly.
Though I would love to see Pat Robertson and Pat Buchanan picketing Red Lobster and JoeBob's Seafood Resturaunt on Saturdays to admonish the "sinners", wouldn't you?
Ian
Other Christians (like myself) would argue that a culture's oral history should not apply (unless voluntary) to the universality of the world, especially when it was written in 1500 BC. Christ's teachings cover the first 35 years of the Common Era (or AD), and since "Christianity" is rooted in His teachings, and those who choose to follow these teachings are no doubt inspired by this point in history afterwards, then such things as "lobster and crawfish are sin" become outmoded and silly.
Though I would love to see Pat Robertson and Pat Buchanan picketing Red Lobster and JoeBob's Seafood Resturaunt on Saturdays to admonish the "sinners", wouldn't you?
Ian
Colin_Admin
Member
So this means that you can never eat shell fish?
Stained_Class
Member
You can refuse to eat shellfish based on your own convictions if you feel the laws of Leviticus apply generously to you today.
Someone else may think that one should be respectful off all seafood and life in the aquatic sector of Mother Earth, and therefore choose to abstain from shellfish, whether or not they believe the tenets or intensions of the Bible.
Someone else may think that Leviticus, written in 1500 BCE (or BC, whichever you prefer), has little to do with their laws & culture, especially if said laws do not coincide with Jewish oral histories. For example, a member of the Sioux tribe in South Dakota resides nowhere near salt water, and thus very few lobsters and crawfish make their way out there. For an Oglala Sioux (who may have converted to Christianity) to follow the law of a "sinning lobster eater" is a tad bit ridiculous, especially considering this does not apply to the ***space*** (very important) he or she occupies.
And yet, other Christians may feel that Leviticus, one of the first 5 books of the Old Testament, does not apply since the New Testament wipes the slate clean.
When in doubt, always refer to Romans, chapter 14 verse 5:
"Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"
Which translates into ----> Please think for yourself, as I am not in the business of labeling thought criminals, nor am I a member of the Thought Police.
If someone told me I was going to burn in hell for my love of the aquatic life, I would probably jump in delight at the thought of having enough fire to actually boil the water to put the lobsters in, so only then would I truly be in heaven.
yummmmmm .... forbidden lobster
Ian
Someone else may think that one should be respectful off all seafood and life in the aquatic sector of Mother Earth, and therefore choose to abstain from shellfish, whether or not they believe the tenets or intensions of the Bible.
Someone else may think that Leviticus, written in 1500 BCE (or BC, whichever you prefer), has little to do with their laws & culture, especially if said laws do not coincide with Jewish oral histories. For example, a member of the Sioux tribe in South Dakota resides nowhere near salt water, and thus very few lobsters and crawfish make their way out there. For an Oglala Sioux (who may have converted to Christianity) to follow the law of a "sinning lobster eater" is a tad bit ridiculous, especially considering this does not apply to the ***space*** (very important) he or she occupies.
And yet, other Christians may feel that Leviticus, one of the first 5 books of the Old Testament, does not apply since the New Testament wipes the slate clean.
When in doubt, always refer to Romans, chapter 14 verse 5:
"Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"
Which translates into ----> Please think for yourself, as I am not in the business of labeling thought criminals, nor am I a member of the Thought Police.
If someone told me I was going to burn in hell for my love of the aquatic life, I would probably jump in delight at the thought of having enough fire to actually boil the water to put the lobsters in, so only then would I truly be in heaven.
yummmmmm .... forbidden lobster
Ian
Master Hoomer
Member
"written lore is an oil lamp....oral lore is the flame upon the lamp illuminating the way"
a Jewish truth
in other words...dont knock oral lore
a Jewish truth
in other words...dont knock oral lore
Master Hoomer
Member
Sorry its such a long post but this is what romans says about the law
romans 8 v 1-4
Life in the Spirit
1So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2For the power[1] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[2] through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. 3The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us[3] who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
romans 2 v 28-29
28For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the Jewish ceremony of circumcision. 29No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.
Romans 7
No Longer Bound to the Law
1Now, dear brothers and sisters[1] --you who are familiar with the law--don't you know that the law applies only to a person who is still living? 2Let me illustrate. When a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. 3So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.
4So this is the point: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God. 5When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit.
Gods Law Reveals Our Sin
7Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is evil? Of course not! The law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, "Do not covet."[2] 8But sin took advantage of this law and aroused all kinds of forbidden desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.
9I felt fine when I did not understand what the law demanded. But when I learned the truth, I realized I had broken the law and was a sinner, doomed to die. 10So the good law, which was supposed to show me the way of life, instead gave me the death penalty. 11Sin took advantage of the law and fooled me; it took the good law and used it to make me guilty of death. 12But still, the law itself is holy and right and good.
13But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my doom? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God's good commandment for its own evil purposes.
Struggling with Sin
14The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.
18I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. 19When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
21It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22I love God's law with all my heart. 23But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?[3] 25Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
romans 8 v 1-4
Life in the Spirit
1So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2For the power[1] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[2] through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. 3The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us[3] who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
romans 2 v 28-29
28For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the Jewish ceremony of circumcision. 29No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.
Romans 7
No Longer Bound to the Law
1Now, dear brothers and sisters[1] --you who are familiar with the law--don't you know that the law applies only to a person who is still living? 2Let me illustrate. When a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. 3So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.
4So this is the point: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God. 5When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit.
Gods Law Reveals Our Sin
7Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is evil? Of course not! The law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, "Do not covet."[2] 8But sin took advantage of this law and aroused all kinds of forbidden desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.
9I felt fine when I did not understand what the law demanded. But when I learned the truth, I realized I had broken the law and was a sinner, doomed to die. 10So the good law, which was supposed to show me the way of life, instead gave me the death penalty. 11Sin took advantage of the law and fooled me; it took the good law and used it to make me guilty of death. 12But still, the law itself is holy and right and good.
13But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my doom? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God's good commandment for its own evil purposes.
Struggling with Sin
14The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.
18I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. 19When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
21It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22I love God's law with all my heart. 23But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?[3] 25Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Colin_Admin
Member
If your Jewish you cant eat shellfish.
Green Gaia
Veteran Member
Eating shellfish is a "sin" for me.... but I'm vegetarian. 