A PASTOR'S PERSONAL TESTIMONY
Far too many Christians have the mistaken view that the Bible relates only to
"pie in the sky when we die," and is of little benefit to our daily
lives while we are yet alive. I suppose that I had also thought that way at
one time, until a chain of events occurred which proved to me otherwise.
A WARNING TO DOCTORS - AND THE PUBLIC
Several years ago the author took a job in the purchasing department of a large
regional hospital. My duties included delivering medical supplies to each department
throughout the building. One afternoon a large-sized new medical book arrived
for the hospital library, containing the latest studies by the government health
authorities, and in curiosity I thumbed through it while on a break. It stated
that 40% of the swine's flesh that was tested for trichinae was found to be
infested, but was approved and sold to the public after the removal of only
visible "cysts," or eggs. Trichinae worms and eggs which were inside
the carcass and not visible from the outside were still passed by the government
for human consumption. The government's position was that it is up to the public
to cook the meat thoroughly to kill any such worms or eggs, although no effort
is apparently made to warn the public of the danger. But the high percentage
of pork found to be infested with trichinae bothered me, and I lost my appetite
for pork products from that time on.
AN AUTOPSY I'LL NEVER FORGET
A few weeks later, in delivering supplies to the morgue in the basement of the
hospital, I was greeted by the mortician, a doctor who performs the autopsies.
I told him about the book delivered to the hospital library, with confirmation
of pork trichinae infestation, and asked if he had ever found worms when doing
autopsies on the deceased. "Of course!" he replied, and explained
that he had just finished an autopsy of a woman who, he found, had her head
full of worms. "Did you write that down on the death certificate?"
I asked. He smiled at my suggestion and said, "Of course not! Would you
want to be told that your dearly departed had her head full of worms?"
He told me that he listed the cause of death as a "heart infarction"
(heart attack), which was partially true since the trichinae had also infested
her heart muscle. Heart problems, in fact, are listed as the cause of a large
number of deaths in America each year. How many of those deaths are actually
the result of trichinae worms which lodge in the heart and other muscles?
BIBLE PRINCIPLES
The Bible tells us in Leviticus 11, verses 7 to 11, "And the swine... is
unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye
not touch; they are unclean to you... They shall be even an abomination unto
you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcasses in abomination."
In light of this, can anyone say that God didn't know, or refused to tell us,
of the dangers of eating pork? Modern theologians ridicule the thought of Bible
health laws, saying these were just religious rituals which have now been abolished
by Christ at Calvary. Yet Jesus Himself said that, "Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law." (Matthew
5:18) Since heaven and earth have not yet passed away, the law must still be
in effect!
Everything that God has created has a purpose, although we may not fully understand
what that purpose is. A front-page article which appeared in the Wall Street
Journal a few years ago contained an interesting observation. The author said
that scientists have found a purpose for every plant, animal, and insect within
the food chain, except for one: the mosquito does not appear to be a significant
food source for any other creature. But scientists will no doubt one day discover
that the lowly mosquito also has its purpose in God's plan! The swine also has
a purpose as a scavenger. They are constructed almost immune to poisons like
rattle-snake bites, and can be used to clean up infested areas. Shrimp and snails
("escargot") serve a similar purpose in cleaning up waste and filth
in the seas. These poisons accumulate in their bodies -- as well as yours if
you eat them. Not everything with "meat on the bone" is food for the
stomach!
A CHRISTIAN WORLD-VIEW
We believe that the truth the Bible contains relates to all of life today, for
men and women as individuals, and for society as a whole. We refer to this as
a "Christian World-view." Everything in life can be viewed in terms
of Scriptural principles to see how God would have us to live. We believe that
the principles in God's law are moral principles which apply in any time or
place; that God is not simply giving us silly rituals to follow in the Bible
is clear when He says, "for you shall be healthy before me." (Lev.
20:26) God cares about your physical well-being! See the article following for
more information on Bible food laws.
DIVINE DIET
A DIGEST OF DIVINE LAW CONCERNING FOOD
"You shall not pollute your lives with animal or bird, or any reptile
of the field, which I have pointed out to you as unclean; but you shall be healthy
before me."
-Leviticus 20:25-26
ANIMALS: Must "divide the hoofs and chew the cud" (Lev. 11:3) This includes the ox, sheep, goat, stag (venison), elk, moose, chamois, antelope, bison, cattle. Not included: pig (pork, swine) and the common meals made with it - spareribs, much lunch-meat, pork hot dogs, etc.; rabbit, ape, camel, kangaroo; all carnivores, such as wolf, bear, seal, walrus; lizard species; reptiles; vermin, such as worms (often found in fruit), frogs, toads, mole, mouse, snakes, and turtle. (Lev. 11:30-31)
BIRDS: The Bible lists many fowl as being examples of unclean food, which may be categorized in the following manner: All fowl with webbed feet, such as duck and goose, are unclean; as well as sea birds, such as eagle, osprey, hawk, vulture, raven, ostrich, sea gull, buzzard, pelican, owl, stork, heron, bat, kite, cormorant, swan, and plover (lap wing species). (Lev. 11:19)
FISH: "All that have fins and scales" are good for food (Lev. 11:9). This includes most fish: cod, haddock, herring, halibut, smelt, whiting, salmon, trout, skate, tuna, perch. This does not include crustaceans, such as shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab; nor mollusks, such as clam, oysters, mussels, snails (escargot), squids, octopus; nor scale-less, such as whale, shark, and dolphin.
PLANTS: Most fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts which are edible are good for food; specifically, every herb-bearing seed, and fruit of a tree yielding seed. (Genesis 1:29) This does not include sporing plants, classified as 'fungi,' such as mushrooms and mold.
INTERNAL ORGANS: These are specifically prohibited, such as kidney, liver, etc. (Lev. 3:15), blood (Lev. 17:13), fat, and the lard and suet made from it (Lev. 7:23).
INSECTS: Generally forbidden, except for the locust, grasshopper, and beetle (cockchafer) species. (Lev. 11:22)
BENEFITS OF FOLLOWING THE BIBLE FOOD LAWS:
A MAN IS WHAT HE EATS
The Bible says that if you do not obey divine law, including that governing
food, that "the Lord will strike you with consumption, and fever, and wasting,
and burning...and blight, and jaundice, ...ulcer, ...tumors, and scurvy."
(Deut. 28:22, 28) A man is what he eats; if you eat bad food you should expect
to get sick!
HEALTHIER IN BODY AND MIND
Compare man's span of life today with that in the days when the divine food
laws were kept. The average span of life has fallen from 120 years (Genesis
6:3) to 65 to 75 years today. For a proven application of Bible food laws, read
Daniel 1:8-20. Daniel and his friends refused the King's rations, which were
not scripturally sound. The result was that, after maintaining a correct diet,
they were healthier in body and mind than those children who ate forbidden foods.
NATURAL LAW AND AN INSTITUTION FOREVER!
This was no accident, but was based upon natural law given us by God. "It
is an institution for- ever, for your descendants, in all your dwelling places..."
(Lev. 3:17)
All quotes from "the Holy Bible In Modern English," by Ferrar Fenton