Everyone knows that Muslims and Jews have a religious ban on eating pork. Why did Christians escape this fate?
The philistine explanations for the ban on the use of pig meat for Muslims and Jews are in many ways similar. Both religions were formed in hot countries, where such perishable and "dirty" meat as pork is dangerous to human health. It is known that pigs are omnivorous - they are able to digest everything they find: from carrion to their own excrement. The animals themselves do not suffer from this, but for humans, the toxins accumulating in pork are a real poison.
In addition, scientists have proved that pigs are a very suitable habitat for the parasitic worm "Trichinella", and with poor heat treatment of meat, the larvae of the parasite may well enter the body of the person who has consumed it. And this is very serious: trichinosis is a disease that is often fatal.
However, both Jews and Arabs are primarily guided not so much by concern for their health as by the fulfillment of religious commandments. On the pages of the Torah and the Koran, the issues of proper nutrition, permitted and prohibited foods are repeatedly raised. Among the latter is pork. However, each religion has its own nuances.
One of the most important components of Islam is such concepts as "halal" (everything that is permitted by Allah) and "haram" (which is prohibited). They also apply to food. The Qur'an (Sura 5, ayat 3) says: "You are forbidden [to eat] carrion, blood, pork, as well as what is slaughtered without mentioning the name of Allah."
As you know, pork is a heavy product, and from the point of view of Islam, excess nutrition is a sin. This is discussed in another verse: “Do not eat much, but be moderate, so as not to hurt yourself and deprive the poor. Allah does not like the wasteful and is dissatisfied with their exorbitant deeds! (Quran. 6: 141).
Muslims also banned products that have appeared on the market relatively recently and contain additives that include pork fat. This is the fault of individual manufacturers of cheese, chocolate, baked goods, carbonated drinks, soaps and toothpastes. Modern Islamic scientists here are guided not only by religious precepts, but also by medicine, explaining that pork fat is poorly absorbed by the human body.
It is noteworthy that in Islam, pork (as a prohibited product) can also be equated with lamb, if it was not cooked according to the canons of halal. For example, a ram was killed in torment, or before death he saw another animal die.
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The Torah, as well as the Quran, also contains an obvious prohibition on eating pork: “And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, saying to them: say to the children of Israel: these are the animals that you can eat out of all the livestock on the earth: every livestock whose the hooves and the hooves are deeply cut, and which chews the cud, eat”(Leviticus 11: 2-3).
Deer, cows, goats, sheep have both of these characteristics - their meat is kosher. A pig, even in spite of the presence of a cloven hoof with a deep cut, is not a ruminant animal, and therefore for Jews it is forbidden - "clubs". “And the pig, although it doubles its hooves, does not chew the gum, it is unclean to you; do not eat their flesh, and do not touch their carcasses”(Deuteronomy 14: 8).
In addition, Judaism permits the use of poultry, however, like ruminants, they must be prepared appropriately. The animal is slaughtered with a special sharpened knife (in order to cause him as little suffering as possible), then all the blood is removed from the carcass. But even a properly slaughtered animal can become non-kosher if, for example, it is cooked with dairy products.
And why in Christianity, for which, as well as for Judaism, one of the main Books is the Old Testament, there is no prohibition on eating pork? Moreover, for many Christians (for example, Russians or Germans) pork is one of their favorite meat dishes.
The answer to this question can be found in the New Testament books. For example, here are the words of the Apostle Paul: “So the law was for us a teacher to Christ, that we might be justified by faith; after the coming of faith, we are no longer under [the guidance of] a schoolmaster”(Gal. 3: 24,25).
In other words, the Old Testament fulfilled its role - it prepared the coming of the Messiah, and from now on, following some of its commandments is not a prerequisite for entering the Kingdom of Heaven. But initially God's instructions about food did not contain any prohibitions. "Everything that moves, that lives, will be food for you" (Gen. 9: 3).
Here is another passage from the Gospel, which already fully reveals the attitude of Christ to this issue so scrupulous in Judaism and Islam. “Food does not bring us closer to God: for if we eat, we gain nothing; if we don't eat, we don't lose anything."
