{"id":1815,"date":"2019-11-03T15:04:21","date_gmt":"2019-11-03T15:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/woulduconsider.wpcomstaging.com\/?p=1815"},"modified":"2020-09-03T11:26:58","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T11:26:58","slug":"the-muslim-who-refused-to-sell-me-meat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corneliascottcree.com\/the-muslim-who-refused-to-sell-me-meat\/","title":{"rendered":"Before You Buy that Thanksgiving Turkey"},"content":{"rendered":"

This happened when I was living in China.  I was in the mood to cook something at home.  I’d tried some local  mutton and no amount of cooking could turn what I had purchased into anything easier to eat than my American shoes.  Into the trash it went.\"halal-meat\"<\/a>
\nThen I headed to a little meat shop around the corner, quite unaware that it was Muslim owned.  Little did I know that Muslims are not allowed to sell meat to “infidels” which, according to their religious system, I definitely am. After I saw him in his get up, I was glad to know why I was rejected and I left relieved.
\nIt is against the New Testament rules to eat meat dedicated to a foreign god, in this case Allah.  The vast majority of Christians pay no attention to what they buy for meals, believing that the Department of Agriculture has things nailed down in terms of inspection.
\nHowever, we have never had to worry about our food being offered as a sacrifice to Allah until now.  Alas, the Butterball people have been allowing an Islamic priest to say prayers over our favorite turkeys when they are slaughtered, a clear violation of this passage.
\nThis passage from Corinthians  is long but if we as Christians join in with idol worship, we can ruin our public testimony, even though we have no belief that our behavior  is wrong.  Let Paul explain it.  The Message version is very clear.
\n1 Corinthians 8:3-13 <\/span><\/p>\n

8 <\/span>1-3 <\/span><\/sup>The question keeps coming up regarding meat that has been offered up to an idol: Should you attend meals where such meat is served, or not? We sometimes tend to think we know all we need to know to answer these kinds of questions\u2014but sometimes our humble hearts can help us more than our proud minds. We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

4-6 <\/span><\/sup>Some people say, quite rightly, that idols have no actual existence, that there\u2019s nothing to them, that there is no God other than our one God, that no matter how many of these so-called gods are named and worshiped they still don\u2019t add up to anything but a tall story. They say\u2014again, quite rightly\u2014that there is only one God the Father, that everything comes from him, and that he wants us to live for him. Also, they say that there is only one Master\u2014Jesus the Messiah\u2014and that everything is for his sake, including us. Yes. It\u2019s true.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

7 <\/span><\/sup>In strict logic, then, nothing happened to the meat when it was offered up to an idol. It\u2019s just like any other meat.<\/strong> I know that, and you know that. But knowing isn\u2019t everything. If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn\u2019t that insensitive.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We need to be sensitive to the fact that we\u2019re not all at the same level of understanding in this. Some of you have spent your entire lives eating \u201cidol meat,\u201d and are sure that there\u2019s something bad in the meat that then becomes something bad inside of you. An imagination and conscience shaped under those conditions isn\u2019t going to change overnight.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

8-9 <\/span><\/sup>But fortunately God doesn\u2019t grade us on our diet. We\u2019re neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can\u2019t stomach it. But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

10 <\/span><\/sup>For instance, say you flaunt your freedom<\/strong> by going to a banquet thrown in honor of idols, where the main course is meat sacrificed to idols. Isn\u2019t there great danger if someone still struggling over this issue, someone who looks up to you as knowledgeable and mature, sees you go into that banquet? The danger is that he will become terribly confused\u2014maybe even to the point of getting mixed up himself in what his conscience tells him is wrong.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Studying other religions<\/h3>\n

In addition, there is the issue to studying other religions.  We are told not to do it.  The same principles apply here too.  Someone who is not able to be discretionary about what he puts in his mind may become confused.  People with little spiritual foundation can easily get off track with occult information that they are not ready to absorb.  You are free to read those books but why would you if there is nothing there but religious junk food?
\n11-13 <\/span><\/sup>Christ gave up his life for that person. Wouldn\u2019t you at least be willing to give up going to dinner for him\u2014because, as you say, it doesn\u2019t really make any difference? But it does make a difference if you hurt your friend terribly, risking his eternal ruin! When you hurt your friend, you hurt Christ. A free meal here and there isn\u2019t worth it at the cost of even one of these \u201cweak ones.\u201d So, never go to these idol-tainted meals if there\u2019s any chance it will trip up one of your brothers or sisters.”<\/span><\/em>
\nWhat you are free to do and what you should be doing publicly are two different things. And you can apply this to some concerts and  musical events, plays and other creative venues that glorify evil in some measure.
\nNow back to turkeys. To me personally this is no big deal because I don’t like turkey and I never buy it for myself. But my children do.
\nBut Paul does show how our public behavior can be a stumbling block.  Muslims need to know that Christianity does not accept any Muslim doctrine, and since many of them will be moving to the USA our public stance is going to be much more important.
\nIf you think this is nutty, you can read more online about it at
How do you like your Butterball turkey?<\/a>
\n#Apologetics #GodsWord #ChristianNonfiction #BibliosBlood #Faith #HolySpirit #Christ #truth #endtimes #thewarriordifference #ChristianTwitterCommunity #NationalYouthOnline #JesusMyRighteousness #Jesus #FreeWill #ChristianPhilosophy
\nIf you enjoy our articles here, please join the discussion by subscribing, and following us on Twitter @ImmaculateAssum and at Immaculate Assumptions on 
Facebook<\/a>. Additional background material on the author and her writings can be found at AMAZON<\/a> where you may purchase her e-book, Immaculate Assumptions: All You Heard about the Bible that Isn\u2019t True.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This happened when I was living in China.  I was in the mood to cook something at home.  I’d tried some local  mutton and no amount of cooking could turn what I had purchased into anything easier to eat than my American shoes.  Into the trash it went. Then I headed to a little meat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[447,911,1181,1661,1862],"yoast_head":"\nBefore You Buy that Thanksgiving Turkey ⋆ Cornelia Scott Cree<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/corneliascottcree.com\/the-muslim-who-refused-to-sell-me-meat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Before You Buy that Thanksgiving Turkey ⋆ Cornelia Scott Cree\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This happened when I was living in China.  I was in the mood to cook something at home.  I’d tried some local  mutton and no amount of cooking could turn what I had purchased into anything easier to eat than my American shoes.  Into the trash it went. 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