These days one can hardly go a day without seeing something someone “can’t live without.” Seriously, it’s all “But first ___” and “Lift, eat, ___” or “Eat, ___, sleep” or “____ is life.” What I tend to find {most} of the time is that its things that really we shouldn’t be over-doing and that we’ve become addicted to {ehem, coffee anyone?}.
I know there’s a lot of controversy around certain things, such as coffee, soy, and even eggs, as there are studies that go back and forth between, yes it’s good and no it ain’t. {Really, it’s learning to listen to your own body, not over-doing it, and choosing the highest quality, best-sourced product.} But there’s one “food” in particular {actually, in all honesty, there are several, but I’m gonna address just one in this post} which I believe some {many?} claim to be “healthy” but truly indeed is not: pig. Labeled by some as the “other white meat” and by our Creator as an unclean animal.
*GASP* WHAT?! But we love bacon!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, everyone can’t live without their bacon. Bacon this, bacon that. Everyone loves the pig. Reality is, it’s not as good as it’s touted to be. Oh sure if you’re choosing to eat pasture raised, antibiotic and hormone free pigs you’re a little better off, but the reality is they are still a toxic animal. And yes, I know there are several health experts out there who would disagree with me. Regardless I stand by this truth. Read on for why.
I’m going to start waaayyyy back in the beginning. And yes, I am very aware how many believe the Old Testament Law {Torah} is null & void, but the truth is YHWH spoke things for a reason. Now, if you’re not a “bible believer” please don’t stop reading, I encourage you to read on! I promise there’s some science-based information as well.
So, back to the beginning. The Israelites were called by YHWH to be a set-apart people. He called them to be holy, clean and like Him. The best that they could be, as defined by YHWH Himself. He gave them specific guidelines for how to live as He didn’t {and still doesn’t} want His chosen people to live like their surrounding neighbours.
Even before the written Torah was given, YHWH’s people knew the difference between clean and unclean animals. Noah took 7 pairs of every clean animal and one pair of every unclean when he went aboard the ark.
And when YHWH called His people out of Egypt and was bringing them to the land flowing with milk and honey, He spoke so much about not following the way of those who lived in the land, and they were to even drive them out. YHWH calls His people to be different, set-apart, holy.
The Creator of everything gives His people rules, laws, instructions, Torah. He provides the way He wants them to live; dietary instructions included.
We’ve been given food instructions since the beginning
In the setting of the garden we read:
Here! Throughout the whole earth, I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit.”
Genesis 1:29 CJB
They were told to cultivate the land and to eat freely from every tree {except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but that’s a story for another day}. Genesis 9:3 says
Every moving thing that lives will be food for you; just as I gave you green plants before, so now I give you everything.”
Genesis 9:3
While a lot of people believe this to mean they ate whatever they wanted, I would like to suggest a couple of things: 1. common sense. We all know that there are plants that are poisonous and if eaten, serious harm can be done {like the water hemlock}. 2. They already had a fairly big idea about what was “clean” and “unclean” because they were told back in Genesis 7:2 “Of every clean animal you are to take seven couples, and of the animals that are not clean, one couple;” These clean animals were to be used as a sacrifice to YHWH, so I think, perhaps if YHWH didn’t want certain animals sacrificed to Him then maybe, just maybe He doesn’t want us to consume them either. Just a thought.
Jump ahead to Leviticus 11 and we’re given the famous clean and unclean animals list; the animals which are clean, or “kosher” for human consumption. Unfortunately, what many fail to see is that this clean vs. unclean animals is so much more than just physical, it’s also spiritual, and really for believers, we should really be taking what The Creator says as serious, that is if we do truly believe in His Sovereignty.
So why did He say that certain foods are clean and some unclean? That’s a question many have, and while at the core level we may never truly know the full extent of the answer, science shows us the physical/nutritional reasons. Before we get to the science of it all, I would like to point out a few more things about the pig and the Bible.
YHWH gave specifics about which animals He declared clean, and those that are unclean animals. One of the groups of living creatures He allowed to be killed and eaten in Hebrew is Behemah. At the basic level it just means beast or cattle, however, it has two distinct characteristics: a land animal and animals that currently are {or can be} domesticated {as in, not a wild animal}: cattle, sheep, goats. Physical characteristics were also given to discern which behemah were clean versus which were not: a cloven hoof and chewing the cud.
In every instance where pigs are mentioned in the Bible, it’s a negative one: they are declared unclean animals {Leviticus 11:7-8, Deuteronomy 14:8}; those who “eat swine’s flesh” are mentioned with disgust and disdain {Isaiah 65: 2-4}; those who have “chose their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations” and offering swine’s blood are mentioned in the same sentence {Isaiah 66:3}. Similar talk is also in Isaiah 66:17.
In the First Book of Maccabees a king announced for everyone, including the Israelites, to follow his ways and his religion. In Jerusalem and the towns of Judah he banned sacrifices & offerings to YHWH in the sanctuary; he profaned the Sabbaths & feasts; he defiled everything holy; built new “alters, shrines and temples for idols, sacrificing pigs and unclean beasts…” {the King did this so the Israelites would forget YHWH’s laws…but that’s a story for another day…}.
The Second Book of Maccabees tells of a man so devoted and loyal to YHWH that he resolved to die than eat a piece of pork that was forced into his mouth. He spit it out and chose to die, a noble, virtuous death. {Side note, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of the First and Second Book of Maccabees; it’s heartbreaking, soul-stirring, and faith-building…I long to have a faith & devotion like that of the Maccabees!}
Psalm 80 mentions a boar tearing apart a vineyard {and wild creatures eating it}; a beautiful woman who lacks common sense is compared to that of a “gold ring in the snout of a pig” in Proverbs 11:22; we’re told not to throw our “pearls to the pigs” in Matthew 7.
In Matthew 8 and Mark 5 a herd of pigs is “blessed” with a bunch of demons being sent into them. 2 Peter 2 shares about a group who began to follow The Way, only to wander off from it and compares them to: “the true proverb, ‘A dog returns to its own vomit.’ Yes, ‘The pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud!'”
Are you beginning to see it? And please, please don’t quote me from the book of Acts about Peter’s dream…that story is not about declaring all animals clean, it’s about people, you can read a little bit more of my thoughts about Peter’s dream in this blog post.
Well, I think you can see from Scripture and New Testament writings that pigs aren’t really the cleanest animal around, but if it still isn’t enough and you still don’t want to just take YHWH at His word let’s look at the pig itself and the science of it all…
The laws of science are the thoughts of YHWH
Pigs are natural born scavengers; they will eat anything and everything. Along with eating food scraps and insects, they’re known to eat their own feces, their own dead carcasses, tumors off of other pigs and have even been known to kill and eat their own young. They’ll also eat humans…perhaps you remember the heart-wrenching, wretchedly disgusting story of the B.C. pig farmer who would murder women and the feed them to his pigs? As I said, pigs will eat anything. And here’s the kicker:
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT ATE.
Yep. Whatever that animal ate, you now also ate. This is actually one of the reasons why we need to careful and choosy about the products we consume: what other organisms consume, you then also consume.
It’s especially true when it comes to pigs because of their digestive system and lack of detoxification process. They don’t have sweat glands nor chew the cud. Their digestive system is very acidic and processes food within four hours. They don’t know when to stop eating which then decreases their stomach acid which means parasites and viruses and bacteria are passed through the protective barrier. This also means toxins get carried in the fat cells and organs of the pig and in the pig’s flesh. When humans consume their flesh, all of these toxins are then passed on to whoever is eating it.
Toxins damage DNA, negatively impact brain health {memory loss, brain fog, etc..}, can increase mood issues, disrupt hormone balance, plus so much more. Signs of toxic overload include fatigue, bad breath, chronic inflammation, constipation, rashes, acne, food cravings, difficulty concentrating, sinus issues and so much more.
Pigs are dirty and modern science is clearly showing that pigs carry a high toxic load; just check out all of the related articles on the Natural News site:
http://science.naturalnews.com/pork.html. They harbour parasites and viruses such as Taenia solium tapeworm; Nipah virus; Menangle virus; Hepatitis E virus; Trichinosis; and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. Some of the symptoms of these viruses and infections include headaches, fevers, muscle aches & pains, diarrhea, weakness and even inflammation of organs.
According to the World Health Organization, “processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.” Hot dogs. Ham. Corned beef. Lunch meats. Sausages. Canned meats. Carcinogenic means having the potential to cause cancer. Processed pork products have the potential to cause cancer. Not to mention, in the states, the FDA allows up to 20% animal hair in hotdogs.
There was an interesting study done, published in the Biblical Archeological Review by Jane Cahill and Peter Warnock, “It Had to Happen, Scientist Examines Ancient Bathrooms of Romans 586 B.C.” The findings were interesting: Egyptian toilets had eggs from Schistosoma, Trichinella, wireworm, and tapeworms. The toilets examined in Jewish households in Jerusalem found only pollen from many veggies, fruits, and herbs, but no infectious agents or parasites.
But Can’t You Just Cook Them Out?
There are plenty who believe that if you just cook the meat long enough it’ll kill all of the parasites and viruses. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. These toxins are not neutralized, even with high heat. Plus, when our food is cooked at such high temperatures it actually damages the essential fats and becomes carcinogenic. So really, it’s a lose-lose situation.
YHWH created certain animals to be living garbage trucks: animals on earth that would help to keep the land and waters clean. They are designed to clean up pollution and decaying flesh/matter. They are unclean animals for specific reasons. It’s clear, even just speaking from a scientific perspective {which…if you believe in The Creator, then it’s kinda hard getting around Him creating science…} pigs are not fit for human consumption.
I believe, if we believe in The Creator of everything, and we say we trust Him, then we need to believe in His intelligent design when it comes to our food consumption. We need to choose to believe His laws & commandments were intelligently designed, including the ones telling us not to consume pork. He knows what He’s talking about; choose to trust Him. He truly is the perfect designer.
For a complete list be sure to read Leviticus 11 as well as Deuteronomy 14.
May we all seek to become holy, as He is holy, and trust in His intelligent design.
Resources and helpful articles:
http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2015/pdfs/pr240_E.pdf
https://draxe.com/why-you-should-avoid-pork/
What the Bible Says About Healthy Living – 3 Principles That Will Change Your Diet and Improve Your Health by Rex Russell, M.D.
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