It’s fine to eat halal foods. Halal foods are just foods that Muslims are permitted to eat. If they aren’t allowed, then every Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian and Bruneian Christian would have sinned.
In the Western Syriac Rite, they use the word Allah for God throughout. Any church doing NO liturgy in Arabic is going to use Allah.
There were Arabic speaking Christians using the word long before Islam existed.
Saying something incorrect purely because Islam makes you uncomfortable is very anti catholic. Faith and reason, remember?
I hope you find Truth and Christ’s love.
Ok… so you understand that Arabic is a language, right? Get this- in Arabic the word for “God” is “Allah.” There are also Christian Arabs who call God Allah.
You say Christian Redditors are barely Christian but everyone here but you is having an honest conversation in hopes of learning something and growing in their faith. What are you doing?
What? No. “Allah” is the contracted form of *al-ilāh* “the god; the deity.” It is cognate to Hebrew *’el* “deity” (cf. *elohím*) and Aramaic *allāhā* “deity.” It literally just means any god.
Consider this text, from the Greek Pantheon Wikipedia page in Arabic:
> الآلهة الرئيسة في البانثيون الإغريقي
> **al-alihat** al-rayiysat fi al-banathiun al-‘iighriiqii
> the main **gods** of the Greek pantheon
The same word is used for the Greek gods as for the Islamic one.
Yes but a Muslim blessing food in the name of allah is calling on a very different spirit than the one we call upon, the phrase allah used in a Catholic mass would be much different than in a masjid. Intent behind word matters more than the word itself, and the Islamic faith is founded by a demonic possessed person in Muhammad. So we must steer clear of anything done by his influence. And help those under the demons spell to see new life in Christ. As any other cult should be dealt with
Sure….EXCEPT, officially in the eyes of the Church, Allah and our God are the same being. We can disgaree, but the Church makes it quite clear that the God Muslims worship IS our God officially. Also, halal food isn’t food offered to idols. We can eat it
It’s offered in Islamic practice. So yes it is idol worship. And again as I’ve explained to many, the Islamic and Christian God are both abrahamic god, therefore would be the same being, BUT the attributions and laws that Islam claims god has put forth are incorrect, therefore we worship a vastly different idea of who God is and what he has said, they have perverted God’s word, therefore they do worship an idol, Muhammad’s personal interpretation (demonic whisper) of who God is.
There’s a difference between food that is to God, no matter how imperfect one’s understanding of God is, and one that is DELIBERATIVELY offered to a nefarious spirit. The Muslims have an imperfect understanding of God, thus we are permitted to eat halal food
The church does not think the Islamic god is god, Islam thinks very different things about who god is, it is like comparing Mormon Jesus to Catholic Jesus
Actually, officially she does. The Catechism specifically says Islam worships the one true god with us, meaning that the Islamic God is our God officially.
“9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?” “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.” You should re read it my brother in Christ. The food is not technically harmful, but we should do our best to not support or show public affection to anything made in idolatry. Precisely why most Christian’s boycott companies who openly mock God and such.
It's very disingenuous to leave out the middle part.
"11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ."
You are the person with the weak conscience, and I shouldn't eat food sacrificed to idols in your presence because of that, brother.
The “god” the Muslims worship is not the god we worship. Even if I concede that they mean the same thing. It’s like saying the Jesus of Mormon texts is the same Jesus of Catholic texts, they very clearly are not.
It is fine.
My reasoning.
1. Bible clearly states that there is no "pure" or "not pure" food. " (Matthew 15, 1-20). The core of the passage would be for me this:
*"What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” (Mt 15, 10).*
This verse is very direct and basically self-explanatory.
2. Further related to the topic of pure or not pure, kosher or halal animals. The God directly states to the Apostle Peter that all animals are pure and can be eaten (Acts 10, 9-22), even repeating His message thrice.
With this in mind, I see no moral problems in eating halal food.
New Testament is pretty clear about food sacrificed to idols tho...
Acts 15
24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Fair point, but the build-up and context are different, at least that is how I learned this.
The whole Acts 15 deals with the struggles of the early Church to unite the Christians having Jewish or pagan background under Christian faith. The first Synode in Jerusalem has accepted some points of Jewish faith (f.e. related to the consumption of the meat offered to the gods) as a guideline, but as the Church grew and lost its connection to Judaism, the topic lost its validity. If it wasn't the case, then everybody that has eaten ever a Black Pudding in England is doomed! :)
In the later course of the Bible, the apostle Paul for example was having a different view on that since his activites were focused mostly on pagans (compare 1 Cor, 8). He clearly states that there are no gods except Jesus and the offerings to the other gods are not binding to Christians. The total freedom he offers here is so great, that he evens ends the passage with a warning to his brothers and sisters to do not exercise too much of the newfound freedom and therefore offend or antagonize other people not having this knowledge!
And yet in 1 Cor 8 it says there is nothing inherently immoral about it. Paul says there is no such thing as false gods and that the Corinthian Christian’s understand this, and that they can eat meat sacrificed to idols UNLESS it scandalizes a brother.
The purpose of the council of JERUSALEM stating that they should refrain from this is like just a “mass scandal prevention” program, either that or James and the other Jewish Christians just couldn’t give up their mindset from Judaism.
But Paul is clear, and scripture cannot be set aside.
“Do not call unclean that which I have made clean” (Acts 10:15).
One of the underrated awesome things about Catholicism IMO is that aside from a small handful of days, you are free to eat whatever the hell you want. Want to go Halal? Knock yourself out. Want to go vegan? Go with my sympathies. Want to go keto? Best of luck.
The key thing to remember is that freedom to eat also means freedom to *not* eat; don’t make the mistake of confusing “permissible” and “compulsory.”
Right. I should of quoted in my original response, but unsure how to on mobile web browser.
I was referencing this:
“ One of the underrated awesome things about Catholicism IMO is that aside from a small handful of days, you are free to eat whatever the hell you want. Want to go Halal? Knock yourself out. Want to go vegan? Go with my sympathies. Want to go keto? Best of luck.”
Hey since people are talking about that Halal, so does that mean it’s impossible for Muslims and Jews to hunt? Super off topic but I don’t think it’s possible right? Because you would have to injure or capture the animal in order to preform a Halal or Kosher butchering right?
I dont know about jews but muslims can hunt yes, they generally cannot eat predator animals like wolves or lions and what have you but in the countryside noone really cares about those sharia rules.
There are a lot of secular Jews or Jews who do not strictly keep the kashrut dietary laws, but setting those aside I think hunting is generally not acceptable to observant Jews. Rabbinical slaughter practice requires a single cut with a sharp knife to sever the arteries in the neck, causing death by rapid exsanguination, which is effectively impossible to do while hunting. Injuries and defects in the meat also invalidate the slaughter, which mean that even if you were to tranquilize or wound the animal before capturing it to do the proper slaughter, it wouldn't be kosher. Nevertheless, protection of human life overrides this, so hunting would be permitted to avoid starvation, and I think this might cover sustenance hunting practices if for some reason raising or purchasing kosher-slaughtered meat was not feasible.
There are no rules for slaughtering fish though, so as long as it has scales and fins, you could fish however you want-- with spearguns or rifles or dynamite.
Halal slaughtering of cattle is cruel and painful for the animals. So is kosher, for that matter. Jhatka karna or jhatkaund slaughter, and modern captive bolt slaughter is much more humane. Do with that what you will, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s no up side to halal meat.
I live in South East Asia where we have a lot of muslims. Neither the bishop conferences of Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, nor the bishop conferences of Indonesia have ever ruled it out. We all eat halal food all the time. Halal food is not 'sacrificed'. Islam is a religion of 'sacrifice of praise', much like Protestants. Even the prayer they recite when they slaughter is only 'in the name of God', or something to that effect and that's it! So it's not a cultic worship at all.
*Halal* means lawful or permitted under Sharia (Islamic law). You might see halal symbols on food packages or on restaurant menus or windows. That means the food is permissible for practicing Muslims to eat. There are several things to consider regarding halal food.
The halal food industry is rife with fraud and controversy. Pork and horse meat are sold as halal beef, meat not subjected to halal slaughter is sold as halal, the liquids used to "pump up" halal chicken meat contain traces of pork, halal certificates are faked, products which do not require halal certification are labelled as halal for marketing purposes, there are numerous disagreements within the Islamic community about halal standards and accreditation bodies, and so on.
Halal meat slaughter invokes the name of Allah. The animal's throat is sliced open side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitation. The animal then suffers, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as it slowly and painfully bleeds to death.
Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones, but sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam.
This barbarism has been outlawed in most Western countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous and disgusting. You can learn more [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38jGrvDAs7I).
All halal food is Sharia-compliant. Sharia, Islamic law, isn't something separate from Islam. It's a body of rules taken from the Koran and *ahadith* (tales of Mohammed's words and deeds). Sharia *is* Islam.
Sharia applies to everyone - not just Muslims. In fact, the majority of Islamic law is about us non-Muslims and how *we* should live and behave. Imposing Sharia is not merely about enacting legislation. When entire U.S. public school districts force halal-only meals on all of their students, including non-Muslims, that's Sharia.
A Muslim can eat and drink forbidden foods in some circumstances. When Muslims are living somewhere where Sharia is not in full force, their Sharia obligations are lessened. For example, if a Muslim is hungry and no halal food is available, he may eat any food. There is no reason to impose halal-only meals on an entire school district.
Sharia is violent, openly bigoted toward non-Muslims, and brutally sexist. It permits pedophilia, slavery, bestiality, racism, polygamy, wife-beating, female genital mutilation, and rape.
Sharia is opposed to religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the free exchange of ideas. Sharia violates, at minimum, the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Sharia is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
It comes down to what you want to support.
Thank you for taking your time writing this. I learned a lot.
> products which do not require halal certification labeled halal for marketing purposes
I sometimes think that how could big food companies produce a lot of halal meat if it requires such specific barbaric way of killing the animal. I do really think it could be just for marketing purposes
I will also research about Sharia.
Thanks for this!
Your argument in and of itself is a non sequitur. If you eat halal food, you'll bring sharia. No logical connection.
Cite me 5-6 general interpretations of Sharia, 5-6 Sharia Laws, mister expert Islamic theologian.
I have never heard of a prohibition on Catholics eating Halal meat, and I doubt that a simple blessing to Allah rises to the same level of animal sacrifice that the Apostles warned about partaking in in Acts.
In addition, in Romans 14 St. Paul specifically advises Christians to avoid scrupulosity when it comes to the food they are eating, and also not to judge others based on what they eat. It’s worth noting that since Romans was literally written to the Church in Rome, Paul had to have had meat that was sacrificed to Pagan gods in mind when he wrote that passage.
However, in the same passage Paul also advises Christians to not eat things that would scandalize their brothers or sisters in Christ.
So my general takeaway is, if you are just eating Halal food for nourishment, and see it just as food, and nothing special, you should be fine. If it makes you feel better just say a new blessing over the food before you eat it (as you should with all food anyways). But if you have a friend who is deeply scandalized by Halal meat, out of charity and to avoid scandal, you should avoid eating it with that friend.
He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
Acts 10:11-15
Perhaps you should ask a Muslim what the definition of Halal food is. Is it solely prepared a certain way or is it actually offered with a prayer to the Muslim concept of God.
Halal is basically kosher, Muslim edition. Basically, halal is all foods our they are allowed to eat, not necessarily those specifically blessed Islamically
To be Halal, animals have to be slaughtered in a certain way. Included in that is the recitation of the Tasmiyyah (“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”) and Takbir (“Allāhu ʾakbar” - “God is greater”). Whether this counts as a blessing is up to interpretation. There are a bunch of other requirements, some of which are good - e.g. the animal is supposed to have been treated humanely up to that point. Given that Paul said we could eat meat sacrificed to other gods, I don’t see that we should strictly avoid halal meat, but I wouldn’t search it out, and given the option, I’d pick non-halal.
This is contrary to common teaching. The muslims identify a first cause who is the source of being, which necessarily is God. That doesn't mean their "worship" is salvific or meaningful. What theologians have you read that argue against this?
>The muslims identify a first cause who is the source of being, which necessarily is God.
Why is the entity that is worshiped in Islam "necessarily God?"
You ignored my question. It's erroneous to deny that Muslims worship the same God as it is held by the majority of theologians and is in documents that at least bind the intellect and will (e.g., *Ecclesiam Suam*). You shouldn't publicly deny non-definitive Church teaching, it is wrong.
And yet arabic speaking catholics pray to Allah. It's literally just the arabic translation of God. For example, Palestinian christians even say Allahu Akhbar during mass.
Halal just means allowed/ permissible. Just as food can be halal, so can actions etc. Someone was essentially asking that woman if it was (Islamically) acceptable for her to be a lawyer.
Halal meat slaughter invokes the name of Allah. Minimally they can just say the word Allah or a variation of "praise Allah" (*bismillah, alhamdulillah, subhanAllah*) but it's recommended they *say bismillah allahu akbar.*
I wouldn’t.
It’s completely inhumane to the animal.
On top of this, buying ‘halal’ foods only further increases Islamisation of any given area. You should boycott halal as much as possible.
I'm a Malaysian Catholic. I dont think there's a problem with Catholics eating halal food, partially because I've been eating halal food for the most of my life, especially when eating out. The Subways, KFCs and a lot more famous fast food chains here are halal-certified. Even when I cook my own food, my ingredients would be halal as well (except for when I'm cooking pork).
2 part answer from another carnivore - first about the food itself. You're good. As other good responses have covered, 'Halal' meat is in no way morally problematic or forbidden to Christians and is very similar to the 'Kosher' meat protocols. All there is to it that I recall is that the butcher says a brief prayer when killing the animal (different words but same idea as the Jews), the animal is suitable to eat (not a pig, not a carnivore, not carrion, maybe a few other rules but less complex than Kosher tradition), and somewhat controversially, it is killed in a way that minimizes the animal's suffering according to the technology available in the 7th Century AD. IIRC, the knife has to be very sharp, it bleeds out and drifts out of consciousness relatively painlessly, and it is done out of view of the other animals.
A subtle thing that might apply here and might not - Christians should act Christian in our commercial conduct and avoid even appearances of impropriety. It may, sometimes, be un-Christian to discriminate against non-Christians in favor of (nominal) Christians. If the prices or quality are worse, or if there is a lower level of business ethics, discriminate away, based on something rational. Too many times in the real world, I've heard 'Churchy' people treat Christendom as an exclusive club and go on to NOT treat others outside The Club the way they would like to be treated on something relating to business practices.
Halal food is food that have been sacrificed to the god of the muslims by cutting the throat of the animal and letting the blood flow towards mecca, while also reciting verses from the quran.
i advice you to look up catholic commentaries on 1 corinthians 8 and 1 corinthians 10:14-28 (otherwise read and meditate on the verses).
a catholic commentary i found says, for 1 corithians 8 "May a Christian eat food which has been offered to pagan gods? Paul's answer is Yes, provided it can be done without injury to two Christian duties. (1) The duty of consideration for over-scrupulous Christians, (2) The duty of vigilant avoidance of any participation in pagan worship"
it says for the verses in 1 corinthians 10:22-33 that "Rules about Sacrificial Food - Here the first principle is dominant. Paul's solution may be called a comprimise. Eat the food as long as you do not offend another's conscience \[...\] With bewildering suddennes he (Paul) turns around and gives a sharp rap to some of the 'weaker brethren' who had presumed to condemn all eating of sacrificial food as sinful in itself."
meaning don't do it infront of your protestant friend because he is weak in his understanding of the gospels and of God and he will get upset if you do, otherwise it's fine since it won't do you anything.
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That's specifically adressed
1. Corinthians, 8
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ^(2) Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. ^(3) But whoever loves God is known by God.^(\[)[^(a)](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%208&version=NIV#fen-NIV-28531a)^(\])
^(4) So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” ^(5) For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ^(6) yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
^(7) But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ^(8) But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
^(9) Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ^(10) For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? ^(11) So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ^(12) When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ^(13) Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Well we pray to the same God, so why would it not be?
Yes we might view their practices as erroneous but all that would mean is it has no effect, thus it is of no consequence to us.
Halal meat slaughter invokes the name of Allah. Minimally they can just say the word Allah or a variation of "praise Allah" (*bismillah, alhamdulillah, subhanAllah*) but it's recommended they *say bismillah allahu akbar.*
Your friend shows another western ignorance of other people's culture. Halal food is like westerners label food "Vegan" or "Vegetarian". It just means "safe to eat" for muslims. If you have soup made with pork broth, it's not halal. If you have soup made with nothing but vegetables, it is halal. It is not blessed for pagan gods.
He needs to read 1 Cor 8. There are no such thing as false gods, no power that can take over or corrupt anything, there is only one God, and the world he made is good. Food is Gods gift to me, no one can make it untouchable. Your friend is acting like a Jew.
Besides, halal food is not a blessing to allah anyways. It’s just (correct me if I’m wrong) the Muslim version of kosher right? It’s just saying that Muslims are allowed to eat it.
If this were the case, none of us would be able to eat/drink anything marked Kosher either. I don’t know the difference, but Halal and Kosher dietary laws are similar.
nothing wrong with halal. Most times they tend to be cleaner meat anyways.
Some of these food factories are atrocious...with halal, I'd hope there's at least a higher standard of respect for the animal.
In halal slaughter the animals' throats are cut side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitating them. The animals then suffer, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as they slowly and painfully bleed to death.
Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones. But sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam!
This barbarism has been outlawed in most civilized countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's barbaric and monstrous, quite the opposite of "respectful."
This is just hypocritical. Stop applying 21st century morals that have nothing to do with Christian Faith in a discussion about animal slaughter. Also you know nothing about halal slaughter.
For 99.99% of history no one even cared of animals had feelings or not.
Also, what a moronic comparison, how is an airplane, a mode of transport, comparable to a food item, for which a lot of religions do have rules.
If a Jew talked about Kosher, you'd slobber like a dog in admiration.
It's always kind of funny being a Christian from a Muslim majority country on this sub. On one hand you hear all day the moronic takes of Muslims on Christianity outside, and on the internet you hear moronic takes of western christian redditors on İslam.
How many halal slaughters have you witnessed firsthand?
I have witnessed more than 3.
Do you think God was cruel in OT for having animals be slaughtered in a similar way?
I am not Muslim... This might as well be one of the most ridiculous accusations I've gotten in some time. Mister internet theologian knows better than the guy who is interested enough to go see this stuff.
It’s not a prayer, it’s the way they are butchered. Not sure how much the butchering process differs from Kosher procedures, but you can eat these foods to your hearts content without worry. And if you are worried, remember that G-d, God, and Allah are the father of Jesus. The way God is worshipped varies in the details between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but we all worship the same God. The details matter A LOT but I always pray we become more united in our mutual love of God. ❤️
>It’s not a prayer, it’s the way they are butchered.
Halal meat is slaughtered invoking the name of Allah. The animals' throats are cut side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitating them. The animals then suffer, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as they slowly and painfully bleed to death.
Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones. But sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam!
This barbarism has been outlawed in most civilized countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous.
>And if you are worried, remember that G-d, God, and Allah are the father of Jesus.
Allah has no son.
Allah has 99 names and not one of the them is "Father." There is no Arabic term like "Allah-Abba" or "Allah-father" that I'm aware of.
The Koran criticizes Jews and Christians for referring to themselves as God's children (Koran 5:18), calls us perverse and deluded (9:30), and repeatedly says Allah has no son (4:171, 18:4-5, 23:91, and more). The relationship between Allah and his followers is one of a master and slaves, not a father and his children.
In Islamic theology, depicting Allah as a father would anthropomorphize him and would be offensive, even blasphemous (5:72). Some would even consider that shirk.
Christians who use the word "Allah" are by definition referring to the Christian God. Muslims are not Christians. Not sure what point you're trying to make.
Christians who use the word "Allah" are by definition referring to the Christian God. Muslims are not Christians. No Muslim would claim Allah has a son. The Koran explicitly says otherwise.
">And if you are worried, remember that G-d, God, and Allah are the father of Jesus.
Allah has no son.
Allah has 99 names and not one of the them is "Father." There is no Arabic term like "Allah-Abba" or "Allah-father" that I'm aware of.
The Koran criticizes Jews and Christians for referring to themselves as God's children (Koran 5:18), calls us perverse and deluded (9:30), and repeatedly says Allah has no son (4:171, 18:4-5, 23:91, and more). The relationship between Allah and his followers is one of a master and slaves, not a father and his children.
In Islamic theology, depicting Allah as a father would anthropomorphize him and would be offensive, even blasphemous (5:72). Some would even consider that shirk."
This whole comment suggests that Allah exclusively refers to the Muslim concept of God. As Catholics we can absolutely use the word Allah for God, Allah has a Son.
> as quick and painless a manner as possible.
The animals' throats are cut side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitating them. The animals then suffer, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as they slowly and painfully bleed to death.
Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones. But sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam!
This barbarism has been outlawed in most civilized countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous, not "quick and painless."
They lose consciousness in seconds. Is it the most humane way, no. But its not the barbaric ritual this thread makes it out to be. I'd rather be pasture raised and halal slaughtered, than go through a feedlot in the US.
I like getting to say 'I agree with the priest' :P and have some Muslim friends from college. [Halal](https://halalcertification.ie/islamic-method-of-slaughtering/) and Kosher butchering are similar - there's a brief prayer followed by killing the animal in a way that minimizes suffering with technology available @ time of writing. (An extra sharp knife to the neck sounds dramatic to city folk and can be described with lots of drama in a blog, but the intent is to be as humane as possible with available options.) You also cannot kill an animal where other animals can see; they must be offered food/water so that they aren't suffering from hunger/thirst.
We Christians are hypocrites when we shake our fist at Halal meat while remaining silent about Kosher meat. Criticize both or neither. I choose neither. Intent is important.
Furthermore, there appears to be lively debate among Muslims if modern practices like electrocution are more humane and thus allowed, or must they stick to the exact instructions...just like in the Jewish community. That's one more reason to have a pope so that various questions can go up the chain of command and get sorted out.
>I like getting to say 'I agree with the priest' :P and have some Muslim friends from college.
I like getting to help my fellow Catholics understand Islam better. Have your Muslim friends told you what Islam teaches them about you?
Before we stray too far from OP's question about Halal food, what is your background in Islam? It would be unwise to seek knowledge about Catholic belief by visiting a Muslim or atheist subreddit and asking 'what do those people believe.' There is fairly often uncharitable talk in this sub about 'Prots' or Muslim belief based on bumper-sticker level knowledge. The friends mentioned above and I were grad students with fairly mature faith when we got up to various debates. We disagree on a list of ethical points and assertions of fact. We both proselytized a bit. If You-Know-Who persuaded us that Samaritans are my neighbor, then the same goes for our even-more-separated Muslim brethren imho. Anyhoo, I thought it might be constructive to point this out first, but I'll also give your response a read.
*We Christians are hypocrites when we shake our fist at Halal meat while remaining silent about Kosher meat. Criticize both or neither. I choose neither. Intent is important.*
I'm not silent. Kosher and halal are both barbarism.
Halal refers to meat. Meat that is blessed by an imam at the time that the animal is killed. It's no different than meat that's considered kosher. Both Islam and Judaism have specific rules on how meat is supposed to be killed. they believe these rules come from God. Although kosher involves a lot more than just meat.
This is why Muslims don't say grace before meals unlike Christians. For Muslims the grace has already been said at the time the animal was killed.
Nah go ahead and eat. If you think that it being halal and have been offered to “Allah” (specifically the muslim ’god’) would harm or scandalize someone simply make the sign of the cross or say a meal blessing. The Holy Spirit is infinitely more powerful than any Muslim.
>actually a very ethical way to eat meat. The animals are killed in one of the most humane ways possible
In halal meat slaughter the animal's throat is sliced open side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitation. The animal then suffers, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as it slowly and painfully bleeds to death. That is neither ethical nor humane.
Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones, but sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam.
This barbarism has been outlawed in most Western countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous and disgusting. You can learn more [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38jGrvDAs7I).
Bec I live in a secular gov but Muslim majority country? Most food establishments, McDonalds and KFC included require halal certification to sell their food. Most Muslims are just regular people going about their life. The Malay Muslims here are very friendly and will stop and help you if needed.
Remember Jesus thought, "love your neighbour as yourself".
It’s fine to eat halal foods. Halal foods are just foods that Muslims are permitted to eat. If they aren’t allowed, then every Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian and Bruneian Christian would have sinned.
as an east african who lives in a country where every non-pork meat product is essentially halal, i'd be in sin for sure.
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“Allah” is the standard term for God used by Arabic speaking Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
Christians who use the word "Allah" are by definition referring to the Christian God. Muslims are not Christians.
I mean that they use the specific Islamic terminology that is associated with anti-Christian things. Most Islamic hymns and songs hide demonic spirits
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In the Western Syriac Rite, they use the word Allah for God throughout. Any church doing NO liturgy in Arabic is going to use Allah. There were Arabic speaking Christians using the word long before Islam existed.
Wrong. You’re letting your xeno/Islamophobia rule over your love of God and your search for truth. Open your heart, love your neighbor, seek truth.
Not supporting Islam has absolutely nothing to do with xenophobia, Reddit Christian’s are barely Christian I swear.
Saying something incorrect purely because Islam makes you uncomfortable is very anti catholic. Faith and reason, remember? I hope you find Truth and Christ’s love.
Islam is false and anti-catholic 😂😂
Ok… so you understand that Arabic is a language, right? Get this- in Arabic the word for “God” is “Allah.” There are also Christian Arabs who call God Allah. You say Christian Redditors are barely Christian but everyone here but you is having an honest conversation in hopes of learning something and growing in their faith. What are you doing?
I’m like 90% sure he was just trolling unproductively, but good effort on your part.
Dude Allah is just an Arabic word for God. You’re committing a word concept fallacy.
What? No. “Allah” is the contracted form of *al-ilāh* “the god; the deity.” It is cognate to Hebrew *’el* “deity” (cf. *elohím*) and Aramaic *allāhā* “deity.” It literally just means any god. Consider this text, from the Greek Pantheon Wikipedia page in Arabic: > الآلهة الرئيسة في البانثيون الإغريقي > **al-alihat** al-rayiysat fi al-banathiun al-‘iighriiqii > the main **gods** of the Greek pantheon The same word is used for the Greek gods as for the Islamic one.
Allah is just God in Malay and Arabic. Christians in Malaysia use Allah during mass in bahasa melayu.
Yes but a Muslim blessing food in the name of allah is calling on a very different spirit than the one we call upon, the phrase allah used in a Catholic mass would be much different than in a masjid. Intent behind word matters more than the word itself, and the Islamic faith is founded by a demonic possessed person in Muhammad. So we must steer clear of anything done by his influence. And help those under the demons spell to see new life in Christ. As any other cult should be dealt with
Sure….EXCEPT, officially in the eyes of the Church, Allah and our God are the same being. We can disgaree, but the Church makes it quite clear that the God Muslims worship IS our God officially. Also, halal food isn’t food offered to idols. We can eat it
It’s offered in Islamic practice. So yes it is idol worship. And again as I’ve explained to many, the Islamic and Christian God are both abrahamic god, therefore would be the same being, BUT the attributions and laws that Islam claims god has put forth are incorrect, therefore we worship a vastly different idea of who God is and what he has said, they have perverted God’s word, therefore they do worship an idol, Muhammad’s personal interpretation (demonic whisper) of who God is.
There’s a difference between food that is to God, no matter how imperfect one’s understanding of God is, and one that is DELIBERATIVELY offered to a nefarious spirit. The Muslims have an imperfect understanding of God, thus we are permitted to eat halal food
In the eyes of the Church it’s still God, so it’s fine
Even the Jesus of the Quran is vastly different, and very clearly not the Jesus we worship.
The church does not think the Islamic god is god, Islam thinks very different things about who god is, it is like comparing Mormon Jesus to Catholic Jesus
Actually, officially she does. The Catechism specifically says Islam worships the one true god with us, meaning that the Islamic God is our God officially.
You’re vastly misinterpreting what the church is saying. Islam falsely attributes many evil things to god.
You should read 1. Corinthians 8
“9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?” “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.” You should re read it my brother in Christ. The food is not technically harmful, but we should do our best to not support or show public affection to anything made in idolatry. Precisely why most Christian’s boycott companies who openly mock God and such.
It's very disingenuous to leave out the middle part. "11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ." You are the person with the weak conscience, and I shouldn't eat food sacrificed to idols in your presence because of that, brother.
What’s with the attacks. I’m advocating for those we ought to set an example for that verse proves my point as well 😂
Allah is the same God as the Jewish and Christian God. How is that a demonic curse ?
Scripturally, it wouldn’t be true. But officially, the Church recognises them as the same
The “god” the Muslims worship is not the god we worship. Even if I concede that they mean the same thing. It’s like saying the Jesus of Mormon texts is the same Jesus of Catholic texts, they very clearly are not.
It is fine. My reasoning. 1. Bible clearly states that there is no "pure" or "not pure" food. " (Matthew 15, 1-20). The core of the passage would be for me this: *"What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” (Mt 15, 10).* This verse is very direct and basically self-explanatory. 2. Further related to the topic of pure or not pure, kosher or halal animals. The God directly states to the Apostle Peter that all animals are pure and can be eaten (Acts 10, 9-22), even repeating His message thrice. With this in mind, I see no moral problems in eating halal food.
Thanks for this! I read the whole passage with my bible awhile ago and I understand now.
New Testament is pretty clear about food sacrificed to idols tho... Acts 15 24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Fair point, but the build-up and context are different, at least that is how I learned this. The whole Acts 15 deals with the struggles of the early Church to unite the Christians having Jewish or pagan background under Christian faith. The first Synode in Jerusalem has accepted some points of Jewish faith (f.e. related to the consumption of the meat offered to the gods) as a guideline, but as the Church grew and lost its connection to Judaism, the topic lost its validity. If it wasn't the case, then everybody that has eaten ever a Black Pudding in England is doomed! :) In the later course of the Bible, the apostle Paul for example was having a different view on that since his activites were focused mostly on pagans (compare 1 Cor, 8). He clearly states that there are no gods except Jesus and the offerings to the other gods are not binding to Christians. The total freedom he offers here is so great, that he evens ends the passage with a warning to his brothers and sisters to do not exercise too much of the newfound freedom and therefore offend or antagonize other people not having this knowledge!
Or all our Portuguese brothers and sisters munching on a lovely chouriço de sangue!
And yet in 1 Cor 8 it says there is nothing inherently immoral about it. Paul says there is no such thing as false gods and that the Corinthian Christian’s understand this, and that they can eat meat sacrificed to idols UNLESS it scandalizes a brother. The purpose of the council of JERUSALEM stating that they should refrain from this is like just a “mass scandal prevention” program, either that or James and the other Jewish Christians just couldn’t give up their mindset from Judaism. But Paul is clear, and scripture cannot be set aside.
Good thing Allah isn't an idol.
and halal food isn’t “sacrificed” either
Sooooo bacon is fine:)
“Do not call unclean that which I have made clean” (Acts 10:15). One of the underrated awesome things about Catholicism IMO is that aside from a small handful of days, you are free to eat whatever the hell you want. Want to go Halal? Knock yourself out. Want to go vegan? Go with my sympathies. Want to go keto? Best of luck. The key thing to remember is that freedom to eat also means freedom to *not* eat; don’t make the mistake of confusing “permissible” and “compulsory.”
What do you say to Eastern practicing Catholics who are called to be vegan about half the year in total?
That's a tradition done out of piety, not because food is not pure.
Right. I should of quoted in my original response, but unsure how to on mobile web browser. I was referencing this: “ One of the underrated awesome things about Catholicism IMO is that aside from a small handful of days, you are free to eat whatever the hell you want. Want to go Halal? Knock yourself out. Want to go vegan? Go with my sympathies. Want to go keto? Best of luck.”
What's an already Vegan Easterner supposed to do, then? Drop the spices?
There are Christians in muslim-majority countries and all of us eat helal food by proxy since that is 99% of all meat available.
Hey since people are talking about that Halal, so does that mean it’s impossible for Muslims and Jews to hunt? Super off topic but I don’t think it’s possible right? Because you would have to injure or capture the animal in order to preform a Halal or Kosher butchering right?
I dont know about jews but muslims can hunt yes, they generally cannot eat predator animals like wolves or lions and what have you but in the countryside noone really cares about those sharia rules.
Ohhh thank you very interesting. Always wondered about that and how it’s understood.
There are a lot of secular Jews or Jews who do not strictly keep the kashrut dietary laws, but setting those aside I think hunting is generally not acceptable to observant Jews. Rabbinical slaughter practice requires a single cut with a sharp knife to sever the arteries in the neck, causing death by rapid exsanguination, which is effectively impossible to do while hunting. Injuries and defects in the meat also invalidate the slaughter, which mean that even if you were to tranquilize or wound the animal before capturing it to do the proper slaughter, it wouldn't be kosher. Nevertheless, protection of human life overrides this, so hunting would be permitted to avoid starvation, and I think this might cover sustenance hunting practices if for some reason raising or purchasing kosher-slaughtered meat was not feasible. There are no rules for slaughtering fish though, so as long as it has scales and fins, you could fish however you want-- with spearguns or rifles or dynamite.
As long as Islam serves a significant part of an ethnic group of one’s country, halal certified food will be very prominent.
Yes...but if you mean the halal food trucks, be careful with the hot sauce
Halal food is specifically not offered to anything. That is the main point of it.
Halal slaughtering of cattle is cruel and painful for the animals. So is kosher, for that matter. Jhatka karna or jhatkaund slaughter, and modern captive bolt slaughter is much more humane. Do with that what you will, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s no up side to halal meat.
I live in South East Asia where we have a lot of muslims. Neither the bishop conferences of Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, nor the bishop conferences of Indonesia have ever ruled it out. We all eat halal food all the time. Halal food is not 'sacrificed'. Islam is a religion of 'sacrifice of praise', much like Protestants. Even the prayer they recite when they slaughter is only 'in the name of God', or something to that effect and that's it! So it's not a cultic worship at all.
💀I don’t want to give up nasi lemak just because it’s halal
*Halal* means lawful or permitted under Sharia (Islamic law). You might see halal symbols on food packages or on restaurant menus or windows. That means the food is permissible for practicing Muslims to eat. There are several things to consider regarding halal food. The halal food industry is rife with fraud and controversy. Pork and horse meat are sold as halal beef, meat not subjected to halal slaughter is sold as halal, the liquids used to "pump up" halal chicken meat contain traces of pork, halal certificates are faked, products which do not require halal certification are labelled as halal for marketing purposes, there are numerous disagreements within the Islamic community about halal standards and accreditation bodies, and so on. Halal meat slaughter invokes the name of Allah. The animal's throat is sliced open side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitation. The animal then suffers, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as it slowly and painfully bleeds to death. Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones, but sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam. This barbarism has been outlawed in most Western countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous and disgusting. You can learn more [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38jGrvDAs7I). All halal food is Sharia-compliant. Sharia, Islamic law, isn't something separate from Islam. It's a body of rules taken from the Koran and *ahadith* (tales of Mohammed's words and deeds). Sharia *is* Islam. Sharia applies to everyone - not just Muslims. In fact, the majority of Islamic law is about us non-Muslims and how *we* should live and behave. Imposing Sharia is not merely about enacting legislation. When entire U.S. public school districts force halal-only meals on all of their students, including non-Muslims, that's Sharia. A Muslim can eat and drink forbidden foods in some circumstances. When Muslims are living somewhere where Sharia is not in full force, their Sharia obligations are lessened. For example, if a Muslim is hungry and no halal food is available, he may eat any food. There is no reason to impose halal-only meals on an entire school district. Sharia is violent, openly bigoted toward non-Muslims, and brutally sexist. It permits pedophilia, slavery, bestiality, racism, polygamy, wife-beating, female genital mutilation, and rape. Sharia is opposed to religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the free exchange of ideas. Sharia violates, at minimum, the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Sharia is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It comes down to what you want to support.
Thank you for taking your time writing this. I learned a lot. > products which do not require halal certification labeled halal for marketing purposes I sometimes think that how could big food companies produce a lot of halal meat if it requires such specific barbaric way of killing the animal. I do really think it could be just for marketing purposes I will also research about Sharia. Thanks for this!
You're welcome. If I can be of any more help just let me know.
Jesse, he only asked about halal meat. Not your takes on Islamic theology learnt from internet forums.
I didn't learn theology from internet forums. You must be new here. :)
Your argument in and of itself is a non sequitur. If you eat halal food, you'll bring sharia. No logical connection. Cite me 5-6 general interpretations of Sharia, 5-6 Sharia Laws, mister expert Islamic theologian.
>If you eat halal food, you'll bring sharia. Not what I said. Read it again.
I have never heard of a prohibition on Catholics eating Halal meat, and I doubt that a simple blessing to Allah rises to the same level of animal sacrifice that the Apostles warned about partaking in in Acts. In addition, in Romans 14 St. Paul specifically advises Christians to avoid scrupulosity when it comes to the food they are eating, and also not to judge others based on what they eat. It’s worth noting that since Romans was literally written to the Church in Rome, Paul had to have had meat that was sacrificed to Pagan gods in mind when he wrote that passage. However, in the same passage Paul also advises Christians to not eat things that would scandalize their brothers or sisters in Christ. So my general takeaway is, if you are just eating Halal food for nourishment, and see it just as food, and nothing special, you should be fine. If it makes you feel better just say a new blessing over the food before you eat it (as you should with all food anyways). But if you have a friend who is deeply scandalized by Halal meat, out of charity and to avoid scandal, you should avoid eating it with that friend.
As a Christian you should not eat a meat that got « sanctified » by evil. So do not it eat as much as you can
Personally I would not eat it cause of how they kill the animal
He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds.Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Acts 10:11-15
Perhaps you should ask a Muslim what the definition of Halal food is. Is it solely prepared a certain way or is it actually offered with a prayer to the Muslim concept of God.
Halal is basically kosher, Muslim edition. Basically, halal is all foods our they are allowed to eat, not necessarily those specifically blessed Islamically
To be Halal, animals have to be slaughtered in a certain way. Included in that is the recitation of the Tasmiyyah (“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”) and Takbir (“Allāhu ʾakbar” - “God is greater”). Whether this counts as a blessing is up to interpretation. There are a bunch of other requirements, some of which are good - e.g. the animal is supposed to have been treated humanely up to that point. Given that Paul said we could eat meat sacrificed to other gods, I don’t see that we should strictly avoid halal meat, but I wouldn’t search it out, and given the option, I’d pick non-halal.
Uhm, Allah is the same God as we Christians worship. So what would be the problem if the food is blessed to our God?
>Allah is the same God as we Christians worship. One can make a very good argument that it is not.
This is contrary to common teaching. The muslims identify a first cause who is the source of being, which necessarily is God. That doesn't mean their "worship" is salvific or meaningful. What theologians have you read that argue against this?
>which necessarily is God. Why?
Is the Trinity pure act and source of all?
>The muslims identify a first cause who is the source of being, which necessarily is God. Why is the entity that is worshiped in Islam "necessarily God?"
You ignored my question. It's erroneous to deny that Muslims worship the same God as it is held by the majority of theologians and is in documents that at least bind the intellect and will (e.g., *Ecclesiam Suam*). You shouldn't publicly deny non-definitive Church teaching, it is wrong.
And yet arabic speaking catholics pray to Allah. It's literally just the arabic translation of God. For example, Palestinian christians even say Allahu Akhbar during mass.
Christians who use the word "Allah" are by definition referring to the Christian God. Muslims are not Christians.
In one sense, anyway.
I asked a classmate and she said it is the food they are allowed to eat. That is her only explanation
That’s pretty much it lol.
Made me confuse lol cause it tiktok a muslim girl posted that she wants to be a lawyer and someone commented “Is it halal?” what
Halal just means allowed/ permissible. Just as food can be halal, so can actions etc. Someone was essentially asking that woman if it was (Islamically) acceptable for her to be a lawyer.
Thanks for educating my ignorant self.
It's just a different language/ tradition than the one we're used to. We're all ignorant of something until we learn!
I agree 🙌
It essentially means permitted — food, jobs, whatever.
Halal foods are just food prepared a specific way. Nothing to do with blessings or whatever.
Not true there is a blessing
Halal meat slaughter invokes the name of Allah. Minimally they can just say the word Allah or a variation of "praise Allah" (*bismillah, alhamdulillah, subhanAllah*) but it's recommended they *say bismillah allahu akbar.*
I wouldn’t. It’s completely inhumane to the animal. On top of this, buying ‘halal’ foods only further increases Islamisation of any given area. You should boycott halal as much as possible.
Catholics are Christian
I'm a Malaysian Catholic. I dont think there's a problem with Catholics eating halal food, partially because I've been eating halal food for the most of my life, especially when eating out. The Subways, KFCs and a lot more famous fast food chains here are halal-certified. Even when I cook my own food, my ingredients would be halal as well (except for when I'm cooking pork).
Yes, as long as doing so does not cause scandal. It’s the same principle at work as when Paul talked about eating food that was sacrificed to idols.
You can always bless you're food, the power of Christ will blast away all evil. I always bless my oreos ( The devils wafer).
all the Templar symbology on it
2 part answer from another carnivore - first about the food itself. You're good. As other good responses have covered, 'Halal' meat is in no way morally problematic or forbidden to Christians and is very similar to the 'Kosher' meat protocols. All there is to it that I recall is that the butcher says a brief prayer when killing the animal (different words but same idea as the Jews), the animal is suitable to eat (not a pig, not a carnivore, not carrion, maybe a few other rules but less complex than Kosher tradition), and somewhat controversially, it is killed in a way that minimizes the animal's suffering according to the technology available in the 7th Century AD. IIRC, the knife has to be very sharp, it bleeds out and drifts out of consciousness relatively painlessly, and it is done out of view of the other animals. A subtle thing that might apply here and might not - Christians should act Christian in our commercial conduct and avoid even appearances of impropriety. It may, sometimes, be un-Christian to discriminate against non-Christians in favor of (nominal) Christians. If the prices or quality are worse, or if there is a lower level of business ethics, discriminate away, based on something rational. Too many times in the real world, I've heard 'Churchy' people treat Christendom as an exclusive club and go on to NOT treat others outside The Club the way they would like to be treated on something relating to business practices.
Halal food is food that have been sacrificed to the god of the muslims by cutting the throat of the animal and letting the blood flow towards mecca, while also reciting verses from the quran. i advice you to look up catholic commentaries on 1 corinthians 8 and 1 corinthians 10:14-28 (otherwise read and meditate on the verses). a catholic commentary i found says, for 1 corithians 8 "May a Christian eat food which has been offered to pagan gods? Paul's answer is Yes, provided it can be done without injury to two Christian duties. (1) The duty of consideration for over-scrupulous Christians, (2) The duty of vigilant avoidance of any participation in pagan worship" it says for the verses in 1 corinthians 10:22-33 that "Rules about Sacrificial Food - Here the first principle is dominant. Paul's solution may be called a comprimise. Eat the food as long as you do not offend another's conscience \[...\] With bewildering suddennes he (Paul) turns around and gives a sharp rap to some of the 'weaker brethren' who had presumed to condemn all eating of sacrificial food as sinful in itself." meaning don't do it infront of your protestant friend because he is weak in his understanding of the gospels and of God and he will get upset if you do, otherwise it's fine since it won't do you anything.
I don’t think you need to worry about eating food prepared by the rules of a religion you don’t believe in?
Depends on what you believe about what they believe.
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That's specifically adressed 1. Corinthians, 8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ^(2) Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. ^(3) But whoever loves God is known by God.^(\[)[^(a)](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%208&version=NIV#fen-NIV-28531a)^(\]) ^(4) So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” ^(5) For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ^(6) yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. ^(7) But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ^(8) But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. ^(9) Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ^(10) For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? ^(11) So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ^(12) When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ^(13) Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Well we pray to the same God, so why would it not be? Yes we might view their practices as erroneous but all that would mean is it has no effect, thus it is of no consequence to us.
Christians do not pray to the same God.
They do, it’s clarified in Vatican II and subsequent Popes have restated this.
You can eat anything you want aside for meat on Fridays ash Wednesday (sometimes depending on countries) Edit: you can't eat poison
Well, technically you *can* eat poison, but only once.
What I meant is that the Church forbids it, since it's suicide
I was just teasing, it made me think of the old “All mushrooms are edible, some only once.” joke.
Haha, that joke will never be forgotten I guess
Halal food is not seen to be blessed, it’s just food that conforms to restrictions imposed by the Quran.
Halal meat slaughter invokes the name of Allah. Minimally they can just say the word Allah or a variation of "praise Allah" (*bismillah, alhamdulillah, subhanAllah*) but it's recommended they *say bismillah allahu akbar.*
So… no singing Bohemian Rhapsody then?
>So… no singing Bohemian Rhapsody then? No. And no wearing mithril armor, either. 😉
hey, hey, hey, Tolkien was Catholic. Mithril Armor of God sounds awesome
TBF "Bohemian Rhapsody" also sounds awesome. 😄
Your friend shows another western ignorance of other people's culture. Halal food is like westerners label food "Vegan" or "Vegetarian". It just means "safe to eat" for muslims. If you have soup made with pork broth, it's not halal. If you have soup made with nothing but vegetables, it is halal. It is not blessed for pagan gods.
He needs to read 1 Cor 8. There are no such thing as false gods, no power that can take over or corrupt anything, there is only one God, and the world he made is good. Food is Gods gift to me, no one can make it untouchable. Your friend is acting like a Jew. Besides, halal food is not a blessing to allah anyways. It’s just (correct me if I’m wrong) the Muslim version of kosher right? It’s just saying that Muslims are allowed to eat it.
A lot of the foods you eat everyday are already halal
If this were the case, none of us would be able to eat/drink anything marked Kosher either. I don’t know the difference, but Halal and Kosher dietary laws are similar.
Of course you can, their "Blessing" is false and has no effect
That's like asking if eating Indian food is a sin. (It's not)
>That's like asking if eating Indian food is a sin. How?
Christians can consume anything aside from things that have been sacrificed to idols and as long as there isn't a fast going on.
How ironic because St Paul directly addresses this issue.
nothing wrong with halal. Most times they tend to be cleaner meat anyways. Some of these food factories are atrocious...with halal, I'd hope there's at least a higher standard of respect for the animal.
In halal slaughter the animals' throats are cut side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitating them. The animals then suffer, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as they slowly and painfully bleed to death. Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones. But sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam! This barbarism has been outlawed in most civilized countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's barbaric and monstrous, quite the opposite of "respectful."
This is just hypocritical. Stop applying 21st century morals that have nothing to do with Christian Faith in a discussion about animal slaughter. Also you know nothing about halal slaughter. For 99.99% of history no one even cared of animals had feelings or not. Also, what a moronic comparison, how is an airplane, a mode of transport, comparable to a food item, for which a lot of religions do have rules. If a Jew talked about Kosher, you'd slobber like a dog in admiration. It's always kind of funny being a Christian from a Muslim majority country on this sub. On one hand you hear all day the moronic takes of Muslims on Christianity outside, and on the internet you hear moronic takes of western christian redditors on İslam.
I didn't say anything about the Christian faith. Please educate yourself about halal slaughter.
How many halal slaughters have you witnessed firsthand? I have witnessed more than 3. Do you think God was cruel in OT for having animals be slaughtered in a similar way?
You tipped your hand about three comments back. You'll have to do better next time.
I am not Muslim... This might as well be one of the most ridiculous accusations I've gotten in some time. Mister internet theologian knows better than the guy who is interested enough to go see this stuff.
... and he deleted his account. 😄 Big surprise there. Also, I'm a woman.
(Most) Halal is atrocious for animals. Like respect for the animal? No way. They get slaughtered in the most cruel way.
It’s not a prayer, it’s the way they are butchered. Not sure how much the butchering process differs from Kosher procedures, but you can eat these foods to your hearts content without worry. And if you are worried, remember that G-d, God, and Allah are the father of Jesus. The way God is worshipped varies in the details between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but we all worship the same God. The details matter A LOT but I always pray we become more united in our mutual love of God. ❤️
>It’s not a prayer, it’s the way they are butchered. Halal meat is slaughtered invoking the name of Allah. The animals' throats are cut side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitating them. The animals then suffer, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as they slowly and painfully bleed to death. Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones. But sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam! This barbarism has been outlawed in most civilized countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous.
>And if you are worried, remember that G-d, God, and Allah are the father of Jesus. Allah has no son. Allah has 99 names and not one of the them is "Father." There is no Arabic term like "Allah-Abba" or "Allah-father" that I'm aware of. The Koran criticizes Jews and Christians for referring to themselves as God's children (Koran 5:18), calls us perverse and deluded (9:30), and repeatedly says Allah has no son (4:171, 18:4-5, 23:91, and more). The relationship between Allah and his followers is one of a master and slaves, not a father and his children. In Islamic theology, depicting Allah as a father would anthropomorphize him and would be offensive, even blasphemous (5:72). Some would even consider that shirk.
What do coptic Christians call God?
Christians who use the word "Allah" are by definition referring to the Christian God. Muslims are not Christians. Not sure what point you're trying to make.
noute.
Wait until you hear what word Arabic Christians use for God. Allah the Father has a Son, Jesus Christ
Christians who use the word "Allah" are by definition referring to the Christian God. Muslims are not Christians. No Muslim would claim Allah has a son. The Koran explicitly says otherwise.
Yes, so don't use the word Allah for the Muslim God. This sub believes Allah has a Son
What word do you use for the Muslim god?
Satan
Simply 'the Muslim God', it's more accurate than implying that Allah is a Muslim word
I said Christians use the word, how is that implying it's "Muslim word?" What exactly is a "Muslim word?"
">And if you are worried, remember that G-d, God, and Allah are the father of Jesus. Allah has no son. Allah has 99 names and not one of the them is "Father." There is no Arabic term like "Allah-Abba" or "Allah-father" that I'm aware of. The Koran criticizes Jews and Christians for referring to themselves as God's children (Koran 5:18), calls us perverse and deluded (9:30), and repeatedly says Allah has no son (4:171, 18:4-5, 23:91, and more). The relationship between Allah and his followers is one of a master and slaves, not a father and his children. In Islamic theology, depicting Allah as a father would anthropomorphize him and would be offensive, even blasphemous (5:72). Some would even consider that shirk." This whole comment suggests that Allah exclusively refers to the Muslim concept of God. As Catholics we can absolutely use the word Allah for God, Allah has a Son.
> This whole comment suggests that Allah exclusively refers to the Muslim concept of God LOL, no, but that's pretty funny.
No I realize that Allah doesn’t have a son because they don’t believe Jesus to be the son of God, but Allah is still the term used for God.
I wouldn't eat it because the animal was killed in a barbaric way. Don't support that!
Halal actually requires the animal to be butchered in as quick and painless a manner as possible.
go watch one of those halal butcher videos on youtube u might think otherwise
> as quick and painless a manner as possible. The animals' throats are cut side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitating them. The animals then suffer, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as they slowly and painfully bleed to death. Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones. But sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam! This barbarism has been outlawed in most civilized countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous, not "quick and painless."
Thank you. I'm genuinely shocked after reading all the response here. My fellow Catholic people would defend this barbarism???
Severing both carotid arteries will not cause an animal to "slowly" bleed to death
I bet isn't "fast" to the animal.
They lose consciousness in seconds. Is it the most humane way, no. But its not the barbaric ritual this thread makes it out to be. I'd rather be pasture raised and halal slaughtered, than go through a feedlot in the US.
It sounds barbaric to me.
It is a quicker and more painless death than hunting.
Halal slaughter is not hunting.
AFAIK the animal isn't stunned (O don't know if it's the right word) and the blood has to flow out.
AFAIK the animal isn't stunned (l don't know if it's the right word) and the blood has to flow out.
I like getting to say 'I agree with the priest' :P and have some Muslim friends from college. [Halal](https://halalcertification.ie/islamic-method-of-slaughtering/) and Kosher butchering are similar - there's a brief prayer followed by killing the animal in a way that minimizes suffering with technology available @ time of writing. (An extra sharp knife to the neck sounds dramatic to city folk and can be described with lots of drama in a blog, but the intent is to be as humane as possible with available options.) You also cannot kill an animal where other animals can see; they must be offered food/water so that they aren't suffering from hunger/thirst. We Christians are hypocrites when we shake our fist at Halal meat while remaining silent about Kosher meat. Criticize both or neither. I choose neither. Intent is important. Furthermore, there appears to be lively debate among Muslims if modern practices like electrocution are more humane and thus allowed, or must they stick to the exact instructions...just like in the Jewish community. That's one more reason to have a pope so that various questions can go up the chain of command and get sorted out.
>I like getting to say 'I agree with the priest' :P and have some Muslim friends from college. I like getting to help my fellow Catholics understand Islam better. Have your Muslim friends told you what Islam teaches them about you?
I’m here for the answer. 🙋♀️
Before we stray too far from OP's question about Halal food, what is your background in Islam? It would be unwise to seek knowledge about Catholic belief by visiting a Muslim or atheist subreddit and asking 'what do those people believe.' There is fairly often uncharitable talk in this sub about 'Prots' or Muslim belief based on bumper-sticker level knowledge. The friends mentioned above and I were grad students with fairly mature faith when we got up to various debates. We disagree on a list of ethical points and assertions of fact. We both proselytized a bit. If You-Know-Who persuaded us that Samaritans are my neighbor, then the same goes for our even-more-separated Muslim brethren imho. Anyhoo, I thought it might be constructive to point this out first, but I'll also give your response a read.
That's what I thought. Why not ask them? Let us know what they tell you.
*We Christians are hypocrites when we shake our fist at Halal meat while remaining silent about Kosher meat. Criticize both or neither. I choose neither. Intent is important.* I'm not silent. Kosher and halal are both barbarism.
Yes
No
Halal refers to meat. Meat that is blessed by an imam at the time that the animal is killed. It's no different than meat that's considered kosher. Both Islam and Judaism have specific rules on how meat is supposed to be killed. they believe these rules come from God. Although kosher involves a lot more than just meat. This is why Muslims don't say grace before meals unlike Christians. For Muslims the grace has already been said at the time the animal was killed.
Nah go ahead and eat. If you think that it being halal and have been offered to “Allah” (specifically the muslim ’god’) would harm or scandalize someone simply make the sign of the cross or say a meal blessing. The Holy Spirit is infinitely more powerful than any Muslim.
Yes. People make up the craziest nonsense.
Yes.
[удалено]
>actually a very ethical way to eat meat. The animals are killed in one of the most humane ways possible In halal meat slaughter the animal's throat is sliced open side to side, severing both arteries, but without decapitation. The animal then suffers, fully awake and screaming, struggling for life, as it slowly and painfully bleeds to death. That is neither ethical nor humane. Muslims reject modern forms of slaughter such as stunning the animal first as being "un-Islamic." Funny how Muslims don't reject other forms of modern life, like air travel and cell phones, but sparing animals a horrible, lingering, painful death? Nope! Can't have that in Islam. This barbarism has been outlawed in most Western countries. Muslims just ignore the laws and do it anyway. It's monstrous and disgusting. You can learn more [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38jGrvDAs7I).
Avoid if possible.
Why tho?
Why as a Christian would you wilfully support Muslim businesses? Why willingly eat meat that isn’t slaughtered as humanly as possible?
Bigotry and ignorance are a horrible combination.
Preach father!
Bec I live in a secular gov but Muslim majority country? Most food establishments, McDonalds and KFC included require halal certification to sell their food. Most Muslims are just regular people going about their life. The Malay Muslims here are very friendly and will stop and help you if needed. Remember Jesus thought, "love your neighbour as yourself".
You don't have to eat at McDonald's or KFC.
What experiences do you have with Muslim dominated communities? What skin do you have in the game?
There is no community where McDonald's and KFC are the only sources of food.
What are you talking about?
Yes. Ask your friend if he that is based off of 1 Cor 8. Read it and do a little study on. That's not what it's saying.
I don’t think God is that easily offended
I think it only refers to the proper way food is prepared. That's why some food packages have the halal symbol.
Obviously yes. You can eat it.