Dietary Laws

Michele:

You write:

Dear Catholic Exchange:

I have been searching for some biblical references regarding dietary laws of the bible. My husband has recently converted to 7th day Adventism, and as you can imagine it has risen quite a bit of controversy. I have been able to find several answers on this web site regarding other issues, however, none on dietary laws. Can you help me? I have found brief articles regarding eating pork and one biblical reference but would like more.

I don't know much about Seventh Day Adventism's in-depth theology. Usually, when a sect chooses to ignore some extremely obvious teaching of Scripture, they will construct an elaborate justification for doing so, but at the end of the day, you still come away thinking “This sure looks like an elaborate way of avoiding the obvious.”

Here's the obvious teaching of Scripture with regard to the Old Testament dietary restrictions. First, Jesus “declared all foods are clean”:

Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die’; but you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, 'What you would have gained from me is Corban’ (that is, given to God) — then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do.”

And he called the people to him again, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.”

And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.” (Mark 7:1-23).

Third, once that has been accomplished and we come to Christ, the sign is no longer necessary and can even become a hindrance, if we insist on trying to be saved by keeping the ceremonial law rather than placing faith in Christ. That's what Galatians is all about. The Galatians got it in their heads that they had to keep the Mosaic ceremonial law (including kosher laws) in order to be saved. Paul has stern words for that.

I don't know how SDAism avoids these obvious New Testament teaching.

The second question is:

Can you recommend an online bible study web site that is audible and perhaps a little interactive. My husband has been viewing one on prophecycode.com but I am reluctant to listen to it since my biblical structure is a little weak. I would appreciate any feed back that you can give.

Michele

You might check out our own Catholic Scripture Study which feature talks based on the lesson as well as indepth studies of various biblical books. We will be starting a study of Revelation this fall.

Hope that helps!

Mark Shea/Senior Content Editor/Catholic Exchange