Food and Religion: A Christian Perspective

Food is very significant to the humans since the beginning of time. It not only a necessity for survival, but is also used for social and religious purposes.

   Food and its social importance

In the social faculty of life, as a common knowledge, food has always been important in all the cultures of the world. It is used in times of conflict, to bring peace among varying tribes. It is used for bridal and dowry payments and many more. The listed examples are not a comprehensive list of the importance of food in the social faculty of human life. It is rather, a representation, of the ultimate importance of food in the social faculty of human life.

Food and its spiritual importance

In the spiritual faculty of life, food is also super important. One does not need common knowledge to realise, that, a lot of cultural rituals and worship throughout the world involves food.

People offer food as a worship offering to their gods. They also offer food as peace offerings to appease their gods when their gods are angry. Food, thus, is an important element in religious practises in the cultures of the world.

In the ancient cultus system of worship for the Jews, food has a powerful spiritual significance. In their cultus system, animals like sheep, goats, doves, grains, oils and others have profound spiritual significance in their worship of God. The use of food in the spiritual rituals in the Jewish cultus system is extensive and excessive (ref. The Bible- Exodus and Leviticus).

Case study

To put all these discussions into perspective, the story of Daniel and his three friends in the Scripture highlights the religious importance of food.

According to the Scripture, the Babylonians took Daniel and his three friends among the captives to Babylon (ref.Daniel 1). They were selected among the elites. The Hebrew boys were then forced to eat at the King’s table his delicacies. However, they purposed in their hearts that they would not defile themselves with the King’s food (ref.Daniel 1).

Daniel and his friends understood well that the food was offered to the Babylonian gods. In addition, the food according the boys’ belief was unclean (Ref. Leviticus 11). Thus, eating of the food at the King's table is considered as a dishonour to their God.

Ultimately, for Daniel and his friends, the food and the drinks have a profound religious meaning. It means acceptance of the participation in the King’s worship system (Souza, 2020).
 

Implication

Food has profound implications to the Christians. As Christians, it is very important to consider the food that we eat, and the drink that we drink. This is important, because, our eating and drinking, ultimately, glorifies God and at the same time dishonours God. When we eat food and drink drinks that are contradictory to God’s will, as listed in the Scriptures, we dishonour God.

Apostle Paul succinctly exhorts in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whatsoever you eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God”.

Conclusion

Finally, the most logical question that should  be asked is, is God interested in my eating (the type of food I eat and the amount I eat) and the drinks (type of drinks) I drink? Does it matter to God?

Yes, it does. It does matter to God.

We worship and glorify God in the food and drink we drink and we worship and glorify other gods in our lives in the food and drink we eat and drink.

 

God bless you.

 

Reference

Bible

Souza, de, Brasil Elias. (Jan, Feb, March, 2020). Daniel: Bible study guide.

Pictures used are accessed from Google