August 2, 2017 at 12:59 pm

Everybody knows that blood is necessary to live and according to the Bible it is sacrosanct. Some deny this and see no problem in eating blood sausages or the meat of suffocated animals. Most of us have heard horror stories about heathen drinking blood from skulls. But on the other side there are sects that forbid blood transfusion and then one can find natives in India that do not even crush insects as the souls of their ancestors might be in them.

I suspect that life styles such as vegetarianism and veganism originally have to do with philosophical ideas about the importance of blood and the fact that animals are creatures that have great similarities with humans. Think of the emotions pets can demonstrate and the intimate bonding that can grow with their owners.

Hindu culture considers cows holy to such an extent that during festivals their dung is smeared through the hairs of devotees. This may all show that attitudes and life styles concerning blood reflect a kaleidoscope of philosophies and theologies of cultures ancient and contemporary. It may be apparent that there is a worsening development on the right and on the left side of this spectrum, ranging from vegetarianism to the preservation of insects as bearers of souls, on the right and ranging from disregard of blood to drinking it, on the left. Head shrinking and fear of ‘insecticide’ are the two mutually opposing extremes at the very bottom of this circle.

It may be clear that there is nothing wrong with a life saving blood transfusion. The idea in the Bible is that when you use blood to sustain life by eating it, it is the blood of animals that is unnecessarily misused, whereas creation offers a smorgasbord of possibilities to help you live. A blood transfusion does sustain your life, but it is human blood that is shed for another. It is something unique and an exception and there is a vast difference with drinking human blood, which would be a degraded practice.

The Bible states that life is in the blood and the prohibition to use it as food infuses one with reverence for life. But one exaggerates this respect when one forbids the consumption of meat. The apostle Paul puts it this way: “He that is weak, eats vegetables.” Yet he points out that meat eaters should not despise the vegetarians and the latter should not condemn the former.

In the first council the elders in Jerusalem told the Christian followers from the gentiles that they should abstain from eating blood and suffocated animals. The latter, obviously, because the blood has not been drained out. I am sure it is an exaggeration to conclude that one should not eat beef as it still contains a few drops of blood. On the other hand sausages, in which blood is one of the key ingredients, should be discarded. For a slaughter house it is good practice to have the blood drain away quite completely.

As a Christian I am not at all concerned about forming an opinion about the ritual killing of animals. The New Testament explains that the animals sacrificed in the Old Testament, are all shadows of the real sacrifice of Christ on the cross of Golgotha, where He shed His blood for all of us. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins.” The whole legal system is grounded in the idea that wrongs should be righted and that damage inflicted should be paid for in one way or another. Now, the ultimate wrong committed by humans is the blatant disregard of God’s claims on us and that compounded by the neglects of and the transgressions against each other. The ultimate sin of autotheism, putting man in God’s place, requires the ultimate penalty. Only the sinless and perfect Person of Jesus Christ could literally foot the bill.

And this brings us to the real sanctity of life, the fulfilment of all reason and meaning in Him Who created us and bought us back with His precious blood. He is the grain of wheat that falls into the ground, dies and brings forth a hundredfold. He is the tree of life that fills us with the fountain of water (the Holy Spirit). He is the lamb foreknown before the foundation of the earth and sacrificed from the foundation of the earth. He will be the All in all unto all eternity!

August 2, 2017 at 1:03 pm

6 BREAKFAST IDEAS

In modern days, people have become more health conscious and they wish to eat healthy meals on a regular basis. Eating oily and junk foods is allowed for occasional events like weddings or social parties. But when it comes to daily meal plan, it is best to stick to a nutritious dietary regime that should comprise of sprouts, nuts, veggies, beans, salads and soups.

Here are some healthy meals that people of all ages can consume daily and lead a disease-free life:

Oats:

• Oats are quite rich in dietary fibers and they aid in improving your digestion rate.
• People with bowel and constipation problems should prefer eating oats in their breakfasts.
• There are different variations of readymade oats available in the market like strawberry, nutty and masala flavor.

Simple salad:

• Eating fresh salad made from veggies and simple ingredients is one of the healthiest meals you can have at any point of time.
• Try making a simple salad with freshly cut green vegetables, low-fat cheese and proteins like hard-boiled eggs.
• This no-cook meal is highly nutritious for your health.

Pasta with tomato sauce:

• Pasta is an appetizer-filling food that can be consumed both during lunch as breakfasts. Apart from stuffing yourself with heavy meals like rice and roti with ghee, try replacing it with a pasta dish.
• Pasta served with spicy tomato sauce is one of the favorite meals amongst people.
• You can even consider adding fresh chopped veggies and cheese to your pasta recipe and elevate the nutritional intake.

Chapatis with dal:

• Pulses are rich in protein content and they aid in healthy metabolism. Chapatis on the other hand are usually made from wheat flour and they contain carbohydrates.
• Eating plain roasted chapattis with dal is a healthy meal option for Indian origin people.

Vegetable khichdi:

• Khichdi is a delicacy that is prepared by mixing rice and dal together.
• Addition of freshly chopped veggies and spices not only elevates the taste of your vegetable khichdi, but also enhances the nutritional value.
• Some of the veggies that you can add in your vegetable khichdi are tomato, potato, peas, cauliflower, carrot, and beans.

Frozen yogurt with fruits and nuts:

• Plain low-fat yogurt serves as an excellent source of calcium and tastes delicious as well.
• To elevate the nutritional content, you can prefer adding fresh fruits like mango, apples, banana and nuts like cashew nuts or almonds in your yogurt.

Apart from eating healthy meals, people should also remember to drink plentiful amount of water daily, so that they can stay active and hydrated. Eating spicy and oily food on a regular basis can lead to gastrointestinal problems and you may become a victim of GERD, constipation or IBS.

So, did you like our suggestions of healthy breakfast ideas? Do share some of your own meal ideas with our readers. Comment below!

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March 29, 2018 at 7:08 pm

Wow this is indeed a long educative article. I agree on some of the aspects that you have mentioned. One thing that people actually do is sometimes misinterpret the bible teachings. You can actually sound like a theologian. The words you are using to explain everything that you write are not that easy to understand but thank you for shading light on the blood issue. However i think maybe from the perspective of a cook i would say sausages are actually not made out of using blood if am not wrong. There are those that are made from blood i just cannot remember the name in english for now. Anyway i totally ahree on the other aspects where animals are strangled and killed. That way you do not drain out the blood which is prohibited to do. An animal is supposed to be slaughtered and then cooked.