Hi, I was wondering if it is a sin to eat meat.  I have come across a video that says it uses Bible verses to say that it is wrong; it would take too long to type them all out, but here is the link to the video that I am talking about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb6dWrace38&feature=related

Please help me understand this; thanks and God bless!

Sincerely,
Bring On The Bacon

Dear Bring On The Bacon,

The video that you referenced is a great example of false teaching.  It uses a few Bible verses out of context and combines them with a lot of quotes that look like Bible verses – but aren’t actually from the Bible.  Jesus’ teachings are clear; it is okay to eat meat.  Mk 7:19-20 states that all food, including meat, is clean to eat.

While Jesus walked this earth, He regularly ate the Passover (Lk 22:15), which was a Jewish feast.  Part of the Passover meal involved eating lamb (Ex 12:5-11).  Jesus ate the Passover every single year; Jesus was definitely not a vegetarian.

     Is that preacher in the videos really going to keep this up all year?     Our preacher tried this, and he fizzled out after three posts.  I'm impressed.  I hope it is worth all the time and effort.  Why not just have a video of him reading the Word?  It's nice to have a quick summary.  Do you think it gives people the feeling they are studying, but they won't dive into the Word themselves?

Sincerely,
Daily Cupper

Dear Daily Cupper,

Yes, we will keep it up all year!  The goal isn’t for people to just watch the videos as a replacement for reading the chapters; the videos are to help explain the chapters as you read them.  We don’t want you to feel like you are studying; we want you to study!  So don’t worry; we’ll be there with our Bibles and coffee every morning.

How does God choose who will die a violent death, such as decapitation, stabbing, and rape on even people of christianity?  I don't understand this.  Does the Bible have an answer for this?

Sincerely,
Why Not Me?

Dear Why Not Me,

The Bible tells us that humans have the freewill to decide our own fates and that we are all affected by the choices we, and others, make.  In the Old Testament, God shows us that bad choices affect people as much as four generations later (Num 14:18).  If a man murders someone, it will have an impact upon him, the family of the deceased, his own children, those on the jury that convict him, etc.  Our choices have consequences, and they cause a ripple effect in the world we live in.  In short, we reap what we sow (Gal 6:7).  God knows our days upon this earth, but He also gives us the freewill to shape various aspects of the world that we live in.  Just because God has knowledge of how you and I will die does not mean that He causes your death to happen in a certain way.  Foreknowledge is not the same as causation.  A doctor may know that a patient is going to die of cancer, but that doesn’t mean the doctor caused the patient to die of that ailment.  God gives mankind the freedom to make decisions; it isn’t His fault when people die violent and horrific deaths.  That is caused by mankind and our decision to rebel and sin.  Remember, the world was made perfect – Adam & Eve destroyed the harmony of the Garden of Eden.  Mankind makes choices that affect the future and the lives of those who live on this planet.

All right.  Lucifer and his lot rebelled against God (this rebellion clearly showing free will) and were shown no mercy, no forgiveness, and every one of them was thrown into Hell.  Billions of humans rebel against God daily; thousands of us claim to be God, and yet He forgives us as easy as breathing. Why?

Sincerely,
Feeling Privileged

Dear Feeling Privileged,

You are referring to 2 Pet 2:4 where it states, “For if God spared not angels when they sinned”.  That verse really is all we know about the great epic angelic battle fought in the heavens.  We have a few glimpses of the battle between Satan and Michael the archangel (Jude 1:9) – but nothing to ever clarify the details of how God is handling the angels or what, if any, opportunities they had to repent.  Truth be told, we know so little about how angels work and what their relationship is with God that we cannot make any judgments about how God has dealt with the rebellious angelic host.  It would be akin to deciding who was right in an argument when you didn’t even know what it was they were arguing about!  Proverbs says that making hasty judgments in disputes we don’t understand isn’t a good idea (Pr 26:17).  In this situation, we must simply say, “The secret things belong to God” (Deu 29:29).

     If a denomination is not "the church" that Christ built, then can it just be viewed as another human organization?  I mean, if they are selling something, can I buy it?  If they have a pre-school, can I send my kids there?  If they host a basketball league, can I play ball?  Thanks!

Sincerely,
Consumer Awareness

Dear Consumer Awareness,

This is an issue that brethren are squarely divided over (and for good reason); it is a tricky question.  One point of view is exactly as you expressed – these churches aren’t the Lord’s church and are just like any other human organization.

On the other hand, the thought is that we don’t want to support false teachers.  The Bible is clear that false teachers shouldn’t be supported – we shouldn’t even give them a greeting (2 Jn 1:10).  The issue is very similar to the issue of eating meat sacrificed in an idol’s temple that Paul discusses in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8.  We must all obey our conscience in such matters and be careful to not be judgmental of others’ choices.