18 Jul, 2008
Dog gone it!
Dog meat off the menu during Beijing Olympics
BEIJING - Canine cuisine is being sent to the doghouse during next month's Beijing Olympic Games.
Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs.
Waiters and waitresses should "patiently" suggest other options to diners who order dog, it said, quoting city tourism bureau Vice Director Xiong Yumei.
Dog, known in Chinese as "xiangrou," or "fragrant meat," is eaten by some Chinese for its purported health-giving qualities.
Beijing isn't the first Olympic host to slap a ban on the dish.
South Korea banned dog meat during the 1988 Seoul Olympics by invoking a law prohibiting the sale of "foods deemed unsightly." After the Olympics, the ban was not strictly enforced.
Dog meat is also eaten in some other Asian countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.
photo & story courtesy news.yahoo.com, 7/11/08
Leviticus 11:7-8
7 And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. (ESV)
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about sin and tempting situations?
Come on now, how often do any of us read from the book of Leviticus? I don't. Do you? Usually, we think this is just one of those Old Testament books that doesn't apply much to our stories today. BUT, I think you'll see that all of Scripture is holy because God's Spirit wrote it and it is timeless because it is full of practical lessons to help us abide in Christ.
Here's the deal on today's verses from the study notes found in Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE:
11:8 God had strictly forbidden eating the meat of certain "unclean" animals; to make sure, he forbade even touching them. He wanted the people to be totally separated from those things he had forbidden. So often we flirt with temptation, rationalizing that at least we are technically keeping the commandment not to commit the sin. But God wants us to separate ourselves completely from all sin and tempting situations. Perhaps this passage has made you aware of areas of your life where you have "technical" innocence but in which you have actually been involved in sin. It's time to cross back over the line and stay there.
If you and I knew that a dog meat noodle dish was sitting in front of us, we'd leave this "unclean" meat alone unless we wanted a real dining adventure that we could tell our friends about.
Though the Bible does not address every food in the world, it is very clear what God wants us to do when faced with "unclean" situations in our lives.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Take a few minutes to talk and listen to Jesus. If you are willing to be totally honest, Jesus will help you recognize the "unclean" areas in your life right now. Confess them and let His forgiving grace (made possible through His sacrificial death on the cross) get you clean again. Thank God and worship Him!
- Let Jesus help you write down the 5 main areas in your life that when you think about it, are as troubling as eating dog meat. In humility, ask Jesus every day to help you rely on His power to live clean.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
The way to apply this is obvious. BUT be careful to not make your friends and family throw up! You can use today's DAILYBIDE to share more of your story with other Christians and with those in your storysphere who are not yet followers of Jesus. When you talk about this subject of God's instructions on the "unclean", be careful to be real about your own weaknesses, without judging the other person.
NOTE: You might want to talk about today's story (eating dog meat) after you are done eating.
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