Originally Posted by DMcCunney
Don't forget Bahai...
Lots of aspects of cultures don't make sense to outsiders, and you need to dig a bit to get an idea of why they exist and what purpose they serve. Take the prohibition against eating pork shared by Jews and Muslims. Why does it exist? The best explanation I've seen is simple: Both Jews and Arabs originated in Palestine, an area that is semi-arid. Pigs are a tempting animal to raise, because "you can use every part of the pig except the squeal", but they simply require too much water. How do you prevent people from doing something very attractive in the short term that will be damaging long term? One way is "Because God said not to!" I believe it was due to the parasitic factor as well......pork back in 'the day' was literally unsafe to eat. But how would you you convince people of that?
That was the impression I got, though I think the Hadiths are considered closer to "holy writ" in Islam, and serve a somewhat different function.
I think of Talmud less as a religious document (though parts of it concern religion), and more in the nature of "This is a collection of things we've learned as a people over several thousand years about how we should deal with other people and the world around us." Depending on the precise topic, G-d may or may not enter into it.
I think it's reasonable, too, and I think followers of all religions need to bear in mind that the world was a different place back when their scriptures originated, and take time, place, and context into account when interpreting the scriptures. b]Dennis[/b]
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