Why do many religions not like pigs?

Question

Oh ok then... why do people of some religions refuse to eat pork, bacon, ham, gammon and any other PIG produced product?

Answer 1

We Muslims do not eath pork because of these http://www.backtoislam.com/?p=21

Answer 2

A variety of reasons -- being host to worms and other bad-for-you beasties, and the fact they eat everything and anything.

With Semites (Jews and Arab Muslims) there is also the fact that pigs are incredibly destructive animals, rooting their way thru cultivated fields. Pigs are not the best domestic animal for near-desert climates. Sheep, goats, horses and cattle are happy with grass; pigs need better feed and are prepared to wreck your fields to get it.

Adonis was killed by a ravening boar, with Venus mourning him.

Answer 3

Pigs behave in several ways that humans consider "dirty." They root in the mud for something to eat, they seem to have little regard for the well-being of other pigs, but only want to get to the trough. They are delighted to eat all kinds of waste foods.

Additionally, pigs can carry many diseases, most commonly trichinosis, a worm that lives in the flesh of pigs and can be easily spread to humans if they eat infected pork that is not THOROUGHLY cooked. Before modern medicine, this disease was rampant among pigs and commonly occurred in humans who ate pork. More modern husbandry has improved this situation, but traditions die hard. I still prefer to cook pork for a long time after I studied trichinosis. I love prosciutto crudo, but I must have great faith in the producer.

Answer 4

I have a theory about this. Improperly prepared pork contains parasites like tape worms that can make people extremely sick. But ancient civilizations wouldn't have understood that the food was contaminated, so they attributed to something they did understand, which was their religion of choice. People stopped eating pork, they stopped getting those specific illnesses, and the holy people attributed that to following the will of the deity.

Answer 5

In the times in which many holy books were written pork was a dangerous fare. Pigs were viewed as unclean since they don't discriminate between feces and food usually. On top of this pork is a very good host for parasites and diseases.

Back then disease and death were thought to be brought on by evil spirits... not germs. Pork for this reason would be viewed unholy.

Answer 6

I know of no religion that dislikes pigs, though many ban the use of this animal for food as it is thought to be unclean. Actually in nature the pig is a meticulously clean animal, it is the disgusting way they are kept on farms that leads us to this erroneous conclusion.

Answer 7

Dietary restrictions were one method of causing discrimination against other nations back in the day. If a competing culture ate a lot of pork, then placing a restriction against pork makes the population think of the other culture as barbaric subhumans who are thus permitted to be exterminated in war.

Answer 8

Muslims dont like pigs cause it is said that they are evil people who have been brought back to earth from God as part of a punishment.

Now i aint muslim but here's the scary thing... you assume that apes are humans closest relatives, you mite be right, but did you know that they sometimes use pigs for for transplants on human!! Maybe muslims are right?? nah??

Answer 9

Religions that consider themselves descendants of Abraham (Jews and Muslims especially), stay away from pigs because of the dietary commands prescribed in the Old Testament.

Lev 11:7-8

"And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you."


Why did God deem the pig unclean? I dunno. But as a specific answer to your question, it is this passage (and similar ones in the Quran) that keep certain religions away from the swine.

Answer 10

They view them as filthy animals. Pigs are omnivores...they'll eat ANYTHING. And I do mean ANYTHING. That includes what comes out the other end.

Pig's bodies contain many toxins, worms and latent diseases. Although some of these infestations are harbored in other animals, modern veterinarians say that pigs are far more predisposed to these illnesses than other animals. This could be because pigs like to scavenge and will eat any kind of food, including dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, excreta (including their own), garbage, and other pigs.

While what comes out of your mouth is more important than what goes in it (" from the heart the mouth speaks") , more people are reminded of the old saying "you are what you eat"

Peace

Answer 11

becouse the torah says not to eat pigs and many other animals Jews and islam follow that but petter was released from any food rules in acts 10 when God told him nothing was unclean so that aplies for all christians