How come it used to be a sin to eat meat on a Friday, but now it's okay?

Question

What has changed?
And will the people who ate meat before the change be forgiven?

Answer 1

Because religion is bollocks. Especially the catholic bit of it. So as long as you say oooh I'm sorry to some guy in a dress it's okay.

All those serial killers must wish they converted.

Answer 2

Because Jesus died on a Friday, Catholics have always been required to make a special sacrifice on that day, to better remember what he did for us.

Abstaining from meat on Fridays was the accepted way to do that for quite a while, but ever since the 2nd Vatican Council, the church decided that Catholics could choose other suitable sacrifices in place of abstinence from meat, to satisfy their obligation.

This could take the form of additional prayer, good works, charitable giving, teaching misguided Protestants, etc.

The older practice and the more modern practice are spiritually equivalent, so this change was totally in keeping with the authority God gave to his church, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Whether God chooses to forgive those who broke the old rules is up to him. Anyone who confessed their sins and repented, as required, certainly has nothing to fear.

Answer 3

First of all, it is a discipline, not a doctrine, so there is no "retro" forgiveness needed. More importantly, it is not true that we still don't have the meatless Fridays in effect. It is still the ordinary practice. What has changed is that there is an alternate option where the individual can choose their own discipline. This is the case most of the year. During the Lenten Season, we "fall" back on the meatless discipline as a solidarity.

In practice though, most people who have adopted the latter, really haven't adopted anything. As such, many Catholics don't even think there is any discipline except during Lent.

Good question though.

Answer 4

Abstaining from meat on Fridays was a rule of the catholic Church, but never a doctrine.

The sin was not in eating meat, but in disobeying the men who God had entrusted His Church by eating meat. Being forgetful and eating meat was not a sin. The idea is that disobeying the Church, you are disobeying God who is the head of the Church

Any sin can be forgiven.

Answer 5

I presume you may be a Roman Catholic. R. C.s were only allowed to eat fish on a Friday instead of meat, something to do with Jesus being a fisher of men, I think.
Some years ago, one of the Popes declared that the rule was being dropped and that meat could be eaten if desired.
A priest should be able to answer more fully perhaps.
As the rule was only put in place by priests or a Pope in the first place and not by God, what is there to forgive?

Answer 6

It was never a sin! It was just some made-up rule of man. This is true of many church rules and expectations. People have been robbed of the joy of loving and knowing God by having to comply to so many man-made religious rules and ceremony. Of course people can be forgiven anything (except blasphemy) if they sincerely ask... but God never asked people not to eat meat on a certain day. There is freedom in knowing the living God!

Answer 7

Never was a sin. It was done as penance. Now it is acceptable to eat meat and do something else in lieu of that for a penance. Friday is a day to do something to sacrafice for God. Whatever that may be.

Why is it that so many people are quick to answer, yet have no idea what they are talking about?

Answer 8

It was never a sin to eat meat on any day....according to the bible. I'm not speaking of Levitical (Jewish) law...I'm speaking of new testament revelation from God about eating meat....He revealed to Peter "let no man call unclean that which God has made clean".

There are some religions that have man made traditions....that have nothing to do with biblical references, at all.

Answer 9

What do you mean it's changed? If it has changed, then why does my high school not serve meat on Fridays for lunch? I had to eat that disgusting school fish today!

Answer 10

They actually asked this on an episode of Father Ted! I think it was a political move by the church to help stem the flow of people leaving the church. Did the same when they declared evolution to be part of god's plan.