22. Diet and Religion (Leviticus 11:29-47)

• Jun, 23 2025

1. Contagion Is Spiritual and PhysicalTouching carcasses, even of unclean animals or creeping things (vv. 29–31), renders people unclean until evening.Dead things pollute everything they touch—wood, clothes, pottery, ovens (vv. 32–35).The cleansing process is specific: wash, break pottery, wait until evening. This teaches discipline, order, and the reality of contamination.Porous vessels (like earthenware) must be destroyed because they absorb filth—an early public health law as well as a moral object lesson.2. Death = Corruption = PollutionDeath is not morally neutral—it is a result of the Fall, and thus, even natural death is associated with pollution.Creeping things (mice, lizards, weasels, etc.) are declared abominations (vv. 41–43), reinforcing that holiness excludes all association with filth and decay.3. Holiness Requires SeparationVerse 44: “Be holy; for I am holy.” Holiness is not merely avoiding sin; it’s total conformity to God’s character and law.God's law demands disciplined obedience, not vague spiritual symbolism or cultural convenience.“Health is a goal of holiness, because the resurrection of the body is our future.” – Rushdoony🔥 Critique of Modern and Romantic ViewsRushdoony denounces the common theological tendency to:Reduce these laws to symbolism (e.g., “chewing the cud = meditation”).Dismiss the dietary laws as obsolete or unspiritual because of refrigeration or medical advancements.Treat religion as private emotion rather than a total life-system rooted in law and covenant obedience.“Faith has been separated from life and action and reduced to feeling.” – RushdoonyHe illustrates this with a humorous but piercing anecdote about a rabbi told not to preach on dietary laws, Sabbath, or education, and instead just “talk about Judaism.” The parallel in Christian churches is obvious: lawless religion becomes empty moralism or sentimentalism. 🕊️ Holiness Is Comprehensive, Not CompartmentalizedGod's law affects everything: sex, food, hygiene, worship, and business.Ceremonial separation (Ex. 19) was not asceticism, but a guard against syncretism with pagan fertility rites.Even the Sabbath and sacraments are linked to food and bodily action: the Lord’s Supper, showbread, Passover, etc.“The current widespread separation of diet from religion is an unusual fact of history.” – Rushdoony🍽️ Diet = DiscipleshipAll major religions regulate diet because food is intimately connected to life, purity, and covenant identity. The Bible’s food laws:Reflect God’s concern for human healthRequire submission over preference (“I like it, but I abstain because God forbids it”)Demonstrate that obedience is better than appetite“If God’s purpose in Christ is to provide us with fire and life insurance and no more, then God has nothing to do with our sex life or our diet.” – Rushdoony📚 Theological and Practical TakeawaysHoliness is not symbolic—it’s embodied. What we touch, eat, and interact with has theological implications.Obedience brings blessing—health, longevity, and fellowship with God.Contemporary faith that treats diet, sexuality, and bodily life as off-limits to God is idolatry dressed in piety.God's law is precise, relevant, and unchanging, requiring submission in the smallest details.🔍 SEO Summary:Biblical food laws explainedLeviticus 11 commentary on creeping things and unclean animalsWhy dead animals defile in the BibleGod’s law and hygieneDoes holiness apply to diet?Rushdoony on holiness and daily lifeReligion of obedience vs religion of feelings✅ Conclusion:Leviticus 11 ends not with a dry list of “do not eat” commands, but with a declaration of God's holy nature and a call to reflect that holiness in every part of life. Rushdoony boldly reminds us that diet and religion are not separate spheres. True faith is not a matter of sentiment or convenience—but of full submission to God's law, from the plate to the heart.“Ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45)

Author

R.J. Rushdoony

Chalcedon Founder

Narrated by

Nathan F. Conkey

Narrator, teacher, missionary