Sunday, February 25, 2024

Life Is In The Blood

Leviticus 17:10-14, though not the only part of the Bible that touches upon the eating of blood (Leviticus 19:26 is just one additional verse that does this), very overtly says that the blood of a creature is not to be eaten.  The reason is provided shortly after.  Blood is what allows for the life of humans and other macroscopic creatures under the specific laws of nature that were realized in this world.  Furthermore, it is the blood of non-human animals that makes atonement through sacrifice and offering to Yahweh (17:11).

The biological function of blood as an integral part of animals that God imbued with a status that is very good (Genesis 1:31) is central.  Without blood, a creature such as the ones observed on Earth dies, and with blood, one can make atonement for sins, the tragic deviations from the obligations without which there is no such thing as justice, goodness, or any sort of rights for conscious beings of any kind.  Life itself, as in the existence of human consciousness within the body and the mental existence of animals, is very good because God, the conscious being whose nature grounds goodness, is good.

Biologically, as far as the fallible perceptions of the senses suggest is true (no, this is absolutely not knowable, like many things, except on the level of logical possibility and perception-based probability), blood also carries oxygen through the body.  Not only is blood a part of most biological, macroscopic creatures observed so far (the likes of jellyfish being the exceptions), but it also carries the hemoglobin that transports oxygen particles.  To not eat blood is in a sense, with the Biblical motivation in mind, to respect life itself.

The obligation to not eat blood is really about the metaphysical status of all creatures that bleed because they are living things that reflect Yahweh's goodness, the blood of some animals also being capable of providing a sort of atonement for sin.  This atonement is not perfect in that it is not final and complete (Hebrews 10:4-5), but it is also cited in Leviticus 17 as a part of why eating blood with or without meat is immoral on the Christian worldview.  This transcends even the other food-related commands of Yahweh.  Not eating blood is about life and atonement and not about unclean categories of animals.

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