Meat and Milk and the Word of Wisdom

[volgadon]

Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother's milk.

-Exodus 23:19.

This short injunction forms a major part of the dietary (kashrut) laws in Judaism. Even people who are otherwise lax in their observance of those laws will generally not eat meat and dairy products together (or pork, but we won't go into that).

Regardless of whether or not someone accepts the latter rabbinic interpretations as valid, a significant question still remains. What was the reasoning behind the biblical injunction?

Maimonides, in the 12th, century proposed an ingenious solution, similar to the ones he came up with for other strange prohibitions in the Bible. It was meant to counter idolatrous practices.

"As for the prohibition against eating meat in milk, it is in my opinion not improbable that

[nicolasconnault]

I assure you, cooking meat in milk (or its by-products) is not gross, it's actually delicious!

[etana]

I assure you, cooking meat in milk (or its by-products) is not gross, it's actually delicious!

Mmm carbonara...

giving up cigarettes and coffee was hard for me. Not sure I could live without bacon cheesburgers though.

[volgadon]

I assure you, cooking meat in milk (or its by-products) is not gross, it's actually delicious!

It depends what, and under what conditions. Poultry can be very good stewed in milk, yoghurt or sour cream. Poultry and dairy was actually very popular in the early rabbinic era. maimonides, however, considering heavy foods and overeating to be very, very bad.

[ElderDarionBevan]

I love meat, I eat steak all the time

[mfbukowski]

Mmm carbonara...

giving up cigarettes and coffee was hard for me. Not sure I could live without bacon cheesburgers though.

With a milkshake?

[mfbukowski]

Volgadon:

I think I like your thesis.

You know how sometimes you will go in and grab leftovers from the night before for breakfast? (cold pizza- yum!)

One of my kids fried up some eggs for breakfast and then reached into the fridge for a chicken leg.

I just instinctively recoiled. Even in making fried chicken, it is coated with a batter made with eggs. I find that just instinctively repugnant and gross, for the reasons you have mentioned, but I never connected it with Kosher laws.

Most people in my family think I am nuts, and I might be, but I totally get it.

[mfbukowski]

Clearly also though, the WoW serves to separate us socially from the world- to remind us (not so subtly necessarily) that we are to be "in" the world but not "of" the world.

Coffee, tea, tobacco, and alcohol are all typically used in social settings- they are "social drugs", and a prohibition against their use is a very effective form of controlling social behavior, and setting one apart from others in social settings.

I think that that is one major reason LDS are often seen as "clannish" and it is said that we "stick together". We often do not have non LDS friends for these reasons, imo.

[Lars Umlaut]

I love meat, I eat steak all the time

Aren't we supposed to eat meat sparingly?

[volgadon]

Aren't we supposed to eat meat sparingly?

I like meat too, but I love my vegetables. Never a good idea to eat just meat.

[firepatch36]

That was an enlightening interpretation. I was taught that the prohibition was based on the pagan practice that you mentioned. I find this explanation superior.