Time to Panic: Costco is allegedly selling halal chicken

by Hadley Robinson

Someone sent me these remarks about Costco’s alleged sale of halal chicken and how purchasing it amounts to idol worship by the people of the Way, the Christians:

…I did some shopping at Costco on Saturday. Nothing too special, just looking to pick up some meat to BBQ. My eldest son was down with his fiancée from Iowa, so we wanted to have some family time. My wife and I worked our way past the various displays and only picked up an ice chest to keep the meat from spoiling on the return trip to Magdalena, (we were strong willed for a change). We arrived at the refrigerated section and began the difficult task of choosing our cuts of meat for the family get together. Right away, I spotted the chicken breasts, they were already boneless and vacuum sealed. The price was good as it was organic chicken from Oregon, but then I saw on the sign a note that stopped me cold.

The whole chickens that looked wonderful for the family bar-b-que [sic], just a moment before, were now an offense to me. Right on the sign were the words Certified Halal.

Halal is the Islamic term that basically means the meat is lawful to eat for a devout Muslim. What makes it lawful or acceptable is that the meat has been processed in a very specific way. Now, you may think that this is no different than meat that is acceptable to the Jewish people or kosher. Unlike kosher food, where the physical processing of the meat is the focus, for Islam it is the spiritual component that makes the meat lawful.

For lawful (halal) meat in Islam, the animal must be killed while the butcher faces Mecca, and either the butcher cries Allah Akbar or a tape plays the words over a loud speaker. Understand, that when they face Mecca, they face the black stone, the very definition of idol worship.

I am glad that Costco is finally telling us plainly that the meat is halal or sacrificed to an idol, but I have a feeling that this not to benefit the Christian, but rather the muslim [sic]. I will state again that I have not fear of a lifeless false god, but the book of Acts plainly tells us that we are not to eat meat sacrificed to idols. The false religion of Islam continues to make inroads into America as they attempt to force some of our communities to submit to Sharia law and demand that halal food be sold in mainstream stores.

I would point out that normally this type of food has been called ethnic food or given a special section like the Chinese food or whatever. That is not what we see here. This food is being sold with the standard fair, and one must read the small labels on the back of the food to find out if it is halal or not.

I believe in freedom of religion. What I am starting to observe, however, is that one religion (currently the minority) is being given a wide berth and allowed special status. Those that know their Bible are not surprised by this, we are talking about the religion of the anti-Christ after all. But it still amazes me that it can (as the Bible predicted) happen so suddenly and without anyone really taking notice….

Concerning halal meat, here are some thoughts:

1. The writer's assertion that when a Muslim faces Mecca and the black stone, he commits idolatry is false.  He would never consider the stone an idol, an abhorrent thought to all true Muslims.  Therefore, it is untrue that a Christian would be participating in idolatry by eating halal meat.
   
   
2. On the other hand, consider that the Creator may be raising up Islam for the very purpose of judging the West for its sins:  murder of the unborn, idolatry (of money), adultery, and immorality.
   
   Muslims will be majorities in most of Europe in 45 years if nothing changes.  Most people only look ahead a week or two, if that, and the more reflective might look ahead to their own retirement i.e., "I have many goods laid up for myself, eat, drink, and be merry!" but rarely beyond, just like King Hezekiah (2Kings 20:19).  As a result, few care about 45 years out into the future – it might as well be an eternity.
   
   
3. With this in mind, our opposing Islam may result in our fighting against God – a common paradigm in Scripture concerning the purpose of so-called enemies (e.g. Acts 5:39).  Islam has played this role at times in the late first millennium A.D., including the destruction of Constantinople in 1453 A.D.  In the same way, Jeremiah counseled the wicked Jews of Jerusalem about the coming destruction of their city by the Chaldeans (Jeremiah 27:6 ff.)  It is just like the Creator and LORD of the universe to use an army of cutthroats to do His will.  These are, then, warnings from the Creator about what is to come because of widespread wickedness in a cultrue.
   
   Unfortunately, most have a Deistic view of world events: God wound the clock, walked away, and now it’s all up to us.  But this view robs the Creator of His supreme and irrevocable role in appointing the times and locations of peoples and by whom they are ruled (e.g. Daniel 4:25; Acts 17:26; Romans 13).
   
   
4. Islam is a form of monotheistic heathenism.  One thing Islam does abhor: the creation of idols or images of anything under Heaven.  In this way, the writer of the halal essay above is incorrect.  One need only go into your average Greek Orthodox Church, for example, and then visit a Mosque and observe.  Mosques appear more like Quaker Meeting houses – stripped of pictures, paintings, or statues of any earthly or heavenly being.  In another way, the Church has pushed the limit to the extreme with a loose interpretation of the 2nd Commandment starting from around the early 4th century A.D.  That is, if I really loved God as I ought (the 1st Royal Commandment) would I have any images, pictures, movies, or paintings in His likeness?
   
   
5. The writer of the halal essay’s warning: “Be on guard not to eat food offered to idols!” is a slander against Islam. The  person here ignores the plain teaching of Scripture and misuses another:
   
   Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."  If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.  But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake– the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours.  For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?  If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? -1Corinthians 10:25-30
   
   The command given in Acts 15:20 is a prohibition against eating non-Kosher meat – meat that still has the blood in it.  This command in Genesis 9:4 was given before Abraham and Moses and still applies to all today.  Blood sausage is common in some countries including Germany, a country reknown for its contempt for the Word of God.  They, like most other European countries, are aborting and contracepting themselves out of existance.
   
   
6. We should not be alarmist busybodies.  If I am going to be a zealous Christian who avoids dolatry, I should start with covering up paintings, photos, or depictions of the Messiah.  It would be impossible for me and anyone alive after the 1st century to correctly identify Him in a line-up.  Images of people e.g., Caesar and other leaders, were common in Jesus' time.  We can wonder, "Where were the images of Him?"
   
   Therefore, all depictions of Him are inaccurate and false. Every eyewitness of the Christ is dead. None of them painted a picture of Him.  We can be sure that the Creator made sure of it.  If He had, can we imagine the chaos and fighting over it?  The LORD knew what He was doing when He buried Moses in an unknown place.  If the writer of this halal essay experiences horror with the prospect of purchasing chicken at Costco, it is a matter between him and God, as it should be.  But he has crossed the line in pushing this on the Church and he falls among those condemned in Colossians 2:20-23.

How this stuff gets passed around and considered seriously by Christians is amazing.  But what can we expect when most Evangelical leaders do not preach the Gospel of repentance and, instead, measure their success not by the meat they serve people but how great is their following and how much money they can pry out of the flock.  The nitpicker who spread this nonsense should be ashamed and, if unrepentant, be thrown out of the Church (see 1 Cor 5:11).

May we all live lives that demonstrate a converted heart filled with love for the only Son of God and for others, inclduing our enemies.  We must not be diverted by small stuff, especially the kinds of food we eat but, instead, be focused on doing good and living holy lives.  For this purpose we have been called, set apart, and sanctified (2 Timothy 1:9). 

"Love Him, study His Word, and follow His ways."