Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Dietary Laws & Food Ethics
What may and may not be eaten is governed by sacred law in most traditions. Kosher, halal, vegetarian, and monastic dietary codes transform the daily act of eating into a spiritual discipline, expressing that even the most mundane human activity is subject to divine order.
Across the World's Religions
Christianity
- अभ्यास
- Freedom in diet (Peter's vision); Eucharistic bread and wine
- Key Text
- Acts 10:9-16; Mark 7:18-19; Romans 14:2-3
Islam
- अभ्यास
- Halal / Haram dietary laws; prohibition of pork and alcohol
- Key Text
- Quran 2:173, 5:3, 5:90
Judaism
- अभ्यास
- Kashrut — kosher dietary laws (permitted and forbidden animals)
- Key Text
- Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14:3-21
Hinduism
- अभ्यास
- Sattvic diet; many traditions of vegetarianism
- Key Text
- Bhagavad Gita 17:8-10; Manusmriti 5.48-56
Buddhism
- अभ्यास
- Monastic alms food; vegetarianism in Mahayana
- Key Text
- AN 8.12; Lankavatara Sutra (meat-eating chapter)