Who Prohibits the Eating of Blood or

Food Mixed with Blood?

"The eating of 'dinuguan' (animal blood) or food mixed with blood is a practice not only
in the Philippines but also in other countries. Many religions allow their members to eat
or drink animal blood or foods mixed with blood. Why members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo
do not eat 'dinuguan' or food mixed with animal blood?"

ALL DOCTRINES

AND practices of Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ)

are written in the Bible. We members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo do not eat
dinuguan (animal blood) or food mixed with blood because the Lord God
prohibited His servants to do so. The prohibition regarding the eating of the
blood was declared by God Himself as early as Noahs time:

So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful
and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you
shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that
move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your
hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you
all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its
life, that is, its blood. (Genesis 9:1-4, NKJV)

The Lord God explicitly said to Noah, Every moving thing that lives shall
be food for you. I have given all things. Even as the green herbs. But you

shall not flesh with its life, that is, its blood. This prohibition continued. God
prohibited the Israelites to eat blood:

And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who

dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person
who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of
the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make
atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the
soul.' Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'No one among you shall
eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.'
Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell
among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten,
he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust. (Leviticus 17:10-13
NKJV)

God told the Israelites that No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall
any strangers who dwells among you eat blood. This is the reason why
God also commanded them that if they catch any animal or bird that may
be eaten, they shall pour out its blood and cover with dust. To those who
will violate this law, God said, I will set My face against that person who
eats blood. This prohibition has been carried out through the Christian Era:

But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent
them a letter telling them we decided that they must not eat any food that
has been offered to idols, or any blood, or any animal that has been

strangled,

and

that

they

must

keep

themselves

from

sexual

immorality.(Acts 21:25 TEV)

To the believers or Christians, the apostles exhort them that they must not
eat any food that has been offered to idols, or any blood, or any animal that
has been strangled. Thus, the Gods prohibition in eating blood or food
mixed with blood continues up to the Christian era. And we know that
breaking Gods law or commandment is sin:

Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a

breaking of the law. (I John 3:4 TEV)

Because God prohibits the eating of blood and this law continues up to our
time, therefore, eating blood or food mixed with blood is a transgression of
Gods law, a grave sin against God. In obedience to God, members of the
Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) abstain from eating blood or any food
mixed with blood.