What Does The Bible Say About Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the practice of eating human flesh. In some cultures, it’s a taboo, but in others, such as the Amazon tribes of Brazil, it’s considered an act of love in which families eat their dead relatives to ensure that they are always with them. Even though cannibalism is considered taboo by most Western societies today, there were times within Jewish history when it was perfectly acceptable behavior—and even encouraged by God himself.
Cannibalism is practiced by some cultures and forbidden by others.
Cannibalism is practiced by some cultures and forbidden by others. This is not just a matter of religious dietary restrictions, though; there are many reasons why a culture would either allow or forbid cannibalism.
For instance, in parts of Canada and the United States, there are groups of people who believe that eating human flesh can cure illness or impart spiritual strength to its consumer. The practice was widespread among some Native American tribes until European settlers came along with their own beliefs about what constituted right and wrong behavior (and where they could find it).
It’s almost always considered taboo in the West, but even in biblical times, it wasn’t always so.
While it’s almost always considered taboo in the West, cannibalism wasn’t always so. Some cultures practiced it for religious reasons, but even in biblical times, there were instances where it was considered acceptable. The practice of eating human flesh was not ubiquitous across all societies at all times—some cultures banned it and others allowed it depending on the circumstances or context.
In the Old Testament that has no problem with cannibalism when it was necessary to avoid starvation.
Cannibalism in the Old Testament is a little different than what you might think. The Israelites were commanded to eat the meat of animals that died naturally and they were also allowed to eat the meat of animals that died in battle, but they were not allowed to eat any other animals. In fact, if an animal was slaughtered by someone else and then eaten by another person or family, it would have been considered an act of cannibalism (Leviticus 7:25-27).
The laws regarding eating human flesh are also very specific about what types of people are acceptable victims for consumption. For example, a man who committed murder could be eaten as retribution for his crime (Numbers 35:19-21). However, God was not so happy with murderers who did not repent their sins before dying because then even their corpses would become food for birds and beasts rather than being buried properly (Leviticus 26:29).
It’s one thing for the Israelites to eat their enemies after a battle, but some would say it’s quite another for them to eat their own people.
The Bible does not give any examples of cannibalism taking place within the Israelites, but we can rest assured that eating human flesh is not a good thing. The act falls under the category of sin, and while it may have been tolerated in some instances in biblical times, modern Christians have no reason to follow suit.
There are other cultures around the world who still practice cannibalism today–people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Issei Sagawa come to mind–but these are exceptions rather than rule-followers. And while you may hear stories about cannibals eating their victims as part of their religious rituals or cultural customs (as recently happened with a tribe on Papua New Guinea), such practices were never sanctioned by God or His prophets.
There were others who sincerely believed that eating human flesh might actually be beneficial.
There were others who sincerely believed that eating human flesh might actually be beneficial. The ancient Greeks, for example, believed that eating human flesh was good for your health because it allowed you to absorb the same elements as the universe. Their theory was based on the idea that our bodies contain fire, water, earth and air like everything else in nature—and what do we eat? Meat! So they reasoned that eating meat would help us get closer to a state of harmony with ourselves and our surroundings.
Some of the most grisly New Testament verses are from Revelation, which includes descriptions of cannibalism at the end of time.
Some of the most grisly New Testament verses are from Revelation, which includes descriptions of cannibalism at the end of time. Verse 7 describes how “death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them.” Later on in verse 9, death and Hades are thrown into a lake of fire.
Revelation 20:10 says that the devil will be tormented for all eternity in hell. The book then goes on to describe some of the punishments given to people who do not follow God’s word. In verse 11-15, it says that those who eat human flesh will have their skin eaten by worms and burn with sulfuric acid (which is very painful).
In verse 16-17, those who drink blood or take part in witchcraft will also experience an eternity full of pain and suffering. Finally, Revelation 20:18-19 goes into detail about what happens when sinners are resurrected after their punishment ends (they get to go back on Earth again). This passage sounds like it could be describing zombies! It says these resurrected people won’t know they’ve been alive before because they’ll be so confused by all they’ve seen during their punishment period—such as being beaten with iron rods while standing knee-deep in quicksand; being thrown into boiling hot tar; being flung over cliffs; having molten lead poured down their throats; being flogged with fiery thongs until their backs bleed profusely; having their eyes bored out with red hot iron drills; etcetera ad nauseam!
If you take these verses literally, they suggest that God is going to punish his enemies by causing them to cannibalize each other.
If you take these verses literally, they suggest that God is going to punish his enemies by causing them to cannibalize each other.
“The sword shall devour you; it shall devour your people, it shall consume your leaders.” (Isaiah 9:19) “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 10:4-5) “Behold, the day of the Lord comes…and every man’s sword will be against his brother.” (Zechariah 13:8-9)
In addition to being eaten alive by wild beasts and lions, God’s enemies will also be eaten alive by each other. In Matthew 24:22-28 our Savior tells us that there will be wars and rumors of wars in the last days before the return of Christ. When those wars break out among mankind—wars that bring famine and death—the survivors will eat one another until there are none left alive on earth except for those who have taken refuge in caves or hidden places where they cannot be found.
The Bible doesn’t just talk about cannibalism; it also talks about people being eaten by wild beasts, and even its own prophecies describe cannibalistic acts as punishments.
Cannibalism is not just mentioned in the Bible; it’s also depicted. The Bible doesn’t just talk about cannibalism; it also talks about people being eaten by wild beasts, and even its own prophecies describe cannibalistic acts as punishments.
In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of the end times where all but 144,000 will die out due to famine or disease. Those who survive—the 144,000—will be spared because they are considered “pure” enough to eat human flesh without contracting leprosy (Leviticus 13:18-19).
The Book of Daniel describes how Alexander the Great conquered Jerusalem in 332 BC and demanded that his men partake in a strange ritual called “the abomination that maketh desolate”: they were ordered to eat meat from animals found dead within city limits before entering Jerusalem’s gates (Daniel 11:31). This ritual was intended as punishment for Israelites who had abandoned their faith—if they wanted to enter Jerusalem again, they would have no choice but to participate in this pagan practice (which would make them unclean according to Jewish law).
So, what does the Bible say about cannibalism? The answer is: it depends on who you ask. If you ask someone who believes that the Bible is the literal word of God, they’ll tell you there are no references to cannibalism in this book at all. However, if we take a closer look at some of its verses and stories (like those mentioned above), we can see that these texts might be interpreted as referring to cannibals or even foretelling an eventual end-times scenario in which people will eat each other out of desperation—or maybe even pleasure!