"Shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels, all these are an abomination before the Lord, just as gays are an abomination. Why stop at protesting gay marriage? Bring all of God's law unto the heathens and the sodomites. We call upon all Christians to join the crusade against Long John Silver's and Red Lobster. Yea, even Popeye's shall be cleansed. The name of Bubba shall be anathema. We must stop the unbelievers from destroying the sanctity of our restaurants.." - Anthony Citrano from Bookmarklet

lol - Ray Grieselhuber

Too. Freaking. Funny. - Steven Perez

I use this with fundamentalist bible-thumpers and they seem to really get confused. Many don't even know it's there. There's a lot of other fun stuff in Leviticus, but the shellfish thing is one that really seems to paralyze fundamentalists. Because they won't cave and say that the old laws don't apply anymore, yet they can't reconcile that all that shellfish they've eaten has them Hellbound... - Anthony Citrano

Hmm, I am most certainly going to hell. - abacab

Ah, inconsistency :) - Michael W. May

NOT KOSHER! - Rochelle

Old Testament cultism -- it also happens to be the driving force behind neoconservatives and Christians Zionists and their many delightful policies (including the Iraq War, the Clash of Civilizations, World War IV and a domestic police state and theocracy). This is very serious stuff indeed -- it doesn't get more serious. - Sean McBride

Some are pretty crazy. Leviticus is old testament and doesn't apply. With the arrival of Christ, the old laws were replaced. Any normal Christian knows this stuff. - Jason Shultz from twhirl

Let me add that there are many good and positive strains in the Old Testament -- the emphasis on social justice, truth seeking, compassion, philanthropy, etc. -- but fundamentalists focus only on the most ignorant and violent strains. As far as ancient texts go, the OT is probably less benighted than most. In other words, putting an antisemitic spin on the dark side of the OT is as misguided as believing in the most unscientific superstitions in the work. Christian Armaggedonists like John Hagee do not understand what the best of the Jewish tradition is all about. - Sean McBride

Well I would guess if you are an Orthodox Jew this still holds true, but beyond that the majority of people that follow the Book, understand that the old law was fulfilled at least from this perspective. No reason to shun the tasty little creatures now. - Robert

"Normal Christian"? What does that mean? Seventh-day Adventists (and other Christians) don't eat unclean foods. Also, the idea of "clean" and "unclean" foods has been around at least since the time of Noah. The way I see it, the Levitical laws were to remind the children of Israel about principles they might have forgotten while they were in bondage, IMHO. - Ha3rvey (heavy duty)

Just by nature of being raised Buddhist, i'm in the doghouse by default with the Old Testament. So I may as well call up my gay friend today for a shrimp salad lunch. :D - Christine Lu

Further point: thoughout modern European history, many Jews have been in the forefront in ditching the dreck from the OT, while amping up the most enlightened themes. Another reason to blow off any antisemitic exploitation of some disturbing OT beliefs. (Of course, Christian fundamentalists often use these "subversive" intellectual activities on behalf of Enlightenment modernism to try to whip up antisemitism.) - Sean McBride

+1 Harvey - Jason, if you study this, you will see that this PARTICULAR issue is outside of the laws that were replaced (or, rather, fulfilled). Even Christ said it Himself - "I have not come to abolish the them but to fulfill them. Until heaven and earth disappear, no the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will be any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." While the Mosaic law is no longer in effect, dont confuse that with meaning that all old laws are Mosaic... - Andru Edwards

Oh, and I can safely say that God doesn't hate shrimp. If I create something for a specific purpose, and tell my son not to eat that thing, that doesn't imply that I hate what I made. It just means that it isn't food. - Andru Edwards

+1 Christine :) - Michael W. May

+1 Harvey and Andru - Shey

Robert, you're wrong. Torah, including the kashrut laws, were not replaced for Jews of any stripe except for Messianic Jews (but that's another story all together). The Covenant with Jesus (which was, remember, designed some fifty years after Jesus' death by Paul of Tarsus) has everything to do with creating a path to G-d for the gentiles. The idea that it somehow supplants the Torah for the Jews is just a failed marketing ploy as most Jews of the time said and still say, 'Eh, no thanks, we're not buying.' - Akiva

+1 Harvey. Most daily laws for Jews are there as constant reminders. The Jewish approach is quite Buddhist, too; each physical act is a reminder to be in the moment and to drop one's ego. - Akiva

Always fun to watch piecemealing... carry on. Christine, +1 - Cyndy

+1 Andru. But, keep in mind the clause 'until everything is accomplished'. Everything has not yet been accomplished. Jesus was talking about the coming of the second kingdom (which Jews equate with the coming of the Moshiach). Essentially, those laws have not been replaced (Peter's vision in Acts of the Apostles notwithstanding, I suppose). The Torah still stands (even the icky parts). - Akiva

Akiva -- but Buddhism is not an ethno-religious nationalist ideology, after the style of, say, Chabad-Lubavitch. Buddhism is universalist, egalitarian, trans-ethnic, trans-nationalist, etc. Buddhism is not about your ethnic or nationalist self-identification and self-interest. Buddhism is for humanity as a whole. In some ways, it is the most modern religious philosophy ever developed, and fully compatible with Enlightenment universalism. - Sean McBride

I have to say I love fresh seafood - not in the same league as those nasty junk food outlets, which I avoid, and Red Lobster sure turns good seafood into junk. - Ian May

Ian, living in Seattle provides me with an endless supply of obscenely fresh seafood. I could eat sushi and plank-cooked salmon every day for the rest of my life. - Akiva

Dietetic dialectic. - Oldengrey (Jay)

Ian, I think you nailed it. Led Robster is teh suck. - Ha3rvey (heavy duty)

Wait - does this mean cock isn't kosher? I mean it's not shellfish, and usually it's not unclean. Usually. - Sparky, lurking

Red Lobster's dining atmosphere sucks. I feel like I'm on a discount airline crammed into their dining room. And they don't take reservations. Poor dining experience, poor customer service. I won't eat there. :( - Jason Shultz from twhirl

Akiva - we don't do badly for seafood here in Charleston, SC either - as long as you avoid the likes of Red Lobster of course :) - Ian May

Also, what does G-d have against Detlef Schremp anyway? - Akiva

mmmm... Dead Lobster cheesey biscuits. :) - Bill Sodeman

can you blame him? - Morgan

Akiva, have you ever seen the Maverics actually play? :) - Ha3rvey (heavy duty)

You guys make me this: happy. - Akiva