Winstein--39
The JWs leaders' view sees Paul as warning against eating things offered to
idols when, due to the proximity
of an idol temple or someone pointing out that
they came from a sacrifice to an idol, the things have a connotation of
idola-
try due to circumstance regardless of conscience.
How many feet away from the idol (probably a statue or some symbolic repre-
sentation) one had to take the
meat to eat it isn't specified. The mistake of
the JWs leaders' idea is also clear if you apply it to the thing Paul
makes a
parallel with in this section--the Lord's supper. An atheist isn't a Christian
because of a connotation
the ceremonial things have if they eat near them.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Paul quotes Is.52:11, Jer.51:45, Ex.23:32,33, and Deut.7:3 regarding idolatry,
violating God's laws of love
and mercy, and yoking by marriage to idolaters with
immoral practices. His basic point is to avoid idolatry, worship
of whatever
other than God, so the mention of idolatrous "unclean things" is to be taken
figuratively as being about
idolatry itself since Christians don't have Mosaic
laws about avoiding unclean things.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20corinthians%206;&version=49;
Gal.2
As noted on p.34, vv.7 and 9 indicate James, Ciphas/Peter, and John/Mark saw
their mission as mainly being
to the circumcised while Paul and Barnabas were
mainly to go to the uncircumcised.
Col.2:16-23
As with Paul's letters to flocks in Rome and Corinth, Paul wrote that Chris-
tians have the freedom of food
choice of the common view of the Council of Jeru-
salem, not the limited choice of the JWs leaders' view. Paul is
critical of
those who'd judge against Christians about the food they eat, in fact.
Col.3:5
Fornication and idolatry are sins.
1 Tim.4:1-10
Again, and consistent with all of his other letters on the matter, Paul wrote
that Christians have the freedom
of food choice of the common view of the Coun-
cil of Jerusalem, not the JWs leaders' view.
1 Tim.1:10
Fornication is a sin.
