Meat Sacrificed to Idols

In Corinth in ancient Greece meat sacrificed to the gods was distributed to the populace for consumption. The early Christians were concerned that eating this meat would signify worship of false gods and the idols associated with them. The Apostle Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians explained that no harm could come to a member of the Lord's Church through eating the meat because the idols were false gods and could not hold power over the saints. However, he counselled, it would be best to refrain from eating such meat lest those who did not have this knowledge should see the saints eating and be led astray into the worship of false gods.

Even in our modern world there are symbols that have powerful associations in the minds of the people. For the British, Winston Churchill our great war-time leader and the Spitfire, flown by the few over the sky of London in defence of the many, symbolise the defense of the realm against tyranny. In a cynical reversal of Paul's counsel the BNP have chosen to adopt these symbols for their own political ends and no doubt there will be those, not understanding the insidious forms tyranny can take, who will be led into a world of intolerance and bigotry believing themselves to be saviours of our way of life.