Is wasting food a sin?
Question:
Hello, Brother in Christ!
I recently got into a discussion about the usage of food in certain parlor games and advertisement tactics. In these situations, people would buy food and use it as paraphernalia to perform the game mechanics or as a way to advertise a product. The result of this is that the food gets destroyed and unfit for consumption. In short, it ends up in the trash.
It's merely a question borne from curiosity. I was wondering if a Christian who's OK with such practices would look bad.
I'm conflicted about this since we are also supposed to be good stewards of what God gives us. Spending money on something to be "wasted" could be seen as improper. Although it's not explicitly prohibited in the Bible, the principle behind it violates God's commands, so maybe some principles could be violated with "wasting food." I put the words in quotation marks because I don't think using food for games or advertising is wasting since they still serve a purpose.
Answer:
Yes, we are stewards of God. We are expected to use the resources God has given us to yield fruit for God (I Corinthians 4:1-2).
To waste food to the point that people don't have enough to eat is foolish, but that is not what is happening in the cases you listed. Many have raised gourds to use as decorations. Though they could be eaten, there is nothing wrong with putting them to other uses. As every gardener and farmer can tell you, not everything you grow is used for food. Some crops spoil before harvest or are destroyed by weather. These failures are recycled into the soil. That will likely happen to the food items used in your scenarios.
We should not add rules where God has not given any. Some things are not sinful but may not be the best choice. For example, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city" (Proverbs 16:32). This does not mean David sinned by conquering Jerusalem. Solomon is saying that having self-control is better than having physical strength. Physical strength doesn't make you a better person.
