February 18

Purity refers to the virtue of being clean of any contamination or adulteration, and it is often associated with being morally untainted. As Douglas points out, purity has always been directly linked to hygiene and the lack of disorder, which, historically, peoples have always sought after. Impurity, logically, would be the lack of this virtue. God requires the maintenance of purity because it represents dedication and reverence as well as freeness from sin and evil. Striving to be pure allows us to be more moral, virtuous human beings and therefore hold a stronger, less damaged relationship with God. Commentators on the impurity laws discussed in Leviticus still debate whether or not impurity is directly linked with death. Cleansing traditions and religion are similar in the way that they are conventional practices that ward off an unwanted evil. In a secular sense, hygiene wards off germs and disease, and in the religious sense, purity gets rid of evil spirits and immorality. Impurity in Leviticus, according to God, relates to forbidden sexual behavior, foods, and physical conditions. Things like bodily fluids and dead bodies are related to impurity, which even today is directly linked to uncleanliness. Ritual cleansing in the form of sacrificing, traditions, a waiting period or even death is how God instructs his people to eliminate impurity. God is also very explicit when describing which foods are impure, and His people, therefore, should not eat them. The logic behind the forbiddance of eating impure animals is that purity is related to lack of blemishes, and ultimately holiness. As Douglas says, “to be holy is to be whole,” and it is directly associated with perfection. Forbidding unclean foods and practices is a constant reminder through specific practices to strive to be whole and perfect and free of sin as God commands.