Don't get me wrong these are beliefs that I once had myself as a Christian. It is true that I have always regarded a vegan diet, especially a raw vegan diet as the healthiest diet possible for us. But, even though I knew this I didn't always practice it. I still believed that we had a "God-given right" to eat animals and that animal products in moderation was OK, and not hurting us. These beliefs kept myself, and my family in animal products, and I wish that I would have been strong enough to go vegan a long time ago, at least for health reasons.
These days I am much stronger with my diet choices, and I feel like I am thinking clearer on the subject as well. Naturally, I want to share that clarity with others whether they subscribe to my thinking or not. I no longer feel it is necessary for us to consume animals. I also believe that eating animals is a part of how we can truly, and FULLY live God's plan of Mercy, compassion, and The Golden Rule. While God gave man permission to use animals, He does not prefer that we do it when we don't have to. God will never prefer death over life as long as there is a choice!
Yes, we can be good, holy, and loving people while eating animals. Although, I believe there is a point when it becomes sinful. Generally speaking; I DON'T THINK THAT EATING ANIMALS WILL PREVENT A SOUL FROM BEING SAVED. I do however believe that eating animals will prevent us from attaining to the highest level of spirituality, mental clarity, and health that God has made possible for us in this life. It all depends on the experience you want to have in this life. One of sickness, suffering, cooperation with the destructive forces of this world, or one of health compassion, love, and mercy for all species.
God's original plan did not include killing anything! Not even "carnivorous" animals ate animals before the fall. It was the fall of man that brought death to this world, not God! God only allowed it after the fall because He knew people may need to kill to survive, but it was for survival. Today most people are better off if they don't eat animals and the way we do it is gluttonous, excessive, destructive and certainly un-compassionate. We eat at least 8 billion animals in the U.S. per year, and animal agricultural causes 90% of the rainforest deforestation, also most of the pollution in our waters, atmosphere, and our bodies! I don't believe that is what God had or has in mind for us.
Speaking generally here again; what we are currently doing, and experiencing in life IS NOT ALL THAT THERE IS! There are better ways of living, there is a way to become even closer to God, nature, optimal health, and the pristine environments we read about in the first chapters of Genesis. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that you have to be vegan to be a good person or good Christian. Vegans (generally speaking) tend to be liberal in many views, and don't usually subscribe to a Christian way of thinking although there is a growing movement of vegan Christians. You don't have to be vegan to be a good Christian, but veganism, in my opinion, can help you more fully live out Christian virtues. By extending our compassion, love, care, and mercy to animals we can fully live out the message of the golden rule.
I have learned that NOT ONE PERSON FITS INTO A BOX! I do not compare one, with another, and I don't suggest that you do either. We are all individuals, and are free to make life our own! This is why I DO NOT PUT PEOPLE IN BOXES. I am only offering you my own thoughts on veganism. And how I have thought about it from a biblical, Christian perspective. I believe God wants us to live as merciful as possible, as healthy as possible, and as holy as possible. Don't you want the same for your own children? Sure we will stumble, but when we get back up we can become stronger if we so choose. We do this for God, with God, out of love for Him, our planet, the animals, and our self.
It is about being a good steward of everything God has entrusted to us in the best way we possibly can!
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It is us that choose not to partake of this good all the days of our life. We choose to eat what we must kill, and that which destroys us in the process. That is not what God intended for us, for our bodies! Remember humanity was taken out of the garden because of a single choice. And now we still have that choice to make. Peace is something that is chosen. And, not just once, but in every situation, and at every meal! Please take a moment to be thankful for this, and to THINK about this important message.
Common Christian arguments against veganism; God through Noah gave us permission to eat animals, therefore we should eat them. God wouldn't give us anything that would hurt us. The world isn't perfect anymore like it was for Adam and Eve so we need to eat animals.
A) It is true that in Genesis 9 God gives Noah animals for food, but I will argue that this is with a provision and was allowed for two reasons, religious, and survival purposes. Also just because God allowed/allows something doesn't mean it is good for us, or that we should abuse the privilege. For example, God also allowed Noah to drink wine, but this didn't stop him from abusing the privilege by getting drunk. God allows all sorts of evil things to take place in this world. He doesn't want it to happen but He allows it. He doesn't stop humans from killing humans, and He doesn't stop us from killing animals either. He only allows us to kill animals for food by His permissive Will, but He doesn't prefer it.
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats."
Also just because God allowed something at one point in time, doesn't mean that He allows it today. Example; at one point God allowed polygamy, but in the New Covenant, He does not. Yet there is no biblical text that says, "polygamy is now forbidden says, God." Yet, most Christians are opposed to it. I think it is the same with eating animals. God allows it, but when we abuse the privilege (as I feel we mostly do in this world), we become sick in our bodies, and presumptuous with our actions. "God allows it, therefore, I can do it", abusing the privilege follows.
Genesis 9
Let us look at Genesis 9 texts a little closer. A few things jump out at me here. I strongly encourage you to read this chapter in full context later. Genesis nine is a re-creation story so we see many similarities with the first creation story at the beginning of Genesis.
We see that while God does give Noah permission to use animals for food, God has also given him plants to be the primary food. * And, that in the giving of plants He has given him "everything" Gen 9:3. But, even before this giving of animals for food, God reveals something that I think is very important...
We read, "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered" Gen 9:2.
What I think is interesting here is that God is revealing that while we may eat the animals we will also be a cause of "dread" or great fear, for the animals. Also by delivering the animals into Noah's hands, and essentially our hands, God is also giving us THE CHOICE to cause this fear upon the animals for food or not. The choice is ours, but this doesn't mean that either choice is just as good for us, the animals, and our planet. While God gave us permission, I do not believe this is what He prefers, especially when we don't have too.
I believe that God gave permission to Noah to eat animals for two reasons.
1.) Because God had just flooded the earth. Noah and his family were to repopulate the world, and tribes were too be formed and move about the earth. When fresh plant produce was not available, man would have a way to get the calories he needed to survive. As long as there was enough plant produce available man was to eat that, and I believe they did. Also when people migrated into cold climates where fresh plant-based foods were scarce or not available at all, man would need to rely on animal sources for both food and warmth. Both of these situations demand a true necessity to kill and eat animals. Which is what I believe God had in mind. Obviously, God would not make it morally wrong to eat animals if we needed to in order to survive harsh living conditions, and famine.
2.) God was also working on establishing the religious practices of Judaism where animal sacrifice was going to be used as a sign pointing to our Lord's sacrifice on the cross. In fact, Noah began this custom and made animal sacrifices to God, Gen 8:20. In the ancient Jewish religion animals were killed, and their blood spilled to atone for man's sin. But, Jesus became that sin and the Lamb of God for us! This ended ALL animal sacrifice. God no longer required the killing of animals to atone for the sin of man. Knowing this as a Christian, just because God allowed Noah, and the Prophets to kill, and eat animals for sacrifice does not mean He allows it now. In fact, He does not! Another example of something once allowed by God, but no longer allowed. Because of Jesus, there is no longer a need to sacrifice animals so we don't! Jesus became the ONE TRUE SACRIFICE THAT ENDS ALL ANIMAL SACRIFICE.
The morality of killing animals
As for if killing animals is morally wrong, I say yes and no. In other words, it is not morally wrong if there is a true need, and that we are not abusing our need to do so. Obviously killing and eating animals for survival purposes, or as in the Old Law of sacrificing animals, is not and was not an immoral choice.
But is that how we do it today? First of all, most CHRISTIANS I hope, OR NON CHRISTIANS FOR THAT MATTER WOULD ARGUE THAT KILLING ANIMALS FOR SACRIFICE IS MORALLY WRONG! Or that killing a "non-food animal" like a dog or a cat for no good reason is morally wrong. Sure some people may, but certainly not most. So, as you can see there is a time when killing animals is morally wrong. As well as times when it is not. I think we all can agree on that.
So, what about food animals in today's world? While God has given us permission to eat animals when there is a true necessity to do so, (like for survival purposes) we can hardly say that's why we are doing it today. In fact, even in the underdeveloped world, a plant-based diet is very much the normal everyday diet. Animals for food only used as a supplement to that. But, what about in the developed world like America, and Europe? Can we say there is a true need to be killing animals by the billions for food when we have plenty of plant-based options available to us?
The fact is today Americans alone eat at least 8 billion animals a year! And, the average American eats animal products in every meal. Consider that along with the fact that heart disease deaths in the US alone, is at a staggering 610,000 a year! these figures go up as the consumption of animals does. And, that's just one disease that is caused by consuming animals. Not to mention this mass killing of animals for food is also the cause of 90% of the rainforest deforestation, and most of the ocean water/land water pollution. We will do our planet well to abandon animal agriculture in favor of cruelty-free foods, such as fruits, and vegetables.
I honestly don't think that God approves of such devastation, and blatant lack of respect for our planet, our bodies, and the animals that He has entrusted to us! Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit right? How can we really believe that, and do what we are doing to our health via our consumption of animal products? It is arrogance to think we can do this to animals, to our planet, and consequently to our selves, and be healthier for it. Just look around you! look at your own health history or your loved ones. Compare that with the consumption of animals during an individuals lifetime! Honestly, can you say that we are consuming animals in a reasonable way considering that data?
When God gave Noah the permission to eat animals do you really think He had factory farming in mind? Factoring farming makes up most of the world's consumption of animal products. We are not talking about a family raising animals as food for their own moderate use. But, mass destruction, and torture! And, I'm not talking about simply just eating fish, organic chicken, or free-range eggs once in a while if you so choose. Although even that can be problematic if abused. I personally have chosen not to eat animals because I believe in the cause of veganism. I believe in the Mercy towards animals, our planet, and in turn to us.Take a look at the images of modern-day factory farming. You know the 8 billion animals that Americans eat every year! Can you look at these images and honestly say that we are doing good by these animals? That God approves of our modern day practices of factory farming, killing, and torture on a massive scale?
The truth is the same God that we believe in, who gave us permission to eat animals when necessity calls. Is the same God who gave animals the ability to feel pain, sadness, love, and the desire to live! Did you know that every gallon of milk or block of cheese represents a baby that was taken from his mother?In order to produce milk dairy cows are artificially inseminated on what is called a RAPE RACK, over and over, so that she keeps producing milk for her unborn babies. But, we don't let the baby have that milk. Oh, no! We take her baby away from her, and then take its milk! This will be her life until she dies from exhaustion or disease. Farmers report that these mothers are known to grieve the loss of their children for months! This is what we do folks! This is what animal consuming Christians participate in when they buy these products. What if that was you? What gives us the right to cause this sadness and pain on other sentient beings? God designed that milk to be for baby cows, not us. But, we argue with nature, and take it for ourselves!
God wouldn't give us anything that would hurt us
God has provided us with many things here on earth and it isn't all good for us. Even things that aren't immoral in them self, when abused are sinful. Remember when I mentioned the wine Noah drank too much of? I think eating animal products is like that. It isn't sinful to use an animal for food, or for work when there is a true need to be doing so. But, today most people just don't do that. Animal consumption is abused today on a massive scale! And, we are all suffering the consequences of that.
The most important gift that God has given us, in my opinion, is free will. Free will is the ability to make rational choices or not. Free will, is the ability to choose Mercy, or revenge, death, or life. Every day we make these free will choices. We don't always choose the right things, and we stumble all the time. But, as we learn about life, and grow closer to God our ability to make rational choices that benefit us, that reflect God's Grace and Mercy, should become much clearer.
We should be growing as a human race, as Christians, and learning ways that we can be better disciples of Christ and stewards of this world. That is ultimately what it is all about! Or what's the point?
You know that not everything God has given us is also good for us, and you know that even good things can be abused and rendered bad for us. In Gen 1:29-31, God gives us the list of the foods that are healthiest for us. Among giving us fruit to eat, he gives us herbs and plants, but we know that not all plants are good for us. We know that some can kill us, and even make us terribly sick. Over time as a human race, we have learned which ones are good for us, and which ones are not. There are many more examples of good things that God has given us that can hurt us, especially if abused. In fact, our own free will can hurt us if we choose wrong. Eating and using animals is no different. It may not be inherently evil, and necessarily sinful. But, when we abuse the privilege, abuse the animals, hurt our planet, and our health, it's not as innocent as we think. God did, in fact, give us permission to eat animals but with user discretion advised! This is logical, and I don't think I need to go further with this.
The world isn't perfect anymore like it was for Adam and Eve so we need to eat animals.
The conditions in which Adam and Eve lived was definitely a perfect existence in which there was no disorder. Even the animals were raw vegans, Gen 1:30. After the fall it was the CONDITIONS of their environment that changed. Even still they lived nearly 1,000 years! After the fall, life changed for man pretty dramatically. But, it was the environment that changed. Their bodies, our bodies, in my opinion, remain the same miraculous gift that it is. There is nothing in scripture that says that man's body after the fall became less perfect, or more incapable of optimal health. It was, in fact, the environment that changed. It is the same for us.It is the environment that we create, the foods we choose to put into our body that cause us illness, disorder and ultimately early death. All of that can be changed! We must start with what we can control in our own personal life. Our environment in the home, as well as what we choose to put into our body, and support with our money. We can choose to support industries, and people who honor God's gifts or not. Adam and Eve were given a choice, Noah was given a choice, and we still have that same choice today!
When we look back at the Genesis creation stories we see that animal consumption is a product of the fall of man, and not apart of God's original optimal diet for us!
As far as our diet goes, early man, (after the fall that is), lacked much more than we do today. They had to migrate to other lands, learn how to gather plant-based foods, herbs for medicine, and they had to learn to hunt for the times when fresh foods were not available. Those who migrated to a tropical climate, or stayed in their natural tropical habitats ate primarily fruits just as our first parents did. Some people eventually learned how to grow their own fruits, plants (vegetables and grain), many people did use animals for many purposes including foods. But, as I have already mentioned, it was certainly not on the huge scale of the gluttonous consumption, and slaughter that we see today. There is no question that while there are similarities to biblical times, today's world is very different.
But, none of this changed the fact that on the fundamental level human beings were originally designed by God to consume a primarily fruit-based diet, also herbs, and other plants. "And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." Gen 1:28-31.
Interesting here is that God gives man "dominion" over the animals before the fall. And, before He ever intended for man to be eating the animals. This dominion like any other gift that God has given us was not meant to be abused! We are arrogant to think that this dominion means that we can do what we wish with the animals, even kill them unnecessarily on a massive scale. Certainly, this dominion does not give us the right to do what we do to food animals. That is a sorry argument against veganism!
Dominion comes with responsibility, and we are responsible for what we do to the animals in our care.
God took humanity out of the Garden, but in his Mercy, he never took the Garden away from us. And there is no evidence to support that our bodies have any fewer capabilities then early man's did! Even in the Garden of Eden! I believe that we have just as much potential to live a long, and healthy life. It is just that our environment has changed due to what we have done to it.
Today's world and the necessity of eating animals
The fact is today most of us have an abundant availability of plant-based foods to choose from. It may not be as good a quality as Adam and Eve had in the Garden, or early man did. But it is quality none the less, and it has been proven over, and over that eating, this way eliminates disease suffering! Especially diets rich in raw fruits, vegetables, and greens, where the nutrients are kept in tack. It is a remedy to what ails us. It is not a treatment that can do more harm than good. For too many, they pay with their life. It doesn't have to be this way!
When determining the ethics of eating animals we must consider the harm that is being done when we do so. Is a hamburger that you probably shouldn't be eating anyway really necessary for your health, and survival? Absolutely not! Especially when you could make a plant-based burger yourself at home that is much, much, healthier and doesn't require killing any sentient beings. What about dairy? There is a common misconception out there that dairy is OK because it doesn't require killing the cow in order to obtain it. But, dairy is by far the worst of all the animal products that people consume.
I already mentioned a couple ways dairy hurts cows when I told you about how in order to get milk a baby must be taken away from its mother. What do you think they do with those babies? If they are a healthy female they put her to work as a baby maker and milk producer. If she is not needed they kill her, or sell her as a slave. Baby cows are also killed and marketed as veal. These babies don't get to nurse, play, or live more than a couple of days. They are penned up in tiny cages as a marketable commodity, and not a living, breathing, feeling, thinking, sentient being who has the God-given ability to suffer. Ask yourself. Is this really necessary? Is this what God wanted when he gave us dominion?
As long as you have access to fresh produce, grains, beans, and plant-based substitutes there is no legitimate reason why you should be eating animals or any animal products for that matter. It is really a necessity to eat animal products, sometimes in every meal when we don't actually need to be? Why eat animals when; 1) It is linked to most of the chronic degenerative illnesses we have. 2) Causes much needless suffering to our self, animals, and our planet. There are lots more reasons but these are the BIG TWO!
The consequences of causing so much suffering on animals!
Fact is, people on average are suffering from an illness that is caused by their animal-based diets. I mentioned the growing 610,000 people per year in the US alone who are dead from heart disease! And, it doesn't stop there. Most of the health problems that we see today including diabetes and most cancers can be fully prevented if we just stop killing animals, and eating animal products! Personally, I think God would prefer that we take care of our health, our body temples, over this false sense of dominion that we have a right to kill and eat whenever we want.
I don't think I have to keep telling you that eating animal products is bad for you. The data is out there if you just look for it. Also, we can see the truth in those around us. Just take a look at your own health problems and those around you. The majority of people eat animal products 2-3 times per day and it is no coincidence that those same people are the ones who are the sickest, or soon will be. On the flip side, the healthiest people are those who eat the least amount of animal products and replace that with fresh whole plant-based foods. And logically the more whole the food the healthiest the diet will be for you.I have changed a lot in the past year thanks to my raw vegan fruitarian diet. I used to believe the above common argument against veganism myself. Yet I always knew that a plant-based vegan diet was the best, especially raw. I just never had the courage, and the willingness to change. But, now that I am older, and seeing the consequences of my food choices I have decided to change.
I believe when we know better we should naturally do better. I believe that is God's way! He didn't give us a free will intelligent mind for nothing.
I am not here to make this choice for you, but to point you in the right direction. That is why I share my own journey with you. You can choose to see things differently as I have or not. And, before you jump to being critical, and close-minded about veganism, why don't you just do it yourself. There is more than enough information out there for you to begin eating a whole plant-based vegan diet. Also, let your common sense lead you. Eat fresh whole fruit meals, green salads, and try some of the countless vegan recipes that you can find on the internet. It is not that hard. It just takes a willingness to change, and be the best you can be! Will you succeed right away? Probably not. So, don't just give it a week or a month and then say "see it doesn't work", really put the time and effort into this. And I am not even asking that you follow a more restrictive diet as I have (raw vegan fruitarian) although I believe it is the best, and it may be in your best interest to eventually come to that. But, just start with a balanced plant-based diet, of fruits, greens, vegetables, legumes, beans, grains, and nuts. The possibilities are endless! Cook if you want but for best results, I always tell people to eat as much as possible raw for best results.
Living a more compassionate and Merciful life!
For myself as a Catholic Christian, I have always considered myself 100% pro-life. I know even Christians disagree on the topic of abortion (sadly) so I won't go into an argument for it here. But, I will share with you my thoughts on how veganism is helping me to become truly pro-life in every way possible here on earth. I have always tried to be a compassionate, merciful, and pro-life person in every aspect of my life. Sure, I have not always made the right choices. I have had to learn a lot the hard way. But, I feel that veganism is an extension of that part of me. It is the best way to live out love, mercy, and compassion, in every area of life. People, especially Christians (who should know better) just don't realize the power behind their food choices.
As a Christian, we preach Mercy, love, and compassion for others, but is this message really only intended for humans alone? Did God really intend for these virtues to stop at humans only? I say absolutely not! As Christians. should we feed our hungry brother, but not animals? Or should we rescue our brother and sisters from oppression yet inflict that same oppression on the innocent sentient animals? Can we really justify this level of human-inflicted suffering, oppression, and slaughter on sentient beings, WHO DO NOT WANT TO DIE? In fact, we read in Genesis 9:9-10, that God's covenant promise to Noah was also a promise to the animals equally. We read, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth."
The point is God's Mercy, and love did not end with us alone! I feel He truly, and deeply cares for each one of His creations equally. Yet, He holds us, the humans to a much higher standard than He does the animals. We have free will, can choose based on our intellect, and not just pure instinct. In other words, WE HAVE NO EXCUSE! And like I said, when we know better we should naturally do better. This is called evolving as a human race, evolving in love, mercy, and compassion. Becoming better, more loving, more merciful, and more compassionate towards all life! Good stewards of our world!
There is no limit to how we can live out our Christian virtues!
Before we go on, I want to go on record to say as a Christian I know human and animals are not equal in every way, but in some way yes we are. We all desire to live! We all seek on a daily basis to avoid pain and to create pleasure of some sort. We all want to live in peace with our children, escaping oppression and those who seek to harm us. Not one of us expects that those who care for us will eventually hurt us, although that does happen. Not one of us wants our children to be taken from us and live the rest of our life in slavery! Animals like all of us WANT TO LIVE! So, while we are not equal in some ways, we are in the very most important ways. To live, have families and escape abuse and slavery and oppression. And if we can do it to innocent animals we can, will and in fact do it to each other.
In his book The World Peace Diet, Will Tuttle says it best...
"Because we are adept at disconnecting from the suffering we impose on animals, we naturally and inevitably become adept at disconnecting from the suffering we impose on hungry people, living biosystems, war-ravaged communities, and future generations."
"Choosing to be blind to what we are actually doing when we shop for, prepare, and eat food, we blind ourselves not only to the horror, and suffering we are instigating and eating, but also to the beauty of the world around us. This acquired inability to actually see and appreciate the overwhelming loveliness of this earth allows us to ravage forests and oceans and systematically destroy the natural world. Becoming insensitive to the pain we cause daily to defenseless animals, we also become insensitive to the beauty and luminosity of the creation that we oppress and from which we disconnect at every meal."
When I presented this extension of pro-life thinking to my pro-life followers on my Unborn Human Rights Facebook page it was met with anger, and hatred for the idea that we should extend our love, compassion, and mercy to animals as well as to humans. Even among people who claim to be Christian. It was amazing to me that people react so harshly to what I call the fullness of the pro-life message.
I have observed that generally anti-abortion people don't want to think about other ways they can live better the pro-life message, by not participating in the Slaughter of animals. While most vegans don't want to be told not to support abortion choice even though babies are being slaughtered by the thousands! I am finding a disconnection, and inconsistency on both sides now that I have really stopped to think about it. I don't identify as a vegan, as much as I do with veganism. And certainly, as a pro-life Christian, I want to preach this conservative extension of veganism.
If we are indeed called to a higher standard as humans, and especially as Christians, shouldn't everything we do reflect the Most Loving, and Merciful God? Why wouldn't that be our standard in all areas of our life? Why shouldn't we live out this message in our food choices as well?
Our Lord said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Mathew 7:12-14.
In addition to teaching us how we should treat each other, our Lord is also saying not to follow the majority, the social norms. He was very clear that the way of the world is not God's way, and that as individuals it is our duty to stand as a contradiction in the world. What the world does is not necessarily what we should be doing. We are Christians!
OK, I know what you are thinking right now :)
Jesus ate meat, and fish so why shouldn't we? Well, for one thing, Jesus came here to save our souls, not to teach us everything about our dietary choices. That part is left for our own intellects, and apart of the choices, we will need to make for ourselves. Also as I already talked about, it is not necessarily morally wrong to consume animal products. But, remember. Jesus came to live like men did. He worked and ate with them. Also nowhere in scripture does it say anything indicating that Jesus abused the eating of animals as we do today. He is only recorded in scripture as eating fish a few times, and logically He would have eaten meat during Passover following the Jewish law.
The vast majority of foods that people ate during the time of Christ, including himself, was mostly a plant-based, clean diet. In that region of the world, lentils, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dates, nuts were all quite popular common foods. These are the foods that made up our Lord's primary diet, and not animals! It is nothing more than an excuse to eat animal products in the name of Jesus, and quite frankly I don't think He appreciates the association considering how much devastation it is causing us! Like I said times were different then, and as far as I can tell animals weren't factory farmed. Jesus even cursed the fig tree because it did not bear good fruit! I believe this was literal as well as figurative of real life, and how we are to live as Christians. Fruit in scripture was often used as a symbol of the good that we do in the name of Christ.
For me, I choose to believe in Christ and choose to live out His message to the best of my abilities.
I choose to eat a diet of primarily fruits, berries, melons, and greens. I first began this journey for myself, to heal my body, and detox from all of the crap that I have put into it my whole life. But, the more I think about it, the more I want to live out the message of love, compassion, and mercy in every part of my life especially my food choices. I don't want to cause suffering on anyone, even animals. I don't want to hurt them. I wouldn't go hunting or slit a cows throat myself so why would I pay someone else to do it? Is it really that important that we eat a steak or hamburger over a black bean burger or a bowl of fresh ripe fruit? I no longer desire the taste of the flesh of animals, especially considering what I know about how we get it in the first place.
I think the issue here is not that you may eat animal products in moderation, or sparingly. Certainly, there is no pain of hell in doing that. But, what message are we sending when we continue to abuse our dominion, and dominate the least among us. If we find it morally wrong to abuse animals, and kill them in the name of religious sacrifices, why use them at all? Why not take it a step further, and extend all of the love, mercy, and compassion that we have available to us?
There is no limit to how much of this we can extend, and live out! And when we do we reap the benefits. We heal our world, our bodies and as well as create a better relationship with God through his creation. I have asked a lot of questions here and I hope that I have answered them. I hope my words have helped you to understand how veganism can fit into your life as a Christian. And not just fit in but help you live out the Christian message to the fullness for all species!
There is so much more I could say and perhaps I will extend this to a book real soon. But I think that this is more than enough information for you to get started or at least just THINK about it a little more. If you are open to this message you will embrace it. But if you remain with a hardened heart I am afraid this message has been lost. It is your choice which you want to be.
If you liked this please share and leave a friendly comment below. Check out My Fruit Thing on Facebook. If you are interested in what I am doing with a raw vegan fruitarian diet then join me on Instagram. For more information and support join some of the vegan Christian groups on Facebook. And with all of that said, God Bless!
Sincerely Joanne Utke
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