Veganism is the lifestyle philosophy of people that avoid eating, wearing, or using animal products or their by-products. They don’t eat meat or the products that derive from animals, even when the animal is not killed, such as milk. Now the rationales for adopting this lifestyle vary. Some do it for alleged health benefits, others for supposed environmental reasons, and other still on the basis of some ethical theory about not wanting animals to suffer (cf. Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation). Of course, many vegans adopt the lifestyle for multiple reasons.
Now let me be clear. There is nothing sinful or anti-Christian about adopting a vegan lifestyle per se. Being a Christ follower does not require one to eat meat (Rom 14). Now I think that being a vegan is silly. But morally veganism is as important as the decision of getting a tattoo. Christianity allows people to do silly things, we are just not to do immoral things.
Now that being said, if a Christian claimed that he/she was adopting a vegan lifestyle for ethical reasons regarding animal suffering, then there is a problem. It is one thing to say that a particular way animals are treated is questionable. But it is quite another to assert a blanket statement that all meat eating is wrong regardless of how the animal was treated.
Christianity doesn’t impose veganism because such a claim would violate the order of creation. God established a hierarchy. Some creatures are more valuable than others and those lower creatures are to serve the higher creatures. For example, a bird eats a worm. The worm serves the bird. Likewise, a human can hunt and eat the bird. Arguments used by some vegans that suggest humans lack the moral authority to eat animals because we are just another animal flies in the face of Biblical testimony that says humans are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26; 9:6). I would also argue that if we accept the vegan argument at face value (namely that humans are just animals) then my question is “Why can’t I act like an animal and eat meat like the lion?”
Similarly, we have the testimony of Jesus Christ who declared all foods clean (Mk 7:19; cf Acts 10). Now when Christ called food clean, he didn’t mean that the food was previously “dirty”. He was referring to the ceremonial requirement in the Old Testament where God forbade the Israelites to eat certain foods (Lev 11). Interestingly, Christ had the opportunity to further restrict the dietary choices of his followers. But he didn’t. Instead, he expanded their dietary possibilities. Nor can one argue that vegetarianism was unknown in the ancient world because in fact vegetarianism was practiced and taught.
Perhaps the most important reason, why Christians cannot forbid the eating of meat is because Christ ate meat (Jn 21:13). Since he is also the image of God (Cor 4:4) for Christians to condemn meat as immoral, would be to condemn Christ as immoral (cf. Andrew Linzey), which is an act of blasphemy.
Now you may be saying, “but Christ didn’t know about the environmental impacts of meat eating or how much damage it does to the human body.” Perhaps he didn’t. But that argument assumes that the claims of the vegan movement are actually true. I will take up some of those claims in future articles.
Image courtesy of My Fit Station.
Sarah says
Christians should remember that they are to be STEWARDS and CARETAKERS of the earth, and of animals. Most factory farm treatment of animals, for their flesh, or chickens, for their eggs is not QUESTIONABLE; it’s ABUSIVE. Christians who turn a blind eye to the way the animals they are eating have been raised, both for ethical and for nutritional reasons may be acting “lawfully,” but they are not acting “profitably.”
Stephen Vantassel says
Sarah, as I stated to an earlier comment, this piece doesn’t address the so-called cruelty argument against meat consumption. Don’t fret, I will address that purported claim as well.
Vegan says
Purported? Lol.
Stephen Vantassel says
Sarah,
I haven’t addressed “the cruelty argument” in this piece. So your your comment doesn’t really apply here. Nevertheless, in light of your opposition to do called factory farming, does this you mean you are an ardent supporter of hunting?
Dianne Goode says
Being vegan is not just about animals. What about human hunger? Can it be right for someone who claims he loves God to take more than his fair share of food? I thought Christians were supposed to care about other people?
Shayla Smith says
Numbers 22:28 is about a donkey getting abused and God allows the donkey to talk so the abuse ends. God does not approve of animal cruelty. The way animals are raised today in factory farms, with their feces all around them and tiny cruel living spaces- is terrible! Chickens get their beaks ground off so they can’t peck and animals are injected with hormones and drugs. Their is nothing kind about our practice of raising animals for food today- it’s disgusting and unhealthy- no wonder so many people are sick and survive off of legal pharmaceuticals! The phantasmagoric dream of living off of what God gave us and Whole Foods is hard to accomplish when our food system has been tampered with so much and unethical practices continue. In the book of Daniel he consumes “pulse” vegetables and does not eat the portion of the kings meat or drink wine. No wonder his complexion is favored and he appears to be first choice for the kings men.
Fellow Christian says
Move out of a America, because your tax dollars fund abortion and war, or should you turn a blind eye to that too, exactly. – Fellow Christian
Levi says
Imagine giving your insensitive comment to someone fighting slavery, someone for women’s rights, someone that is trying to make a better world.
Your reason that there are other injustices, does not excuse the injustice presented before you.
Levi says
The reasoning used in this article is the same that was used to justify slavery.
Why is a man-made Bible being used to justify killing a God-made creation?
You can keep believing humans are superior to others animals. You don’t even have to respect other animals equally to humans.
You only need to respect that their life is worth more than your taste pleasure, more than a sandwich, more than a 15 minute meal that you have forgotten right after you finish.
Anti-Speciesism + Go Vegan!
Janet Pike says
As a Christ follower, former vegetarian, occasional vegan, and sometimes responsible omnivore, I would caution against any denial on the basis of a proclaimed religious belief, as that denial begins to take the place of the One True Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross… done once and for all and for all. Nothing we do will ever make God love us more or save us better. That being said, If one wants to eat meat or not, one shouldn’t try to hyper-spiritualize their choices. It is a matter of personal conscience and conviction of The Holy Spirit. Romans 14 sums it up nicely.
Blessings to all. Jesus loves you.
Janet Pike says
I would also point out the discrepancy in the original test:
” Perhaps the most important reason, why Christians cannot forbid the eating of meat is because Christ ate meat (Jn 21:13)”
As I read it, Christ GAVE the fish to the disciples to eat. It doesn’t say He ate it himself.
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Eden bound says
Jesus did NOT ask for the fish. He asked for bread and some recounts I don’t think even include fish in the original text and the ones that do it was a child that had a basket with fish and loaves and Jesus just used what was already there. He didn’t kill or cause suffering or pay for it.
Eden bound says
You’re twisting scripture. This verse is directly speaking about an issue of the day of whether eating foods offered as sacrifices was allowed. Some thought eating any sacrificed offerings would mean they were worshipping idols also and this verse was a response. Was NOT about general meat eating . In fact Leviticus says that any animal killed outside of being a sacrifice to God at the Temple was considered “manslaughter” as per the translation. Christ died to end ALL sacrifices so hence we have no excuse to eat meat from all these tortured animals, not even the stories of those who ate meat excuse to just like the stories of people raping, killing, sacrificing children, committing beastiality, murder, worshipping idols, etc excuses those behaviors either. God clearly stated He created animals to be COMPANIONS in a VEGAN garden of Eden. He did NOT create them for us to exploit ,abuse, torture or eat. Jesus would destroy slaughterhouses (literally killing houses) and factory farms like or worse then He did the temple with those selling animals for sacrifice.
Maggie says
In Luke 24:40-43 after Jesus was risen from the dead, his disciples were afraid of him and didn’t believe he was Jesus. What he did to prove to his disciples that he was in fact Jesus were showing his hands and feet, and eating broiled fish.
“When he has said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.”
Eden bound says
SO? At most that would make him a PESCATARIAN and it was ONE bite to prove a much bigger point: that HE had RISEN. Some say the translation was a type of seaweed eaten back then. Either way a bite of FISh does not excuse the TRILLIONS of animals, mostly mammals, KILLED ANNUALLY for human lust for flesh. Eden and the Holy Mountain are vegan and God clearly stated He created animals to be our COMPANIONS in a VEGAN world. Creating beings in a nonviolent vegan garden does not make them “food” because they were not considered food in any way whatsoever. They were friends and to be stewarded as God commanded.
Brian says
When Paul wrote to Timothy, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we are specifically told that we may eat all meats and creatures. The Lord makes it very clear in His Word where the teaching of abstaining from meat comes from, and it is not from Him.
1 Timothy 4:1-5 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Alice says
I’m not entirely sure myself, the only point where I pause is this quote from Timothy. It is hard to know what meats was referring to here – whether it was referring to flesh, or whether it was referring to some types of food (perhaps just regular food offered up in idol worship or something of that nature, as the other example). It’s hard to know but there are so many places where, it seems like a risk I just wouldn’t want to take personally.
Even if a person raised an animal with compassion, “preaching the gospel to all creatures”, it’s hard to figure out how the end of that preaching would conclude with executing the animal. It could, I suppose, because it’s soul would go back to God; we do all die. But nhilism never seemed to be the point of the gospel, or minimizing the suffering of others. On the contrary it always seemed to emphasize self denial as a means of reducing the suffering of others. This is part of mercy, to me.
So putting it all together – originally the garden of Eden was vegan. We know when Christ returns, the lion will lay next to the lamb and it will clearly once again be vegan, if I am reading that right, and there will furthermore be no wars but there will be weapons turned into plow sheers. God hates violence, and bloody men; in one passage he talks about people trampling his courts, and states within that same paragraph that burnt offerings and sacrifices He did not command after Exodus, but rather people following his Laws. One of the laws is not to kill; it is not certain whether this means murder or killing flesh in general, but it is clear that killing animals was only allowed as a means of atonement (at least I think that’s clear); God expressly says that that is what the blood of animals was for in terms of sacrifices. It seems really hard to justify eating for pleasure at the expense of another living thing, even if one supposedly could legally do so by the post-flood sanction. I guess at some point a person has to ask, I would think – even if God tolerated and forgave my doing certain things, is this would God Himself would do or want? Is this the highest way I can behave to try to be within His will?
I fall short in many areas, but, from when I was a child I really struggled seeing things die. Especially fish. It says in the Bible to “abstain from things suffocated” and strangled. Many fish are suffocated to death. Obviously in animal factory farming, you’ve got animals frequently suffocated to death, and baby animals killed if they are males in brutal fashions. There’s little mercy. It could be that it would theoretically be better for a person to raise an animal and then kill it themselves?
However, even while I write that, my soul inside me struggles to qualify that statement. We raise our dogs, and come to love them. A friend of mine tried to get turkeys for meat, and raised them but they joyfully came out to her like a mother and responded to their name called, and trustingly came to her to meet all their needs. In light of the loving nature of so many pet animals – this almost seems even more barbaric than far-removed slaughter. I know some other people think differently though.
Our family went through a long period of time of meat addiction. It was hard for us to seriously consider going vegan because all the alternatives seemed to be mass produced unhealthy processed meat substitute. It was not until we discovered how to prepare many Indian foods and lentils properly, and until we were able to incorporate nutritional yeast and tofu successfully (this was actually quite a struggle to learn how to do this) that we were able to overcome our taste addiction to the point where we could make an unbiased moral choice. Because I know how difficult it was for us to come to that point (and even my husband, who never imagined he would do so…but is now saying after 2 years that he does not even crave meat anymore) – anyway, because of that I try not to judge anyone eating meat because like sugar, it’s addictive. Many people are born into a culture and it hard, and very very lonely to buck that culture. I feel like it’s very lonely to be Christian in this way. It is almost always viewed with the disparaging accusation from Timothy by all Christians. Nobody seems to bring up how in the last days people’s Gods will be their bellies, and try to compare how true that seems to be today for the masses, versus how true it may be for people who have switched to veganism, which, let’s be real – it’s not always a flavorful walk in the park. I guess it could be but that was not our aim with it.
I don’t know. I like to imagine God as more compassionate than even the most compassionate vegan. More compassionate than the person playing with a fish and tossing it tenderly away, and watching it swim back to him in playful lovingness. Gentle, kind, power without abuse, exploitation. Surely there is a reason the angles were all eating manna. Surely there is a reason God was upset about people longing for the “flesh pots” of Egypt. I don’t think it is right to judge people but I definitely think there is something to be said about the compassion to restrain oneself even for a lower life form. I guess if you just think about it which person would you want to have for a roommate, a person who killed their pet chicken and ate it with relish, or one who knew their pet by name, tenderly cared for it, and loved it like one of their own possessions. I don’t know – for me, the answer is the latter. But, to each his own I guess.
Katie says
Old thread, commenting anyway. You know what, I’m so tired of this entire debate and I’m tired of having to explain a decision to my conservative Christian friends that should be obvious. Will eating meat interfere with your salvation? No, of course not. However, it just makes good sense to adopt a vegan diet if you can for health reasons, to be stewards God’s creation, to conserve resources, to reduce animal suffering, and to eat what is clearly described in the Bible as an ideal (but not required) spiritual diet when one is privileged enough to eat this way. Every time I go out to eat with my conservative Christian friends (for the record, we actually belong to the same denomination which is theologically conservative) I have to defend my dietary choices, even though I’m not the one who brings it up. This last time, I just sat there and thought “This conversation is so boring. I just don’t care anymore. A couple of years from now, when I look younger than I do today they won’t have much left to say about it, will they?” The real reason conservatives hate veganism is that they are gluttons and they lust for the taste of meat. Just take a look at all the fat slobs in our churches! At this point, I’m more interested in proving it via example than talking about it.