Does Christianity support vegetarianism?
According to the Bible, "God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat' " (Genesis 1:29). Later, God grants Noahs descendants permission to eat meat, but not without grave and unpleasant consequences. Many biblical scholars interpret this to mean that God originally intended human beings to be vegetarians and that people would do well to follow a plant-based diet.
Finally, in the messianic age there will be universal vegetarianism, even among normally carnivorous animals. Isaiah 11:7 says, "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Additionally, the Bible absolutely forbids the eating of pigs: Do not eat pigs ... They must be considered unclean ... (Deuteronomy 14:3-18) (also Leviticus 11:1-47). It should also be noted that many strict cautions against cruelty to animals appear throughout the Bible.
Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher missionto be of service to them whenever they require it If you have men who will exclude any of Gods creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
-- Saint Francis of Assisi
Your thoughts?
According to the Bible, "God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat' " (Genesis 1:29). Later, God grants Noahs descendants permission to eat meat, but not without grave and unpleasant consequences. Many biblical scholars interpret this to mean that God originally intended human beings to be vegetarians and that people would do well to follow a plant-based diet.
Finally, in the messianic age there will be universal vegetarianism, even among normally carnivorous animals. Isaiah 11:7 says, "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Additionally, the Bible absolutely forbids the eating of pigs: Do not eat pigs ... They must be considered unclean ... (Deuteronomy 14:3-18) (also Leviticus 11:1-47). It should also be noted that many strict cautions against cruelty to animals appear throughout the Bible.
Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher missionto be of service to them whenever they require it If you have men who will exclude any of Gods creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
-- Saint Francis of Assisi
Your thoughts?