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Hunting, Fishing and eating meat from Gods word
By Wm Tipton
Assertions/Conclusions of this article:
Here we will show conclusively that man has been given all animal life for his use and that there is no sin in taking these animals for his use and for eating them. We are not interested in debating hypothetical ‘sins’ here not mentioned specifically in scripture, nor are we going to discuss that animals were not eaten in the garden by Adam and Eve, as these are irrelevant points for us HERE and NOW in this new covenant.
Supporting evidence:
Firstly, we are not interested in debating hypothetical ‘sins’ here not mentioned specifically in scripture in that no mention of a mans mental/emotional state while hunting/fishing is ever taken into account in Gods word.
Nor are we going to discuss that animals were not eaten in the garden by Adam and Eve.
These are irrelevant points for us HERE and NOW in this new covenant and merely a distraction from the truth. What we are focusing on here is one single issue if whether or not Gods word allows hunting/fishing and our consuming of meats from animals.
We will start in the Garden where God clothed Adam and Eve.
The use of the word 'skins' there overall takes on the intent of animal skins. While we do find this after the fall, this is only relevant in that at this present point Adam and Eve understand that they are naked now, they did not grasp this before, apparently, thus before the fall there was no need for them to be covered. If there had have been, surely God would have done no differently than He did at this point. God Himself used animals to create clothing for man.
Now we move on to Genesis 9...here we see Gods clear permission to take/eat animals.
Here, after the flood, God gives man every animal of the earth for his use. Man is given the right to eat these animals and how does one do so unless he hunts them? (short of raising them for that purpose, which some, of course do). There is a restiction that we see even at the time of Acts, that we not eat the blood of any animal.
Whenever this topic is presented to you, always refer back to Genesis 9:2-4 here to see what God say on the matter.
Let us jump ahead to the Proverbs and see what is written there about eating animals.
I think that is fairly clear.
There is some confusion concerning the exact intent of 'roasteth' there, it either means what it is rendered as, or it the very least means to 'snare or catch in a net'....ie "hunting".
scripture calls this man 'slothful' who does not do so when he hunts.
* * * * *
Here are passages showing Jesus’ involvement in both helping to catch, and eating, fish.
Jesus, the Fisherman
Post resurrection Jesus is still eating meat
There can be no doubt that our Lord both helped His disciples to catch fish and also ate of animal flesh Himself.
Notice that nowhere is anyone’s motives or mindset brought into account. This is because it is irrelevant.
There is no scripture that says “hunt...but ONLY if you feel badly about itâ€Â...and neither shall we make up new laws and sins to add to Gods word on the matter.
There are those who create these new ‘sins’ by saying that Jesus and His disciples fished for food....of necessity...and since many hunters do not hunt because they have to, then they do it for pleasure, so it is supposedly ‘sin’.
We see in this passage that Jesus had a defenseless fish hooked and caught merely to pluck a coin from its mouth.
Do we believe that Jesus (God) could not simply have made this coin appear in His pocket or in a tree somewhere instead of hooking a poor fish in the mouth?
OF course He could have....yet He chose to “use†a fish to do so. Is Jesus ‘cruel’ for needlessly hooking a fish in its mouth simply to gain a coin that He could have made appear right in His own hand?
Of course not.
And neither is the hunter ‘cruel’ when he hunts for reasons other than food.
Eating Meat and Vegetarianism
Lets look to a couple passages and see what Gods word says about eating meats versus being a Vegetarian.
Romans 14 is a wonderful passage as it is apparent that Paul is dealing with this same issue that some are today.
The main point being that NEITHER side is to judge the other in the matter. Both stand before God alone in the matter, not each other.
The second issue is that it is he who refuses to eat meats, believing that he shouldn’t or isn’t permitted to for whatever reason, it is this man that Gods word calls ‘weak’ of faith, not the man who eats meats and knows that he is able and permitted to do so.
Responsibility, Denial and Hypocrisy
The argument that men hunt and fish to feel powerful or prideful is one that I’ve found comes from either ignorance or misconceptions... at least where most christian hunters are concerned.
If anything most christian hunters would feel a sense of loss when an animal life is taken even if they do enjoy hunting. I know that even when I take the life of a fish, there is always a sense of concern that the animal not suffer needlessly and it is always in the back of my mind that I’ve taken the animals life. Its not a sense of guilt, per se, but more just an acknowledgement that I am the one who ended this animals life.
I think that most hunters who are truly christian would feel this way, as well as many other hunters who are responsible and care about wildlife and nature, even if they are not believers.
One thing that is quite disturbing to me about many of these arguments where hunting is concerned is the accusations levied against hunters because they dont ‘need’ to hunt, but choose to do so.
The fact is that a hunter or fisherman is far more capable of understanding the issue of animals literally dying to be food on their plate, than someone who has only bought their meats from store.
Those who have always purchased fast food and grocery meats keep themselves pretty much clueless as to what really goes on in putting meat on their tables and in their stomachs. In most cases it is simply ignorance of the details...in others it is a willful rejection of responsibility in the death the animal being eaten to relieve oneself of that guilt....the ‘I am not the one who killed the animal’ excuse...
To stand back and refuse to kill an animal for oneself ...to refuse to take the whole responsibility upon oneself for the slaughtering of the animal by refusing to assume the guilt for killing the animal simply because one buys their meat at the market....to then turn and levy judgment against the person who does take that responsibility upon themselves by hunting/fishing....is the finest display of hypocrisy one can commit.
We can have no respect for the opinion of the individual who judges those hunters/fishermen who do take on this responsibility and personally know the cost, the price that was paid for that roasted animal flesh on their plate, while these accusers partake of the very same animal flesh, yet deny their own responsibility in the death, and possible abuse, of the animal they consume.
Wm tipton
By Wm Tipton
Assertions/Conclusions of this article:
Here we will show conclusively that man has been given all animal life for his use and that there is no sin in taking these animals for his use and for eating them. We are not interested in debating hypothetical ‘sins’ here not mentioned specifically in scripture, nor are we going to discuss that animals were not eaten in the garden by Adam and Eve, as these are irrelevant points for us HERE and NOW in this new covenant.
Supporting evidence:
Firstly, we are not interested in debating hypothetical ‘sins’ here not mentioned specifically in scripture in that no mention of a mans mental/emotional state while hunting/fishing is ever taken into account in Gods word.
Nor are we going to discuss that animals were not eaten in the garden by Adam and Eve.
These are irrelevant points for us HERE and NOW in this new covenant and merely a distraction from the truth. What we are focusing on here is one single issue if whether or not Gods word allows hunting/fishing and our consuming of meats from animals.
We will start in the Garden where God clothed Adam and Eve.
The use of the word 'skins' there overall takes on the intent of animal skins. While we do find this after the fall, this is only relevant in that at this present point Adam and Eve understand that they are naked now, they did not grasp this before, apparently, thus before the fall there was no need for them to be covered. If there had have been, surely God would have done no differently than He did at this point. God Himself used animals to create clothing for man.
Now we move on to Genesis 9...here we see Gods clear permission to take/eat animals.
Here, after the flood, God gives man every animal of the earth for his use. Man is given the right to eat these animals and how does one do so unless he hunts them? (short of raising them for that purpose, which some, of course do). There is a restiction that we see even at the time of Acts, that we not eat the blood of any animal.
Whenever this topic is presented to you, always refer back to Genesis 9:2-4 here to see what God say on the matter.
Let us jump ahead to the Proverbs and see what is written there about eating animals.
I think that is fairly clear.
There is some confusion concerning the exact intent of 'roasteth' there, it either means what it is rendered as, or it the very least means to 'snare or catch in a net'....ie "hunting".
scripture calls this man 'slothful' who does not do so when he hunts.
* * * * *
Here are passages showing Jesus’ involvement in both helping to catch, and eating, fish.
Jesus, the Fisherman
Post resurrection Jesus is still eating meat
There can be no doubt that our Lord both helped His disciples to catch fish and also ate of animal flesh Himself.
Notice that nowhere is anyone’s motives or mindset brought into account. This is because it is irrelevant.
There is no scripture that says “hunt...but ONLY if you feel badly about itâ€Â...and neither shall we make up new laws and sins to add to Gods word on the matter.
There are those who create these new ‘sins’ by saying that Jesus and His disciples fished for food....of necessity...and since many hunters do not hunt because they have to, then they do it for pleasure, so it is supposedly ‘sin’.
We see in this passage that Jesus had a defenseless fish hooked and caught merely to pluck a coin from its mouth.
Do we believe that Jesus (God) could not simply have made this coin appear in His pocket or in a tree somewhere instead of hooking a poor fish in the mouth?
OF course He could have....yet He chose to “use†a fish to do so. Is Jesus ‘cruel’ for needlessly hooking a fish in its mouth simply to gain a coin that He could have made appear right in His own hand?
Of course not.
And neither is the hunter ‘cruel’ when he hunts for reasons other than food.
Eating Meat and Vegetarianism
Lets look to a couple passages and see what Gods word says about eating meats versus being a Vegetarian.
Romans 14 is a wonderful passage as it is apparent that Paul is dealing with this same issue that some are today.
The main point being that NEITHER side is to judge the other in the matter. Both stand before God alone in the matter, not each other.
The second issue is that it is he who refuses to eat meats, believing that he shouldn’t or isn’t permitted to for whatever reason, it is this man that Gods word calls ‘weak’ of faith, not the man who eats meats and knows that he is able and permitted to do so.
Responsibility, Denial and Hypocrisy
The argument that men hunt and fish to feel powerful or prideful is one that I’ve found comes from either ignorance or misconceptions... at least where most christian hunters are concerned.
If anything most christian hunters would feel a sense of loss when an animal life is taken even if they do enjoy hunting. I know that even when I take the life of a fish, there is always a sense of concern that the animal not suffer needlessly and it is always in the back of my mind that I’ve taken the animals life. Its not a sense of guilt, per se, but more just an acknowledgement that I am the one who ended this animals life.
I think that most hunters who are truly christian would feel this way, as well as many other hunters who are responsible and care about wildlife and nature, even if they are not believers.
One thing that is quite disturbing to me about many of these arguments where hunting is concerned is the accusations levied against hunters because they dont ‘need’ to hunt, but choose to do so.
The fact is that a hunter or fisherman is far more capable of understanding the issue of animals literally dying to be food on their plate, than someone who has only bought their meats from store.
Those who have always purchased fast food and grocery meats keep themselves pretty much clueless as to what really goes on in putting meat on their tables and in their stomachs. In most cases it is simply ignorance of the details...in others it is a willful rejection of responsibility in the death the animal being eaten to relieve oneself of that guilt....the ‘I am not the one who killed the animal’ excuse...
To stand back and refuse to kill an animal for oneself ...to refuse to take the whole responsibility upon oneself for the slaughtering of the animal by refusing to assume the guilt for killing the animal simply because one buys their meat at the market....to then turn and levy judgment against the person who does take that responsibility upon themselves by hunting/fishing....is the finest display of hypocrisy one can commit.
We can have no respect for the opinion of the individual who judges those hunters/fishermen who do take on this responsibility and personally know the cost, the price that was paid for that roasted animal flesh on their plate, while these accusers partake of the very same animal flesh, yet deny their own responsibility in the death, and possible abuse, of the animal they consume.
Wm tipton
