Is vegetarianism or veganism against Christianity?

[Padre Pio]

What are your views about it?

 

[electedbyHim]

I believe the answer is no and Jesus declared all foods clean.

Mark 7:19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and goes to the sewer?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.)

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Christainas can eat what they want, but not to excess leading to obesity.

Proverbs 23:20-21 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

I have read studies (weather true or not) that veganism and vegetarianism is not healthy. Most vegans and vegetarians I know are obese. As an Executive Chef, I have seen this more times than I would like to admit.

These studies came from much research on the Carnivore diet, which I have been participating in. I mean, who does not like rare meat, butter and water.

Personally I could never live on a vegan/vegetarian diet.

Back to the OP, no it is not against Christianity.

 

[hawkman]

New King James Version
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,

 

[Indentured Servant]

What are your views about it?

No, but if a vegetarian is offended by seeing a believer eat meat, that meat eater must not consume meat in front of them. To disregard their conscience would violate scripture, in that situation.

 

[hawkman]

No, but if a vegetarian is offended by seeing a believer eat meat, that meat eater must not consume meat in front of them. To disregard their conscience would violate scripture, in that situation.

What is the scripture you are seeing violated ?

 

[Indentured Servant]

It is a general principle in scripture to not offend the conscience of another, especially one of weaker faith. I merely applied a specific event to remind us to consider the other person above ourselves. There are a variety of ways this is worded and numerous writings in the scripture that present this in different situations.

 

[Who Me]

No, but if a vegetarian is offended by seeing a believer eat meat, that meat eater must not consume meat in front of them. To disregard their conscience would violate scripture, in that situation.

On what grounds can a Christian vegan object to other Christians eating meat?

There is no spiritual reason for there objection.
If it is on the grounds of cruelty, I think one would have to demonstrate that the meat being consumed was ethically raised, killed etc.

How often do you invite vegans round for Sunday diner or for a barbecue?

I would want to know why a vegan thought they should dictate what others ate.

 

[Fish153]

No, but if a vegetarian is offended by seeing a believer eat meat, that meat eater must not consume meat in front of them. To disregard their conscience would violate scripture, in that situation.

Wow----we better remove these verses from the Bible then because young vegetarian believers might get offended reading it:
"And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
And he took it, and did eat before them". (Luke 24: 41-43)

 

[Indentured Servant]

On what grounds can a Christian vegan object to other Christians eating meat?

There is no spiritual reason for there objection.
If it is on the grounds of cruelty, I think one would have to demonstrate that the meat being consumed was ethically raised, killed etc.

How often do you invite vegans round for Sunday diner or for a barbecue?

I would want to know why a vegan thought they should dictate what others ate.

My response to the OP seems to have offended you. I do apologize. Please forgive me.

I have attempted to erase my comment, but to no avail, so I will contact an admin to have it removed so it will not be there to cause any further objections.

I sincerely hadn't thought my answer to another member's request for thoughts/opinions on a topic would be controversial to anyone and I will certainly consider not sharing my thoughts if there's any chance someone else may read what I've written.

 

[deepfaithpraise]

I believe the answer is no and Jesus declared all foods clean.

Mark 7:19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and goes to the sewer?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.)

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Christainas can eat what they want, but not to excess leading to obesity.

Proverbs 23:20-21 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

I have read studies (weather true or not) that veganism and vegetarianism is not healthy. Most vegans and vegetarians I know are obese. As an Executive Chef, I have seen this more times than I would like to admit.

These studies came from much research on the Carnivore diet, which I have been participating in. I mean, who does not like rare meat, butter and water.

Personally I could never live on a vegan/vegetarian diet.

Back to the OP, no it is not against Christianity.

Agreed and to add to that, in Romans 14:3, Paul writes, "The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them." This teaches us to respect each other's choices and avoid judgment. Let us support one another in our journey towards health, respecting the diverse ways we honor God with our bodies.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

What are your views about it?

Definitely a false doctrine from the devil. Animal products are sanctified by God as long as you eat organic and kosher. Meat, dairy and eggs are necessarily for our sustenance, bioavailability of animal protein is much greater than plant protein. At least four disciples were fishermen, and Jesus ate fish during his ministry.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Tim. 4:1-5)

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. (Gen. 9:3)

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

Agreed and to add to that, in Romans 14:3, Paul writes, "The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them." This teaches us to respect each other's choices and avoid judgment. Let us support one another in our journey towards health, respecting the diverse ways we honor God with our bodies.

Yeah, the greatest sin of vegetarianism and veganism is identity politics. Don't form an identity around what you eat and seek a sense of belonging from such identity groups.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

Wow----we better remove these verses from the Bible then because young vegetarian believers might get offended reading it:
"And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
And he took it, and did eat before them". (Luke 24: 41-43)

The purpose of that was to reassure them that Jesus was truly risen - in a new body; they were not hallucinating or seeing a ghost.

 

[electedbyHim]

Definitely a false doctrine from the devil. Animal products are sanctified by God as long as you eat organic and kosher. Meat, dairy and eggs are necessarily for our sustenance, bioavailability of animal protein is much greater than plant protein. At least four disciples were fishermen, and Jesus ate fish during his ministry.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Tim. 4:1-5)

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. (Gen. 9:3)

Animal products are sanctified by God as long as you eat organic and kosher.

Where in the Bible does it say it has to be organic and kosher?

 

[Fish153]

The purpose of that was to reassure them that Jesus was truly risen - in a new body; they were not hallucinating or seeing a ghost.

My reply was actually a little "tongue in cheek" above. But I do have to share this: my sister was a follower of Indian Gurus and a strict vegetarian. She and her boyfriend would not even take vitamins that contained "fish oil". They stated that anything that had "struggled" to die should not be eaten. But she also stated that Jesus was indeed one of the ASCENDED MASTERS in the line of incarnations sent from God. You can imagine her surprise when I showed her in Luke 24 that Jesus had eaten FISH! Her eyes became huge and she didn't know what to say. The Bible does indeed have an answer for any question, or anything that is questionable.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

Where in the Bible does it say it has to be organic and kosher?

Kosher law, Lev. 11. As for organic, anything that reads “created by God,” that does NOT include any GMO food or ultra-processed food like Twinkies.

 

[electedbyHim]

Kosher law, Lev. 11. As for organic, anything that reads “created by God,” that does NOT include any GMO food or ultra-processed food like Twinkies.

Are you suggesting Christians cannot eat any meat but kosher and organic?

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

Are you suggesting Christians cannot eat any meat but kosher and organic?

Are you suggesting God’s instructions on what is fit/unfit for human consumption are merely a fad diet?

 

[electedbyHim]

Are you suggesting God’s instructions on what is fit/unfit for human consumption are merely a fad diet?

So your not going to answer the question?

Are Christians only supposed to eat organic and kosher meats?

 

[Vinny37]

What are your views about it?

[Is vegetarianism or veganism against Christianity?]

Firstly I recommend Dr Robina Coker’s Alternative Medicine (1995): https://archive.org/details/alternativemedic0000coke/mode/1up?q=acupuncture&view=theater, which briefly touches on this. As a wider principle she underlined how the elements of practice and philosophy can be artificially linked. Eg acupuncture can be tied to a philosophy about ying/yan, perhaps even grew from that idea, but can be practiced by western trained doctors who don’t know their yin from their yang, and besides psychological benefits, it can provide limited shortterm benefits.

I would delink the two Vs from religion and philosophy. God for a time ruled out eating meat, but then that symbolism came to its end. Other than commanding Peter to kill and eat, God neither commands us to eat or not eat, meat. It’s not the two Vs (as food choices) which attack Christianity, but the anti-Christ philosophies which holders of the two Vs sometimes carry, as can carnivores.

Minds can be turned off meat or milk, by adverse emotion, even though we have evolved canine teeth for carnivorous menu. Perhaps our emotions (viz squeamishness), rather than our philosophy, should first be sorted. Some argue that less meat means less adverse pollution—I don’t agree with that particular, often linked to a global alarmism of dubious science. But the overall philosophy is the main issue, IMO, not any particular. Some don’t like animals being killed by us—again a particular. If we don’t do it humanly, yet these animals flourish (as cows under Hinduism), their deaths might be less humane by natural predators. Here I personally back the RSPCA against Muslim halal throat-cutting unless animals have first been bolt-stunned (permitted under Islam). Issues of humanness include live transportation and battery hens, but again these are particulars, not philosophy. A meat-free diet can also lack some needed nutrition—again a particular.

The philosophy of rejecting Christianity, perhaps the Bible at large as God-breathed, perhaps even monotheism, in place of a naturalistic religion of animal-rights, with each animal being of equal spiritual value to human beings, is nihilistic, but not held by all preferring the two Vs.

How we treat animals is a biblical concern. Whether we eat animals is largely an individual decision, though can affect others perhaps negatively. But what opposes Christianity is not our choice of material diet, but our philosophical-religious diet, into which C S Lewis’ The Abolition of Man, remains a stark warning.