Then Samuel said: Does Yahweh take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying Yahweh? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry, Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, He has rejected you as king.
Once we have understood that we are not the point of the lives of other animals and that each animal’s life has a point of its own in relationship to God (who is their God as much as ours), how could we not act differently in relation to these our fellow creatures?
Genesis 1:29-30
Exodus 20:10
Numbers 11- wherein God punishes Israel for their lust for meat
Numbers 22:21-33
Deuteronomy 5:14
Deuteronomy 25:4
1 Samuel 15:22-23
Job 38:41
Job 39-41
Psalm 36, specifically 36:6
Psalm 40:6
Psalm 84:3
Psalm 104, specifically 104:10-27
Psalm 145:9; 14-16
Psalm 147, specifically 147:9
Psalm 148, specifically 148:7-13
Psalm 150:6
Proverbs 12:10
Proverbs 15:17
Proverbs 30: 24-28
Isaiah 1:11-15
Isaiah 11:6-9
Isaiah 65, specifically 65:25
Isaiah 66:3-4
Jeremiah 7:21-26
Jeremiah 8:7
Daniel 1, specifically 1:11-16
Hosea 2:18
Hosea 6:6
Hosea 8:13
Joel 2:22
Micah 6:6-8
Matthew 9:12-13
Matthew 6:26
Matthew 10:29, also Luke 12:6
Matthew 12:7
Mark 12:32-33
Luke 13:34
Romans 8:19-22
Romans 14, specifically 14:15-23
Ephesians 1:9-10
Hebrews 10:1-18
[List also found on FAQ page]
For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
One slaughters an ox, one kills a man; one sacrifices a lamb, one breaks a dog’s neck; one offers a grain offering, one offers incense, one praises an idol— all these have chosen their ways and delight in their abominations. So I will choose their punishment, and I will bring on them what they dread, because I called and no one answered; I spoke and they didn’t hear; they did what was evil in My sight and chose what I didn’t delight in.
So was Jesus a Vegetarian? A Faith Embracing All Creatures addresses Christian Vegans’ Most Frequently Asked Questions
Andy Alexis-Baker discusses A Faith Embracing All Creatures, a new edited volume that addresses some of the most common questions asked to and by Christian Vegetarians and Vegans. Authors such as Carol Adams and Stephen R.L. Clark tackle such questions as “Didn’t God give man dominion over animals?”, “Doesn’t Christianity regard humans as superior to animals?” and, of course, “Was Jesus a Vegetarian?”
Whether you’re a Christian trying to reconcile your compassion for animals with your faith, an animal activist trying to engage with Christians, or just fascinated by religious history and the nuances of Christian scripture, this interview is sure to captivate!
Captivating discussion of the issue at large for Christian vegans, and animal rights activists trying to understand Christians. While I don’t think the whole issue was covered in the interview by any means, I like what was said and it is worth listening to! I also intend to purchase the book.
Anonymous
I completely understand where you are coming from on this. And on a personal level I feel agreement with you. I would consider the consumption of meat to be a pungent expression of gluttony in the societies that have more than enough alternative (such as ours). That being said, the important point being there is that I am not certain that there is not a difference between it being gluttony and it being an expression of gluttony. Let me explain; it has to be clarified whether or not you are considering the meat eating to be the sin, or if the gluttony is the sin. If it is gluttony that is the sin then you can’t honestly argue that eating meat is an inherent sin form, however, because it can be considered an expression of gluttony we should still feel the obligation to correct our ways. It can certainly be said that people should abstain from meat because it is harming not only the people of the world directly through food deprivation, but also indirectly by harm of the environment. So while it can be considered sinful by extension of our cruelty to creation and each other, It is not clear on that point whether or not it is the meat or the gluttony that is the “sin.” I think that in this example that it is the gluttony that is the sin and not the meat eating itself, in a general sense.
If we consider meat eating to be a form of gluttony and an extension of human greed, which I think we certainly can, then it can and should be argued that people stop eating meat and start treating creation well, however, it is shaky ground to start referring to meat being the sin and not the gluttony. In this day and age they may not be completely inseparable concepts, however I certainly believe that in a New World context they are both potentially on the same level.
I hope that clarifies my view for you, and I hope you keep coming back with questions! And thank you so much for the support!!
God Bless!
-Chris
Anonymous
I certainly see what you are saying, and I apologize for not expressing that side of things more clearly. I attempted to allude to that very concept where on the FAQ page I say: “We starve the rest of the world for the sake of eating meat. It truly is “us”(as in the first world) that starves the rest of the world: [insert image of global meat consumption here], Eating meat might not in itself be a sin for you, but starving the poor and not doing anything about it is. Christ made it overwhelmingly clear how we are to treat the poor and the hungry. Eating meat does not help us in the endeavor to help the least of us, but rather, hinders us.”
So it is true that starving the rest of the world for the sake of our desire to consume meat is not only the truth of what is happening but an ethical dilemma for those who proclaim the name of Christ while simultaneously participating in that system. It is also true that were the food used to feed food-production animals instead given back to the peoples in need, we would greatly reduce if not eliminate world hunger. It is hard to make such claims without proper experimentation, which in this case would be just doing it, but the math suggests that it would be possible.
Concerning the image in the FAQ that shows world meat consumption rates, it is even more clear what you are saying when that image is placed next to one showing average wold incomes:
It would appear that meat consumption has a direct correlation to the average wealth of the populations of various countries. And if that is not enough, it is still true that a vegan diet is still on average cheaper here in the United States:
Image Source: learnvest.com
To be gluttonous is by definition to be excessively greedy, based solely on the deprivation of global food supplies based on the desire to eat the way we wish to, you could certainly consider our societies to be gluttonous in a mass scale.
Thank you for pointing out that very important detail, as I believe it is an important aspect of the theology that should be recognized.
God bless!
-Chris
The Bible relates that humans were made in the image of God, but the Bible does not spell out exactly what that means. Immediately after creating Adam and Eve, the Bible states that they will have “dominion” over all nonhuman beings. Since God then prescribes a vegan diet for Adam, Eve, and the rest of creation, it is unreasonable to take the popular, self-serving position that “dominion” is meant to convey ruthless tyranny over all creatures.
Rather, Genesis 2 relates that Adam’s task is to “till and keep” the Garden of Eden. I think this helps us understand what being created in God’s image entails. Humanity, with its remarkable skills, is well-positioned to be a good steward of what God has created. Indeed, humans are distinctive in their own creativity, which provides the capacity for both resolving problems justly and nonviolently or for creating problems. Indeed, just as God was free to destroy the world with the Flood, humanity’s free will gives us a choice to be healers or destroyers.
I don’t see being created in God’s image makes humans “better” than other living beings, and it certainly doesn’t make us entitled to special privileges at the expense of others. Instead, I see it as an awesome responsibility that has the potential to give our lives direction and meaning, and also the potential to make us very effective evildoers. How we use our God-given gifts, I think, defines who we are as Christians much more than any verbal statements of faith or practices of rituals.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
We labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we entreat. We are, even now, like the world’s garbage, like the filth of all things.
1 Corinthians 3: 12-13
A reminder that we must remain humble in all things we do. That truly we are not entitled to the things that we say we are, but all good things are blessings. All things we have have been given and not earned by our own work. Who are we then to say that we are noble or just? We must have humility in all things, or we reject Christ’s sacrifice. That is not to say that we must be perfect in our humility, as we all fall short of the glory of God, but we must try. As Christians, we must try.
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed to us in this way: God sent his One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we must also love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.
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