Vegan Talk Forums

Panin · Vegan Talk Visitor Joined: 11 May 2006 Posts: 7

Doesn't the Bible specifically state that it is ok to kill animals for food?

BigBecka · Animal defender Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 415

Remember, only one third of the world's population are Christian

The old testament of the Bible (which states it is OK to eat food - debatable) is only relevent to 54% of the world's population (all Jews, Christians and Muslims).

Hmm, there's a few other posts on this subject here somewhere...

I going to have a nice cup of tea and let some real Christians field this, before I turn into Angry Multicultural Woman again blackeye

onyxch · Vegan Talk Beginner Joined: 14 May 2006 Posts: 5

Yes, it does. In particular, Leviticus of the Old Testament gives very specific rules for how animals are to be slaughtered and which animals can be eaten. Leviticus is also the section of the Old Testament which specifically states that slavery is permitted, and which gives very specific rules for how slaves are to be treated. During the movement to abolish human slavery, many abolitionists were accused of going against the will of God, due to the fact that slavery is specifically condoned by the Bible.

Nevertheless, the movement to abolish human slavery included many Bible believing Christians, as does the modern animal rights movement. People who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible are often troubled by these types of passages in the Old and New Testaments. The following is one possible explanation which some of them can offer.

A society can absorb only a limited amount of change at one time. It could be argued that God knew that if he commanded humans to abolish slavery and abolish the practice of killing animals for food, then this would simply be too great a shock for society to accept all at once, and most people would just end up ignoring the commandments altogether. Therefore, by giving specific rules for how slaves are to be treated, and for how animals are to be slaughtered, it could be argued that God made these practices considerably less barbaric than they would have been otherwise - although his real intention was for people to one day eventually realize that the message of compassion should be applied to all beings, including slaves and animals.

crashcrew1974 · Vegan Talk Guest Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 11

Calhoun07 · Posted: Sep 18, 2007 11:58 pm Post subject:

First off, God only permitted meat eating after the world was destroyed with a flood. It was something that was NEVER in God's plan from the beginning, and I truly, truly do believe that God wants all of us to lead vegetarian/vegan life styles. It was God's plan from the start in the Garden of Eden. Animal sacrifices only came after sin, and that was to foreshadow Christ being crucified on the cross.

We only see this permitting to eat meat after God put the fear of man into all animals, and it's argued by some that this was only permitted after the flood because all vegetation on the earth was destroyed, which is a reasonable argument and not one I disagree with.

You will also see that meat eating in the Bible is commanded by God only in times of sacrifice and in foreshadowing to the sacrifice of Christ. It's in moderation, and NOT something he required them to eat every day, with every meal. Such as in Exodus 12...God commands them to eat a lamb on the tenth day of the first month of each year for Passover, and it was only to be a lamb big enough to feed them for one night only...no leftovers at all. And it was a foreshadow to the sacrifice of Christ. Since Christ could not shed his own blood for their sins then, the animal sacrifices were required not because God wanted us to be omnivores, but because of the sin of man and the requirement for innocent blood to be shed to wash away that sin. When God gave them something to eat on a daily basis, it was manna, and I am sure that was a very vegan meal.

Because God knew the health risks involved in eating meat, he gave very specific rules on how to prepare them. Again, that was for times of sacrifice, not because he wanted them to open a Sizzler and serve the animals with every meal, and God wanted them to remain healthy in their eating of the animal.

The eating of the animal is a foreshadowing of the communion ceremony where Christians symbolically eat the body of Christ.

And you also have to be careful to get a proper Bible translation. In King James Version and others the use of the word "meat" does not always mean the flesh of an animal...it often just means "meal" or "nourishment," which could be plant derived.

There is so much more...this could be a multi week Bible study, but needless "Christians" do not know the Bible very well if they think they should be gluttons on meat products and animal by-products. You'd be hard pressed to find any Scriptures in context to prove that point to me.

Remember, this is the same God who knows each sparrow individually. God's creation gives Him praise and glory. If you think your heart suffers and breaks over the cruelty to animals, how much more so do you think God hates it, and despises that His word was twisted into people justifying murder and gluttony?