If Adam & Eve were closer to God when they were vegetarians, then why do most Christians eat meat?

Question

It seems that a very good argument against eating meat can be made from a biblical stand point. The killing of animals and the eating of their flesh can be seen as a concession not an optimum spiritual mode of living. Before Adam and Eve supposedly sinned there was no death and only vegetable matter was listed as the foods they could eat. By this logic if you wanted to begin creating the Kingdom of God on earth you would begin by not killing anything, including animals.

Campbell Gramma, please read the details. My argument is that God according to the bible allowed man to eat meat as a concession not as an optimum mode of living.

lwhit9841, in gensis it states there was no death before the fall hence no eating of meat. Plus the only foods listed that man could get were vegetable matter. It does not take a brain scientist to put 2 and 2 together and make 4, or in this case, yes they were vegetarians before the fall.

Andrew, the accounts of Jesus eating meat or feeding people fish is not proof that the optimum mode of living is vegetarianism. Maybe the people at the time we not ready for anything more radical different than what Jesus was preaching, which ultimately lead to his death as it was.

oneindia, actually there were other people on the earth at the time. At least according the Gensis. In fact God had to put his mark on Cain so these people would not kill him as he was exiled out into the other lands. Also he ends up with a wife and kids. Funny what was his sister doing all the way in the land of Nod? ; )

Suzany13, You need to read Gensis again a little more carefully keeping in mind the cornological order of things.

Jeremiah C, maybe the concession to allow them to eat meat was not a reward as you claim, but more so, a punishment. Think about it. If you never ate flesh of an animal would you think it a reward to be able to eat such a thing? In all likelyhood you would think it very gross to say the least. Maybe Adam and Eveing having to eat meat was more to remind them of the consequences of having fallen. By killing animals over and over again they are reminded just what death is and where it comes from. And you are right, they were not sinless because they ate meat but it was more of an after-effect. However if you study behavioral psychology you can see by acting out certain behaviors it helps to ingrain the ideologies behind it.

fricatease, sweety, I think the Seventh Day Adventist have already beat me to it.

not_mn_nice, thank you for a thoughtful and detailed answer. Your comments pertain more to judaism but there should be a correlation as most early Christians did not term themselves as Christians but as Jews who believed the messiah had come.

Katz, you can learn a lot by working with assumption.

Answer 1

The Adventists are indeed vegetarians based on these biblical verses, as are many Jews like me who believe that the best kosher diet is a vegetarian one. And since Judaism came before Christianity (The entire "Old Testament" is Jewish) one can argue that Jewish vegetarianism is the original version (grin).

You can read about Jewish vegetarianism at the website of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) at:

http://www.jewishveg.com

which has extensive FAQs and blogs on this topic.

Most Jews who eat meat argue that since God permitted it in the Torah (bible), it is not a bad thing. Many eat it out of family traditions. (There is a very strong cultural attachment to gefilte fish and chicken soup!) However, the vegetarian viewpoint is that God only permitted meat-eating after the Great Flood as a concession to the severe moral decay of the pre-Flood generations, who had descended into cannibalism. Thereafter, many verses associate meat-eating with sin and gluttony (such as the "fleshpots of Egypt" which refers to meat stews.) The complex kosher laws surrounding meat-eating were meant to remind the people of the seriousness of taking an animal's life for food. God was saying, in essence, "If you crave meat then you must limit yourself to these domestic species and this is how you must slaughter and prepare the food." Eliminiate meat from your diet and keeping kosher is much, much easier!

In the Talmud (a many-volume compilation of Jewish commentaries and canonocal laws), there are many statements that attempt to limit the consumption of meat. Also, many Jewish rabbis, sages, and mystics have been vegetarians. Up until the 20th century, meat was something Jews ate on special occasions such as Sabbaths and festivals, not three times a day at fast food restaurants.

There are also serious concerns about how the animals are treated today. Kosher slaughter itself is humane if done properly, but the conditions in the modern factory farms and some slaughterhouses are not. Judaism forbids "tsaar baalei chayim" (cruelty to animals) so Jewish vegetarians argue that in today's world, "kosher" should extend beyond the moment of slaughter to also include the way animals are raised. Therefore, the most humane, kosher modern diet would be vegetarian.

A really good book on this is "Judaism and Vegetarianism" by Dr. Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., (also current president of JVNA) which has gone through 3 editions since it first came out in 1978 and is still in print. There you will find the same bible verses referenced that you cite here, plus a lot more material from Jewish sacred texts that most Christians are not familiar with.

P.S. To Suzany13 above: God did not say EVERYTHING in the Garden was permitted for food. He said of every TREE and HERB you may eat. (I can read Genesis in the original Hebrew, not a modern translation/paraphrase.) Permission to eat meat was not given until after the Flood, when Noah was told that he could eat meat but not the blood "for the blood is the life" -- which is the basis for the very strict Jewish prohibiton against eating any blood at all -- not even the drippings that non-Jews make into gravy.

Also, the "fruit" Adam and Eve ate was not an apple, it was an unnamed fruit "of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil." (Not the "Tree of Knowledge" as is commonly said in English idiom --- it was not knowledge in general that was forbidden.) Their sin was not eating fruit per se, it was disobeying God -- thereby introducing evil into the world of action rather than having it remain as a theory. Many Jewish vegetarians believe the craving for meat came as a result of this Fall out of harmony with God's Creation.

Answer 2

Most Christians eat meat probably for the taste. Meat tastes good makes us feel good, and without any religious barriers to the practice, why the hell not? Christians rarely support "animal rights" and when discussing the issue with fellow Christians, they laughed, saying animals have no rights, they were put on this earth, by God, to let them eat. So, without any social barriers to a practice, is there any reason for it to cease? (Cocaine...80's anyone) The same goes for meat. Hindus can't eat cows 'cause they're sacred, but that doesn't go well with Christians. Basically, Christians eat meat 'cause it's good and until God himself tells us not to, we won't stop. EVERY culture needs an indulgence of some sort and when your pastor's telling you that you can't drink or do drugs favorably in God's eyes, there's nothing more satisfying than a six dollar burger.

Answer 3

I believe that Adam and Eve were vegetarian in the Garden. Why would God have Adam name the animals and then eat them? That is bizarre. I also believe that there was no death until Adam sinned - including the death of animals. Once there was sin the first death was that committed by God to cover up Adam's nakedness. Once Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden they had to eat meat to survive - and learn how to toil in the earth to grow crops. I believe that that is acceptable today - that we have permission to eat meat until the crops are in - however - how many of us do not have access to "crops"? At any rate, I do not think that God will judge us on whether we are meat eaters or not, but on other things instead.

Answer 4

For the same reason most Christians do not go to work at the office clad in only a leaf to obscure their "modesty"!

Homo sapiens (unlike some other animals classified as "herbivores") simply lack the functional components (crop, gizzard, rumen) in their digestive systems to survive & be healthy on a purely vegetarian diet. This is why, if you meet a "healthy" vegetarian, they almost always are employing "supplements". Since there were no GN Superstores in the Garden of Eden, I suspect the protypical humans were sneaking a pot-roasted squirrel or two to maintain their physical well-being!

Answer 5

You answered your own question. They weren't closer to God because they didn't eat meat, but because they had not yet sinned. Eating meat had nothing to do with it. I don't even think that it says they didn't eat meat anywhere, God had told them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. He never made meat off limits before sin, and then okay after sin...or else that's like being rewarded for sinning cause you get to eat meat now. If that is the case, then rock on Adam and Eve for getting that sin out of the way so I could eat me some meat! lol

Answer 6

haha, ***, I'm not goin to read ALL that, but I get the gist of what it's gonna say. I myself found out that in teh bible it claimed people should be non-meat eaters. But most Christians that follow the bible, simply DO NOT CARE. They like meat. It's ****** hypocritical and ridiculous. Why? B/c they say the same **** about sex and everything else...but...some of them actually don't have sex...but they're eat meat? And some will have sex and eat meat, but follow everything else? I don't think Christianity is that strong really. The book shall be banned, and people can believe in God or not, but in teh end, everyone does whatever the *** they want anyway.

Answer 7

You need to read the New Testament. You are talking about what God put forth before Christ cleansed all foods to eat. That does not mean you should go out and eat unhealthy. Pork is still bad to eat. But God is saying, Hey if you want to eat it ,go ahead, I'll allow it, but I told you long ago it was no good This scripture is in a non synoptic(non Gospels) book . I cant remember it right now, but its as clear as day when you read it.

Answer 8

Thats a good question, but if you remember Adam and Eve were not supposed to eat the apple that was given to them, and when done so they saw themselves naked and before they did not and when god came they hid, and when god called for them they came out covered up and god had asked why and they said they did want to be in his presence naked and then god had found out that they had eaten the apple they were not suppose to.

So what may have happened people just began eating meat although were not supposed if they werent but then if you remember Jesus fed people with fish and bread.

Answer 9

Actually if you really read Genesis for yourself you will find that God told Adam and Eve that everything in the garden was available for them to eat, except for one forbidden tree. This included all plants and animals, fish and fowl. It was only after the fall that there were restrictions added on certain animals and seafood.

Sickness and decay of the human body were part of the consequences of their sin.

Answer 10

To put it in simple terms... We as humans are animals that are divide into two parts CARNIVOROUS and VEGETATION'S Religions, The Bible, Spirituality got nothing to do with US as ANIMALS. Also, remember for the most part "its called POPULATION CONTROL.
Its happening already- we humans/animals might not be able to have Children....unless we can afford it!

Pork is bad because of the genetic makeup which is close to Human flesh, genes etc...