Christianity and meat eating?

Question

I am a Chriatian. I believe...and my religion is very sacred to me but I will admit that I have a bit of confusion that no one has been able to clear up for me.
God created everything. He loves everything just the same so I wonder why is it okay for Christians to partake in the animal slaughter? I have a huge objection to eating meat because it's eating something that was murdered in a brutal fashion. I refuse to believe that God says it's ok to eat meat. These are his creatures. I even talk to some of my Christian friends and I even try to work around it by saying that maybe human sin is the reason why a majority of this world eats meat but they tell me NO. Animals were put here for us to eat. And I can't believe it. I'd like your opinions and please don't be ignorant.

Answer 1

protein is essential for humans this can be found in nuts. until the first sin was committed we were vegans each person must choose for themselves. If you read the Bible God told PETER it was OK to eat pork(see ACTS). Pork was originally prohibited because unless cooked properly it can cause trichinosis.

Answer 2

Genesis 9:1-6

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are fiven into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.

"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man."

I can't get any plainer than that. The quote is taken from the NIV translation of the Bible. Other regulations concerning "which" animals were "clean" (authorized) for the Jewish people to eat were added later, and can be found in Exodus and Deuteronomy. Specifications on forms of sacrifice are there also, and most of the sacrifices God required were animal in nature. Grains, plants, and fruits were acceptable as sacrifices (which, btw, were eaten) also, but sacrifices for sin required blood to be shed.

God said "do not murder" in the Decalogue, and yet commands that animals be sacrificed for religious reasons, and allows some animals to be eaten as food. This is EITHER a fatal religious contradiction (indicating that the God of Jews and Christians is not God at all), OR it simply means that killing an animal is NOT MURDER.

Evidence would suggest the second scenario.

Have a nice day.

Answer 3

I understand what you are saying and why you are saying it. Yes God does love all living creatures. It says in Genesis 1:24 God said "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures the move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind."...and God said it was good.
Then God created man and gave him dominion over the earth. He even gave Adam the task of naming each species. Christians are allowed to eat meat. Christ himself ate meat and He is our spotless lamb.
I may be wrong, but the reason you are confused is because you automatically associate meat eating with cruelty. In the wild there are some of God's creatures that only eat meat. Not all people who eat meat get their meat from places where they are cruel to their animals.
I'm Native American and my ancestors hunted on the central planes. They had a profound respect for the animals, especially the ones that they hunted. They used every part of the animal and had ceremonies to thank God for their bounty. They relied on the buffalo for food and shelter or they would have frozen and starved to death.
Some people are intolerant to certain plants. I wouldn't call you a sinner for only eating vegetables, Because they are living too.

Answer 4

I am with you. People go out there and they shoot and KILL deer. Thou shall not kill! It makes no sense. If someone is a Christian then why wouldn't they look towards their compassionate side and spare the lives of any animal that is being killed. Christianity is all about compassion and working towards peace. Are we getting any closer to peace when people are being accomplices to murder by eating meat? In my heart I do not believe that God has intended for us to eat animals. Right in the beginning of the Bible it says that he gave us plants for meat. Anybody can open up the Bible and read that. It's right in the beginning. I also believe that human sin came into play and that is why we had slavery, murder, sin and meat eating. Human error has caused all of the horrible things that happen on this earth including MEAT EATING.

Answer 5

Follow the original diet : fruits, grains and nuts. You may include vegetables, too. If you must eat meat, choose only clean meat and fish (see Lev. 11).

As for the issue of taking life, this cannot be avoided. Even plants have life and feelings.

Ignore that part of the answer given by WAYNE as it relates to Christians eating pork.

God never gave Peter such permission. If he would continue reading this story in the book of Acts, God was telling Peter ( a Jew) that NO HUMAN BEING is unclean (as the Jews considered ALL non-Jews).

If you follow WAYNE's logic and stopped at the point, where he stopped, then it would be fine to eat frogs, lizards, snakes.

Answer 6

eating meat isn't cruel. How maximum places take care of the animals which will be used for nutrition is cruel, besides the indisputable fact that. Animals get eaten, that's only a truth. no matter if that's with the help of us or with the help of alternative animals, animals are being eaten each 2d of daily. hence, what's incorrect with us eating them? We should not be making the animal's existence depressing at the same time as that's alive although. i imagine the Aboriginal human beings had it good in that regard. They dealt with animals with comprehend and did not waste any of it. And eating meat isn't inherently risky. that's risky because of all the crap we are putting interior the water and of their feed. Organically fed and kept animals are not risky to devour in acceptable parts.

Answer 7

I too am a vegetarian. But if you refuse to believe God, then who will you believe? God did say that we could eat certain animals, and He did not specify their manner of death. God, at not time, said that it was alright to eat any animal, Acts 10, if read all the way through, proves that the vision of Paul had nothing to do with animals, but had everything to do with the Gentiles, who the Jews held as unclean. Animals were not put here for us to eat, the diet of Adam and Eve did not include animals. They were put here for our enjoyment. It was not until AFTER the flood did God say that we could eat CLEAN animals, up until that time it was not allowed (the eating of animals).

Answer 8

Capee,
Don't be too hard on your friends, they have their beliefs, too. Nobody said that you have to eat meat. As far as animals being used as food, it is very Biblical to eat meat. Read up on Kosher eating in Leviticus. It tells what kind of meat is "clean" or "unclean". I don't think that God would have mentioned this to Moses if meat wasn't on the menu. From a logical standpoint, vegetables do not supply enough of the kind of amino acids for body rebuilding as meat does. This is why most vegetarians supplement their diet with dairy products. Don't put a lot of stock in that "red meat will make you mean" business, either. Adolf Hitler was a strict vegetarian. One day, the lion is supposed to lay down with the lamb. That is when meat goes off the menu and you get your wish.

Answer 9

I agree with you, God says in Genesis "behold I have given you every green herb and to you it shall be for meat". Humans have teeth designed for being an herbivore, not a carnivore. Vegetarians can get all the protein they need by eating the right combinations of plant foods. I believe milk is fine too, because cows don't have to die to share some milk.
The part in the bible that says about animals the ones with cloven hoofs that also chew cud you may eat....... it says "may" .... not that it's a requirement.
So I believe God allows meat to be eaten, but His preference is for us to respect even the least of creatures and not kill them unless there is no other food available.
This is my opinion, and I am not christian, but muslim. Follow your heart as God speaks to you. Peace.

in response to those who have said we have the teeth of a carnivore, how do they know that our "canine" teeth are designed for meat eating? They KNOW what the Creator had in mind??they are neither as sharp nor as long as carniverous predatory animals. I think they were designed for things like biting into hard carrots, cracking the skin/shell of chestnuts, things like that. People with dull false teeth or missing "canines" still eat meat, so the "sharp" teeth we have are not necessary for that. And we certainly do not catch prey and kill it with our sharp canines like wolves and lions. I think they are wrong, sorry.

Answer 10

God gave permission to eat meat after the flood. He gave specific outlines what animals to eat or not. What to do with the blood and so on.

You most certainly have to right not to eat meat. A true christian will not have a problem with that. But you also should not have a problem with a christian eating meat if he chooses.

You are right, the intention was to take care of the animals. But when God brought skins for Adam and Eve to wear, we may can have use of animals and still take care of them.

Answer 11

God made us omnivores - we eat plants and meat.
Our health suffers if we only eat plants - because there are trace minerals and other benefits of eating meat.

There are some animals we are not to eat the meat of - pork is one, and shellfish is another. But Chicken , fish, and beef - mmmmmm we were put here to dominate.

When Jesus fed his discples, he cooked fish for them. When He fed the 5,000 - what did he serve? Bread and Fish.

Do you refuse to believe what Jesus did?

Forget my opinions - I am nothing - WWJD?