is this wrong?

Question

im vegetarian . my '' friend '' always makes fun of me for it.
but today she said that God put animals on this earth to eat. im christan HELP! IS WHAT IM DOIING WRONG?

Answer 1

In the Bible it says that humans have dominion over the animals,but it does not mean you can eat them.The queen has dominion over her people but that doesn't mean she can eat them.

Rev. Andrew Linzey:

"Animals are God's creatures, not human property, nor utilities, nor resources, nor commodities, but precious beings in God's sight. ... Christians whose eyes are fixed on the awfulness of crucifixion are in a special position to understand the awfulness of innocent suffering. The Cross of Christ is God's absolute identification with the weak, the powerless, and the vulnerable, but most of all with unprotected, undefended, innocent suffering."

St Francis of Assisi:

"Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals ) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission - to be of service to them whenever they require it... If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."

Leo Tolstoy:

- "It may be suggested by some books that it is not a sin to kill an animal, but it is written in our own hearts - more clearly than in any book - that we should take pity on animals in the same way as we do on humans."

Answer 2

I don't usually quote the bible in YAnswers, as it can be offensive to some, but since I think it's important to address your question fully, here's three bible quotes I hope will help. You can give these to your friend, and my apologies in advance to any who read this answer and don't appreciate the quotes - you've been warned they're there!

First, in Genesis 1:29, God gives Adam and Eve "seed bearing plants and fruit trees" for food. They didn't eat meat until after the fall, originally they appear to have been vegan.

Second is Daniel 1: 9-16. Daniel and his friends vowed to eat only vegetables and drink only water for the rest of their lives in captivity. They "looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food". The Daniel fast is still a very popular type of fast today, and some people take that vow for their entire lives.

Last is Romans 14, where the debate about vegetarianism had also come up (probably much in the same way as your friend has done with you). Here's the key quote Rom14:5b-6 " Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind........He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God". Also Rom14:1 "Accept...without passing judgment on disputable matters"

The bible does not say that we HAVE to eat meat, nor does it say that we HAVE to abstain. We have freedom to choose what we do or do not eat. What Paul does say, is that we should respect each other's choices.

Also, when you read the passage, don't be fooled by the phrase "weak in faith", it doesn't mean you are a weaker Christian if you are vegetarian. The Jewish people have many dietary restrictions, Jesus freed us from those, but there appear to have been some in the Roman church who were reluctant to let go of these laws because they weren't sure of that freedom. We tend not to have that issue today.

Unfortunately there will always be people who make fun of us for being vegetarian (and for being Christian). I've even had one woman come up to me and tell me I can't be a "real" Christian if I'm veggie. Good for you for standing up for what you believe in. I hope your friend can understand and honor you for doing that too.

Answer 3

Personally I am not a deeply religious person but It doesn't say in the bible that you have to eat meat, it says humans have permission to eat it. Doesn't it also say in the bible than plants were put here on the earth to eat as well? Humans can live very healthy on a plant based diet.

You are doing nothing wrong, if anything your friend is in the wrong by judging you and making fun of your personal choices. She might be jealous of you as well so keep that in mind, people often like to belittle other people they are envious of to help themselves feel good. Maybe she feels insecure with her choices in life so she needs to find ways to make what she is doing the "right way".

If she really is your friend than I am sure if you talk to her about how she is hurting your feelings. You don't bother her about eating meat right? (If you have) then maybe you should apologize and ask her to respect your choices and you will respect hers and leave it at that. I could think of some great responses for you, to what your friend said lol. But there is no sense in making a huge argument, be the better person, and just brush off what she says and at most respond calmly and say something like this "oh then I am sure god must be very proud of you" and just smile. She should take the hint.

Answer 4

This isn't probably going to make you feel better, but here goes:

You can't have a logical argument about your food preferences with someone that throws the Bible in your face as examples of what God wants us to do. There will always be a passage or scripture to support where she's coming from.

Second, your choice of what you eat is a personal one. Perhaps your friend is jealous that you have made a decision to do something that is healthy for your mind and body. You don't have to argue or justify it to anyone. And, God will love you anyway!

Third, is your friend being a really good Christian friend if she is making fun of you??? This sounds like there might be deeper conflicts here in regards to how she feels about you and your friendship. You are well within your rights to tell her that her comments don't feel good, that they are un-Christian-like, and that you'd appreciate it if she kept them to herself. You'll have to agree to disagree about your food choices and be ok with that.

I'm a former vegetarian, whose food preference at that time went over like a bull in a china cabinet. I was called everything from a "cracker eater" to "un-Christian" because I didnt' follow God's supposed advice. My choice to include meat in my diet again had nothing to do with what anyone said. And, I wasn't punished spiritually for it either! :)

Of course, you could rock her world by simply announcing that you've taken up witchcraft as a hobby. That should give her something else to think about!

Answer 5

Not at all, and your friend should become your ex-friend. God put animals here to serve mankind, but not for us to eat. He provided us with everything we need to get adequate nutrition from the grains, plants, and other renewable sources. Most people have been brainwashed that meat is necessary in the diet-granted, perhaps it was at some ancient point, when the peoples environments precluded them from harvesting crops, but that another way we have "evolved" Meat is no longer necessary. I am sure God is pleased with you for not only respecting your body, but his earth as well. Keep up the good work, and find more supportive friends

Answer 6

Well, from what I know about theology, your friend is wrong. Organism are put on this earth for the sole purpose of glorifying God.

As for eating animals, you can or you don't have to. It's a personal choice. I like to eat meat because it tastes good and is a good source of protein, but other people don't because they don't feel that killing animals for food is fair.

It's really your choice. You're doing nothing wrong.

Answer 7

No. She is using her idea of God to justify what she thinks is 'right.' He may or may not have put animals here for us to eat, but I'm sure He didn't put them here to be tortured like they are in the factory farming industry. Anyone with a conscience can understand that is wrong.

Answer 8

So, your friend has met and spoken to God, or is this just some kind of rumour or secondhand information? I say, God gave us a brain that is of our own so that we can think for ourselves. Perhaps God sends a message to you to be a vegan and sends a separate message to your friend to eat meat. I suppose it's possible. But perhaps, the devil is speaking to one of you, and God the other, but which is it? Which would go around whispering, "Go ahead, kill to eat. It tastes good when cooked with fire. It will make you feel more powerful. You will rule over the animal kingdom and fear nothing. Animals are only the minions of man, to be used as man wishes...." I don't really follow the bible at all since it was written by humans and not god, and thus highly edited over and over again, so... I don't know, I like to use my knowledge mixed with my common sense and I usually come up with some fairly good ideas. Killing to me (killing man, animal, rodent...) is quite repulsive to me -- to have to do it myself with my own hands... I've had to wage 'war' on rodents in my home and wasps. I tried and tried to get rid of them without having to kill them, but in the end, it was the only way that worked. I would never want to kill my own meat. If I was designed by god to kill, I would crave blood. The smell of blood would make me salivate. The cry of an injured animal would make me think of food. I'd be fast and strong with claws and teeth. I can't even win against rodents with all the tools, traps, nets, etc. I had; a cat would have no problem. Just because I'm smart enough to outsmart an animal with my spear, bow and arrow, gun, etc. doesn't make it any more natural to kill and eat them. We build homes to protect ourselves. If we were the killers in the 'jungle', we'd have no reason to build protective homes, and we'd be out there with our night vision hunting prey. Well, that's my rambling line of thinking... for what it's worth.

Answer 9

Don't listen to her. We vegetarians need to be strong and stick to our opinions no matter what! God will love you no matter what you eat (or don't eat!). Tell your friend that her comments are hurtful and that if she has problems with your diet, that's just too bad. There's nothing in the Bible that says Christians are required to eat meat. I'm in this situation too (except it's my father, not my friend). Just stay true to your beliefs and don't conform for anyone! Good luck!

Answer 10

No, and tell your friend that we humans are also animals, so did god put us on earth to eat?