Is it a sin to eat meat?

Question

please explain your answer instead of coming up with stupid responses like animals have feelings too... thanx

Answer 1

I don't think it's a sin to eat meat. I just don't think it's a good idea because of the way it destroys our earth (pollution from slaughter houses and factory farms) and the horrid treatment of the animals.

Answer 2

You are going to get many conflicting answers on this, I think.  

For the most part, I'd say it depends on individual interpretations of Bible verses and the religious affiliation of the person answering.

For me, I think animals were put here for sustenance. Without meat eaters, the world would be overrun with animals and there would be many more cases of "road kill." Many animals would starve, due to overpopulation. Both of those are a cruel and undeserved way for them to die.  That's why many states have a time to hunt certain animals...it thins out the herds. Are we to be wasteful and just let them rot?

Remember, this is just my opinion.

Answer 3

No, it's not a sin to eat meat. However some religions have it a sin to eat certain kinds of meat.

Answer 4

Yes.  Meat eaters will go to h**l when they die...  and, I'll be waiting there for them.

Answer 5

Depends how you interpret the Bible. In Genesis it basically says that man shall rule over animals. So, you can interpret that as humans being able to do what they will with animals. Or, you can interpret it as humans being responsible for protecting animals. Your call.

Answer 6

Thats a very controversial question. Because its said you cant eat pork because it is unclean so I guess eating pork is a sin.

Also many many argue that the only time people were ALLOW to eat meat was when they were on the ark.

Eating shellfish and pork is a sin but you might want to research the bible about the ark thing.

Answer 7

Eating meat is not a sin. Killing an animal is a sin.

Now you will ask how to eat meat without killing an animal?

If you eat meat without knowing that you are eating meat it is not a sin but vice versa is a sin.

Answer 8

Its not a sin to eat meat. The Bible says that All animals were recreated for the human beings. So go ahead and enjoy.

Answer 9

The  best  authority  to  go  to,  to  get  an  answer,  is  the  Holy  Bible.  

"You may eat any animal which has a parted foot or a cloven hoof and also chews the cud; . . . all those that have fins and scales," and birds with two legs who fly and do not eat carcasses (Leviticus 11). The purity rules conform with the animals well adapted to the local climate and easily domesticated. Furthermore the food taboos keep the Israelites distinct from other peoples of the region, supporting their group identity. When Christianity starts to convert other peoples, the strict food rules become an obstacle and therefore are removed. According to Acts 10 it was revealed to Peter that nothing is unclean.

Meat is always in the foreground of biblical narratives on food, and it is the highly esteemed center of any festive meal, religious or secular.

Answer 10

Rebecca S:  your assertion that Adam and Ever were vegan is not backed up either by scripture or even sensible opinion.  The Bible makes no comment on their diet, and God certainly does not condemn the fallen couple to eating meat.  God created them as omnivorous, and hence they would have eaten meat.

Now, the rest of my answer.

God does, in the time before Christ, proscribe the eating of certain foods, especially anything that might eat carrion.  The ban on eating pork is well known, and still followed by Jews, Muslims and quite a few Christians too.  

The New Covenant, allows for the sanctification of any food and allows us to indeed include meat in that.  The apostle Paul wrote on this issue a number of times.

Jesus was certainly not a vegetarian or a vegan.

Answer 11

Firstly, I would like to mention that Adam and Eve, in their sin-less state, were Vegans.  The animals were their friends...they did not eat them.

God said we have dominion over animals...that can be interpreted in many ways.  However, I highly doubt he wanted us to torture them for our taste buds, which is EXACTLY what happens in today's factory farming practices (I won't go into detail, but I've seen the pictures to prove these horrors).  If they did those things to cats or dogs, they'd be in jail for animal abuse.  What's the difference?  A cat is cuter than a cow?  Gimme a break.  To me, torture of any kind, to any living being that God put on this Earth IS INDEED A SIN.  By eating meat, humans are contributing to this torture by keeping the factory farming jerks in business.  Not to mention the fact that factory farming is also killing God's beautiful Earth...it wreaks havoc on the environment.  Don't believe me?  Research the facts and you'll see for yourself.  In this day and age, there are plenty of tasty alternatives to real meat.   I am a proud Vegan and can honestly say that since I started, I not only feel closer to my Maker, and more at peace with Him, because I am not harming his animals, nor his Earth, but I also feel healthier than I've ever felt in my entire life.  Thanks for asking this question, it was an important one to ask.  But, I gotta say..."Animals have feelings, too," is not a stupid response :-)  It's a fact...they really do.  They feel pain and sadness just like us.  But I understand that you simply wanted more in-depth answers.  Kudos to you!

Answer 12

A "sin" is defined as "the offence of breaking, or the breaking of, a religious or moral law"

for the religous slant, you'd have to check the guidance for each religion to answer that one. It woudl depend on the religion. Janism, for example, would consider eating meat a sin.

As morals are set by individuals, yes for some people eating meat would be a sin, for others it would not be.

Can i point out to people that "The Bible" represents just one religion. There are many other religions each with thier own guidance. Some people talk about "The Bible" as if it applies to all of us, it does not.

Answer 13

Your body is a 'temple of the Holy Spirit', and Meat isn't the best thing for it, but, then again, no one ever said Vegan was the healthiest, either... Hurting yourself, your body, , in whatever way, possible, is a sin, I would say...

Answer 14

Not directly at least.

The Bible makes 4 things very clear

1. THe original diet God intended for Man to eat, in a perfect world, was vegan (Read Genesis 2 and 3) God created animals for humans pleasure, but not consumption. By "pleasure" I  mean, for man to enjoy the animal's beauty, companionship, etc..

2. At the time of the flood, plant life was destoryed, and God gave people PERMISSION to eat meat

3. God gave a list of "clean" meats and "unclean meats" in leviticus 11. If you note, the "Clean" animals are herbivores, the "unclean" are omnivores/trash eaters/scavengers.. apparently, healthwise, God saw that the meat of such animals was unsafe

4. Jesus, at the very least, definitely SERVED fish to people. Therefore, we can assume he ate (clean) meat, and so there was still no problem with people eating clean meats. He WAS a Jew, and if he ate unclean meats someone would  have said something. (like the Pharasees)

So, the conclusion to be drawn is that "God is still okay" with eating (clean) meats

Couple things to consider though,

Some claim that God did away with clean vs unclean when he gave Peter the dream about the animals being lowered on the sheet.  This is a false assumption. IF you read the whole passage, it is obvious that God is using clean vs unclean meats as an ANALOGY because "unclean" is how Jews thought of Gentiles.. Peter was not confused. He said "God has shown me not to call any MAN common or unclean"  As a Jew, Peter HAD cared less about evangelizing the Gentiles. Like most Jews, he thought the Gentiles were unworthy of God's salvation. God was trying to correct this attitude. He simply used "unclean meats" as an analogy.

Anyone else find it interesting that God gave Peter the dream right before a GENTILE came to Peter for spiritual guidance?  Hmmmm....  Peter said NOTHING more about diet, but he immediately started evangelizing Gentiles.. Hmmmm....

Anyway, just wanted to clear up that misconception

Another thing to keep in mind is that yes, Jesus ate meat, BUT things were VERY different back then. Pollution was almost nonexistent, due to the low human population, animals used for meat (cows, for example) were eating grass as GOd intended, instead of being fed ground up sheep and cow.. This meant the  meat was aLOT safer to eat.. Today I see it as unsafe...  

So, in a way, for ME, I feel like God prefers me to be vegetarian, because he DOES require us to take care of our health, and today witih the way meat is produced it is VERY unhealthy and unsafe.

Oh, and there's the compassion thing. The Bible says that God sees every bird that falls to the ground. THe implicatoin is that he feels badly when a bird falls and dies. So, while things were very different when Jesus walked the earth, I don't think God approves of the torturous and miserable methods for raising  meat animals today, how they are treated, the methods in which they are killed (torture), etc, etc..



But I don't see "Thou shalt not eat meat" in my Bible, so I certainly don't think "my" opinion should dictate anyone else's diet.

That's just my take on it.

Answer 15

nope

Answer 16

How do I say this without offending...

In the past people killed and ate meat to survive.

In the Bible they sacrificed and even ate lamb. And they did it in their best regards for the well-being of others.

Sin to "eat meat"? I think not.

It is a norm in society.

Answer 17

eating meat is a sin?stupid hahahaaa.. u eat becos ur hungry n those fat meat is f.......good.if everyone bcome plant eater then someone would say eating plants is a sin.hello u got it???????

Answer 18

According to the Buddha, it is not breaking ones moral precept of "abstaining from killing" if you merely eat meat. However it is considered breaking this precept if you kill the animal yourself to eat (obviously) and also if you have someone kill the animal for you. (Like if you request the clerk to kill a lobster for you to take home, or have your neighbour hunt an extra deer for you). It however is not considered breaking this precept if you buy the meat ready made, or if someone serves it to you.

FYI, in Buddhism it is highly recommended to be vegetarian, but not required. The Buddha and his monks did eat meat, but only when it was served to them. This was to help relinquish their egos.

Seeing the parallel between the Buddhist precept "to abstain from killing" and the Christian commandment "thou shalt not kill", I hope this gives you some clarity to your question.

Answer 19

clean and unclean...

it is a health issue...for everyone...

if you must eat meat at least do it in moderation and "clean"...

will stick to my veggies

Answer 20

hmm.....well....in Christianity I take it this way:

God said, "Thou shalt not kill."

He did NOT say, "Thou shalt not kill humans."

that's obviously not speaking for all religions, just for mine.  However, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a religion that preaches violence and slaughter instead of love and compassion.

Answer 21

depens is it a sin to kill a live being evan if u know it is wrong but u dont care and think its fun i would think so wouldent u

Answer 22

That depends largely on where you get your definition of "Sin".

Biblically based:

Early Genesis states that man should follow a vegetarian diet.

Genesis 9 (after the great flood) states that man can eat the flesh of animals (probably because the flood killed all the plants)

Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers set out the specific dietary rules of Judaism: meat must not contain blood, no shellfish, etc.

The New Testament espouses concern and care for all living creatures, and a life led by Jesus' example. There are no instances in the Bible of Jesus eating anything but a vegetarian diet (or so I have heard). "And let the fruit of the tree be as meat."

Religion:

The Catholic Church does not view eating meat as a sin.

Most Christian Churches also allow the eating of meat.

Followers of Raiki, Wiccan, Druidism, and other Earth religions are more likely to be vegetarians

Judaism does not allow the eating of pork or meat with blood in it; shellfish are also not kosher.

Hinduism and Buddhism are generally anti-meat, as they espouse unity with all living beings.

Islam has dietary restrictions, much like Judaism, but does not forbid the eating of all meat.

The Shinto religion does not forbid the eating of meat

Morally:

Morally speaking, if you believe that animals suffer and feel pain, eating meat in today's society seems unequivocally wrong because of the conditions the animals are kept in.

Existentially:

If you're an existentialist, you believe there is no right and wrong. Sin does not exist, and the choice is entirely your responsibility. There's no one who can tell you what is right and wrong for you. Every action you make defines who you are, so you should be as well informed as possible and make the decision that you feel defines you the way you want to be defined.

Kantian (Deontology):

Deontology or Kantian Ethics could go either way, but if you extend to animals the capacity of reason and existence as ends (if animals are creatures with lives and feelings like humans) then eating them becomes unequivocally wrong.

Utilitarianism:

Eating meat in today's society is very, very wrong because of the vast amounts of suffering created in the factory farms. (Utilitarianism is all about minimizing suffering.)

Hope this helps!

Answer 23

That all depends on what religion you are referring to. Catholicism does not consider meat eating a sin. Neither do Islam or Judaism and most Christian denominations. Some religions on the other hand, consider non meat eating as a virtue unto itself.

And obviously, atheists cannot or do not consider anything as sin since sin refers to actions in defiance of a god and they do not believe in one.

Morality and religion are also two different things though the former is usually an integral part of the latter