Vegetarians for religious reasons....

Question

I have been thinking about becoming a vegetarian, but when people ask me why i would want to i tell them because God didnt really intend for animals to be treated so horribly for our satisfaction to have food when there are other choices....

but the other day one of my close friends pointed out this bible verse which i have never really thought much about.

Gen. 9:3-5

"Every moving thing lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things even as the green herbs"

So God is saying that we should eat meat because thats what he put them here for, so why do vegetarians say that they dont eat meat because they werent meant to be eaten...?

i have just been pretty confused and dont really know what to say when people ask me why i want to become a vegetarian, so if someone could please clarify the question above and also give a little input on why you are a vegetarian...

thanks.

Answer 1

I wouldn't necessarily believe everything I had read. It's okay to  believe in God's word, but there are some things to question, but eating meat isn't one of those things we should consider. People long time ago ate fruits and vegetables WAY before someone had started to kill the animals for some dumb reason.

Answer 2

There are countless verses in the Bible that contradict themselves. You have to keep in mind that the Bible is a composition of many different authors so you have to decide for yourself what it means to you. I think most people become vegetarian because they see the food industry as cruel and don't feel it necessary to treat animals in that way when they have other options.  

Answer 3

Y ou could just say because "I choose not to eat animals" whether or not god said to doesn't mean you should. Its not a sin to NOT eat meat thus it was just a statement that he made.

Answer 4

keep religion out of it... you'll be much happier, trust me.

i'm vegetarian because i wanted to be.   i need not the source of any thing but myself to determine that element.

Answer 5

dont rely on bible verses

if its your personal choice to be vege so be it!

i dont believe in god so i see things differently

Answer 6

hi!

i'm a Christian vegetarian, like many others on this site.

i think veganism Christianity go well together! here is why:

Jesus taught about love for others, compassion, and mercy. Even if the Bible tells us that we CAN eat meat, it doesn't say that we HAVE to. I try my best to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and I think that being a vegetarian is a great way to exhibit the kindness and compassion that He taught of.

Besides.....the Bible says "Thou shalt not kill".......not "Thou shalt not kill other humans." God only gave humans the permission to eat meat after the flood because there was no vegetation. Even then He said that it would have to be free of blood and that eating animals would cause them to fear us and attack us. Think about it....before the flood everyone MUST have been vegetarian....if people and animals were all eating each other, how would they have been able to stay on an ark together without mass slaughter? Doesn't make sense, does it? If you tell them to read Genesis 9, they can see all of this play out.

Also, think about the Lord's Prayer...part of it is:

"Thy kingdome come, Thy will be done

on Earth as it is in Heaven."

There is no killing in Heaven, as the lion will lay with the lamb. If we are supposed to be doing God's will as it is in Heaven, we should do no killing of living beings either. Just a thought. =)

when all else fails, i just show people this:

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so." Genesis 1:29

your friends are correct in that God did give people permission to eat meat in Genesis 9, but He only did so because the great flood had occurred and there was no vegetation for people to eat. He even says that by doing so animals will learn to fear each other and humans. He offered to let us eat meat because we had to eat something to survive, not because people were really craving a bbq sandwich.

i recommend asking some Seventh-Day Adventists about this....they are a Christian church that preaches the values of vegetarianism to their followers.

i also STRONGLY recommend you visit www.jesusveg.org

it is run by PETA, who i don't necessarily agree with, but if nothing else it will really get you thinking!

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL =D

Answer 7

Tell your friend to read the whole ninth chapter. I hate it when people take one verse and use it out of context. I ask people like this, would Christ eat meat from a factory farm? Isn't it interesting that the Lords Supper is vegan?

Answer 8

the bible is written by man & can be taken many different ways, some people believe in god, but dont follow the bible. if you love meat it is going to be hard for you to make this change, *So you have to decide if you can give up meat because you love animals, or if your religious, go with the bible.  I eat only chicken & turkey occasionally, im eating less & less of it, If you do decide to give up meat, do it slowly so that you can get use to other things that replace meat. I agree there is no need to eat meat; no need to kill, you can be healthy & happy without it. Its sad so much death has come from religion/bible. Figure out what is best for you, if you can go without eating meat, go ahead.    

Answer 9

d**n straight you should believe in that. Do you put your own ideas above the bible? You shouldn't. Did you know that basically every creature in the animal kingdom from bugs to elephants can be consumed? Yet, there are so many plants that can't be eaten. Makes you wonder...

Answer 10

This is acutally a pretty good question.  I'm going to give you a few logical points on how your religion will back up a vegetarian lifestyle and then I'll give you a few scriptures.

First of all, God originally intended for man to have a vegan diet. Just take a look at where they lived.  A garden!  How obvious is that?  Secondly, how can anyone say that God intended for us to consume milk?  When was the last time you saw a human get on their knees and start sucking on a cow's udders?

They'll say that God gave us "dominion" over animals.  Well, Queen Elizabeth has "dominion" over her people and she doesn't eat them.  In fact from what I've heard, she's pretty nice to them.  Can you imagine what God would say to these people?  It would go something like this: "Excuse me. I gave you people these animals so that you could take care of them! WTF are you doing?????"

“Dominion” doesn’t mean “domination and exploitation.” All the world’s prominent religions teach the importance of both compassion and mercy. The choice to eat meat, dairy products, and eggs is a violent one—it supports abuse. Even if religious beliefs allow people to eat these products, they certainly don’t require them to do so. Aside from the environmental and human consequences of eating animals, which are reason enough for faith-based people to adopt a vegan diet, God created animals with needs, desires, and species-specific behaviors, and all these things are denied the animals who are turned into food by the farmed-animal industries. God also created animals with a well-developed capacity for pain, which causes extreme suffering in a factory-farm setting.

Finally, here are some scriptures for you:

“Though they offer choice sacrifices, though they eat flesh, the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins ...”  Hosea 8:13

“Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who kills a human being; whoever sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering, like one who offers swine’s blood; whoever makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. They have chosen their own ways and in their abominations they take delight.”  Isaiah

“When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed ...”  Isaiah 1:15-17

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”  Hosea 6:6

“Do not be among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat.”  Proverbs 23:20

Answer 11

This is coming from the same book that tells you not to eat meat.

http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_vege...

And I think it's common sense. Why would God want us to eat meat? Doesn't he love all living creature?

I'm not Christian, so I may see things differently.

Answer 12

well fabulous pretty much said everything i was gonna say, but like she said,

it clearly says in the bible he intended for us to eat greens, and that he only said to eat meat when there was the flood.

the bible also says "thou shalt not kill" which is pretty much the biggest thing for me, cause he could have put thou shall not kill humans but he didnt if he just meant not to kill humans. :)

just my opinion