Veganism in the Bible

Question: Dear Scripturist, What does the Bible say about Veganism? Is it true the Bible teaches we should not eat meat?

No, the Bible does not teach veganism.

But it does seem to indicate that before the flood, mankind did not eat meat and after the flood they are commanded to eat meat. God never commands men to eat meat during the pre-flood era. He only gives fruits and veggies in Genesis 3 for mankind to eat. I believe Adam & Eve were probably Vegans.

God also indicates that in the pre-flood world, animals had no fear of man. Now after the flood when God gives mankind meat to eat, he puts a natural fear of mankind in animals to keep both animals and mankind from going extinct no doubt.

Genesis 9:2 says, "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 given into your hands."

Next in Genesis 9:3 He commands them, "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."

Under the law of Moses there were some meats you could eat and some you could not. (see Deuteronomy 14:4-21) These laws were for Jews only and have be done away with in Christianity. Colossians 2:14 says that Jesus "...canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross."

So what does the New Testament tell us...

1 Timothy 4:1-3 "Now the Spirit speakes expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth."

To teach that we can't eat meat is the doctrine of devils. Eating meat is not wrong. Look at the following verses.

Mark 7:18-19 "For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.' In saying this, Jesus declared all foods 'clean.'"

Romans 14:14 "As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean."

1 Corinthians 10:25-27 "Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. "

Acts 10:13 "Get up ... Kill and eat."

It is not wrong to kill an animal. Veganism for ethical reasons is wrong. Vegan Christains have a weak faith but we should not be too harsh or judgemental of those who are vegans.

Romans 14:1-3 says, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him."

Vegans just need to learn the truth. Also, Vegan Christians should not look down on those who eat meat. There is nothing wrong with it. We need to patiently teach Vegans that meat eating is not wrong.

Some people also qoute Jesus as being a Vegan. Impossible! He ate Fish (Luke 24:42-43 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,and he took it and ate it in their presence.)

There are some false gospel books written a couple hundred years after Jesus which try to protray him as a Vegan but there is nothing of this teaching in the Bible. An example is the Gospel of Peace which was writen long after the apostles were dead by gnostic heritics. These books are known to be false. They are being pushed again now by those trying to push everything from Veganism to the Da Vinci code. Cannon Scripture by F.F. Bruce is an great book to read to understand why the 27 books of the New Testament are reliable and the Essene Gospels writen by gnostics are not. (Buy it here)

If you see a qoute from the Bible that looks like it supports Veganism, go read the passage in context (read the whole chapter it is in) and you will see that they are misusing that verse.

An example I found on a Vegan website is "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of something to eat." (Romans 14:20) Now go read all of Romans 14 and see what it is really talking about and if that means we should not eat meat. (Note verse 1-3 & 14.)

Some believe vaganism is unhealthy. I don't know for sure. I assume if God tells us to eat meat after the flood that there is some logical reason based upon a dietary need we now have. I put some info. below about this. You decide. I know I don't want to be a dumpster diver like the "trash Vegan" who only eat thown away animal products (read more here)

The following information below is from Wikipedia

Although the American Dietetic Association (the U.S. certifier for C.N.s) supports a well-planned vegan diet in all stages of life, some nutritionists have expressed concerns about the potential dangers in the vegan diet. This is especially true for young children where the failure to achieve adequate nutrition can lead to permanent developmental deficits. In widely reported comments, Professor Lindsey Allen of the U.S. Agricultural Research Service declared: "There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to bring up their children as strict vegans, unless those who practiced them were well-informed about how to add back the missing nutrients through supplements or fortified foods."[38]

Prof. Allen's also conducted research in rural Africa in which she demonstrated a dramatic improvement in the health of individuals who had, prior to the study, been on diets completely lacking in animal products. The study concluded that the added nutrients, especially vitamin B12 contained in the meat and milk improved the health of the children in the study. [39]

In very severe cases, parents practising what were sometimes described as forms of veganism have been charged with child abuse for not providing adequate nutrition. [40] [41] Vegan mothers who do not obtain adequate vitamin B12 in their diet while breastfeeding can cause severe and permanent neurological damage to their infants. [42] Related studies note importance of early recognition of significant maternal vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy and lactation in vegetarians is emphasized so that appropriate supplementation can be given and irreversible neurologic damage in the infant prevented. [43]

Read how Veganism makes you go bald: Click Here