Check out this video about "why God allowed man to eat meat".
As a forward, it's my opinion that people who obsess over trivial stuff in the Bible ("you must eat meat" or "you must not eat meat") have a view of a God that is uptight and unloving. This type of God doesn't interest me (or most people, for that matter). Fortunately, I believe that God is loving & generous.
1) God cares about animals, even to the point of knowing when they die. "What is the price of two sparrows--one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it" (Matthew 10:29).
2) According to the Bible, God initially commanded humans to be vegans (Genesis 1:29). In fact, meat wasn't regarded as food until after the Great Flood, which took place thousands of years after the first sin (Genesis 9:1-5). But why would God suddenly change His mind? One obvious answer is that all of the vegetation on the earth was destroyed by the flood. Therefore, for humans to survive, they had no choice but to eat meat, at least until their plant foods grew back.
2) According to the Bible, God initially commanded humans to be vegans (Genesis 1:29). In fact, meat wasn't regarded as food until after the Great Flood, which took place thousands of years after the first sin (Genesis 9:1-5). But why would God suddenly change His mind? One obvious answer is that all of the vegetation on the earth was destroyed by the flood. Therefore, for humans to survive, they had no choice but to eat meat, at least until their plant foods grew back.
3) The Bible suggests that God's initial standard of veganism will be reinstated in heaven. "The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord (Isaiah 65:25). Rather, heaven will be filled with fruits and vegetables: "On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2).
4) According to the New Testament, there are times when eating meat may cause somebody to stumble: "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble" (Romans 14:21). "Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall" (1 Corinthians 8:13).
5) To avoid meat sacrificed to idols, Daniel ate a vegan diet: "At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead" - Daniel 1:15-16
6) When the Israelites needed food in the desert, God initially gave them manna (bread from heaven) until they complained. "Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!'"(Numbers 11:13). But God punished their demand for other food. "But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague" (Numbers 11:33).
6) When the Israelites needed food in the desert, God initially gave them manna (bread from heaven) until they complained. "Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!'"(Numbers 11:13). But God punished their demand for other food. "But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague" (Numbers 11:33).
7) We see that eating plant foods was God's initial plan in the book of Genesis, and is his ultimate plan in the book of Revelation. Yet is it OK to live up to God's ideal of being vegan today? Of course! As Jesus said, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).
- Check out my other post, "Animal Cruelty is a Sin".
- Check out my other post, "Animal Cruelty is a Sin".
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