Are Christian Vegetarians Weak in Faith?

"One person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong." - Romans 14:2-4 (NLT)

The above phrase "sensitive conscience" is translated by the NIV version of the Bible as "weak in faith". This is almost certainly a poor translation, since it is the only translation which calls vegetarians "weak in faith".

Another indication that it is a poor translation is the fact that Paul promotes avoiding meat later in the same letter. "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).

It is possible that Paul was addressing an attitude of arrogance among certain Christian vegetarians. If these vegetarians were becoming arrogant about their diet, then their "weak faith" was leading them to condemn other Christians.

It's important to note that the Bible is filled with vegans, and not once are they condemned (Link). This passage in Romans is not any different. It's more likely that Paul was addressing a growing amount of division based on dietary laws.

In conclusion, this passage was not written to arrogantly condemn Christian vegetarians. Rather, Paul's entire point was exactly the opposite. "Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t."

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Note: Also feel free to check out my other post: "Veganism in the Bible"

Check out this amazing video. "Why did God allow man to eat meat?"

1) "Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times'" (Numbers 22:28).

2) "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel" (Proverbs 12:10).

3) Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. (Matthew 10:29)

4) In Job 38:41, God says that He hears the cries of newborn ravens crying to Him for food.

5) According to the Bible, animals were initially created to address humanity's loneliness: "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.' Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky" (Genesis 2:18-19).

6) The book of Genesis also tells us that animals, like humans, were created as nefesh chaya, which means "living souls" in Hebrew (Genesis 1:29,30; 2:7,19)

7) "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings." (Psalm 51:16).

8) "But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck" (Isaiah 66:3).

9) "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).

10) Because of God's generosity, animals honor God: "The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for bestowing water in the desert and rivers on the wastelands for my people, my chosen one, to drink" (Isaiah 43:20).

Note: Also feel free to check out my other post: "Veganism in the Bible"