Although Frowned Upon The Bible Does Not Ban Meat
PETA argues that the Bible showcases God’s disapproval of eating meat, explaining that plants were provided as food for every living being and that people who chose to eat vegetables over other food choices became physically healthier. On the other hand, Romans 14:2 reads, “One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables” .
Daily Pilot reports that while the Bible recommends eating plant-based foods instead of meat, it does not specifically prohibit it. According to the analysis, the Bible offers contradictory information on meat-eating throughout, with Jesus feeding fish to 5,000 but advising that animals should be treated with care.
Christianity notes that the Levitical law outlined specific foods that people could not eat, including pork, but also states that the Bible’s food requirements became less strict as it progressed. Ultimately, this now means that people are permitted by the Bible to eat and drink what they like to suit their own dietary needs.
What Does The Bible Say We Can Eat
Bible Gateway Leviticus 11 :: NIV. You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud. `There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The coney, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof it is unclean for you.
Why Some Christians Dont Eat Meat On Good Friday
Like I said previously, Catholics have a requirement by the Catholic Church to perform something to acknowledge their sin and repent for their sins. If you are living under the Catholic Law, I would say then do not eat meat on Good Friday. If you are not living under the Catholic Law but what to respect a family member or friend who is, I dont see that as a problem.
Personally, I have refrained from eating non-halal meats for a period of my life when I lived among Muslims who I could potentially offend or put their salvation in danger because of my contamination with unclean meat.
As Christians, though, we know in our hearts that we have been freed from the Law, specifically because of what Jesus did on the cross on Good Friday, so I dont think it is healthy or helpful to live in fear when you choose not to eat meat on Good Friday.
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Why Did God Say Not To Eat Pork
In Leviticus 11:27, God forbids Moses and his followers to eat swine because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud. Furthermore, the prohibition goes, Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch they are unclean to you. That message is later reinforced in Deuteronomy.
What Foods Does The Old Testament Say Not To Eat
First lets consider what Jesus said in the New Testament about the dietary laws.
The Pharisees had just criticized Jesus because his followers did not adhere to the rigorous hand washing rituals of the Law.
The Pharisees thought they had him cornered. Jesus replied with an answer they never saw coming.
Imagine their shock when Jesus cut right to the core of the issue.
It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth this defiles a person.
Just before that, Jesus had told them their hearts were far from God:
This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me in vain do they worship me,teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
The Pharisees were scrupulous in maintaining very proper external appearances, but Jesus could see that their hearts were wicked.
They did not pay any attention to the inner things.
What Foods Does the Old Testament Say to Eat?
Many people are surprised by this Old Testament verse that comes even before Leviticus:
Every Moving thing shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Genesis 9:3
This is what God said to man before the Law of Moses was given centuries later.
When I see some folks saying Christians shouldnt eat pork or shellfish or other things, I never hear them bring up this verse.
Why not?
They also do not bring up the verses in Matthew 15 above either. And these arent the only ones.
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Where In The Bible Does It Say Not To Eat Pork
In Leviticus 11:27, God forbids Moses and his followers to eat swine because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud. Furthermore, the prohibition goes, Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch they are unclean to you. That message is later reinforced in Deuteronomy.
What Is The Lent Season
Lent season begins six-weeks before Easter which begins with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the mourning or sorrowful season that many Catholics and some Christians honor annually. This six-week period can be looked at with similar importance to some people as the Advent season. Overall, the Lent season is one that helps those who celebrate it understand and feel some of the sorrow Jesus felt.
Previously the season has been explained in comparison to Jesus in the desert, to me. I found this interesting because this was when Jesus was fasting for forty days in the desert and being tempted by Satan. This season for those who celebrate it can be a challenge to their faith, just as Jesus was challenged, which also means it can be a big opportunity for growth. After all, Jesus began His ministry right after leaving the desert period.
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God Gives Good Things
As He was winding up His discourse in Matthew 7, Jesus Christ asked, Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! .
Just as a physical father wants the best for his childrenincluding giving them good things to eatour Heavenly Father wants the best for us as well.
And just as our physical fathers taught us, God educates us on many aspects of living, and that includes which meats we can eat and those which He prohibits us from eating.
In Genesis Adam And Eve Were Vegans
Some Christians like to point out that we shouldnt eat meat because, in Gods original design, he made us be vegans.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were vegan when the world was perfect. So clearly, becoming a vegan is what God would want, right?
Theres nothing wrong with sticking to fruits and veggies, and maybe thats all of what well be eating in Heaven. God also didnt forbid Adam and Eve to eat meat once they were out of the Garden. God even made clothes for them out of animal skins.
Sure, this happened after the Fall, but for our lives now according to the New Testament, you have the freedom to choose whether or not you will eat meat without worrying about the laws from the Old Testament.
Learn more about if Christians should be vegans here.
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Rules About Eating Meat
11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,2 Tell the Israelites: These are the animals you can eat:3 If an animal has hooves that are split into two parts, and if that animal also chews the cud, then you may eat the meat from that animal.
4-6 Some animals chew the cud, but they dont have split hooves. Dont eat these animals. Camels, rock badgers, and rabbits are like that, so they are unclean for you.7 Other animals have hooves that are split into two parts, but they dont chew the cud. Dont eat these animals. Pigs are like that, so they are unclean for you.8 Dont eat the meat from these animals. Dont even touch their dead bodies! They are unclean for you.
What Animals Are Forbidden To Eat In The Bible
In Leviticus 11, the Lord speaks to Moses and Aaron and sets out which animals can be eaten and which cannot: You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof it is ceremonially unclean for you. The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof it is unclean for you. The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud it is unclean for you.
Aquatic animals can be eaten if they have fins and scales. Winged insects are permissible if they have joints in their legs above their feet. The consumption of specific named species of birds was not permitted and eating bats was expressly prohibited.
Later, in the New Testament, Jesus swept away these rules and declared all foods clean : There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
With this declaration, all restrictions were lifted and people were free to eat what they wished in line with their own conscience.
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What Does The Bible Say About Alcohol
Its easy for us to forget that refrigeration was invented very recently and advanced food packaging is only a few decades old.
We take these things for-granted and often fail to realize the lengths people had to go to just to stay alive thousands of years ago.
It was often very difficult to prepare and store foods. It was not easy to find sources of clean water.
You could grow grapes, but what do you do with them?
You certainly couldnt store grapes for very long unless you crushed them to make juice.
But without refrigeration, the juice didnt last long.
After a while if the juice was handled and stored the right way, it would turn into wine.
The wine would be stored in a wineskin. If you couldnt find clean water, you might end up drinking wine.
But if you drink too much wine we all know what happens if people drink too much of a beverage with alcohol in it.
So the Bible is actually quite clear on the matter. Be careful. Dont drink too much wine.
Be extra careful about causing a brother to stumble.
At my church, they ask everybody in a leadership position to abstain from alcohol. But the same is not required of everybody else.
Consumption of alcohol is sadly a large reason for vehicle traffic accidents and the death and misery that come from it.
Many lives have been tragically altered by a combination of automobiles and alcohol.
Why add to the tragedy with unhindered consumption of the stuff?
Does The Bible Say Not To Eat Meat
Its not a sin to consume meat according to the Scriptures and there are plenty of verses that support this.
False teachings and religions such as Islam teach that certain foods are unclean , implying that they somewhat defile the one who consumes them.
Not so fast though the Living Word of God i.e. the Bible says otherwise.
One of the best examples comes from the Gospel according to Mark, where Jesus Himself tells us that its not what we eat that defiles us:
And he said to them, Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?
Note that Jesus declared ALL foods clean. Not just some, but ALL types of foods obviously including meat.
And if you want even more undeniable proof that the Bible doesnt forbid consuming meat, we have to go to the Old Testament and Genesis 9:3.
Here the Lord Himself tells Noah and his family that every moving thing thats living can be used as food for them.
However, dont assume that this includes eating human flesh as permissible by God in His Living Word. Cannibalism is regarded as a horrible curse in the Bible .
Using every living thing that moves refers to the animal kingdom, not human beings. And the context of Genesis 9:2-3 confirms that God is giving man only the animals to eat. Not fellow humans.
You have to remember that the Bible regards humans and animals as separate and distinct species .
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Elaboration Of The Jewish Laws
After the exile of the Jews from Palestine following the conquest by Rome in the 1st century ce, a remarkable elaboration in their dietary laws occurred, probably as a result of the Jews attempts to maintain their separateness from nations into whose midst they were thrust. Many customs evolved that have taken on the force of Torah for those Jews who have sought to maintain a traditional way of life. For example, the Bible does not prescribe ritual slaughter of animals, yet this practice has taken on the same compulsion as the taboo on pigs and camels. A permitted food that has not been ritually slaughtered is considered to be as defiling as pork. Similarly, one of the hallmarks of the Passover holiday in Judaism is the eschewal of all foods containing leaven, the consumption only of foods that have been designated as Kasher la-Pesach, kosher for Passover, and the use of special sets of utensils during the seder dinner that have not been used during the rest of the year. But these too are postbiblical customs that have been given the status of law the Bible prescribes nothing more than eating unleavened bread during the Passover season.
Can Christians Eat Meat
Most Christians eat meat, and may do so believing that God intended animals for our consumption. But as eating animals was not Gods intention when He created the world, Christians striving to return to the Garden of Eden increasingly see eschewing meat as one way to get closer to God. Pastor Rob Munro founded the Saint Francis of Assisi Parish of The Humanitarian Church, a vegan church in New York. He believes that with animal flesh in your body, you block the connection to God. He says we dont need to go to church to find that connection: Stop eating meat, live a proper life, and God will find you.
Pastor Rob is not alone. There are many more priests, pastors and worshippers all over the world whose faith has led them to vegetarianism or veganism. In his essay I am a Christian Therefore I am Vegan, the Revd John Ryder writes: What the Bible has to say about Gods purpose for Creation in the beginning, and what things will again be like at the end of time, is perfectly clear. In between I know the majority accepted the eating of meat. They also accepted the practice of slavery. I am sure one day Christians will be as ashamed of the former as they are now of the latter.
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Why Did The Catholic Church Forbid Eating Meat On Fridays
The early Church probably instituted the practice as a way for its members to pause once a week to reflect on and strengthen their faith. Since Friday was the day Christ was crucified avoiding meat on that day would remind them of Christs sacrifice.
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Does The Bible Say It’s A Sin To Eat Meat
Sales of plant-based foods are booming in the United States, achieving the incredible figure of $7 billion, according to Livekindly. And while that may be due, at least in part, to the many health benefits they offer , there is also internal conflict for some when it comes to the morality of eating meat. Although one might assume that a definitive answer regarding whether or not eating meat is an actual sin can be found in The Bible, the obvious source for clarification among practicing Christians, the answer is far from forthcoming.
Christianity notes that readers of the Bible will often have many questions about its guidance on eating meat because its descriptions can often be vague and varied. This can create confusion about the meat-eating obligations they are supposed to follow, as exemplified by a question in Daily Pilot that wonders whether eating meat would be viewed as a crime by God. Fortunately for the devout, Bible researchers have offered chunks of explanations.