Bible Verses That Are Telling You To Go Vegan
God created humans in His image and according to His likeness, and told humans to steward the rest of His creation. And what is Gods likeness? Throughout the Scripture, God shows us mercy that we do not deserve, grace that we have not earned, and love that we cannot imagine. We are made in that likeness and are charged with reflecting those qualities to the whole of creation. Being made in the image of God is a call to caretaking, compassion, and mercy. Here are 16 Bible verses that make clear that Gods perfect creation was one of all-encompassing loveit was vegan.
And God said, Behold, I give you every plant that produces seeds upon the earth and every tree that has fruit with its seed inside of it: these shall be your food. And I give all green plants to every wild animal and to all the birds of the air and to all creatures that move upon the surface of the earth and that have the breath of life in them. And it was so. Genesis 1:29-30
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine Then Daniel asked Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. Daniel 1:8, 1112, 15
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together the lion shall eat straw like an ox but the serpentits food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain. Isaiah 65:25
What Does The Bible Say About Eating Meat
What Does The Bible Say About Eating Meat? In the Biblical book of Genesis, which tells of the creation of man, God specifically tells Adam and Eve of the foods He had provided for their consumption. Genesis 1:29-30 says, 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 in the sky and all the creatures that move along the groundeverything that has the breath of life in itI give every green plant for food.
It is important to understand that it was after the Fall that sin did enter the world, thereby making everything change. After the flood, the Lord God Almighty told Noah in Genesis 9:2-3 that The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.
Why Did God Tell The Israelites 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.
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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.
Fat Has Been A Bad Thing For A Long Time
Heres another one of those all-encompassing rules that has a major impact down the road. Today, we know that there are all kinds of good and bad fats, and keeping track of how much were eating will go a long way to living a healthier life. It turns out that weve known that for a long time, as according to Leviticus 3:17: “You must not eat any fat or blood.”
What gives? The Massachusetts Bible Society says its about symbolism. The fat of an animal provides a source of energy when times are tough, and in turn, its representative of abundance and plenty. On the other hand, too much fat can also be bad. Its connected to greed, making others suffer for our indulgence, and gluttony is worthy of some serious fire-and-brimstone punishment.
They say, then, that giving fat back to God instead of eating it is a way to acknowledge the abundance of food were given, and help make sure everyone continues to be provided for.
Interestingly, Rabbi Michael Rosenberg has an additional interpretation. He says that the passage also indicates fat is just as important as blood. While blood gives life, fat protects it by cushioning organs. Its a gift from God.
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These Are The Birds Labeled Unclean
Theres a few different places in the Bible that mention clean or edible birds, and unclean ones. First, theres Leviticus 11:13, which is echoed by Deuteronomy 14:11-18. While it gives permission to eat any bird considered clean, theres a major list of forbidden birds: “But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron”
The United Church of God says that the Bible doesnt precisely outline why certain birds are clean and some are unclean, but they note that unclean birds are scavengers and carnivores, and they suggest that because these birds regularly eat things that humans cant, forbidding their consumption is a way of protecting people from nastiness down the food chain.
Some say theres more to it: The Enduring Word says anything that consumes blood automatically becomes unclean.
Was The Clue To Preventing A Pandemic Hidden In The Bible
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, some looked to the Bible and then, they pointed. Specifically, they were talking about a prohibition on eating bats. Its included in Deuteronomy 14:11-18, a list of birds that are considered unclean. Bats might not be birds which has kicked off a major debate about their inclusion for a long time but theyre at the very end of the list: ” the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.”
Publications like The Gleaner went on to suggest that COVID-19 was pretty much mankinds own fault, and if wed all just listened to the Bible and not eaten bats, 2020 would not have been nearly as terrible. The origins of COVID are still a murky matter of debate, but moving on
The Apologetics Press asks why bats made the list in the first place, and chalks this one up to divine wisdom. Bats, they say, were included with birds simply because theyre all flying creatures, and theyre an important inclusion. Today, we know bats can carry diseases like rabies, and its suggested that when Moses passed along a ban on eating bats, he was doing it because God knew how deadly it was.
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More Rules About Animals
26-27 Some animals have split hooves, but the hooves dont make exactly two parts. Some animals dont chew the cud. Some animals dont have hoovesthey walk on their paws. All these animals are unclean for you. If you touch them, you will become unclean until evening.28 If you pick up the dead bodies of these unclean animals, you must wash your clothes. You will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you.
What Does The Bible Say About Eating Meat Is It A Sin
Estimated reading time: 7½ minutes
In the book of Genesis, which tells of the Creation of Man, God specifically tells Adam and Eve of the foods he had provided for them to eat:
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 in the sky and all the creatures that move along the groundeverything that has the breath of life in itI give every green plant for food.
The Garden of Eden was vegan.
Only after the Fall did sin enter the world, and then everything changed. After the flood, God told Noah:
The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.
So, what does that mean for our relationship with animals and what we choose to eat?
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Pauls Letters And Intent
It was traditionally believed that Pauls writing in Romans, the book before his letters to the Corinthians, denotes a retraction of Gods law on which animals are permissible to eat. But, given the timing of it and that the issue of eating meat that had been offered to idols was a hot topic of the day others believe that this it was the latter issue he was was referring to when he wrote:
I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.
Weight is added to this interpretation by Pauls writing In Corinthians. Here he clarifies that because an idol is nothing at all, there is nothing immoral about eating meat that has been offered to one, and it is not necessary to inquire about whether it had been first offered as a sacrifice. However, he says, we should be sensitive to the views of others, and in those cases it is better not to eat meat at all than to cause offence.
Rules Of Eating Insects
Some insects have wings, they fly by using their wings, these creatures are not permitted to eat. But the insects who have jumping legs like locusts, roaches, grasshoppers and some cricket can eat.
Though American people dislike it, the Chinese people rarely compromise for eating any insects. Even some of them like burrowing animals too. It’s a tradition of them too. In fact, they are abiding by the Buddha religion.
Insects that walk with crawling profane to eat. Around of us, we see such insects as an example-
- Ants
- Fleas
- Silverfish etc
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What Animals Does The Bible Say Not To Eat
Simply stated, God explains that:
- Clean fish must have scales and fins. Bass, cod, flounder, grouper, salmon, snapper, trout and tuna all fit this category. Since catfish, lobsters, crabs, shrimp and many other water creatures do not have fins and scales, God says we should not eat them.
- Animals must have cloven hooves and chew the cud. These types of animals include antelope, cattle, goat, elk and deer. On the other hand, rabbits and pigs do not qualify as being clean and good to eat.
In Deuteronomy 14:11-18 we read that all clean birds may be eaten, but those we are not to eat include eagles, vultures, buzzards, falcons, ravens, ostriches, owls, seagulls, hawks, jackdaws , storks and herons. Chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail and pheasants do not appear on this list of unclean birds and are considered cleanokay for us to eat.
Most insects are not good to eat, but God says some insects, such as locusts, grasshoppers and crickets, are okay to eat .
It is beyond the scope of this short explanation to enumerate every possible example of clean and unclean animals. Our infographic mentioned above gives more a more detailed listing.
God Defines Clean And Unclean Animals
The meats God defines as clean and unclean are differentiated in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. God said, These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth .
This knowledge goes back much further, though, since Noah knew which animals were clean and unclean before the Flood. God told Noah to build an ark to save all the kinds of animals from the Flood. Then He said, You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female . The extra clean animals could be used for food and for sacrifice to God, because only clean animals were to be sacrificed to God .
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What Did God Create Animals To Do
Most people would agree that God opposes unnecessary cruelty to animals, and would not condone beating cats and dogs to death. Many Christians and Jews are vegetarian or even vegan because they’re horrified by how God’s animals are treated in industrialized farms. From their perspective, God designed chickens to build nests and raise their chicks God designed pigs to root in the soil God designed all animals to breathe fresh air, to play with one another, and so on.
Today, animals used for food are denied everything that God designed them to be and to do when confined and exploited by the meat production industry.
Don’t agree? Consider this: Even if religious beliefs allow people to eat factory-farmed meat, they certainly dont require them to do so. Aside from the environmental, health, and human consequences of eating animals, which are reason enough for faith-based people to adopt a vegan diet, God certainly created animals with needs, desires, and species-specific behaviors, and all these things are denied the animals who are turned into food by the modern farmed-animal industries.
God also created animals with a well-developed capacity for pain, which causes extreme suffering in a factory-farm setting.
The Foods Forbidden To The Nazarites
The Nazarites, says Christianity, were a group of people who took some time out of their ordinary life to make an extra commitment to God. The most famous was Samson and his long hair was actually a part of the vow. Instructions for taking the Nazarite vow were among the instructions that God gave to Moses, and theyre outlined in Numbers 6:1-21. It starts with abstinence from wine, which is pretty understandable. But it also outlawed other things that came from the components of wine, too.
That was “vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink,” and also on the Nazarites forbidden list was grape, grape juice, and also raisins. The verse continues: “As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.”
Interestingly, Chabad says that some Nazirites took the vow so seriously that they would avoid vineyards completely, and wouldnt even sit near someone who was drinking wine. They were, however, allowed to drink alcoholic beverages from other sources it was the grapes that were the thing.
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Is It Biblical To Eat Pork
Pork, which comes from pigs, under these restrictions would be deemed unclean. While they have the parted-hoof, it does not chew its cud, like a cow does. Chewing the cud is a process where certain animals chew their food, digest part of it, and chew some of their partially digested food. Pigs do not chew the cud and can be scavengers. Under the Levitical law, pork is not allowed. However, these restrictions are no longer applicable to those who live under the freedom in Christ.
As Gentiles began to embrace the truth of Jesus Christ as the savior of the world, questions about whether they could continue to eat what they wanted as they had when they practiced paganism or if they should adopt Jewish diet restrictions arose. The Apostle Peter appeared caught in the middle of this conflict, as God led him into the homes of Gentiles so they could be saved, but remained close to the Jewish Christians.
Because Jesus righteousness is credited to those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior, they no longer need to maintain a level of outward cleanliness to have inner righteousness, and all food, including pork, is allowed.