Romans 13:8-14; On Monotheism
Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org
FROM
Stephen Kaufman, M.D., Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)
Romans 13:8-14; On Monotheism
This passage includes Paul teaching, “The commandments . . . are summed
up in this sentence, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does
no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
It has always been tempting for people to envision their gods as having
complex personalities with multiple emotional states and competing desires
that, not coincidentally, reflect their own competing emotions and desires.
Consequently, humans have tended to create their God or gods in their own
image. A monotheistic faith that describes God as having multiple
personality characteristics permits humans to conjure up whatever image of
God suits the situation. For example, when at war, they can envision God as
angry, vengeful, and warlike. When at peace, they can see God as loving,
caring, and peaceful. Therefore, a monotheistic God with multiple
personality traits is essentially the same as a polytheistic faith in which
each god has a single attribute.
Paul portrays God in a monotheistic framework, with love being the
fundamental characteristic of God. This accords with Jesus’ own teaching
(Matthew 22:39, and elsewhere) and with 1 John 4:8, which reads, “He who
does not love does not know God; for God is love.” This brings us to obvious
questions: If God is love, would God approve of killing God’s creatures
unnecessarily? Is it not a particularly egregious offense to systematically
abuse God’s creatures prior to killing them, in order to reduce the cost of
their flesh, eggs, and secretions? I think that, if we are to take the idea
of a monotheistic faith seriously, we must reject violence and abuse against
God’s innocent creatures.
Go on to: Romans 14:1-12
Are Vegetarians “Weak in Faith”?
Return to:
Reflection on the Lectionary, Table of Contents
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