Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org

Animal Christian Concern (ACC) on Vegetarianism – Parts One and Two

From SAGC Shepherding All God’s Creatures
November 2022

There is a long history of what went wrong after the Fall, but one important factor is that humankind resorted to violence, both against Creation and against his own kind. The caring stewardship of His creatures ordained by God, they made into a tyranny, and man also killed fellow man. God became so grieved that He considered totally destroying His Creation (Genesis 6). But He found Noah, who was free from corruption, and so spared him the cleansing Flood, together with a remnant of Creation.

The Garden of Eden - Izaak van Oosten

MARGARET: Isaiah’s vision of a non-predatory world is NOT SUPPORTED by the orthodox Christian Church as an Institution. Why not? Nor is the story of Daniel and his men who lived on a diet of pulse and water for 10 days and looked healthier than the King’s men who ate flesh and drank wine. Why does the Church not teach this in support of a vegetarian/vegan diet? Why no flesh foods at Harvest Festivals? It all seems so illogical to me, a contradiction in terms when the Church teaches meat eating, and why teach people to be predators, when clearly our bowels, teeth and jaws are those of non-carnivorous ape? This is not part of the ‘Truth’ which the Church is supposed to stand for.

MAY: You are quite right of course; the Church never has made much of that part of Isaiah’s prophecy which relates to a non-predatory world. But then nor have the other religions of Judaism and Islam, which also take the Old Testament as their base. The trouble is that the Christian churches, as well as all other religions, are made up of people of the Fall. Naturally they are inclined to hold on to their fallen trait of flesh eating. I admit, however, that I have known some Christians who are so keen to defend their right to eat meat that they seem almost to promote meat eating as a virtue, and as a necessary qualification for membership of Christianity! This, of course, is nonsense and I am pleased to say that I also know Christians who, as a matter of conscience, have opted out of meat eating, and this number is steadily growing, especially as the result of intensive farming.

Let us be quite clear that the Old Testament account of Creation describes a non-predatory world. This concept is supported by the prophet Isaiah in his Messianic prophecies, and by the book of Revelation. We must then keep this concept as the base of our thinking. So, what went wrong? There is a long history of what went wrong after the Fall, but one important factor is that humankind resorted to violence, both against Creation and against his own kind. The caring stewardship of His creatures ordained by God, they made into a tyranny, and man also killed fellow man. God became so grieved that He considered totally destroying His Creation (Genesis 6). But He found Noah, who was free from corruption, and so spared him the cleansing Flood, together with a remnant of Creation.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE, PARTS ONE AND TWO, HERE.

 

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