Meat eating and the bible

In Bible days they killed lambs as a sacrifice at the alter..They slew animals in Bible days all the time...The prodigal son returned home and they slautherd a fatted calf to celebrate his return home....I know that we do not live like in the Bible days,but if you read the Bible their were animals killed all the time...

this is a very well thought out astute discussion, and i agree with you. altho im not in any rush to go vegan, or make any signs protesting turkey farms at thanksgiving.. i dont eat meat all that often simply because i prefer to eat something else most of the time, but sometimes the want of a good steak or burger hits, and i indulge accordingly. i do however, look for meats that are free-range, hormone free, organic, etc etc, just simply because it is healthier for me over those tortured animals full of chemicals.. you are what you eat afterall..

I'd take issue with the statement that "A context in which animal cruelty was simply unheard of is not comparable to one in which it seems to be common practice. Animal cruelty was not rampant in the time of Jesus" There is probably some truth in the statement that a small peasant farmer would take good care of his animals as his own life and the life of his family depended on his herd or flock. However, at the same time tens of thousands of wild animals were shipped to Rome and many other places to be killed in the arena simply for the amusement of the crowd. It's the concept of animal rights that was unheard of,not the actual cruelty to animals which was common at all levels of society.

This is true, there is a right way and a wrong way to prepare an animal for meat..But Jesus also kept Kosher, so he would not have eaten pig or shrimp, but he did eat fish and lamb..(Of course lamb, that was His last supper, the Passover Seder where they have lamb that they has sacrificed)

Hi wooitsmolly, This is an excellent article, well thought out and very true. Jesus did eat fish, that is true according to the Bible. I am totally opposed to what is happening in the world today in regard to the way animals are treated. Profit, the bottom line, is what meat producers look at, so no thought is given to the welfare of the animal. I am sure that Jesus would not approve of how animals are being treated today. Blessings.

Don't take this as an endorsement of animal cruelty, but that article does not paint an accurate picture of first century animal care or even 21st century animal care. Yes those that took care of the herds in the 1st century took GREAT care of the herds. Livestock was a measure of wealth. They didn't have banks and investment accounts. When they accumulated wealth, they bought and sold animals. They were a commodity. They were not animal lovers. In fact, if they had a wayward sheep that would not stay with the herd they would break the sheep's leg so that it couldn't wander off. Consider the 23rd Psalm. "He MAKETH me to lie down in green pastures." It doesn't say 'he encourages me' or 'he leads me'. It says he maketh me. The reference is to this practice breaking the wayward sheep's leg. Also, it is NOT in the best interests of the ranchers to have animals die while in their care or in route to the slaughterhouse. Those animals can no longer be used for anything, especially not for food. Again, I am not condoning some of the practices that exist today. But I do want to make it clear that not everything in that article is accurate. Also, I spent some time on a cattle ranch when I was younger. I am not going to lie, some of the practices are not for the squeamish. Particularly how the treated the sick cows. It wasn't cruel really but imagine trying to get a 1000 pound cow to submit to treatment. There was one cow that had developed pink eye. This rancher spent a great deal of time and money to treat this animal. That is not to say that there is no abuse. I am sure that there is and your passion for this is what is needed to initiate change. Good for you. If you and others that are passionate about this continue to spread the word, things will in fact change. Keep up the good work.

So, hi... The arguments are right and good... Thanks for sharing this information with us... me...!

I'm just your garden variety United Methodist where we love our cookouts and wienie roasts, a little (or a lot of) pizza at our youth meetings, and enjoy all sorts of goodies at our carry-ins. Many years ago, one of our members (who is now Assembly Of God but probably hasn't changed his tastes in food to this day) was on an outing with other adults at church (including my folks who witnessed this and got a kick out of it, so they told me, since I was back at the church with the rest of the kids and couldn't be there to see it for myself) where they went to a popular smorgasbord. Carl loved fried shrimp so much that he didn't eat much else but that the entire time they were there. Everybody else was going around and eating some of this and some of that, but Carl had a definite target, and he really piled his plates high. He was a tall guy but didn't weigh 1000 lbs. or anywhere close. Built more like an athlete! You'd have to wonder where he put it all. On my dad's side of the family, several of them went from being Disciples Of Christ members to Seventh Day Adventists back before I was born. Some of them remained meat-eaters but excluded pork, shrimp, and a few other kinds of meat. However, Aunt Jenny and Uncle D1ck went 100% vegetarian and raised their kids that way. Although Aunt Jenny never did, I believe that Uncle D1ck has occasionally eaten beef or fish in his later years. They had two kids, Carolyn & Jimmy. Carolyn, to this day, wouldn't even think of eating meat. Jimmy did eat hamburgers occasionally and, also, converted to his wife's faith when they got married. I remember hearing some story about him when he was dating another non-SDA when he was in his late teens or early twenties. He ate at her family's home one time and enjoyed some kind of ground meat dish but had no idea what it was--but, after he found out that pork was in it, his gag-reflex went wild, and he ended up having to run to the nearest bathroom to throw up. Carolyn married another SDA who did eat meat, but she and their kids didn't. I remember being at her place watching her prepare a can of Chunky Beef soup for Larry and making the remark that she didn't know how he could stand it--that it almost made her sick-to-her-stomach to prepare it for him. Anyway, I had no problem at all with eating most meat that's acceptable to eat here in the USA--though I don't eat deer, squirrel, raccoon, or possum. I've eaten and love duck meat, and I would, likely, like goose meat, too, though I haven't had any yet. But I wouldn't knowingly eat a Canada goose because they mate for life. No cats, dogs, or rats for me, though. I have no idea whether or not I've ever eaten horse meat--but certainly not when I've been aware of it. You've made a good point about the difference between the care and preparation of animals back in Jesus' time and in our time. I wonder if tax breaks would encourage more meat-processing companies to change their methods of preparation and more people raising livestock to be more considerate of the animals they're raising. It would be nice...

this is what ha happened when the BIG companies came in and took over the land of the small farmer or rancher. We would have a lot better type of animals if we kicked out the BIG companies and gave the land back to the little farmers and ranchers. My father in law raised hogs and would feed and them what they needed and when they got the right size we would take them to the sale barn to sale. Hehad well I wont say beautiful hogs but the sure were nice looking for he took time with them

I agree that compassion is not compatible with modern animal production practices. I do not agree however with the trend of assuming that people of the past were somehow inherently more compassionate. The only reason there animals were given better physical treatment is because they had to be presented as living healthy creatures fit for consumption. Since the face of the animals has been removed in modern practice it allows for more hidden cruelty. But, the livestock farmers of old were in the business to make a living and to provide for their families. If they had access to refrigeration and modern slaughterhouses I am very much doubtful they would not have used them. Convenience has a way of corrupting the purest of hearts. Having raised animals to slaughter myself I can say that the sense of connection is much greater, and the concurrent feelings of connectedness which lead to compassion are more prevalent - It's no fun to watch Betty suffer before you cut her up and eat her. But, there is always the knowing that Betty will someday be burgers. Pre-modern man was not automatically more noble than modern man, they simply did not have as much convenient access to tools with which to f*ck things up.

well, Paul said something in the bible which impresses that we should not eat meat. most great personalities in the world, especially in spiritual world are likely vegetarian. a friend of mine, who is a muslim say that even Muhammad rarely ate meat. He ate meat only in the social meetings.

what is your question again? actually the bible said god gave man dominion over all earthly animals to take care of ,eat,and not abuse the privalidge!but he did say it was ok to slaughter the eatable ones!i think what u r talking about is not the killing but the way we get certain cows to be a certain way like for veal,or stick them with steriods etc..that is wrong!

Very well stated. I do agree with you. There is also the pollution in our lakes and streams that make eating fish much less healthy than it was in Christ's time. I do believe that animals were put here for our use, but not our abuse. I eat meat, it is my choice. My belief is that moderation is the key to health. Even as a vegan, if you eat mostly carrots and very little of anything else, it would not be healthy, right? You have to balance nutrients and minerals into a moderate diet irregardless of what your diet consists of. By the way, did you see my discussion on cutting myself? It was a chicken I was cleaning to bake. The butchers had broken it's ribs and I ended up with a nasty cut from it. (Okay, stop laughing!) I will continue to eat meat, but I am thankful for my faith in the Lord because I believe we all have to account for our actions on our judgement day. I cannot change the world or the people in it. I can only touch a very few lives in my time here. Yet God will sit in judgement of all who have sinned and committed crimes against Him and against life. I find comfort in that knowledge. Wendy

hmmm neva really thought of dat