History Of American Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism as a movement did not start with the hippies of the late 60′s and early 70′s as I would have imagined but rather it started long before that in 1817 with a small group of pilgrims who voyaged from Britain to the New World. Like the first Pilgrims, they were seeking escape from religious persecution and desired to practice their faith. They were serious about the Bible, and they took even more seriously the admonition in Genesis 1:29-30 which commands that the first humans only eat herbs and vegetables. They firmly believed that this was the original will of God. They called themselves the “Bible Christian Church” and one of the conditions necessary to become a member was being a vegetarian.
Does The Bible Command Vegetarianism
This author is also a Christian and a vegetarian but my marching orders did not come from Genesis 1:29-30 but rather I believe that although all the Bible is FOR us, it is not all written TO us, orABOUT us. I believe that the specific part of the Bible that is written directly to Gentiles in the Dispensation of Grace is found in the thirteen Gentile Epistles of Paul. As far as this writer is concerned Genesis 1:29-30 is not directly admonishing us regarding food but rather such verses as Romans 14:14 and I Timothy 4:4 in which Paul states by the Holy Spirit; I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (Rom. 14:14) For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving. (I Tim. 4:4)
Although as stated I am a Christian and a vegetarian, nevertheless I do not snatch a verse out of Genesis to the exclusion of many other verses and attempt to establish a religionbased on a single passage of scripture. Instead I attempt to Rightly Divide the Word of Truth (II Tim. 2:15) and find out exactly which part of the Bible is speaking directly to me. So although I believe strongly in the cause of vegetarianism for reasons of health, protection of the environment, and protection of the rights of animals, I do not feel it prudent to teach that God has commanded all men throughout the ages to practicevegetarianism. I also believe that although God is not commanding the practice of vegetarianism in this Dispensation of Grace (Eph 3:13), He would nevertheless have us to realize that under grace All things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me but all things edify not. (I Corinthians 10:23) Therefore I must choose that which is expedient and that which edifies. In regards to the consumption of animal flesh and their by-products as far as I am concerned the expedient and edifying thing to do is to abstain.
I hope the reader will be clear of at least one thing in regards to my stance on vegetarianism. It is my firm conviction that if all the evidence regarding human health, environmental issues, and animal cruelty are weighed in the balances, the only reasonable choice would be to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. I attempt to be intellectually honest about my convictions and offer evidence to support my conclusions. I do not however, seek to use an obscure passage of scripture to back up my strong intellectual belief in the many merits of a vegetarian lifestyle. It is not necessary to do so. Actually from my study of the Bible, I am fully persuaded that each of us must come to our own conclusions about this matter based on objective evidence. God is not condemning the practice of eating meat nor is He championing the merits of vegetarianism. Therefore if you are a Christian meat eater, I would not be so foolish as to try and prove to you from the Bible that you are out of God’s will.
I must admit however, that I secretly wish that the Bible did condemn the eating of meat as a sin in this present dispensation because as far as this writer is concerned, if it did it would end allarguments. But unfortunately it does not. In reality it asks Christians to weigh all the verses in the Bible as to God’s will in a matter and to pay specific attention to the verses that speak directly to us. As for the consumption of meat, it is clear to this author that God does not condemn the practice.
That said, I also believe that farm factories which treat animals as mere commodities and raise them under the cruelest conditions and then slaughter them in the most barbaric fashion imaginable would be very much condemned by God. Greed is the major force behind the raising and slaughter of animals in the present factory system and this is clearly not in God’s will. I also believe that God would have us to be good stewards of the environment as well as our own bodies and as far as food is concerned this in my opinion can best be accomplished through adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, but Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. (Romans 14:5b)
In conclusion it is my opinion that there are many compelling reasons to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle but I cannot in good conscience use the Bible as my reason for championing the cause. I also think that when someone uses one verse from theBible to try and make others believe that it is actually God who is commanding vegetarianism that they do more harm to the cause of vegetarianism than good. We who believe in the merits of a vegetarian lifestyle do not need to play fast and loose with the scriptures in order to make our point. We are better served by presenting a searching soul with the mountains of evidence in favor of the vegetarian way and let such a person make an intelligent decision based on the facts.
I am passionate about health issues, and the state of the health of our wonderful America. I believe the American diet is literally killing us and that a steady flow of money and perks from the meat, egg, and dairy
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