Animal Christian Concern (ACC) on Vegetarianism – Part Two

Written as part of the reply sent in answer to questions from a secular animal welfarist

For Part One, go here.

Vegetarianism is nothing new. In Biblical times, as now, it was something of a sore point. Romans Chapter 14 shows that the early Christians were troubled by arguments about the subject and were strongly advised by Paul to be tolerant of one another’s views. Here we read, perhaps with some annoyance, Paul’s words, “One person’s faith allows him to eat anything, but the person who is weak in the faith eats only vegetables”. This apparently denigratory passage is not, however, a slur on vegetarianism. It stems from arguments about whether it should be permissible for non-Jewish Christians to eat meat which may have been part of foreign sacrificial slaughter – Daniel’s problem. Paul is at pains to express the belief that legalism of this kind is not the real issue, but that faith in Christ, and His grace, must transcend the Law. It was one of the problems caused by the expansion of the Church: Circumcision, for instance, being another contentious issue.

Incidentally, Paul himself may have opted for a meatless diet as his own answer to the sacrificial problem (1 Corinthians 8:13). Within the first century of the faith, Christianity had become predominantly Gentile and the Jews who had accepted Christ Jesus as their Messiah, were outnumbered, their existing Law superseded. There was much heart searching amongst these conscientious Jews, and many refused to join the Gentile Christians, forming their own communities instead. One of these groups, the Ebionites, practised vegetarianism, ascetism and poverty. Interestingly, their acceptance of Jesus as Messiah was strictly limited to that of a Jewish Nationalistic concept. To them Jesus was a prophet, not a Saviour, and they repudiated Paul as an apostle.

All this has a distinctly familiar ring! It seems to be a familiar theme amongst vegetarians/vegans:

We see it today and it points to an ever-present danger, a danger to which we are ALL susceptible. We are prone to worshipping, ‘ISMS’. We can worship Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Protestantism, Humanism, or any other, ‘ISM’, and we can certainly worship Vegetarianism/Veganism. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” However good the principle, it must NOT become a god; it cannot replace a Saviour.

During His ministry, Jesus knew that the world and its creatures were not perfect, and He accepted them for what they were. His disciples He called away from varying levels of imperfection: Peter, Andrew, James and John, from their fishing; Matthew (Levi) from his tax corruptions; Paul (Saul) from his persecution of Christians. Jesus mingled with the people, meeting them in their varying needs. He did not stand aloof in untouchable perfection but hallowed them within their fallenness. Unlike the ascetic John the Baptist, who we remember had pointed out Jesus as the One whose shoes he was not worthy to untie (Luke 3), Jesus ate with tax gatherers, healed the daughter of a military officer of the occupying forces, and very possibly accepted food from the hands of slaves.

Why did Jesus not issue a list of dos and don’ts to reinforce and to extend the Ten Commandments? It would have made our faith so much simpler for us, but it would also have been an extension of another, ‘ISM’, Legalism, that trap which had already enmeshed the conscientious Jews. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO LEGISLATE CHOICE. The only Commandment given by Jesus was, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Within that spirit of Love, we have to make all our choices. We have to choose light rather than darkness: We have to choose the Kingdom of God – a non-predatory Kingdom in which there is no room for slaughter. But where we fail, and we shall always fail, even if it is only in self-satisfaction at our own purity, then we may take our failures in penitence to the Cross. The “dominion” given to humankind and spoken of in Genesis Chapter 1 is, in fact, a commission to the stewardship of creation, a compassionate stewardship such as that expected of a good king for his subjects. Living creatures were NOT then given to humankind for food (Genesis 1:29) and if humankind is now enabled to function as an omnivore, it is surely because humankind must in all things be enabled to make a choice. “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death.” (Deuteronomy 30:15).

The events depicted in Genesis Chapters 1-9 reflect the anguish of God for His creation, a creation in such turmoil and so fallen from His original intention. After the Flood, there comes a new covenant, the ‘Rainbow’ Covenant, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the ever-lasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth”.

Within these very first chapters of Genesis are the concepts of the Kingdom of God, of the Fall of humankind, and of the promise of Redemption in Christ Jesus – concepts which are the seed of the Christian faith. And the human trait of flesh eating belongs firmly within the attitudes of the Fall, together with all other violence and disharmony.

But God does accept that humankind is incapable of meeting His standards and will choose to eat flesh – yet even so, the flesh eating must be limited by humane laws, and must obtain “righteous” standards in the care of all animals. These Old Testament standards which include natural, compassionate conditions and Sabbath rest for animals, are light-years away from those to be found in contemporary systems of intensive farming, transportation and slaughter.

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans Chapter 14:9, writing to early Christians, in an attempt to ease the tension created by disturbed consciences and conflicting opinions upon the suitability of eating meat which had been involved in pagan ritual slaughter, had this to say, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall”. And Paul himself, because of this very problem may well have opted for a meatless diet (Corinthians 8:13).

As Deuteronomy 30:15 tells us, we can, like Adam, make a choice for the ways of the Fall. God places that choice before us – but we are also told what God desires our choice to be, “Choose life” (Deut. 30:20). In His prophetic teachings on stewardship (Luke 12) Christ Jesus had this to say about a steward’s treatment of his “servants” and, knowing Jesus to be the Lord of all Creation, we must relate these teachings to our use of the whole Creation, “But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants”. Jesus then goes on to speak of judgment, making it quite clear that a “servant” who does not do what he knows his master wants, will face a severe judgment, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded”. Christian stewardship and judgment, the two are inextricably linked.

Our contemporary crisis of Christian conscience then is not unlike that faced by the early Christians, and this is a situation which we should all attempt to face, however difficult that is, without rancor. There is another passage in the scriptures which should serve as a warning to us all, for we are ALL susceptible to the fault it describes. Here Jesus warns of the possibility of our creating such a false impression of the faith we claim that we may turn others away from righteousness, away from their quest for God: “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck” (Mark 9:41-42).

How many earnestly vociferous Christian animal welfarists may have sent timid church traditionalists scuttling back to the comfort and security of their roast beef in a conviction that compassionate, Christian vegetarianism/veganism must be legalism or new age religion? A disturbing thought for all of us. On the other hand, outside the Christian churches, there are vast numbers of animal welfarists who despise Christians and who have rejected Christ Jesus. Some of these, in despair, have long since left the Christian faith and its churches; some of these have indeed made vegetarianism/veganism a substitute religion; some, an alarming number, have embraced other faiths and new age cults.
This has happened because too many Christians have claimed, and do claim, that the stewardship of creation may be manifested as tyranny and that a cruel exploitation of God’s creatures is not cruelty at all. The existence of these ‘lost sheep’ should be a disturbing thought.

With love and prayers,
May Tripp

Thank you for reading our article!  Please feel free to share with others!  God’s blessings. ~ Roslyne