IV. Answers to Objections & Questions

1) But doesn't the Bible give us permission to use animals for food?
Please see my exegesis of Genesis 9:1-7 and Genesis 1:29-31 in part three. I think it fully answers this question.

2) But didn't Jesus say that nothing we eat can defile us? And didn't Paul say Christians who don't eat meat are weak in faith?
The passages referred to are Matthew 15:11 (from Jesus -- also Mark 7:15), as well as Romans 14:1-4,14-18 and
I Corinthians 10:14-33 (from Paul). All of these passages have only limited relevance to contemporary Christian vegetarianism. Here's why.....

The first Christians encountered two primary dietary issues, each in relation to its respective religious lifestyle:

1. Jewish: Orthodox Jewish groups opposing Jesus (consisting of Pharisees, Sadducees, and possibly Essenes) maintained strict Kosher dietary regulations, avoiding defiled foods at all costs. The issue for these folks was the supposed spiritual impurity of the food. Basing their convictions on a legalistic interpretations of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, they believed certain foods to be unclean in the sight of God. Jesus corrected them by saying "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." (Matthew 15:11; cf. Mark 7:15)
2. Greek/Roman: Greco-Roman pagan religious groups dominated the religious spectrum in ancient Europe where most of the early Gentile Christian communities were formed. The common practice of merchants devoted to these religions was to ritually offer their foods, particularly meats, as a sacrifice to idols prior to their sale on the market. This presented an issue to the early Gentile Christians, some of whom thought it was necessary to abstain from such foods, again because of some perceived spiritual impurity in the food. Paul's written responses (in Romans 14:1-4,14-18 and I Corinthians 10:14-33) generally gave a two-point response: First, echoing Jesus, Paul says it's okay to eat this food since there is no food that is spiritually unclean. Paul says, "I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself..." (Romans 14:14). Therefore he says, "Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake..." (I Corinthians 10:25) and, "For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables" (Romans 14:2). But......secondly, he tells his listeners that they should be sensitive to those who are troubled by such practices and abstain from this food when in their presence. He says, "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak" (Romans 14:21). Why is this? Because Christians are called to live in love and respect for one another. Paul says, "...if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died" (Romans 14:15).

If anything, these passages support our cause. Paul says in I Corinthians 10:31, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." This means that even our diets (as with every other part of life- cf. Proverbs 3:6) should be examined in consideration of God's will. Few people give their eating habits much scrutiny, but there are some serious issues to consider here. Does it really give glory to God to fill our bodies (temples) with fat and cholesterol, to consume large quantities of meats while a good portion of the world starves, and to butcher and abuse the animals he created for our companionship when we have so many other food options? Pray about it.....

3) How can you reconcile vegetarianism with the following scriptures?

1. Mark 5:1-20 -- (Jesus gives a legion of demons permission to come out of a man and into a herd of swine, sending them rushing off a cliff to their deaths.)
2. John 21:1-14 -- (Jesus eats fish for breakfast with His disciples after a miraculous catch.)
3. I Timothy 4:1-5 -- (Paul warns of apostasy in the Christian era, including unfounded commandments to abstain from marriage and from certain foods.)

• What does the Bible say to us in general?
• What issues/needs surround us in the present world?
• How does the Bible addresses similar situations in its time?
• What is the Lord calling us to do?

Christian vegetarianism is a similar decision. Yes, there are a number of scriptures that sanction meat consumption and the killing of animals. But the abuses in the meat industry and the Euro-American diet provide solid support for making abstinence from meat a part of Christian discipleship in today's world. It may not have been the right thing for the Native Americans that hunted buffalo in the 18th and 19th centuries, but it is the right thing for us today. They didn't have many other dietary options, but neither did they have the dangers and abuses that we do.

Keeping this in mind, let's look at the passages in question...

1. Mark 5:1-20-- This passage supports our cause. Why? Because it shows that Jesus cared more for the well-being of people than for the meat industry in the land of the Gadarenes. Many of us are vegetarians because we, too, care more for the well-being of humanity than meat industries. (See part two.) Notice how quickly the pig caretakers stir up public resentment against Jesus, to the point the He is asked to leave town (vv.14-17). The "Oscar Mayers" of first-century Palestine cared more about their profits from hogs than about the man who was healed by Jesus. The meat industry is just the same way today, as we saw in their reaction to Oprah Winfrey's exposure of the mad-cow disease and its dangers.

2. John 21:1-14-- There are other passages as well that bring up the issue of Jesus and fish-eating (e.g. Mark 8:1-10). Modern fish consumption raises a number of issues that were not at hand in Jesus' time. These are some of them....
   • Industrial fisheries remove and raise sea creatures away from there native habitat, which brings up the ethical issues discussed in part three.
   • Commercial fishing industries tend to overfish, which in turn deprives aquatic animals that feed on fish of an adequate food supply. We have other things to eat; many of them do not.
   • Modern fishing practices have often involved the abuse of other aquatic animals. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has documented driftnets used by commercial fisheries many miles long, which catch everything in their path and drown dolphins, whales, birds, and sea turtles.
   • Further, the geographic region where Jesus lived and ministered did not have the food resources that are available to us today. Citizens of Palestine in Jesus' day depended on fish for their protein, much like Native Americans depended on buffalo and deer for their protein in the 18th and 19th centuries.
   
   These and other issues seem to indicate that Jesus' use of fish here was based on historic and geographic location. Had He been ministering in a culture that depended on soybeans for protein, Jesus probably would have used soybeans for His "miraculous catch".

3. I Timothy 4:1-5-- This passage refers to practices originating from the doctrine that all matter is evil, possibly in response to some pre-Gnostic religion. Paul counters that everything God created is good, something we vegetarians agree with. As with the examples in question two, the issue is some perceived spiritual impurity of the food, a doctrine which few vegetarians subscribe to today.

4) But wasn't Hitler a vegetarian?
I have heard from people here and there that he was, but that doesn't really mean anything. It is never mentioned in his anti-Semitic theory in in Mein Kampf, and I don't think it is mentioned at all in his writings. Hitler also rode in automobiles, but that doesn't mean that riding in a car is evil, does it?

It has been more intelligently argued, however, that vegetarianism has a danger of leading to a Hitlerian type of genocide. The argument basically says that we humans collectively need to view ourselves as a "higher order" of creatures, lest our foul treatment of animals spill over onto our own species. The concern is that certain racial/ethnic groups will be regarded as subhuman, and conditions like genocide and slavery will result.

Two responses to this: First, most Christian vegetarians maintain that humans are of a higher order. The Bible does say that we were created in God's image, after all (Genesis 1:26). Second, this does not mean we have to brutalize animals. We seek to maintain a humane balance where we observe the imago dei of humanity while treating animals humanely, like the writer of Proverbs 12:10 did. It's a rather contradictory argument to say, "We have to be brutal in order to prevent brutality."

5) How can you possibly be concerned for animal welfare when so many babies are being murdered in abortions every day?
There are some abortion opponents in our country, and a minority of them I might add, who, when they encounter a viewpoint they don't agree with, behave as if abortion should be the only issue that's important to anybody. (Incidentally, this has not stopped most of them from opposing other "pro-life" measures like handgun control or abolition of the death penalty.)

If these folks were to pick up and read their Bibles they would immediately discover that our God is not a one-issue God. Jesus' ministry was not confined to one thing, but it addressed a host of issues, ranging from hunger (Matthew 25:35), to the death penalty (John 8:1-11), to demon-possession (Mark 5:1-20), to human rights (Luke 4:17-21), to sickness (Luke 7:1-10), to eternal life (John 3:16). Wherever there are needs of any kind, the gospel calls us to respond (Matthew 25:31-46).

6) What about the plight migrants and other vegetable workers that are underpaid and not given health insurance?
This brings up a legitimate concern. I have heard about how badly migrant workers are treated, not just in the vegetable industries, but others as well. This concern encompasses almost all goods that Americans purchase, ranging from sporting goods to clothing to children's toys. Workers in third world countries are especially oppressed. They are extremely underpaid, overworked, given no benefits, and forced to work in inhumane conditions. Because of this they live in abject poverty and sometimes suffer from easily preventable diseases. Christians should be better attuned to these problems than we are. There is a desparate need out there for someone to come up with a good boycott list so we can take action on this, if anyone's looking for something to do. I've heard the names of Nestle, Texaco, and Nike posited as good to boycott, but I'm not nearly informed enough to start one.

It is worth noting that the American meat industry historically has provided the worst working conditions of any industry in America. Slaughterhouse workers have the highest turnover rate and on-the-job injury rate of any occupation in the country. Additionally, I don't think that concern for oppressed workers should prevent Christians from working towards the Biblically sanctioned principles outlined in part one, part two, and part three of this document. We should respond to both needs as the Bible calls us to.

7) I don't see how you can get your protein and nutritional needs met without eating meat.
Actually, not eating meat is quite a bit more healthy.(See part one.) Eating meat is more dangerous, largely because of fat and cholesterol content.

In terms of protein, vegans and vegetarians get it from legumes, rice, beans, nuts, peanut butter, spinach, soy products, tofu, and other products. Lacto-ovo vegetarians can also get it from dairy and egg products. Genesis 1:29-31 makes it clear that it is possible from our created nature to subsist without consuming animal products.

8) I could never be a vegetarian. I just like eating meat too much to give it up.
Of all the excuses I hear, this one is the most LAME. We're supposed to be guided by our principles, not our appetites. Come on now! This sounds just like the "if it feels good do it" mentality of our larger culture.