Meat-eating christians?

arachnid, you’re not suggesting that there is no difference between “murder” and “killing”, are you? Would you agree that there is a difference between my breaking into my neighbor’s house and stabbing him to death so I can drag his wife and children off into slavery and my breaking into my neighbor’s house and his shooting me to death to protect his family, wouldn’t you? Tragic situations, both…but my reading of the Bible doesn’t require my neighbor to allow me to ravage his family. The Bible requires us to live at peace with each other, as much as it depends on us. That requires that we go “the extra mile” and “turn the other cheek” but it doesn’t require us to lay down and let evil destroy us. But, we’re straying far afield from whether it’s moral for me to eat steak.

Oh, goodness, where do I start. The commandment often quoted as, “Thou shall not kill” uses a Hebrew verb that usually refers to a premeditated, deliberate act that is better translated as, “Thou shall not murder.” It’s about the illegal killing of other human beings. Further the Bible is full, I mean full, of people being directed to kill various animals as sacrifices to God…not to mention God’s instruction to the armies of the children of Israel to take the promised land by force when necessary. There are detailed instructions about which animal foods were “clean” and which were “unclean”, and how to prepare the clean animals for consumption. Further, there is documentation of Jesus eating lamb, and there is even an account of him cooking fish, and directing his disciples on where and how to catch more fish than they could haul aboard their boat. So, I don’t see how you can make a case for vegetarianism from a moral perspective based on the Bible. You are certainly free to feel that killing and eating animals is morally repugnant to you, but it’s not Biblical principle. Please note: I’m not making a case against vegetarianism, although I am not one. I’m just saying the Bible offers you no support for it.

camppapa: red_rose_mafia didn’t say anything about a single lamb, she said that “the streets ran red with blood”. You don’t find that kind of sick? I do, and I have no problem with eating meat.

duno, also in the bible they talk about the night they slaughtered so many lambs the streets ran red with blood, all for 1 drop of blood from eahc lamb to give to god… pretty blummin sick if ya ask me

yeahh, people have mentioned it but ‘murder’ and ‘kill’ are different things. However. Theres a common quote ‘meat is murder’

So yeah, but in my eyes, its just peoples opinion.

Some christians believe in the death penalty, some don’t. Not all will believe the same things to do with such things as this.

Congrats. on being a veggie btw! :D

I mean the Bible even says: Tho shalt not kill! Sooo why do we have meat-eating christians???

That is a mistranslation (very common in the King James Bible). The proper phrasing would be ‘Do not MURDER’

By definition, murder involves malice, hatred, et cetera. So, its not the same as killing an animal for food.

The problem with that argument is that plants are living too, and when we eat them, well they die too.

well technically if you kill in that way its for food which is essential for surviving so… yea plus you dont really kill the things now we just buy them at a store

camppapa puts it very well. Of course, the bible also says not to kill other humans, but nevertheless involves an awful lot of deity-sanctioned murder, so all you can really take away from this is that the bible isn’t a very coherent or consistent book.

first of all god put the animals here for food for us, I mean ok if we didnt eat animals and plants (some) what would we eat?? thou shalt not kill, means dont go to your next door neighbors house and kill them…it isn a sin to eat meat…its here for a reason, and what do you think they ate back then, in christ’s days, they fished, kill the fish and ate it..//meat isn a sin, thou shalt not kill=humans, not animals, and sorry just have to say it, isn mistranslated

This really has nothing to do with the christian part and more with the vegetarianism and killing. First of all why are you allowed to eat plants? Just because they don’t have faces doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain. So basically you’re killing those plants thus going back on what you are claiming is wrong…killing. And I dunno if you know this but kosher meat is from animals who have humanely died for food sources and is constantly checked upon. Just giving you more info for no reason.

red_rose_mafia, as a matter of personal curiosity: What moral framework, or aesthetic sensibility gives rise to your sense that the shedding of lamb’s blood is “sick”. I wouldn’t argue that in some instances the shedding of blood is sick and sickening. I just wonder what is the source of your feeling on the subject? Is it merely a personal preference, similar to my dislike of brussel sprouts, or is it a part of some “school” of thought?

Genesis 9. Read that. I would suggest reading it in the New Living Traslation so it is easier to understand. Verse 2&3 states;

‘2 All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. 3 I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables.”