Chapter 11.17
Vegan & the Bible
Vegetarian vs: Vegan – The Diet – The Nazarene Vow – Wine –
Gluttony
Was God a Vegan? - Was Jesus a Vegan? – Four Vegan Boys – OT
Dietary Laws
Case for Animals – Case for Meat Lovers – Case of Dairy
Lovers – Cruelty to Animals
First Word
The initial diet of ALL humanity was Vegan;
vegetables, fruits, nuts, & grain.[1] A Vegetarian is
basically someone who practices eating only vegetables and dairy products and
abstains from eating meat; Semi-Vegetarians will include fish and poultry in
their diet. Vegetarian and Vegan; what
is the difference?
Veganism is the practice
of abstaining from ingesting animal-derived foodstuffs as well as dairy
products. Followers of either The Diet or The Philosophy are known as a VEGANS.
Vegans believe that their way
of life is the purest way to honor God and His creations, not only does it
outwardly express compassion toward animal life, but inwardly it is a healthier
lifestyle and is better for the community and the world.
The term Vegan was coined
by Donald Watson when he co-founded the Vegan Society in
England in 1944; at first, the word Vegan meant…
ü
The
Diet:
A Vegan - a "Non-dairy vegetarian" (no
dairy; no meats) and later it included
ü
The
Philosophy: The
Ethical Vegan "Doctrine: man
should live without exploiting animals".
The term Ethical Vegan is applied
to those who extend this philosophy into other areas of their lives opposing
the use of animal products for any purpose. They avoid the purchase of ordinary
soaps and cosmetics that contain animal bi-products or purchasing bedding that
contains goose down or duck feathers. They
choose to not wear clothing that includes animal products such as wool and silk
or leather shoes. OT
Tradition has many wearing only linen.
Ethical Vegans
avoid
certain vaccines such as the flu vaccine which is usually grown in hens'
eggs. As an alternative, Ethical Vegans can use” Flublok” which is widely available.
Vegan diets are based on
grains and other seeds, legumes, beans, fruits, vegetables,
edible mushrooms and nuts. The diet tends to be higher in HDL;
good cholesterol, and higher in dietary fiber, folic acid, magnesium, iron,
vitamin C
and E
and “Phytonutrients”
which are the nutrients that come only from plants.
The diet tends to be lower in LDL,
the bad cholesterol; Lower in saturated fats, calories, vitamin B12
and vitamin D,
calcium,
and zinc.
Most of the fats encountered are the “good”
fats; “Monounsaturated”
fats. The diet downside is that it tends to not offer enough protein,
vitamins and essential amino acids in the diet.
Ø
Vegans do not
eat wild
game, beef, pork, poultry, fowl, seafood, eggs, dairy, or
any other animal products, such as gelatin.
Ø
Vegan Meats (mock meats) are based on soybeans (tofu), or wheat-based seitan/gluten,
usually in the form of vegetarian sausage, mince, and veggie burgers.
Ø
Vegan milks (plants) are
used in place of cows' or goats' milk, they are made from oats, rice,
soy, almonds, hemp and coconut.
Ø
Vegan Cheeses called Chreese, Daiya,
Sheese, Teese and Tofutti, are
made from soy, nuts and tapioca to replace dairy cheese.
Veganism appears to provide health
benefits, including a reduced risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart
disease, type 2 diabetes and can aid in weight loss. – Wikipedia –
There is evidence that in heaven we will
all be HERBIVORES
eating herbs and that Vegans are just getting prepared for Heaven
and will feel right at home.
Isaiah
65:25 - The lion will eat straw like a cow.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed
together. The lion will eat hay (Straw) like a cow. But the snakes will
eat dust. In those days no
one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I,
the LORD, have spoken!”
(NLT)
Is God a Vegan?
In the beginning of time, it pretty well
says that man and beast both were vegans eating from the trees and plants until
they were removed from the Garden of Eden.[2]
At the end of time in the Eternal
Kingdom, Isaiah the prophet says the wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard
will sleep with the young goat; the calf and the lion will be together and a
little child shall lead them around. Man will not hurt or destroy His creatures.[3] From the Garden of Eden to
the eternal
kingdom we can get a sense that God desired a world without killing.
Was Jesus a Vegan?
Was Jesus a Vegan or Vegetarian? The Vegetarian
Jew thought that meat corrupted the soul, causing man to stumble, thus we find
Isaiah the Prophet saying that Jesus would eat CURDS (butter) and HONEY and know how to
refuse evil and choose good.[4]
But was Jesus a total vegetarian, the simple
answer is NO; He had the
opportunity to feed 5000 people salad, but instead he chose to feed them with
fish and bread.[5]
I will say that “fish weed” (dried seaweed) was also a popular food among the peasants
and was plentiful.
The Greek word for Fish is “IXOUS”
which just happens to be
an acronym for
the phrase “Jesus
Christ Son of God.”
NOTE: Pesco-Vegetarians were vegetarians
who also ate fish.
Jesus own diet included wine, bread and fish as well as lamb,[6] God made wine and said it was good.[7]
Jesus declared that all foods are clean
including animals and told Peter he could eat any kind of meat that he wanted;
Cows, Pigs, Chickens and more; that what He had made clean should no longer be
called common.[8]
Jesus was a Nazarene, the Nazarite
vow was to abstain from wine and touching anything dead; this could be for “a
period of time” or for life. We can see
from scripture that Jesus’ vow was for “a period of time”,[9]
where John the Baptist’s vow was for “life”.
In matters of dietary regimen, we as
followers of Jesus are free to follow the dictates of our faith; what we believe God wants
us to do. What’s right for me might be wrong for
you.[10]
In the very beginning God gave Animals, Fish, Poultry and plants
to man and nowhere in scripture has this gift ever been rescinded. [11]
It’s in the
Book
The Nazarene Vow
If you
are moved by the Spirit to get closer to God,[12]
then you must separate yourself from strong drink and not touch anything dead
for whatever time is impressed on you.[13] Jesus’ vow was for a period of time and
John’s the Baptist’s vow was for life.
The grape to the
Nazarene was a symbol of temptation because it symbolized
prosperity,
leisure and the fullness of life that
is connected to it.
Vow of the Nazarene: To make oneself available to God;[14] to
aspire to be a spiritual leader.[15]
a)
Dedication and
separation
to a priestly life for a PERIOD OF TIME or FOREVER.
b)
Abstinence from anything
from the VINE, including
raisins and the vine itself.
c)
Defilement
avoidance:
To avoid touching a DEAD thing, making
them un-ceremonial defiled.
d)
Unimpaired
strength: The cutting of hair was forbidden, as hair is
a symbol of strength, the length of the hair indicated the length of time that
the separation had taken place.
Long Hair is
merely an “outward
manifestation” of an inner purity.
You may recall Sampson;[16] a
Nazarite for life had long hair, but ate corrupt food, drank wine and lived a
life of debauchery even though he was a judge of God for 20 years.
Interestingly; the Shroud of Turin
thought to be Jesus Christ had the images of someone with long hair like
that of a Nazarene.
OT Dietary Laws
These
are the foods that God was specific in mentioning in the OT dietary
Laws, as you will see, those boys still ate pretty well. - THE HEBREWS COULD EAT ALL OF THIS
Meats - Sheep – Lamb – Goat - Beef – Venison - Turkey –
Chicken – Quail – Locust Crickets - Grass
Hoppers – Katydids - Beetles - Fish (with
scales and fins)
Bread - Bread Cakes – Roasted Grain – Wheat – Barley – Crackers
Beans
– Lentils – Millet – Emmer – Rice
Greens
- Collards – Turnip Greens - Lettuce – Cabbage - Radishes - Cucumbers – Corn Melons
– Tomato’s Onions – Leeks – Potatoes – Squash – Cauliflower - Brussel Sprouts -
Rutabagas – Mushrooms
Fruit – Dried Fruit - Raisins – Raisin Cakes – Figs – Grapes – Peaches – Plumbs - Apples Oranges Pomegranates – Persimmons - Olives –
Lemons – Limes
Spices
– Herbs – Salt – Peppers - Garlic – Olive Oil - Honey
– Honeycomb
Nuts - Pistachio Nuts - Almonds
Wine and lots of it – Water
Dairy - Goats Milk – Curds (butter)
– Cheese
If it grows in the ground, you can eat it,
but not smoke it. If it does not grow, it’s probably a rock.
While Vegetable
oil certainly seems OK, you will find that Olive Oil has 80% less
polyunsaturated fat.
Four
Vegan Boys
Seeking youths of the royal family and of the nobility, King Nebuchadnezzar took four Hebrew boys
captive from Judah; their names were Daniel
(called Belteshazzar), Hananiah (called Shadrach),
Mishael (called Meshach) and Azariah
(called Abednego)[17]
The King ordered the guard to feed them
with the royal food and wine;
Daniel asked the chief official to allow them to eat
just vegetables and water for ten days[18] and judge for himself if they did not look
healthier. At the end of
the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young
men who ate the royal food which included meats and wine.[19] It’s in the Book
Case for
Animals
Moses knew that Egypt’s
sacrificing of animals to idols was deeply ingrained in the people of Israel
and he re-adjusted their thinking by permitting the sacrifice of animals only
to the One God of Israel.
Jeremiah the Prophet said that God never
commanded His people to have burnt-offerings or sacrifices, but to just obey
His voice. [20] When a sacrifice was offered it was a
voluntary act. He said that acts of love,
service and justice are more important than sacrifices.[21]
To make it even clearer He said, I take no pleasure
in the blood of bulls, lambs and goats.
One day God will make a covenant to ABOLISH KILLING ANIMALS; no creature will be harmed on His Holy Mountain.[22]
God will preserve them and they shall
eat and lie down together in peace.[23]
The righteous will care for the needs of the
animals and those who do so will be blessed.[24]
God already provides food for his
creations; even a small sparrow is noticed by Him.[25]
Jeremiah 7:22-23 – I did not command to
have sacrifices
22 For in the day that I brought
them out of the land of Egypt,
I did not speak to your fathers or
command them
concerning burnt offerings and
sacrifices.
23 But this command
I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my
people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with
you.’
(ESV)
Isaiah 1:11 – I do not delight in blood sacrifices
11 What to me is the multitude of
your sacrifices? Says the LORD; I
have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do
not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
(ESV)
Hosea 2:18 – Covenant to abolish killing
animals; lie down in safety
18 In that day I will make a COVENANT for them with
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along
the ground. Bow
and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may
lie down in safety.
(NIV2011)
Case for Meat Lovers
If the original intent of God was for Veganism, it was
repealed right after the flood of Noah when God told Noah that everything alive
was food for him.[26]
After the Kosher Levitical Laws made a distinction between clean and un-clean foods,
Jesus did away with these laws stating nothing that goes into a man makes him unclean.[27]
Animals are born to be caught and eaten;[28]
every moving thing is food for man and God has made them ALL clean.[29]
If you are eating SALADS you
are taking away food from the animals, birds and creatures; God says the green
plants are food for them.[30]
No
food is to be rejected, but received with thanksgiving.[31] It’s in the Book
Case for Dairy
Lovers
God
speaks of Eggs, Butter and Milk and I do not
find anywhere that He has discouraged eating dairy product[32] or drinking
milk.[33] Early on, God promised the Hebrews that He
would give them a land flowing with MILK and honey.[34] Later on they inherited the land flowing with MILK and honey
only to forget the Lord God’s commands.[35]
Johnathan
I had a friend who had very
little to live on and I took him to lunch one day and said, “Johnathan, order
anything that you want”. He ordered just
one hamburger and water. – I said, Good
Grief man, don’t you want more; get two hamburgers, fries, a pie, and a
soft drink. … He said “Of course I want
more, but this is all I need”.
I think Johnathan is the exception,
because we all want more, but overeating or gluttony is the sin of rebellion
and rebellion is lumped in with the sin of witchcraft which is an abomination
to God.
Psalms talks about God’s anger against gluttony and says He killed the
fattest of some of them. So the moral to
the story is - “Overeating
can kill you.” [36]
Johnathan’s prayer;
“Give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food
that is needful for me”.[37] It’s in the Book
The Take
Away
The New Testament shifts us away from
the Old Testament legalism underscoring Christian Liberty
and the rule of individual conscious. Each person should be fully convinced in his
own mind what he wants to eat.[38] There
is no command from the Lord to eat
meat or to abstain from eating meat; you have Free Will to
eat as you choose.
We are not to worry about what to eat or drink,[39]
we are FREE to eat or drink
anything we choose,[40]
but are to bathe our food in pray because we just don’t know what we are
eating.[41] There are some that do not know that they are FREE to eat meats.[42]
One man’s FAITH says he can eat
meats and the other’s man’s FAITH says he can’t; the
“Free in
faith” person should not despise the one who abstains from eating
meat nor should the “Weak in faith” person pass judgement on the
person who does eat meat. We should not
force our personal convictions of diet on someone else. GOD HAS
ACCEPTED BOTH MEN. It’s in the Book
Israel
had dietary Laws, but they did not include abstaining from eating meats. Jesus made it clear when He said that it is
not what goes into a man that defiles him, it’s what comes out of him; like evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander,
pride, foolishness. All these evil things
come from within, and they defile a person.[43]
What we eat is not a SIN, its overeating;
gluttony that’s the sin.[44]
The Sin of Gluttony is considered EVIDENCE of lack of
control in other areas of your life. God
says that if you are a glutton you should just cut your own throat.[45]
Cruelty
to animals is inconsistent with Christian Principals; the way animals are
raised and handled in the food industry; reports of testing animals with
household products; putting animals in a circus, and just killing them for
sport certainly gives rise for good reasons to refrain from using anything that
utilizes animal bi-products.
HOWEVER, on the other
hand it’s just plain wrong to give animal life a priority over human life
especially in denying food to starving people in order to protect the “rights”
of animals, birds and fish.
We are
warned
that in the later times some will be deceived by the insincerity of liars which
require the “Abstinence
from Foods” that God created to be received with thanksgiving by
those who believe and know the truth.[46] It’s in the Book
The kingdom of God is not a matter
of eating and drinking,[47]
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, so whatever YOU choose
to eat or drink, give thanks for it[48]
and enjoy it to the glory to God.[49]
– Our Salvation is based on Jesus
Christ plus nothing else –
[1] Genesis
1:29 - God
said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and
all the fruit trees for your food
[3] Isaiah 11:6-9 - Man shall not hurt or destroy the creatures
[4] Isaiah 7:14-15 – Jesus will eat curds (butter) and
honey
[5] Matthew 14:17-21 – Jesus fed the multitudes fish with two sardines
[6] Luke 24:41-43 – Jesus ate some broiled fish -- Luke 22:7-15 – Jesus ate some Lamb
[7] Genesis 1:31 – God
created wine and said it was very good
[8] Acts 10:10-15 – God told Peter he can eat cows, pigs, chickens and more
[9] Luke 7:33-34 – Jesus
drank wine
[10] Romans 14:21 – It is not good to eat meat (if it
causes your brother to stumble)
[11] Genesis 9:2-3 – Animals, Birds, Fish and Plants are food for you
[12] 1 Corenthians 6:19-20 –
Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit -- Revelation 1:5-6 – We are a kingdom of priest -- 1 Peter 2:5 – We are a royal priesthood -- 1 Peter 2:9 – We are a chosen people a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God
[13] Numbers 6:1-3 – Want more of God then Separate yourself from wine
[14] Ephesians 5:18 – Seek and be filled with the Spirit of God
[15] Luke 1:13-16 – Do you want to be totally dedicated to the lord?
[16] Judges 13:7 – Samson; A Nazarite from birth to his death
[17] Daniel 1:6-8 – Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah & Mishael captured
[18] Daniel 1:11-12 – Give us nothing but vegetables and water
[19] Daniel 1:15 - They looked healthier and better nourished
[20] Amos 5:21-22 - I despise your feast -- Isaiah 1:13 – The smell of vain offerings is an abomination
[21] Proverbs 21:3 – Righteousness is better than sacrifices -- Hosea 6:6 – Steadfast
love is better than sacrifices
[22] Isaiah 65:25 – No creature will be harmed on my
Holy Mountain -- Jeremiah 12:4 – It is Man that causes the animals &
birds to perish
[23] Psalm 36:6 – God preserves the animals -- Psalm 147:9 – God provides food
for the animals
[24] Proverbs 12:10 - The righteous care
for the needs of animals -- Matthew 5:7 – You
are blessed showing animals mercy
[25] Luke 12:6 – Even sparrow are important to God -- Job 12:7 – Animals &
birds can teach you
[26] Acts 10:11-15 – Eat animals & birds; God has
made them clean
[27] Mark 7:18-19 – Jesus declares all foods clean
[28] 2 Peter 2:12 – Animals are born to be caught and
eaten
[29] Genesis 9:3 - Every moving thing that
lives shall be food for you
[30] Genesis 1:30 – I give the green plants to the animals
[31] 1 Timothy 4:4 – No food is to be rejected;
but receive with thanksgiving
[32] Isaiah 10:14 – As a farmer gathers EGGS, God gathers us
[33] Genesis 18:8 – BUTTER
and MILK they did eat
[34] Exodus 33:3 – Command - Go up to a land flowing with MILK and Honey
[35] Exodus 3:8 – Brought to a good land with MILK and Honey
[36] Psalm 78:30-31 – God slew the FATTEST of them while the
food was still in their mouths
[37] Proverbs 30:8 - Feed me with the food
that is needful for me
[38] Romans 14:5 – Each should be fully convinced in his own mind
[39] Luke 12:29 – Do not worry about what to eat or
drink
[40] Romans 14:2-3 – The FREE
in faith eats anything he wants
[41] 1 Timothy 4:4-5 – You can eat anything set in
front of you; just pray over it.
[42] Genesis 9:3 - Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you
[43] Mark 7:18-23 – Food cannot defile a person
[44] Psalm 10:3 – The greedy
cravings revile the Lord
[45] Proverbs 23:2 – Cut your
own throat if you are a glutton
[46] 1 Timothy 4:1-3 – IN LATER TIMES Deceitful spirits in
men will REQUIRE ABSTINENCE FROM CERTAIN FOODS
[47] Romans 14:17 – The Kingdom of God is not a matter Eating and Drinking
[48] 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Be thankful IN
all circumstances
[49] 1 Corinthians 10:31 – Whatever you Eat and
Drink, give Glory to God
No comments:
Post a Comment