I was raised in a carnivorous family. When I was a senior in high school we moved to a farm that had cows, chickens, pigs, horses, and rabbits. I stopped eating chicken when the family slaughtered 100 “old” egg laying hens in one day. It was really disgusting.
Lacking knowledge and support, eventually I did return to eating chicken.
I read John Robbins, May All Be Fed in 1993. I became a vegetarian for several years then went vegan in 1995. I moved to a new city in 1996 and began attending a church. I did not know any other vegans in the church. I was ridiculed about not eating what the Lord had provided. Eventually, I did return to eating animals again.
In May of 2007, I began another attempt at losing weight. This one was a bible study at my church. It was based around the food pyramid and food group exchanges. It wasn’t working (the yo-yo effect 5 pounds on – 5 pounds off). So in July I discovered food combinations – eat protein with starch and vegetables with starch – but don’t mix proteins and vegetables. Also, don’t mix fruit with any foods. The author recommended eating only fish (no milk, cheese, eggs, chicken, beef, pork, ect.) So that is how I lost 30 pounds. In January, my church began 3 day water fast followed with 18 day Daniel fast (vegetables only). That is when my sister recommended I watch “Earthlings”. Normally I can not watch cruel things. But I prayed for strength to be able to bear up. I wanted to be able to influence my husband to become a vegan. He is so tender hearted and loves animals. I can not get him to kill things like spiders and roaches. If I find one in the house, he catches it and releases it outside. I was able to watch the movie twice, once alone and once with him. What a tragedy in epic proportions! I know God did not intend the world to be so cruel. As a Christian, we have the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 10:6
” Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Every time an image from the movie comes into my head I cry out to God with that prayer. The great news is that my husband agreed to become a vegan! Although I was a little upset with him when he took both our leather coats and donated them to the clothes closet for the needy without consulting with me. Ouch! Oh well.
I’ve listened to the pod casts; they are so inspiring and empowering. Thank you! I now believe I have the knowledge to enable me to stick to my convictions.
I thought about my journey and the revelation that God has given me in regards to being a Christian Vegan. I did want to share this information to equip fellow Christians with biblical support for vegans.
Some Christians will refer to God’s covenant with Noah after the flood in order to justify eating animals. According to Genesis 9:3 God said,
“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
We only have to recall that this was after the fall. The world was not in God’s perfect will. You have to go back to the beginning of Genesis to find God’s perfect will (when God had his way). God created a garden in Eden for Adam and Eve. In Genesis 1:29, God said,
“I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it – I give every green plant for food.”
In God’s perfect will, all mankind were to be vegan. Not only that, but in the next verse, Genesis 1:30 , God makes it clear that all animals were vegan.
“And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food”.
Some people will argue that killing animals is godly because of the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. But, Jesus made it clear in Hebrews 10: 7-8
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God. First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made).
In Matthew 10, Jesus told us to pray that God’s kingdom will come. We know what God’s kingdom will be like. We know there will be no more death. In Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
In Romans 8:19-22, it is clear that creation is crying out for a future glory.
“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope hat the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
I hope the above biblical references will empower fellow Christians to stand strong in their convictions to stop the suffering in this world and possibly influence other Christians to become Vegan!
~ Deb
thank you for this post, I’m going to spend a lot more time looking around your blog, as well as linking to it..
I stopped eating veal probably 30 years ago after watching a show about the treatment of the calves, and gave up meat altogether a year and a half ago..
I do still eat fish and eggs, so have a way to go to be vegan, but there is no way I would ever be able to eat meat again.
This was a beautiful story. I cannot understand how many “christians” think god and Jesus was about pain, suffering and murder. Yes I call it murder for gods said ‘thou shalt no kill” but seem they like to use “you shalt not murder” to justify that its meant for humans and not animals. Those were changed by man not by god . Jesus came back to fulfill the law and ettempted to bring our earth back to the kingdom of heaven but it failed.
I fight against hunting and what annoys me the most is when they say Jesus was a ‘hunter’ lol. or the “christian bow hunting”. It makes me sick how they use gods name for pain, suffering and death when he was an all merciful. there is nothing “merciful” about hunting or flesh eating.
Thank you again
[…] eating chicken when the family slaughtered 100 ‘old’ egg laying hens in one day.” says Deb at the Joyful Vegan, a collection of vegan […]
Thank you so much for that. Several times I have had fellow Christians, many of them very stubborn, argue with me that I have made the wrong choice to be vegetarian because they believed that God did not will it. . . and this is before I turned vegan! I never knew quite what to say to them . . . now I do. 🙂
Peace,
Mary
hi mary,
try all-creatures.com or The Christain Vegetarian Society.
i lost my faith several years ago because of how christians roasted the cow or pig after sunday service and prayed over the corpse.
i was raised Lutheran so it has been hard for me,
peace for all, barbara
I am a vegan and a christian. I gave up meat over a year ago.
I feel good about my health and the environment.
Thanks for this post. It is a constant battle for me. I am 35, very seriously considering to get baptism from our local Lutheran parish BUT all the Christians I have met until now (that’s a 35 year time…) are so human-centered in their way of thinking that I am drawn back to Eastern religions. Seriously. Well, more to think… I guess.
Ohmyword. Thank you so very much for your post! I’m a Christian and a lacto-ovo vegetarian trying to be a vegan. I fully believe that we are not supposed to be eating animals! I have taken Gen 1:29 and put it up on my blogs/myspace/facebook for a vegetarian scripture backing up my meat-free lifestyle. I have been feeling a tugging on my heart strings to just leave behind the lacto (I drink only soy milk, eat only cheese and ice cream) and the ovo (I have stopped buying eggs altogether but have not quit eating morningstar vegetarian products), however, I have had the feeling that I should just leave it all behind and become vegan. When I first started my vegetarian lifestyle, I started off vegan-on accident-but felt WONDERFUL, not missing meat at all. I love my tofu and I love learning how to eat new veggies.
I feel that Earthlings was right on target and very correct in everything it said. I wasn’t able to make it all the way through the entire movie, however, I had seen lots of others like it. I already knew about all the animal cruelty. I had to stop watching after they put the living dog into the trash compactor. I *had* to turn it off and deal with my own emotions and hate for the people who did that to that poor helpless dog. I pray on a daily basis for compassion for those who don’t show compassion. I pray that I don’t become hateful, and then I realized I just cannot watch anymore videos of that of that nature.
In reading your post, I have decided to become a Vegan. I will not clean out my fridge, I will eat everything that I have already, esp since I cannot afford to just go out and replace everything in my fridge. Next grocery trip, I’ll only buy vegan stuff, and I know what a commitment this is, since I know that I will have to be cooking everything I will be eating.
Once again, thank you for your post! It was just what I needed in order to become a vegan!
I just read this entry after I found it in a search on google for Christian vegans. I really appreciate hearing your thoughts on veganism and its relation to the Christian faith. I have been vegan for 4 years, vegetarian for 13. I was vegan on and off for a while and did go back to eating meat once or twice when I first became vegetarian, so I can definetely relate. I remember going on a missions trip with a group of people in the youth ministry and they all thought I was weird for bringing soymilk and my own food with me because there was nothing vegetarian to eat at the place we stayed. Most people didnt get why I was veg. I was vegetarian and stopped drinking milk, but continued to eat cheese and eggs for a while. I think of how similar it is today. My fiance and are are both vegan and attend a church and every Weds before service they have a food vendor outside (we have an outdoor bible study) and its pretty upsetting to see all of the food is meat based and the drinks are Coca Cola (A terrible company you should check out killercoke.org). I want to write a letter or speak to the pastor about getting other options in case there are people with food allergies or ethical obligations of their dietary consumption. I have believed for the longest time that animals were not placed here for us to torture and maim. If we want to be more like Jesus we have to love and respect and be stewards to every living thing. Even the living plants that make this earth supply us with the oxygen we need to breathe! Most think everything is here for our taking and nothing has to be given back. I feel we should see what God wants us to do and what Jesus did when he was living here in the flesh on the beautiful earth that His father created. I am pretty sure he didnt intend for us all to destroy it and the creatures living within it. Thankyou so much for this blog!
Deb,
Thank you for your website. The truth is I’ve been thinking heavily about becoming Vegan for a while now. The truth is, at first it really wasn’t about any real ethical concern for animals or the environment, but rather b/c I have a very sensitive digestive system. Most animal products I can’t digest well. I pretty much would be vegan if I could give up eating fish (the only animal / animal product in my diet. I don’t even eat honey anymore. There are no dairy products in my diet. I guess I’m a a Pesco-Vegan?) I’m glad you have a site for Christian vegans. All the Vegans where I live are atheist, and all the sites I have found online are either atheist or Buddist, Toaist or something to that effect. I started to think there was no such thing as a Christian Vegan. I like how you brought up the “Daniel Fast”, as I love that scene where Daniel says he and the others will just eat Vegetables, and they wind up just as healthy and better athletic than the other Babylonians. Thank you for your post. It’s just what I need to help me get over my fish addiction!
Always,
Me
I have been a Christian all my life and vegetarian since fall 2004 (I was 11 at the time) and vegan since early 06 (I was almost 13 at the time, I am now 15). A good few verses to add would be Romans 14:19-21. It says that it is better not to eat meat, and that although all food is clean it is wrong to eat what harms others. Something like that. Thank you for being strong and being a good, compassionate Christian! And I was not aware of some of those verses, yet more to add to my Christians should be vegans point! Thanks! BTW feel free to email me at Dylan_Mulenburg@hotmail.com.
-Dylan
Thank you for this post. Whenever questioned about my path to veganism in conjunction with my Christianity I have referred friends and family to Genesis and the Garden of Eden. However, this has really equipped me with more information. I do believe that veganism is the Lord’s will for my family. We are healthy, happy and more vibrant… thus allowing us to serve Him more fully. I will definitely continue to check back on your blog. This information is much appreciated!
Wonderful thoughts shared on this site. I love it. I wanted to share with everyone an important and an amazingly insightful book called “Dominion : The Power of Men, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy” A moral inquiry into the treatment of animals, By Matthew Scully. I love how the book begins each chapter with a qoute from the bible and uses this as the bases for his arguement for each of us to live a life of compassion and a pressance of moral treatment towards all animals who share this small world with us. The book educates one, not knowledgable with the readings of the bible (like me), enabling one to have persuasive converstion with christians and others who resort and hide behind those sort of comments that animals are placed on this world for mans use as he finds pleasing and fit. The book is an excellent tool. Thanks again to everyone sharing their stories.
Shanti
Thank you for this post, I am a vegetarian (trying to be vegan) and a Christian. I believe that God teaches and love and understanding over murder, and pain.
As a steward of God I am empowered in my decisions to work towards health and security for all living things.
Thank you for posting this….I am a Christian and a vegan and I have been frustrated lately by those who tell me that I’m going against God’s will. I had a relative tell me (only a few days ago) that God put animals on earth for us to eat and that “people have been eating animals since Adam and Eve.”
Unfortunately, people that are so closed minded are rarely swayed, even when faced with hard proof from the Bible.
I firmly believe that God does not want us to eat animals- as you have stated above, we cannot pray that “God’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” and then NOT do our best to do what is God’s will!
Thank you for your post, it’s always nice to see other Christians who can look to scripture for guidance instead of simply believing what they are told. I wish you the best in your spiritual journey and God bless!
I am starting a campaign in California called NO MEAT FRIDAYS. 7 people who eat meat and dairy 6 days a week only is as good as one vegan and they are a lot easier to find.
Issue: World hunger Crisis
We use too many resources to produce 1 hamburger 650 gal. of water plus grain.
Let’s make NO MEAT FRIDAYS nationwide.
Love to hear your comments.
Karen_finland,
please do not give up on Christianity.
There’s already a nationwide campaign for No Meat Mondays which is a part of Meatout(.org).
I am a Christian and want to become vegan. Although every time I make an attempt, my body simply reacts badly to it. I take multivitamins, but I feel that isn’t enough. Also, I don’t have any support from anyone I know. They all tell me you can only get protein from animal products, which I know is not true but I always go against what I want to be. What are the proper nutritional steps to becoming vegan?
Hi
I’m so happy to read a blog of another Christian which decided to make the same decision of being vegan.
Every day I pray so that other Christians can see that God smiles every time we honor his creation by not contributing to cruelty.
I look forward to reading more of your blog 🙂
Thank you for your contribution to showing how being vegan and Christian don’t conflict. Everyone must be informed in making his or her decisions, not just going along with popular opinion (Romans 14:10). So, in that light, here are some more scriptures, in addition to the ones already stated. Obviously, from reading these, animals were to be cared for and guarded, not exploited.
Genesis 10:9 – The Bible speaks negatively of a man named Nimrod, who apparently killed animals and perhaps humans for the sheer thrill of it.
Exodus 23:4,5, 12; Deut. 22:10; 25:4 – When giving the Israelites laws, God taught them proper care of domesticated animals.
Proverbs 12:10 – The person who is brutal with his animals, causing them needless suffering, shows disregard for God’s creation. A wicked person may vocally express love for animals, but what he considers ‘merciful treatment’ is, at best, actually “cruel.” His actions betray the selfish motive he has in mind. The Christian, on the other hand, appreciates, and seeks to know, the needs of his animals and has feelings for their welfare, treating animals with kindness.
Proverbs 23:20 – Ever endured a disgusting “meat fest” BBQ? Next time pull this scripture out. If God allows some eating of animals in small measure, He certainly condemned excessiveness as we see the industry promoting today. Even the national recommended dietary allowances are only a few ounces of animal meat a few times a week. Not exactly the same as what’s actually practiced.
Jonah 4:11 – God said this when changing his mind about destroying a city full of men who practiced wickedness, but who had repented. Obviously, he does not regard animals as just disposable items, to be thrown away at will.
Luke 12:6 – Jesus spoke of God’s concern for animals.
Hebrews 10:1-10 – The animal sacrifices commanded by God had a purpose. They pointed forward to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which was to fulfill the legal requirement for forgiveness of sins. This is the same reason God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son, Isaac (although he was stopped short of it). He was trying to impress on humans how serious their sin was and what great of a sacrifice God himself would have to make to rectify their situation. By asking humans to give up something they highly valued (son or animal), they could begin to understand how much God would be giving up by allowing His only-begotten Son to be tortured and killed for man’s salvation. So it’s purpose also involved teaching man to be less selfish in making decisions and to think of how their intended actions would have an affect on other beings. That’s why, after Jesus’ death, laws requiring those sacrifices were abolished.
Proverbs 2:22; Psalm 145:16; Isaiah 65:25; & Hosea 2:18 – Thankfully, the inhuman treatment of animals will not go on forever. We have reason to believe that God will stop all unnecessary suffering. He promises to do away with wicked and cruel people. Man and animals will be forever at peace with one another and God will satisfy each living things’ desires.
It should also be noted that if man had not disobeyed God’s will and sinned to begin with, animals would never have been used for sacrifices, food, or clothing. True, God’s original purpose was that men have animals “in subjection.” (Genesis 1:28) Yet, cruelty to animals had, and still has, no place in that purpose. Life is sacred to God. Our dominion over the animals must be exercised in a balanced way that shows respect for life.
(Most of the above was taken from a 1998 article entitled “Cruelty to Animals-Is It Wrong?” The Christian website cited as my source is nonpolitical and does not take a stand for or against being vegan or not. Their main objective is to help individuals to become informed Bible readers.)
Thank you so much for all the Biblical refrences. I had just started to look for them myself.
Thanx for the post. I am a born again christian, and i am starting to go vegan. I have tried many times before to go vegan but it was difficult. I am 19 and still live with my parents, until i finish school. I think most of the food in the house is animal products, and my parents try their best to force me to eat animal products. so that makes it difficult. I need all the support i can get and this helps alot.
Thanx once again.
Colleen,
I had no idea that you were a Christian! I just finished looking on Facebook for Christian vegans in my state. We are SO rare.
Thank you for your work! I love your cookbook.
Trish Sutton
Iowa
Hi once again.
I am a vegan and a born again christian. I am 19. I have been a born again christian almost all my life. And I have been vegan for about one month now.
I am boycotting the meat industry for their cruelty towards animals because i believe it is disrespectful towards god, the way the animals are treated before they die.
I found this vid: ( warning its kind of violent)
http://www.meat.org/
Here is my myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/sevean11grl17
Thanks for this clarifying post. I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian who has decided to become vegan. Orthodox Christians are vegan about 40% of the year due to fasting rules. However I think being totally vegan (and ideally, eating only raw, live foods) is the only way to be totally healthy, and to care about animals. I want to influence other Christians to be totally vegan! Thanks for your wonderful post.
Hi Audrey i have been a vegan christian for 25 years i live in up state ny and because of the cold i will eat a baked potato or whole wheat pasta only in winter late spring till late fall i am 98% raw i will have a corn on the comb in season it would be a grave sin to me to eat meat or any other junk i just can’t do it i think of JESUS and then think of all the organs that GOD has given me and don’t want to hurt JESUS and also my own spirit
Thanks for this post. I agree Adam and Eve and all the animals living with them in the Garden of Eden were vegetarian. However after the flood, God allowed Noah and his family to start eating meat. Lots of people, pastors included, have criticized my choice to stay vegetarian. (I was vegetarian before I was saved, then became vegan recently). I am glad there are other believers out there who are vegan and hope to check back for more support!
Thank you so much for this beautiful story. As a teen, christian, and a vegetarian I sometimes find it difficult to combine all aspects of my life.
For example, I go to a private christian school and I am the only vegetarian that I know of. Our school is relatively small (probably 100 people in the highschool) and I’m pretty sure I would know if there were any other vegetarians or vegans. It blows my mind that we believe in a God of compassion, mercy, justice, and truth, while actions such as eating meat do not reflect these attributes. It drives me insane when we talk about reflecting God’s character and living our lives for God then buy a school provided hot lunch featuring dead animals.
I have probably heard every excuse from my friends or teachers including “God means for us to eat meat” or “God gave us the animals for food” as well as the ever common “Where will you get your protein and calcium?”.
Unfortunately no matter how many times I try to explain that in God’s perfect creation humans and animals don’t eat each other, and that God only gave permission to eat meat AFTER the flood (in which most vegetation was probably destroyed. I mean, if you over water a plant for a WEEK it starts to wilt), the message never seems to sink in.
Your story gives me hope. Your story makes me feel that I’m not alone. Thanks.
I’m so happy I found this site. I was starting to think I was the only Cristian Vegan. I’ve noticed alot of you receiving opposition from your churches. Ideally they should support you. My pastors taught us that everyone has diffirent convictions and as you grow spiritually your convictions change. I used to love pork and shrimp before I was saved and ate them for a while afterward too until I got a strong conviction from God to stop eating those things. I started eating lacto vegetarian now I’m vegan. Oh and for Tyler I do take a multi and I recommend you take it slow. I did get sick for a spell when I changed my eating. I got breakouts, skin rashes, dandruff, etc… I guess it was my body getting rid of bad stuff. Too everyone who is struggling in this if God has revealed to you that this is for you it is for you and no one else. Listen to him and his will for your life. My pastor taught me when someone questions what you ar doing simply tell them this is Gods will for my life and I am here to follow his will. We’re all on the same road but, some are ahead of others and some are behind. Don’t stay stuck because someone is trying to get you to do what they think is right. It may be right for them but not for you. God Bless You All
Thank you so much for your blog. I’ve been a vegan for about 3 months and have made my kids vegan, also. I’ve started faltering in my stance lately because of pressure from parents and other family. My dad’s favorite line is “Eating meat is biblical!”. Sure, God said we could eat it after the fall (because he knew food would be hard to come by then.), but was factory farming and torture a part of his plan? No way. Did he create all these animals and call them good so we could kill them? Don’t think so! Thanks again for the encouragement and for reinforcing what I know is right!
I just came across your blog and thank you for this post. I am a Christian and am high-raw vegan transitioning closer to 80/10/10 which I feel from what I have learned is the closest to what God set fourth for us in the beginning.
Gen 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
This scripture alone describes 80/10/10, high fruit (“every tree with seed in it”) and veggies such as tomato, cucumbers, etc etc and even leafy greens such as spinach and lettuce varieties which all go to seed (“every seed-bearing plant.”)
I found this post interesting. I am thankful for all Christians. Vegan or not as they do make the world a brighter place.
I became vegan Jan 10th 2010; Honestly for health reasons. Searching for like minded vegans, I have learned of all the suffering, and cruelty of animals. I am saddened by it all. However, I can’t say eating meat is a sin. That wouldn’t line up with scripture either. I do say, we are better off not eating meat spiritually, and physically.
I would like to leave my thoughts on Christianity. I don’t understand why we have so many different faiths for Christian believers? This is not Biblical. The early Church did not have confusion in this area. They were all of one mind, and one accord. Thousands of people were added to the Church on the day of Pentecost. They all had one Faith. They all repented, were baptised in Jesus name, and recieved the Holy Ghost as evidenced by speaking in tongues. All the epistles were written to the Churches that had the same foundational doctrine. We must go back to our founding fathers in the Church. They were the ones who walked with Jesus, and was taught by Him. Read the bible and see. They all had the same Faith! Read Acts 2:38. That was Peter’s answer to those who were pricked in their heart, and knew they needed salvation. God wants unity, He knew what he was doing when he left the Apostles in charge of building the Church.
God bless you all, and may all go vegan!
Thank you for sharing your story!
I want to give hope to other vegan/vegetarian christians out there that there are others who think the same way as us. I grew up as part of the Seventh-Day-Adventist Church, and the one thing they promoted quite heavily both for members and as a way of outreach was a health message of being a vegetarian, not smoking and not drinking. God in the bible clearly says that our bodies are a temple and that we should look after ourselves.
For Christians who are supposed to be compassionate and loving, it is difficult to justify eating cruelty-full meat. I became a vegan because I realised that I can’t claim to have a certain ethical and moral standard and then turn around and eat animals that have gone through the factory farm process, when there is so much other food I can eat that is both better for me and less damaging to the planet. God made humans to be stewards of the animals and the Earth…and we need to make sure we’re looking after what we’ve been given.
Thank-you all! I’m new to practicing a vegan lifestyle, inspired by my 15yr old daughter who has been vegetarian for over a year, despite ridicule from all directions. We recently saw Will Tuttle, PhD, “World Peace Diet” in Cincinnati. Wow.
http://www.worldpeacediet.org.
Before dismissing the site as new-age and not Christianity based, please take what is applicable. Namely, a question was asked at his lecture about how to initiate a significant, societal attitude shift. His response:
Since being a vegan is relatively a spiritual choice regarding food origins, perhaps the best venue would be churches, all denominations. Where else are there so many truth seekers who, in large numbers, have a large vested interest in humanity and willingly/enthusiastically pursue studies for helping others?
Vegetarian – letting others know, somewhat flexible
Vegan – more of a spiritual tie from food origin to plate
Educator – revealing the significance or food choices
Took my kids to the Creation Museum that same week and met the founder, Ken Ham, who was there to answer questions along with another guest lecturer from http://www.answersingenesis.org.
Once they realized they were being challenged about why it is ok to eat meat daily, their attitude went from kind to arrogant, and clearly with little or no understanding of the concept of vegan. We attempted to keep the conversation light by recommending a “Pre-Curse” vegan menu section, that would likely be an attention-getter since they emphasize that all people & animals were vegan, pre-curse. Wouldn’t that be nice? Find a dozen tantalizing dishes that visitors would likely find a novelty vs the ordinary burger.?. 🙂
Dear friends,
I am a Catholic and like many other Christians struggle with the official position of my church on animals and the morality of eating them. Nevertheless, the number of vegetarians/vegans continues to grow among the laity in my church as well as in other Christian traditions for which I am so grateful. If our leaders won’t repent then it’s up to us in the pews to show the way.
Genesis is conveniently ignored even though a plant-based diet is given as the ideal. By living a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle we are already showing forth the promise of the new heavens and earth where there will be no more pain and suffering for any of God’s wonderful creatures.
Thanks to all of you for your uplifting witness.
In 2,000 year old Genesis Apocryphon found in ancient cave near the Dead Sea (its source likely 3000-4000 years old) Noah is confronted by the Lord with following message: “Behold, I give all of it to you and your descendants for eating vegetables and plants produced by the land, but any sort of blood you will not eat.”
Did Jesus eat or feed people fish? Yes according to Gospels manipulated by Roman Emperor’s & later Vatican’s obedient bishops for nearly 1700 years. But read other Gospels “hidden” in their libraries and different Jesus with different teachings comes to light.
Early Roman Christians followed a vegetarian diet for 300 years influenced by original disciples. Their writings indicate that flesh eating wasn’t part of their diet, until the 4th Century, when the Emperor Constantine decided that Christianity would eat meat. This soon became the official Creed of the “Holy Roman Empire”. Vegetarian Christians had to practice in secret or risk being put to death for heresy. It is even said that Constantine poured molten lead down the throats of vegetarians, if they were caught. People were tested as to their loyalties by forcing them to eat a chunk of meat in the fifth century:
“A priest who is an abstainer from flesh, let him merely taste it and so let him abstain. But if he will not taste even the vegetables cooked with the meat let him be deposed.” The whole Roman Christian church was tested in this way and purged of Nazoreans.
Earliest Christian vegetarian practices are beautifully outlined by Peter in the Clementine Homilies from 1st century. In these Nazoreans versions of the Acts of the Apostles we read of the importance of a compassionate diet to early followers of Yeshu. Here Peter is very clear that eating meat puts one under the dominion of dark forces: “The unnatural eating of the Flesh of Animals is as polluting as the Heathen Worship of Devils, with its Sacrifices and its impure Feasts, man becomes a fellow eater with Devils”.
Here are some of the Bible verses that outline the preference for humans vegan lifestyle:
Genesis 9: 4-5 Flesh shall yet not eat. And surely your blood I will require at the hands of beasts
“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. ~Isaiah 1:11
Don’t be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat: ~Proverbs 23:20
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ~Genesis 1:29
*******************
GOD’S VISION FOR THE EARTH’S FUTURE (what’s on God’s heart)
In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air 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. ~Hosea 2:18
Isaiah 11:6-9. The lion also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea
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Psalm 104: God made the whale to frolic in the sea (not to be slaughtered)
Isaiah 66: 3: He that slays an ox is as he that slays a man.
Corinthians l: If meat makes my brother stumble I shall never again eat meat.
Ezekiel 3 and 4: My body has never been contaminated by animal flesh.
Proverbs 12:10 The righteous one is concerned for his beast
Jesus chose to be born among domestic animals. He said God is concerned even about the smallest bird.
Daniel l: Daniel and others refused to eat meat and ate only pulses and/or vegetables.
Thankyou for this post!!! I didnt realize there were so many christian vegetarians and vegans out there! After realizing the horrible treatment of animals before and up to slaughter for “food” my step sister and I gave up meat.(she is a vegetarian, I am vegan) Except we are literally the only non-meat eaters in our entire congregation of 300. The odds are definatley against us at church picnics and dinners, etc. I have been feeling spiritual conviction lately though. It goes beyond just feeling sorry for God’s precious creatures. As christians we are to strive to be like Christ. We are to aim for purity. How can we be pure when we are partaking of the murder of precious creatures that God made? We are not only contributing to the human greed our society has made to be the norm, but we are contributing to abuse and grief of our precious animal friends. Anyone who has an animal as part of thier family knows that animals have feelings just as we do. Cows, Chickens, and pigs are no different from our sweet kittens and puppies. It hurts me deeply to see so many in the dark. I only pray that God will open the eyes of those who have been blinded. I thankyou for your perspective. God bless you and keep spreading the word!!
Jess,
I am pretty sure I am the only vegetarian in my church. Recently I took a crockpot of lentil-tomato stew to a church potluck dinner, and it was cleaned out. Several people asked me for the recipe! They were surprised that lentils tasted that good!
On top of being a Christian Vegan, I’m from the south! The land of meat eatin’. I hear much ridicule but you know i Pride myself (Though pride is one of the Seven sins) in the fact that not only do I love God, but i love the earth and all the beautiful animals he made! I respect anyone who overcame this terrible stigma that Christians can’t be ‘tree-huggers'(FYI thats what I’m called at work!But I think it has a nice ring to it!) So here’s to Vegans, vegetarians, and what-not and the good Lord! Point being is that I have much respect for “joyfulvegan” and I know what yall go through with the ridicule at church, but there is no Judge but God!
—sincerely
the Tree hugger.
I am a Presbyterian minister and a vegetarian. I decided to cut animal fats out of my diet because of health reasons, although I have always loved animals and have always felt conflicted about slaughterhouse practices. I am currently reading John Robbins’s book “A Diet for a New America”, and it is helping me put the pieces together to see the whole picture.
I am very close to vegan in my diet — I use a small amount of milk in my coffee (using more soy milk now), and once in a while I bake using egg whites from eggs I buy from a nearby farm. But, the more I learn, the less I want to be a part of any animal product consumption at all. I feel a new health and wholeness in my life since making this decision.
I have to say that I am thrilled that I found this post. I was a vegetarian before I got saved and then was convinced by my pastor and others in my church that vegetarianism showed signs of a weak ‘conscience.’ Being a new Christian I did not want to do ‘wrong’ so I began eating meat. But as the years (10) went by I found it more and more difficult to glide by the scripture verses that seemed to me to imply that vegetarianism is God’s perfect will. I have since become a vegan and have never felt more at peace with my body, mind and spirit. I cannot quite articulate whe spirit connection that I sense now that I am a vegan and am more aware of what I eat…it is much larger than I would have thought. You can truly begin to understand the Lord’ mercy in a new light. Congrats and thanks!!
I had no idea that there were this many Christian vegans/vegetarians. I had always thought I was alone. I was attending a great church too, until I accidently said I was vegetarian. I was treated with contempt by some of the older members and they quoted that verse about being weak in faith and eating vegetables. People my own age and younger didn’t care and had a lot of questions for me, but I was actively discouraged from talking with them for fear I would “infect” them with my ideas. I soon left that church, but I just wondered why some Christians would be so offended at the idea of other Christians who choose to abstain from eating meat?
I’ve been researching the history of organised vegetarianism in Britain and the largely forgotten overlap which existed between ‘Food Reformers’ and the Churches over the past two centuries.
There’s a selection of primary source material available on my blog ‘Christian vegetarianism – an archive’ and a fairly detailed exploration of the subject in my recently published book ‘Familiar Strangers: The Church and the Vegetarian Movement in Britain (1809-2009)’.
Every major Christian denomination has had some sort of involvement in promoting abstinence from animal flesh, as a spiritual ideal. Sadly, most of today’s believers are none the wiser.
I am in the process of becoming a vegan but it has nothing to do with worrying about animals or cruelty. It actually has to do with health. Due to a health challenge and a subsequent 2-week stay at a health retreat, I learned that the plant-based diet is much more healthy for humans and actually helps healing to take place. I detoxified for several weeks by adopting the raw vegan diet, consuming wheatgrass juice 2x per day and the results were marvelous: I lost 14 lbs immediately, my skin cleared up, I had much more energy than before and felt so much better. Hurray, no bloating! When I returned from my health retreat, I purchased a juicer and a dehydrator. Since then, I’ve had chicken a few times on my salads but don’t desire any red meat. It hasn’t been difficult at all in consuming vegetables (raw and steamed lightly) because I now buy them at a local organic vegetable stand instead of the processed foods and meat. I don’t feel like I’m deprived at all. In sharing with others, I just tell them that humans run much better on vegetable fuel!! Regarding protein: we can get better bio-available protein from nuts and seeds.
Thanks for your inspiring story of transformation. Mine wasn’t all that dissimilar in that a friend invited me to conversation about vegetarianism, even though she herself was also on the journey. I mulled it over and discovered that of course that made sense. Why would animals suffer and die for our conveneicne, when clear alternatives exist, and allow us to OP out of ‘thou shalt not kill’ , because we won’t be doing it anymore. It is so liberating, knowing that nothing dies for our nutrition, and several major ( and I presume many minor) religions also adopt the philosophy of do no harm:
http://www.serv-online.org/pamphlet2005.htm
GIven the horrdendous enviornmental concerns over land and resource waste, we need t give serious consideration to a compassionate diet 😉
THanks so much 🙂
Thank you so much for this website and all of the information that I have found today. I have been a christian many years, but have never found it wrong to eat meat, because I see so much hunger in 3rd world countries that my focus has always been to try and help starving children. But after seeing the video on how the animals are so mistreated, I know I will not buy anymore meat and will do my best to give up eggs and cheese as we gave up milk many years ago.
Giving up meat won’t be as hard as giving up the bakery products made with milk and eggs, but I’ll do my best. I don’t believe it’s a sin to eat meat, but I do believe if more christians saw the video If Slaughterhouses had glass walls they too would think twice about eating meat.
I am appalled at the attitudes some of you have encountered by coming out of the vegan closet at your churches. I’m not a christian but I would think that any personal striving to be more kind and compassionate would be encouraged by ANY denomination of ANY faith?
What the heck is wrong with these people!
Sadly, I suspect that vegetarianism/veganism has become politicized to the point where the intention to become compassionate is lost behind the ‘tree-hugger liberal hippy’ stereotype. It’s unfortunate that so many of you have encountered this nonsense and I hope that you find a church that you can call home.
Well said indeed about churches and attitudes against vegetarianism /veganism. If they only knew that Jesus himself may well have been ONE OF US, imagine how fast their shame would mount up. This nonsense needs to stop, and its only going to by showcasing the proof behind the statements, that Jesus really , very likely a vegetarian at least. It shows in the last supper as it was not seder, it shows in his ‘ I require Mercy, not sacrifice’, and in all his teachings where compassion is a common denominator.
All the major religions of the world make note of this most important philosophy, which denotes that we are to treat animals as we wish to be treated; and I am willing to bet most of us would not vote for death. I think we have become a nation intoxicated with desensitization, and its time we woke up, because until we do, innocent sentient beings are being victimized and horribly killed under horrible conditions in some places and all because we ‘can’. We can not protect themselves from harm, so it falls on all of us to be their ‘voice’ 😉
We were all taught as children not to harm animals yet the disconnect remains, and we must all embrace the philosophy of doing the least harm by eating vegetables, and thereby also help save our planet due to the immense resources it takes to raise animals for meat and the diseases that meat brings to us as a species when consumed. The savings alone in health care cost would be staggering. The case is poweful for a non violent diet, which would do us all a world of good. The world , and all life contained therein is waiting for us to be responsible , compassionate adults.
http://heartseed.sf.net
We support and live Veganism
There are a pair of prophesies, each from the Old Testament, that suggest the coming kingdom will be vegan:
Isaiah 11:6-9
New King James Version (NKJV)
6 “ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.
This bible prophecy paints a beautiful yet clear picture of the coming paradise on earth, where humans and animals cohabitate the earth peacefully. Even the lion eats straw while its former prey lies down safely alongside it.
and
Hosea 2:18
New King James Version (NKJV)
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,
To make them lie down safely.
I take this to be a covenant where the animals of the earth are involved and promised safety from violence.
I am of the opinion that I should ‘make myself ready’ by embodying bible-based principles (including veganism) in my daily life, living the way God created man to live, and has prophesied that we will live again when his purpose is fulfilled on earth.
I wish I can paste this all over
i have been avegan christian for 25 years and by the power of the HOLY GHOST will be so till JESUS RETURNS and when the whole world turns VEGAN and he will NOT return till it does i don’t go go so-called church no meat eating so called preacher PHILL 3:19 will ever get a penny of my money i rented a room this past week and it only took one week before he said i was weird and how could i eat that sh– i am 61 and i told him that he has already had one heart attack the next one might KILL if he dosen’t stop GOD will warn you not to do something but if you don’t listen thers nothing he can do I MOVED OUT
this is an answer to my prayers thank you x
YYAAAYYYYYY! I am Christian & vegan and CANNOT believe the amount of criticism I get from other Christians!
Thank-you for posting this 🙂
I have been so blessed with the stories and comments about Christians becoming vegans, because I dont know many vegan Christians. I am also what you would call a Christian Vegan. I can identify 100% with
“Christian Vegan – Not an Oxymoron!
February 13, 2008 by joyfulvegan ”
That is exactly how I feel, what I believe & also what I believe how the Bible wants Christians to believe. That is to get back to the Garden of Eden way of life. In harmony with others, nature & with animals by becoming fruit and veggie consumers and protectors and not exploiters of nature. That was one of the first commandments Adam received from Almighty God: “To work the garden and guard it”