What does God say in the Bible about eating animals?
Bible Gateway Leviticus 11 :: NIV. You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud. "`There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you.
Prohibited foods that may not be consumed in any form include all animals—and the products of animals—that do not chew the cud and do not have cloven hoofs (e.g., pigs and horses); fish without fins and scales; the blood of any animal; shellfish (e.g., clams, oysters, shrimp, crabs) and all other living creatures that ...
“The Christian has freedom to eat meat without it being a question of conscience. In fact, not only can they do it, they are blessed when they do it and the source of the meat is not really an issue in the New Testament,” Jamison says. “We are allowed to eat meat from any type of animals.
Here is a quote from Genesis 1:29: "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
man has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked are cruel.” This important verse suggests a Biblical division of people into two distinct types – those who are “righteous” and just are kind to their animals, and those who are “wicked” and are cruel to creatures under their care.
Many biblical scholars believe that Jesus was a vegetarian. Jesus' message is one of love and compassion, and there is nothing loving or compassionate about factory farms and slaughterhouses, where billions of animals live miserable lives and die violent, bloody deaths.
For the life of all flesh – its blood is its life. Therefore I say to the Israelite people: You shall not partake of the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off” (Leviticus 17:13-14).
In Leviticus 11:27, God forbids Moses and his followers to eat swine “because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud.” Furthermore, the prohibition goes, “Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.” That message is later reinforced in Deuteronomy.
Mark 7 – Jesus declares all foods clean
Most Christians maintain that Jesus's teaching in Mark 7 demonstrates that Christians can eat whatever they want, that dietary choices are a matter of "Christian liberty", and that therefore vegetarianism or veganism could never be obligatory for Christians.
The only dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals" (Acts 15:29), teachings that the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen, preached for believers to follow.
What kind of foods did Jesus eat?
Chief crops were wheat, barley, olives, grapes; legumes such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas; and vegetables such as onions, leeks, and garlic. Life was also made sweeter with fruits such as olives, grapes, date palms, apples, watermelon, pomegranates, figs, and sycamores (a low-quality fig eaten mainly by the poor).
In Genesis 9:3-4 God tells us that a person cannot cut off the limb of a living animal. In Exodus, the Ten Commandments reminds us that we are supposed to treat animals with respect and care, particularly those who work our lands.
At key moments in the Gospels, Jesus dwells among animals as a sign of humility and of connectedness with God's creation. He is born in a stable and sleeps in a feeding trough (Luke 2:7). At the start of his ministry, he goes out into the wilderness, staying among the wild beasts (Mark 1:13).
Proverbs 12:10 says, “The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Kindness to animals is godly. In fact, caring for them is part of our purpose.
We know that ancient Israelites ate lamb and goat meat, but meat was probably more of a special treat for Jesus than a daily staple. Instead, he might have relied on legumes, like beans or lentils, and fish for protein.
The earth and animals are important to God, and as a caretaker for God's creation, stewardship of animals is important. You are God's deputies. The life of every living thing is in His hands and the breath of every human being.
Consequently, animal sacrifice is rarely practiced in Christianity. Despite this opposition, a few rural Christian communities sacrifice animals (which are then consumed in a feast) as part of worship, especially at Easter. The animal may be brought into the church before being taken out again and killed.
There is no direct statement on the subject by Jesus in the New Testament. The story of Jesus feeding fish to people would support the view that Jesus may have been a pescatarian. Paul seems to have been more open to meat eating, but even Paul was open to vegetarianism.
Quintessentially, the Torah explicitly declares the pig unclean, because it has cloven hooves but does not ruminate.
The text states that pigs are forbidden because they do not chew cud, yet it frustratingly does not explain why not chewing cud is so problematic! As in many ritual texts, the explanation for the practice clarifies very little.
What does the Bible say about eating seafood?
Leviticus 11:9, tells us that, “'Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales.” Shrimp, crabs, and shellfish do not have fins or scales. Not following this command would be considered a sin.
The Bible says that hom*osexuality is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22), but it also says that eating shrimp is an abomination (Leviticus 11:9-12), so why do Christians east shrimp, but oppose hom*osexuality?
They ate from the trees in the garden and didn't need to labor for food. While they had dominion over the animals, they didn't need for animals for clothing, labor or food and did not yet have a desire to eat meat, though it seems meat eating was permissible.
According to two passages in the Bible, Daniel fasted twice. During the first fast, he ate only vegetables and water to set himself apart for God. For a second fast mentioned in a later chapter, Daniel stopped eating meat, wine and other rich foods.
Jainism. Jainism is a nontheistic religion based in India that embodies the ahimsa principles of non-violence, so some strict Jains follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.
A sin-eater is a person who consumes a ritual meal in order to spiritually take on the sins of a deceased person. The food was believed to absorb the sins of a recently dead person, thus absolving the soul of the person.
He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.
Although Christianity is also an Abrahamic religion, most of its adherents do not follow these aspects of Mosaic law and are permitted to consume pork. However, Seventh-day Adventists consider pork taboo, along with other foods forbidden by Jewish law.
In a poll of several hundred experts, angel food cake was voted the preferred cuisine of heaven. Angel hair pasta came in second.
JESUS' FAVORITE FOOD WAS FISH
But there does seem to be a lot of fish in the New Testament accounts about His life. For one, He chose to call “fishermen” as His followers.
What kind of fish did Jesus eat?
Tilapia is rumored to be the fish that was caught by St. Peter in the Sea of Galilee and fed to the masses of Tabgha, an ancient town on the north-west coast of the sea, by Jesus. This is one of the reasons why the fish is also known as “St. Peter's fish” and is separated from meat according to Lenten standards.
There is no direct statement on the subject by Jesus in the New Testament.
Jesus essentially ate a Mediterranean diet rich in whole grains, fish, fruit and vegetables and with modest amounts of olive oil, meat and wine, Colbert says.
Meals were simple but wholesome. Bread, usually barley bread, was a feature of every meal, and women made it as often as needed.
