OK – so I’m finally getting around to talking about vegetarians . . . and I find that I don’t really know much about the subject, and that it really isn’t something I think I’ll get too passionate about one way or the other. Having said that, I do have a few thoughts on the subject:<\/p>\n
1. We can’t look to Jesus and say “we should eat only meat” or “we should eat only vegetables.” The Gospels really don’t go into Jesus’ dietary requirements, and where they do there is no subtext that says “only eat what Jesus ate.” . . . Though as I say this, I’m envisioning a whole new campaign: WWJE: What Would Jesus Eat? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
2. The few dietary norms found in the rest of the New Testament are prescriptive: drink a little wine at night to aid digestion, etc. The one place where it talks about eating\/not eating meat, the discussion is in the context of eating meat offered to idols\/false gods. A dietary commandment it is not \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
3. I perused PETA’s website and supplementary materials. I know they don’t have the most sterling reputation, but I was disturbed at what I learned about animal treatment, especially chickens, pigs and cows (our main sources of meat here in the US). I learned that many of them are abused, neglected, and in conditions that are less than sanitary and less than charitable. Even though I don’t see animals as “other humans,” I think the treatment of many of them, in the single-minded pursuit of greater profit margins, is inexcusable. The slight nudge that I may make because of that is to look for more products that come from well-treated animals (free range chickens and eggs, for example) to help support those businesses that don’t mistreat their animals. The cost is a bit more (I’ve discovered that free-range eggs cost twice as much as normal eggs!), but my conscience rests a bit easier. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
4. After perusing PETA’s website and other vegan web sites, it almost seems like becoming a vegetarian is a conversion to another faith – some of the web sites were very . . . devotional in their tone and approach to the subject of diet. While I acknowledge that eating more grains and veggies is good, I still think that as omnivores we are allowed the occasional BBQ. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
So my conclusion? Eat more veggies, fruits and grains, and maybe try to look at where your meat is coming from. But having<\/strong> to be meatless? Not a fundamental Christian practice . . . and thank God for that! – I do love my fajitas! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Blessings & Peace, OK – so I’m finally getting around to talking about vegetarians . . . and I find that I don’t<\/p>\n
Hugo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"