Vegetarianism & Christianity

Cows do not eat meat to make flesh of their own bodies. Meat is composed of vegetable matter and water. Our bodies are constantly flushing out toxins and excessive nutrients such as fatty acids and sugars. Our bodies need enough iron and protein, meat or egg protein that is easily more absorbable than vegetable or nut protein for faster healing. Nutritionists know that a balanced diet of meat and vegetables can meet the body's needs. Fruit as an after-dinner dessert, sometimes with icecream or jelly, contains antioxidants to slip away bad fats from cementing the walls of blood vessels. Icecream contains calcium for bone and teeth strength. Diabetes is a result of a regular diet lacking antioxidants from fruit and vegetables.

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I learn to accept Jesus Christ and our God the Father by default.

Hey -- don't look at me, I eat meat everyday... heh...

I have heard people have to watch vegetarianism, it can be missing core nutrients. I am not big on diets myself (am on what I read and believe, the real food).

Technically, my diet should be entirely unhealthy. But I am not.

No one knows but god

Of course you have to take care of yourself and be mindful of your iron and protein intake.

More Americans that live on fast food and processed food are malnourished than vegetarians. You can also get enough calcium through calcium enriched food. I am lactose intolerant so I can't eat cheese or milk. I get all of my calcium from Soy milk and bread.

Nutritionist either work for the beef industry or are brainwashed to believe the government propaganda food pyramid. You can get all the protein you need from nuts and beans. Fat from nuts, beans, and oils. Should you take supplements? Absolutely! But so should everyone.

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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

There were some recent problems with livestock having animal matter ground up in their feed ("animal byproducts, bone meal"). That was part of the mad cow scare.

Daniel 1:12+

"Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe." So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel also had insight into all visions and dreams.


Daniel 10:2+
At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks. I had eaten no rich food, no meat or wine had entered my mouth, and I had not anointed myself at all, for the full three weeks. (Preceded a vision/angelic visitation.)


Not everyone can handle a vegetarian diet. People whose blood sugar is sensitive, have very few choices of what they can eat. Meat helps stabilize, where depending completely on whole grains and legumes brings in too many carbs to level the blood sugar.

I eat a "horrible" diet by worldly standards. I like being able to say I eat meat everyday, though. For the metaphoric purpose of it.

I hate that cows have to die for it, though... even if maybe...

To some people they are sacred...

Why wouldn't it be okay to be a vegetarian? Orthodox monastics are all vegetarian. Orthodox laity fast for roughly half the year on a vegan diet. We fast to turn our hearts and minds toward God. We are to struggle against our passions.

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Troparion - Tone 4
Commanders of the heavenly hosts, we who are unworthy beseech you, by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory, and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you: “Deliver us from all harm, for you are the commanders of the powers on high!”

Holy Archangel Michael, pray to God for me.


"It's later than you think. Hasten therefore, to do the work of God." ~ Fr. Seraphim Rose

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If you can do it in good conscience I see no problem with it. But if it offends someone, or turns into some kind of morality... then you have a problem.

Jesus isn't going to count it a virtue that anyone thought eating meat was inhumane.

mywife manages it no problem. She does it for health reasons so lucky for me I can still eat meat

Chick peas are a great source of calcium and iron if you need more of that.
Protein is actually so easy to get one doesn't need to worry about it although foods like Tofu have a higher quality protein than some others.
Dairy is actually a poor source of calcium so don't be worried about that if your considering giving up dairy. While it does contain lots of calcium your body does not actually get the benefit of most of it as it uses the calcium to get rid of the excess protein you get in milk.

In a perfect world (before sin and after Jesus returns) we will all be vegetarians. So it would be hard to argue there is a problem with being vegetarian and christian.


I can think of several passages that could apply to this.
1.We are told to be wise stewards of Gods creation.
2. Animals are here to serve us
3. In the bible slaves were to be treated with respect. Does that extend to animals as they are a kind of slave of ours.
4. If you consider something to be sin then for you it is indeed sin.


Not sure what you meant by this but there is nothing in the bible that says you have to eat meat. The closest thing would be Peter's vision but that is a very frequently misused verse. The bible itself tells us the interpretation of Peter's vision and it has nothing to do with if we should eat meat or not.

So can I ask which passages you may have looked at. Perhaps then we could discuss what they mean.



Someone is bound to bring up the passage from Romans 14 which says those that choose not to eat meat are weak. That passage is not relevant here in my opinion. That passage is talking about the old testament food laws which actually allowed meat to be eaten but not certain kinds of meat. So the passage would only apply if you were considering eating certain meats but not others. A eat no meat at all position has nothing to do with that passage.

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against tradition simply for tradition. for tradition that has good reason.

Jud 5:25 "He asked for water and she gave him milk; In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.