Christianity and Being Vegetarian

[PrincessLDG]

Hello, all! I need advice. I’ve recently decided to become a full-out vegetarian and told my family. They claimed that being a vegetarian is demonic and is from the devil. My mother told me that I'm going to eat meat regardless. If you're curious about my age, I'm a 22-year-old female.

I’ve always been somewhat of a semi-vegetarian. I ate meat here and there but tried to eat more vegetables. What pressed me to become a full-out vegetarian recently was due to me trying to improve my health. I'm overall a healthy person. I'm 5’ 4” 108 lbs. However, being slim doesn't mean perfect health or good health.

6-months-ago, I got blood work done and everything was good but my cholesterol. My total cholesterol was 230. Ever since then, I slowly started cutting out things such as fried foods, high-sugar desserts, etc. I then increased my exercise.

I’ve been doing extensive research about cholesterol and recently found out that it can be found a lot in animal products, so I decided to give being a vegetarian a try since I ate like that anyway. When I say vegetarian, I'm talking about a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eats dairy, eggs, and other plant-based foods excluding all forms of meat.

I'm doing this diet solely for my health and I’ve been feeling great. A family member told me this Bible verse:

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

1 Timothy 4:3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. | King James Version (KJV) | Download The Bible App Now

It's not like I'm a vegan. No shade to vegans on here, but I feel that diet is a bit extreme to the average individual and everyone’s body is not meant for it. I do, however, love how they're for protecting the earth and the well-being of animals. I'm a huge animal lover. I also know that every dairy and meat industry doesn't abuse their animals.

You don't necessarily have to be a vegan to not support those malpractices. You can simply purchase meat and dairy from companies that are ethical. Plain and simple.

One more thing, my mom also said I had some evil spirit on me which made me sad. I'm quite in shock by that.

 

[Abaxvahl]

I'm a vegan myself, those verses people love to throw out but have literally nothing to do with modern dieting. The heretics spoken of in those verses think that material creation is evil (contrary to what the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ says in Genesis, "it is good" and "it is very good") and so on those grounds do not want procreation or the eating of these foods. Or they are heretics who simply commanded for all this sort of asceticism which rejects these things, but on the contrary Jesus says "let him receive it who can" and the Church has never seen celibacy or certain fasting as something for all men.

As you are not falling into either of these errors it has nothing at all to do with you and your mother is abusing Scripture in trying to condemn you with this verse.

And before she brings it up: Romans 14 is about eating meat associated with idolatry, which is objectively allowed but some people felt weird about, it has nothing to do with the issue of modern diets either.

 

[seeking.IAM]

You are a 22-year-old adult. Adults make choices. Be vegetarian, vegan, or meat eating as is your preference, but please don't let anyone wrap this choice in religion. There is simply no scripture saying either choice is commanded, prohibited, or demonic.

 

[Sketcher]

Hello, all! I need advice. I’ve recently decided to become a full-out vegetarian and told my family. They claimed that being a vegetarian is demonic and is from the devil. My mother told me that I'm going to eat meat regardless. If you're curious about my age, I'm a 22-year-old female.

That's wrong.

You may be vegetarian and Christian, as long as you do not say that any Christian must be vegetarian.

I’ve been doing extensive research about cholesterol and recently found out that it can be found a lot in animal products, so I decided to give being a vegetarian a try since I ate like that anyway. When I say vegetarian, I'm talking about a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eats dairy, eggs, and other plant-based foods excluding all forms of meat.

I'm doing this diet solely for my health and I’ve been feeling great.

That's legit.

A family member told me this Bible verse:

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Well, you're not commanding anyone to abstain from meats.
And, in the KJV, "food" is more often translated as "meats" because that's how the English language was in 17th and 18th centuries. This is one of those cases.

Christians are free to enjoy meat, or not. I enjoy it freely, and I believe it is good. But my eating meat doesn't make me more or less moral than you, and contrariwise, your deciding to limit or eliminate your meat-eating for health reasons doesn't make you more or less moral than me.

One more thing, my mom also said I had some evil spirit on me which made me sad. I'm quite in shock by that.

I see no evidence of that.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Hello, all! I need advice. I’ve recently decided to become a full-out vegetarian and told my family. They claimed that being a vegetarian is demonic and is from the devil. My mother told me that I'm going to eat meat regardless. If you're curious about my age, I'm a 22-year-old female.

I’ve always been somewhat of a semi-vegetarian. I ate meat here and there but tried to eat more vegetables. What pressed me to become a full-out vegetarian recently was due to me trying to improve my health. I'm overall a healthy person. I'm 5’ 4” 108 lbs. However, being slim doesn't mean perfect health or good health.

6-months-ago, I got blood work done and everything was good but my cholesterol. My total cholesterol was 230. Ever since then, I slowly started cutting out things such as fried foods, high-sugar desserts, etc. I then increased my exercise.

I’ve been doing extensive research about cholesterol and recently found out that it can be found a lot in animal products, so I decided to give being a vegetarian a try since I ate like that anyway. When I say vegetarian, I'm talking about a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eats dairy, eggs, and other plant-based foods excluding all forms of meat.

I'm doing this diet solely for my health and I’ve been feeling great. A family member told me this Bible verse:

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

1 Timothy 4:3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. | King James Version (KJV) | Download The Bible App Now

It's not like I'm a vegan. No shade to vegans on here, but I feel that diet is a bit extreme to the average individual and everyone’s body is not meant for it. I do, however, love how they're for protecting the earth and the well-being of animals. I'm a huge animal lover. I also know that every dairy and meat industry doesn't abuse their animals.

You don't necessarily have to be a vegan to not support those malpractices. You can simply purchase meat and dairy from companies that are ethical. Plain and simple.

One more thing, my mom also said I had some evil spirit on me which made me sad. I'm quite in shock by that.

Those verses only apply if you forbid others from eating foods.

It's fine if you have a different diet, the NT writings allow for that.

 

[spiritfilledjm]

VEGETARIAN!!!! THAT'S THE MARK OF THE BEAST!!!!!11!!!111!!!1!!!!!

I kid, be vegetarian, don't be vegetarian, eat whatever you want. However, if you ever cook a steak well-done...we'll be having words...

Also, honor your father and mother. This means be respectful towards them...being respectful doesn't mean you must eat whatever it is they want you to eat. It means if you're going to decline what they provide, be thankful that they provided you food but respectfully decline.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Personally I think you should try transitioning from meats to less meats and bad foods to less bad foods and see how your body reacts as some people need more of things in some foods than others do. My sister for example needs to eat steak for the iron in it otherwise she becomes anemic and iron supplements upset her digestion and cost more. If you allow yourself to eat meats with others when you are out now and then but most days you eat a good diet then likely you will find the results you want without the hassle involved.

 

[PrincessLDG]

VEGETARIAN!!!! THAT'S THE MARK OF THE BEAST!!!!!11!!!111!!!1!!!!!

I kid, be vegetarian, don't be vegetarian, eat whatever you want. However, if you ever cook a steak well-done...we'll be having words...

Also, honor your father and mother. This means be respectful towards them...being respectful doesn't mean you must eat whatever it is they want you to eat. It means if you're going to decline what they provide, be thankful that they provided you food but respectfully decline.

I agree and you are hilarious!

 

[PrincessLDG]

Personally I think you should try transitioning from meats to less meats and bad foods to less bad foods and see how your body reacts as some people need more of things in some foods than others do. My sister for example needs to eat steak for the iron in it otherwise she becomes anemic and iron supplements upset her digestion and cost more. If you allow yourself to eat meats with others when you are out now and then but most days you eat a good diet then likely you will find the results you want without the hassle involved.

Perhaps I can only stick with fish? I sent my doctor’s office an email about me switching to a vegetarian diet to get more advice.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Perhaps I can only stick with fish? I sent my doctor’s office an email about me switching to a vegetarian diet to get more advice.

Fish depending on the type and how it is cooked can be as bad as meat sometimes. There are good and bad fish and meats depending on the fish and meat and how it is cooked. Lean Turkey can be better than fatty pork or hamburger and even at times better than fried fish. If the idea is lowering cholesterol then some foods actually have good cholesterol in them that eating more of them and less meats may suffice.
I've switched to eating more eggs myself and drinking less soda and more tea and I still eat meat just not nearly as much a week as I was and a lot less pasta and bread and have lost over 15 lbs. By not depriving myself of foods that I do like that are not good for me all the time I find I don't crave them as I've found at times I crave foods that my body needs and it needs them because of what is in them.

 

[PrincessLDG]

Fish depending on the type and how it is cooked can be as bad as meat sometimes. There are good and bad fish and meats depending on the fish and meat and how it is cooked. Lean Turkey can be better than fatty pork or hamburger and even at times better than fried fish. If the idea is lowering cholesterol then some foods actually have good cholesterol in them that eating more of them and less meats may suffice.
I've switched to eating more eggs myself and drinking less soda and more tea and I still eat meat just not nearly as much a week as I was and a lot less pasta and bread and have lost over 15 lbs. By not depriving myself of foods that I do like that are not good for me all the time I find I don't crave them as I've found at times I crave foods that my body needs and it needs them because of what is in them.

Yeah, my only goal is to lower my cholesterol and congrats on losing 15+ pounds!

 

[Sabertooth]

@PrincessLDG, it is okay to be a vegetarian because you believe it to be healthier for you.
It only becomes a problem if you would spiritualize that decision and try to force it on others.
(I am kosher-leaning for non-spiritual reasons.)

IIUC, veganism has a spiritual aspect that vegetarianism does not have.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Yeah, my only goal is to lower my cholesterol and congrats on losing 15+ pounds!

It may be easier to just go on a low cholesterol diet for awhile and learn which foods have higher cholesterol and eat those less often and/or smaller portions. I think there are also diets that help lower cholesterol out there too.
Once you have an idea what foods raise and lower it then you can adjust your food choices to limit your intake average which will allow you to eat foods high in it when needed to and balance that out with lower amounts.

Not all people are cut out to be vegetarians, and to do so just to lower cholesterol may not make for a comfortable sustainable lifestyle especially if you do enjoy meats now and then.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Hello, all! I need advice. I’ve recently decided to become a full-out vegetarian and told my family. They claimed that being a vegetarian is demonic and is from the devil.

Many monastic communities only have meat a few times a year on feast days. Their norm is to be vegetarian. You could do the same, eating some meat on rare occasions.

 

[PrincessLDG]

Yeah, my only goal is to lower my cholesterol and congrats on losing 15+ pounds!

When I think about it, I'm just going to add fish in the mix and follow the Pescatarian diet just to be safe. Fish is my favorite meat anyway.

 

[PrincessLDG]

It may be easier to just go on a low cholesterol diet for awhile and learn which foods have higher cholesterol and eat those less often and/or smaller portions. I think there are also diets that help lower cholesterol out there too.
Once you have an idea what foods raise and lower it then you can adjust your food choices to limit your intake average which will allow you to eat foods high in it when needed to and balance that out with lower amounts.

Not all people are cut out to be vegetarians, and to do so just to lower cholesterol may not make for a comfortable sustainable lifestyle especially if you do enjoy meats now and then.

You are totally right about that diet not being for everyone. Fish is my favorite meat and I will add that to my diet and eat some once or twice a week. I feel at peace with that decision.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Romans 14...

14 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not to have quarrels over opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but the one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

 

[Soyeong]

Hello, all! I need advice. I’ve recently decided to become a full-out vegetarian and told my family. They claimed that being a vegetarian is demonic and is from the devil. My mother told me that I'm going to eat meat regardless. If you're curious about my age, I'm a 22-year-old female.

I’ve always been somewhat of a semi-vegetarian. I ate meat here and there but tried to eat more vegetables. What pressed me to become a full-out vegetarian recently was due to me trying to improve my health. I'm overall a healthy person. I'm 5’ 4” 108 lbs. However, being slim doesn't mean perfect health or good health.

6-months-ago, I got blood work done and everything was good but my cholesterol. My total cholesterol was 230. Ever since then, I slowly started cutting out things such as fried foods, high-sugar desserts, etc. I then increased my exercise.

I’ve been doing extensive research about cholesterol and recently found out that it can be found a lot in animal products, so I decided to give being a vegetarian a try since I ate like that anyway. When I say vegetarian, I'm talking about a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eats dairy, eggs, and other plant-based foods excluding all forms of meat.

I'm doing this diet solely for my health and I’ve been feeling great. A family member told me this Bible verse:

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

1 Timothy 4:3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. | King James Version (KJV) | Download The Bible App Now

It's not like I'm a vegan. No shade to vegans on here, but I feel that diet is a bit extreme to the average individual and everyone’s body is not meant for it. I do, however, love how they're for protecting the earth and the well-being of animals. I'm a huge animal lover. I also know that every dairy and meat industry doesn't abuse their animals.

You don't necessarily have to be a vegan to not support those malpractices. You can simply purchase meat and dairy from companies that are ethical. Plain and simple.

One more thing, my mom also said I had some evil spirit on me which made me sad. I'm quite in shock by that.

In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul described what he was speaking about as the doctrine of demons, which should be a major clue that he was not speaking about the holy, righteous, and good commands of God. In Colossians 2:20-23, Paul interacted with pagans who were teaching human precepts and traditions, self-made religion, asceticism, and severity to the body. In other words, there were pagans teaching severity to the body and abstain from all forms of indulgences, which taught against eating what God said was good to eat in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. However, being against pagans asceticism and severity to the body as the doctrine of demons is not the same as saying that teaching to avoid any indulgence is the doctrine of demons.

There are times when God commanded His people to eat meat, such as to eat of the Passover lamb, so it would be hard to argue from the Bible that is wrong to eat meat, though there is nothing wrong with someone choosing to eat healthier foods when they can. There are many sentient animals kills by clearing land, plowing fields, using pesticides, and harvesting crops, so it can be argued that the diet that involves the fewest sentient animal deaths involves eating meat. Plus there is the issue of there being a lot more land that is suitable for raising animals than land that is suitable for raising crops. In any case, you can rest assured that there is nothing inherently demonic about choosing a regular diet that does not involve eating animals, such as for health reasons, though there can be for refraining from eating animals that are demonic, which gets into following pagan teachings.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Hello, all! I need advice. I’ve recently decided to become a full-out vegetarian and told my family. They claimed that being a vegetarian is demonic and is from the devil. My mother told me that I'm going to eat meat regardless. If you're curious about my age, I'm a 22-year-old female.

I’ve always been somewhat of a semi-vegetarian. I ate meat here and there but tried to eat more vegetables. What pressed me to become a full-out vegetarian recently was due to me trying to improve my health. I'm overall a healthy person. I'm 5’ 4” 108 lbs. However, being slim doesn't mean perfect health or good health.

6-months-ago, I got blood work done and everything was good but my cholesterol. My total cholesterol was 230. Ever since then, I slowly started cutting out things such as fried foods, high-sugar desserts, etc. I then increased my exercise.

I’ve been doing extensive research about cholesterol and recently found out that it can be found a lot in animal products, so I decided to give being a vegetarian a try since I ate like that anyway. When I say vegetarian, I'm talking about a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eats dairy, eggs, and other plant-based foods excluding all forms of meat.

I'm doing this diet solely for my health and I’ve been feeling great. A family member told me this Bible verse:

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

1 Timothy 4:3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. | King James Version (KJV) | Download The Bible App Now

It's not like I'm a vegan. No shade to vegans on here, but I feel that diet is a bit extreme to the average individual and everyone’s body is not meant for it. I do, however, love how they're for protecting the earth and the well-being of animals. I'm a huge animal lover. I also know that every dairy and meat industry doesn't abuse their animals.

You don't necessarily have to be a vegan to not support those malpractices. You can simply purchase meat and dairy from companies that are ethical. Plain and simple.

One more thing, my mom also said I had some evil spirit on me which made me sad. I'm quite in shock by that.

This was what our diet was meant to be in the garden of Eden before sin, so no it's not from the devil.

Here is a link to a Blue Zone study that showed a group in the US lives an average of Ten years longer and are mainly vegetarians.
Loma Linda, California - Blue Zones

God bless

 

[JesusFollowerForever]

Hello, all! I need advice. I’ve recently decided to become a full-out vegetarian and told my family. They claimed that being a vegetarian is demonic and is from the devil. My mother told me that I'm going to eat meat regardless. If you're curious about my age, I'm a 22-year-old female.

I’ve always been somewhat of a semi-vegetarian. I ate meat here and there but tried to eat more vegetables. What pressed me to become a full-out vegetarian recently was due to me trying to improve my health. I'm overall a healthy person. I'm 5’ 4” 108 lbs. However, being slim doesn't mean perfect health or good health.

6-months-ago, I got blood work done and everything was good but my cholesterol. My total cholesterol was 230. Ever since then, I slowly started cutting out things such as fried foods, high-sugar desserts, etc. I then increased my exercise.

I’ve been doing extensive research about cholesterol and recently found out that it can be found a lot in animal products, so I decided to give being a vegetarian a try since I ate like that anyway. When I say vegetarian, I'm talking about a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eats dairy, eggs, and other plant-based foods excluding all forms of meat.

I'm doing this diet solely for my health and I’ve been feeling great. A family member told me this Bible verse:

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

1 Timothy 4:3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. | King James Version (KJV) | Download The Bible App Now

It's not like I'm a vegan. No shade to vegans on here, but I feel that diet is a bit extreme to the average individual and everyone’s body is not meant for it. I do, however, love how they're for protecting the earth and the well-being of animals. I'm a huge animal lover. I also know that every dairy and meat industry doesn't abuse their animals.

You don't necessarily have to be a vegan to not support those malpractices. You can simply purchase meat and dairy from companies that are ethical. Plain and simple.

One more thing, my mom also said I had some evil spirit on me which made me sad. I'm quite in shock by that.

Hello

Eating more veggies is an excellent idea but you could keep meat on occasion eating a small portion, there are amino acids in meat that are not always found in vegetables of they are in low quantity, as for the cholesterol, a normal adult lever produces 2100 mg of it each day.

what increases cholesterol is sugars, lack of exercise and bad oils, the good oils are the ones extracted cold press not heated or transformed. Butter is far better than margarine, these are made of hydrogenated oils and are bad for you. the uses of oils and animal fat should be kept at a reasonable quantity not going overboard. Overall you are on the right track. What you propose is excellent.

Blessings
P.S, if you follow 1 tim 4:3 you will lead a boring life, get married if you want and be happy, everywhere in the bible the isrealites ate meat. it is permitted to do so and The God Who made us provides us with the dentition to eat meat.