It is permissive for Christians to eat meat today

trophy33 said:

The UN projection says that the human population will peak at 10.5 billion people in the end of this century and then it will go down.

So, we will see. Higher development should cause less children even in the societies that are now growing exponentially. But how much of our ecosystem will be already destroyed by then...

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This is primarily an infrastructure and technological issue rather than a political issue, so I do have opinions on it, but they would be offtopic for this format, but this planet can easily sustain 20 billion or more with the right infrastructure and I suspect we may have to in the short term (that is, the next 500 years) unless there is a nuclear apocalypse which would cause a population reduction.

The Liturgist said:

this planet can easily sustain 20 billion or more with the right infrastructure

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I cannot imagine that. Not in a balanced way for nature and animals. If people just sat at home or used just bikes and ate local, maybe. But not with cars, tourism or transporting things from place to place.

FredVB said:

I know this verses already (of course). It just isn't saying what you said, which was definitely adding to it what is not in the Bible.

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The Scriptures don't say that God created the skins, so the most straightforward understanding is that they were taken from animals. That entails a sacrifice.

Daniel Marsh said:

Romans 14
Easy-to-Read Version

14 Be willing to accept those who still have doubts about what believers can do. And don’t argue with them about their different ideas. 2 Some people believe they can eat any kind of food, but those who have doubts eat only vegetables. 3 Those who know they can eat any kind of food must not feel that they are better than those who eat only vegetables. And those who eat only vegetables must not decide that those who eat all foods are wrong. God has accepted them. 4 You cannot judge the servants of someone else. Their own master decides if they are doing right or wrong. And the Lord’s servants will be right, because the Lord is able to make them right.

PETA propaganda is not acceptable in this discussion.

Before the flood it is possible some people only ate vegetables. Beef Jerky has been found in Archeological sites that could predate Noah --- I do not know for sure.

https://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i47/Mummified-Beef-Jerky-Found-Pyramids.html#:~:text=USA-,Preserved beef found in the tomb of Egyptian Queen Tiye,University of Bristol's Richard P.

Pyramids and Protein « Ancient Egypt Research Associates

"Constructed between 2589 and 2504 B.C., the Egyptian pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, built in that order, are a testament to ancient planning and engineering."
Pyramids of Giza & the Sphinx | Live Science

I do not know if those pyramids were built before or after the flood.

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Jesus ate fish after he rose from the dead so it is okay to eat fish which is a type of meat , so the answer to the thread's question is "yes". Yes, Christians are permitted to eat meat.

prodromos said:

The Scriptures don't say that God created the skins, so the most straightforward understanding is that they were taken from animals. That entails a sacrifice.

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No, it doesn't. That is not straightforward. It is clearly reading into scripture passages what is not said in any scripture passages.

Xeno.of.athens said:

Jesus ate fish after he rose from the dead so it is okay to eat fish which is a type of meat , so the answer to the thread's question is "yes". Yes, Christians are permitted to eat meat.

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I have not been talking about permission. If I was, I could talk about permission for divorce, or permission for slavery. But I talk often about God's will. God does not change, even if everyone says God changed. It was not just fish offered, even if that was not added in. There was honeycomb, but that clearly gets taken out. And Jesus ate it what does that mean? If there were two things, only one was had. You do not know it was fish, or if Jesus ever ate any.

"Animals were made to be our food". Not quite said in the Bible. The one thing God said was very good has Genesis 1:29 included in it, this is God's will, and God does not change. How many species of animals are there? They say over seven million. How many species do you eat from? Again, animals were made to be our food is not said in the Bible. Changes later from what God said to start with are accommodating human fallenness with their stubbornness and hard hearts. But God cares for animals, as their Creator. If you were right that they are made to be your food, you would be eating most of those species. But just how many species do you use for food?

The Bible shows the design for us, and Adam cared for the animals, and was the steward God meant him to be. Proverbs 12:10. Sacrifices which were done to animals God cared for were not to continue, they only had use to point out the need for Christ who came for the atonement that was needed.

Xeno.of.athens said:

Jesus ate fish after he rose from the dead so it is okay to eat fish which is a type of meat , so the answer to the thread's question is "yes". Yes, Christians are permitted to eat meat.

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Yes he did. Coincidentally I just cited that fact in another thread in an anti-docetic context.

prodromos said:

The Scriptures don't say that God created the skins, so the most straightforward understanding is that they were taken from animals. That entails a sacrifice.

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Indeed so.

trophy33 said:

I cannot imagine that. Not in a balanced way for nature and animals. If people just sat at home or used just bikes and ate local, maybe. But not with cars, tourism or transporting things from place to place.

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it will require more use of nuclear power and improved transportation systems, and also efforts to reverse desertification in Africa by converting sections of the Sahara to arible land, and likewise new desalination and irrigation pipelines to restore the Aral Sea and to turn that artificial desert, which was created by an engineering disaster of the Soviet Union, into viable agricultural land (an attempt to do that is what caused the Aral Sea to drain in the first place, but since the result was further desertification it must be cleaned up in the same way the Chernobyl site must be cleaned up), but it’s barely twice the current population, and my view is that we should begin implementing the infrastructure to accommodate it now.

In terms of food production there are additional advances, such as environemntally isolated vertical farming structures and arcologies, which could likely allow us to accomodate not 20 billion but 200 billion, in a high density configuration, and at that scale, you might start to see a reduction in the level of comfort available to people, but not at 20 billion.

Cars, if used for transportation in rural areas and for recreational purposes, and tourism, if accomplished via luxury high speed trains and aircraft or nuclear-powered ocean liners and cruise ships for long distance travel, are already factored into the mathematical model which I am using as the basis for my assertion. If you post a thread in another forum where the engineering and transportation aspects are topical, I would be happy to show you my calculations, which are pretty conservative (that is to say, I took current pollution levels, adjusted for the use of nuclear energy and increased public transport usage, and for partial increases in arable lands, and also for an increase in global temperature happening regardless*, in order to provide a safety margin, which is a common engineering practice).

* It looks to me, using less conservative figures, like switching to nuclear power from oil, natural gas and coal power would throw this into reverse in fact, to the extent that I would worry about a reduction in temperature as happened in the 1970s, particularly if carbon-absorbing peat bogs in Northern Europe and elsewhere continue to grow. Fortunately, in the event of a temperature reduction we can just increase greenhouse gas emissions to compensate, so it is arguably easier to compensate for global cooling than for the reverse, but because of this I am opposed to removing all natural gas power-plants; rather in switching to a nuclear powered system I would retain the natural gas power plants as backup systems, particularly since most nuclear power plants are harder to cold-start compared to natural gas plants. Also natural gas is desirable for gastronomic applications. At any rate, if you want to get into the numbers, do post a thread, and I will walk you through the calculations I’ve done, because it is possible I am in error and need to revise them.

There is also a large caveat and that is that it may not be possible to get certain regimes such as India and China to make the necessary changes to accommodate a 20 billion population, in which case that could pose problems for all of us.

FredVB said:

If I was, I could talk about permission for divorce, or permission for slavery. But I talk often about God's will.

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Since Jesus is God and he ate fish of his own free will it seems to follow that it is God's will to eat fish and hence has made no prohibition against what he himself did and that Christians, in following the example of Jesus, are free to eat flesh (meat). No one is compelled to eat meat, Christians are free to eschew it but no Christian is free to impose a prohibition against meat on anyone.

FredVB said:

No, it doesn't. That is not straightforward. It is clearly reading into scripture passages what is not said in any scripture passages.

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You are entitled to your opinion

FredVB said:

It was not just fish offered, even if that was not added in. There was honeycomb, but that clearly gets taken out. And Jesus ate it what does that mean? If there were two things, only one was had. You do not know it was fish, or if Jesus ever ate any.

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You've lost me with your honeycomb reference. Where is honeycomb mentioned with the fish? Luke’s Gospel simply says there was broiled fish and I don't see honeycomb mentioned in the other Gospels.

Luke 24:41-43
And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

2BeholdHisGlory said:

I never met anyone who was into the whole sacrificing food items to wood or stone idols.

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And the book of Lex 14 ; 1-57 explans all how the sacifoces are done and You need A Priest for the blood sacrifices

to keep the Law of Moses .

And in Col 2:16 Paul has this to , Therefore , do NOT / ME , and the Greek word NOT / ME , is a Disjuncative

Partcile Negative , which means , Neverrrrr Everrr , let anyone judge you in Earing or in Drinking , or in respect of a

feast day or a new moon , or SABBATS

verse 17 , which are a shadow of coming things , But the BODY is of Christ , ponting those saved by Grace

called the Body of Christ !

dan p

Daniel Marsh said:

Romans 14
Easy-to-Read Version

14 Be willing to accept those who still have doubts about what believers can do. And don’t argue with them about their different ideas. 2 Some people believe they can eat any kind of food, but those who have doubts eat only vegetables. 3 Those who know they can eat any kind of food must not feel that they are better than those who eat only vegetables. And those who eat only vegetables must not decide that those who eat all foods are wrong. God has accepted them. 4 You cannot judge the servants of someone else. Their own master decides if they are doing right or wrong. And the Lord’s servants will be right, because the Lord is able to make them right.

PETA propaganda is not acceptable in this discussion.

Before the flood it is possible some people only ate vegetables. Beef Jerky has been found in Archeological sites that could predate Noah --- I do not know for sure.

https://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i47/Mummified-Beef-Jerky-Found-Pyramids.html#:~:text=USA-,Preserved beef found in the tomb of Egyptian Queen Tiye,University of Bristol's Richard P.

Pyramids and Protein « Ancient Egypt Research Associates

"Constructed between 2589 and 2504 B.C., the Egyptian pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, built in that order, are a testament to ancient planning and engineering."
Pyramids of Giza & the Sphinx | Live Science

I do not know if those pyramids were built before or after the flood.

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Besides, the discourse says those of weak faith, accept them. Implying that those who don't eat meat actually have weaker faith.

Thus people with weak faith shouldn't tell other people what to do, this is just something to accommodate new believers.

Since the faith has varied customs and doctrines, just hang out with people who have the same interests.

FredVB said:

But God cares for animals, as their Creator.

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Yes. God cares about the lives of animals, and doesn't want them needlessly destroyed. God had compassion even on the livestock of Nineveh



But He still allowed for eating meat after the flood. And in some cases, He required eating it.


God indicated the Israelites may eat meat, according to the blessing of the Lord.


God said that if they were faithful He would bless the Israelites with grass so that the Israelites might eat the livestock and be filled.


God commanded that the Israelites eat meat in the Passover.


God gave regular portions of the sacrifices to the priests.


God outlined the peace offering which involved eating meat from the animal.


God provided Elijah meat.

Jesus provided fish to His disciples, and to the multitudes.

Jesus ate the Passover, and had His disciples arrange for it, and eat it with Him.


Jesus fed the multitude with fish.


Jesus called a fish a good gift:


The people are to eat of the firstlings of the herds, or, if the place is too far convert the tithe into money and use the money to buy sheep, or oxen, that are eaten before the Lord. And they are to remember to invite the Levite to eat with them.



God said Israel can eat as much meat as they want:

In the parable of the prodigal son, showing the grace and love of the Father towards lost sinners, Jesus includes a celebration that includes eating the meat of the fattened calf.

Abraham was not rebuked for eating meat, or serving it to the LORD:

prodromos said:

You've lost me with your honeycomb reference. Where is honeycomb mentioned with the fish? Luke’s Gospel simply says there was broiled fish and I don't see honeycomb mentioned in the other Gospels.

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The Majority text, and TR have the portion of honeycomb as well.

tall73 said:

The Majority text, and TR have the portion of honeycomb as well.

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Thank you. Of course there is nothing in the text that suggests our Lord didn't eat everything that was set before him. Those who would claim otherwise are reading their own beliefs back into the text.

prodromos said:

Thank you. Of course there is nothing in the text that suggests our Lord didn't eat everything that was set before him. Those who would claim otherwise are reading their own beliefs back into the text.

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Right, and He ate the Passover, fed the multitudes with fish, fed His disciples with fish, and said a fish was a good gift for a father to give his son, along with bread and eggs.

FredVB said:

No, it doesn't. That is not straightforward. It is clearly reading into scripture passages what is not said in any scripture passages.

I have not been talking about permission. If I was, I could talk about permission for divorce, or permission for slavery. But I talk often about God's will. God does not change, even if everyone says God changed. It was not just fish offered, even if that was not added in. There was honeycomb, but that clearly gets taken out. And Jesus ate it what does that mean? If there were two things, only one was had. You do not know it was fish, or if Jesus ever ate any.

"Animals were made to be our food". Not quite said in the Bible. The one thing God said was very good has Genesis 1:29 included in it, this is God's will, and God does not change. How many species of animals are there? They say over seven million. How many species do you eat from? Again, animals were made to be our food is not said in the Bible. Changes later from what God said to start with are accommodating human fallenness with their stubbornness and hard hearts. But God cares for animals, as their Creator. If you were right that they are made to be your food, you would be eating most of those species. But just how many species do you use for food?

The Bible shows the design for us, and Adam cared for the animals, and was the steward God meant him to be. Proverbs 12:10. Sacrifices which were done to animals God cared for were not to continue, they only had use to point out the need for Christ who came for the atonement that was needed.

Click to expand...

The Liturgist said:

Yes he did. Coincidentally I just cited that fact in another thread in an anti-docetic context.

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No, it is not clear he did. You are reading something compromising it. You are not persuasive.

Xeno.of.athens said:

Since Jesus is God and he ate fish of his own free will it seems to follow that it is God's will to eat fish and hence has made no prohibition against what he himself did and that Christians, in following the example of Jesus, are free to eat flesh (meat). No one is compelled to eat meat, Christians are free to eschew it but no Christian is free to impose a prohibition against meat on anyone.

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Text was altered, I am not persuaded by the claim that Jesus ate fish, from the one passage where honeycomb was edited out, Jesus only said to eat it, proving he was alive, and as I cannot believe it meaning one thing meant a fish honeycomb combination, he only ate one thing. Again, the Bible is being edited there. I caught it.

And, you are not reading what I post. I said nothing, nothing whatsoever, about prohibitions. Enough straw man arguing, I said already I am not talking about permission, prohibition did not come up. I have to admit my patience wore a bit thin with the constant misrepresentation from Christians, who really should be more honest.

Anyway I for one do not believe that Jesus set the example to eat flesh, no passage shows me he did. Historical accounts show that many or most earliest followers did not eat flesh or claim that Jesus did, setting it as an example. Even apostles and James the brother of Jesus did not eat flesh.

Whatever about permission, I said that is not a subject I am talking about, when I do speak of the will of God. That is distinct, you know.

tall73 said:

Yes. God cares about the lives of animals, and doesn't want them needlessly destroyed. God had compassion even on the livestock of Nineveh

Jonah 4:9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”​

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”​

10 But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” (NKJV)​

But He still allowed for eating meat after the flood. And in some cases, He required eating it.

Genesis 9:1-7 1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.​

God indicated the Israelites may eat meat, according to the blessing of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 12:15 “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates, whatever your heart desires, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer alike.​

God said that if they were faithful He would bless the Israelites with grass so that the Israelites might eat the livestock and be filled.

Deuteronomy 11:15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’​

God commanded that the Israelites eat meat in the Passover.

Exodus 12:8 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (NKJV)​

God gave regular portions of the sacrifices to the priests.

Leviticus 7:31 And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32 Also the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a heave offering from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33 He among the sons of Aaron, who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat, shall have the right thigh for his part. 34 For the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever.’ ”​

God outlined the peace offering which involved eating meat from the animal.

Leviticus 19:5 ‘And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. And if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire.​

God provided Elijah meat.

​

​

1Ki 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.​

Jesus provided fish to His disciples, and to the multitudes.

​

Joh 21:12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.​

Jesus ate the Passover, and had His disciples arrange for it, and eat it with Him.

Luke 22:14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer​

Jesus fed the multitude with fish.

Matthew 15:35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.​

Jesus called a fish a good gift:

Luk 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?​

The people are to eat of the firstlings of the herds, or, if the place is too far convert the tithe into money and use the money to buy sheep, or oxen, that are eaten before the Lord. And they are to remember to invite the Levite to eat with them.

​

Deuteronomy 14:22 “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.​

Deuteronomy 15:19 “All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall sanctify to the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You and your household shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses​

God said Israel can eat as much meat as they want:

​

Deuteronomy 12:20 “When the Lord your God enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘Let me eat meat,’ because you long to eat meat, you may eat as much meat as your heart desires.​

In the parable of the prodigal son, showing the grace and love of the Father towards lost sinners, Jesus includes a celebration that includes eating the meat of the fattened calf.

Luke 15:20-24 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’​

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. (NKJV)​

​

Abraham was not rebuked for eating meat, or serving it to the LORD:

Genesis 18:1-8 1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”​

They said, “Do as you have said.”​

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. (NKJV)​

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I am not talking about permission. Again. There is more permission, divorcing as much as you want to, having slaves, let those having that do so.

I see evidence of changes made to texts.

My points about the design from the beginning stand, something Jesus also referred to. There are the demonstrable issues, that many of you can ignore, the abuse to animals (of course, that doesn't matter to you, I see that) which God spoke against, the greater demand for land, water, and resources for the industry meeting the demand for what is had from animals, with more and more damage to natural environments for that, and rising extinction rates of species to a critical level, and insects are also diminishing and the ocean is even being depleted, there is a contribution to climate change, and as those things won't matter to most of you though I can read it where God does hate that, why dismiss that is just so much healthier to have whole foods available from a variety of plants, with which cancers and clogging and high blood pressure, and many other issues, can be avoided? God's design for us would not worsen our health, but many among you will still do so.

It is not about permission! And no one here is making a prohibition.

But so many are stubborn with hard hearts.

FredVB said:

Text was altered, I am not persuaded by the claim that Jesus ate fish, from the one passage where honeycomb was edited out, Jesus only said to eat it, proving he was alive, and as I cannot believe it meaning one thing meant a fish honeycomb combination, he only ate one thing. Again, the Bible is being edited there. I caught it.

And, you are not reading what I post. I said nothing, nothing whatsoever, about prohibitions. Enough straw man arguing, I said already I am not talking about permission, prohibition did not come up. I have to admit my patience wore a bit thin with the constant misrepresentation from Christians, who really should be more honest.

Anyway I for one do not believe that Jesus set the example to eat flesh, no passage shows me he did. Historical accounts show that many of most earliest followers did not eat flesh or claim that Jesus did, setting it as an example. Even apostles and James the brother of Jesus did not eat flesh.

Whatever about permission, I said that is not a subject I am talking about, when I do speak of the will of God. That is distinct, you know.

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Okay, here’s my take as a Catholic.

I appreciate the passion behind your words, you’re genuinely wrestling with Scripture and tradition. That’s a good thing—we’re meant to seek truth. But I must gently push back on a few points, not to argue for argument’s sake, but to offer a faithful Catholic perspective grounded in Scripture, history, and reason.

First, regarding the claim that Jesus didn’t eat fish: the Gospel of Luke clearly states, “They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence” (Luke 24:42–43). Some manuscripts include “and a honeycomb,” others don’t—but the fish is consistently present across the earliest and most reliable sources. The point of the passage isn’t culinary—it’s theological. Jesus eats to show he’s truly risen in the flesh, not a ghost or vision. That’s central to our faith in the Resurrection.

Now, about the idea that Jesus never set an example of eating flesh: respectfully, that doesn’t hold up. He participated in the Passover meal, which involved eating lamb. He multiplied loaves and fish to feed the crowds. And after the Resurrection, he cooked fish for the disciples on the shore (John 21:9–13). These aren’t incidental details—they’re woven into the Gospel narrative.

As for the early Church, it’s true that some early Christians practised vegetarianism, often for ascetic reasons. But that was never a universal teaching. The apostles, including Peter and Paul, didn’t prohibit eating meat. In fact, Paul explicitly warns against those who “forbid foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:3).

I hear your frustration about misrepresentation and straw man arguments. That’s fair—dialogue should be honest and respectful on all sides. But I’d encourage you not to paint all Christians with the same brush. Many of us are trying, however imperfectly, to live with integrity and humility.

Finally, on the will of God: yes, it’s a weighty and sacred topic. But discerning God’s will can’t be separated from the life and teachings of Jesus, who came eating and drinking, who blessed food, and who instituted the Eucharist—his Body and Blood—as the central act of Christian worship. That’s not a metaphor we made up; it’s a mystery he gave us.

So while I respect your convictions, I can’t share them. I believe Jesus ate fish, not just to prove he was alive, but to show us that the Resurrection redeems the whole of creation—including the ordinary act of sharing a meal.

FredVB said:

Text was altered, I am not persuaded by the claim that Jesus ate fish, from the one passage where honeycomb was edited out, Jesus only said to eat it, proving he was alive, and as I cannot believe it meaning one thing meant a fish honeycomb combination, he only ate one thing. Again, the Bible is being edited there. I caught it.

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a. There are extant witnesses indicating He ate fish, and there are extant witnesses indicating He ate fish and honeycomb. You have not demonstrated that there were any texts that allege He ate only honeycomb.
b. The word "it" is not in the text. You can see that from versions that place implied words in italics. The variant is in the verse about the honeycomb. I don't see variants of note in the apparatus for the part that says receiving He ate in front of them. You can see this from the KJV for instance:


"It" is in italics because it is not in the text.

You can also see this in the academic translation the Lexham English Bible

Footnotes​

FredVB said:

And, you are not reading what I post. I said nothing, nothing whatsoever, about prohibitions. Enough straw man arguing, I said already I am not talking about permission, prohibition did not come up.

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You said permission. So let's get more specific. Did God PERMIT the Israelites to eat the Passover? Or did He COMMAND them to eat the Passover?