Carnivores...

[stan1980]

First of all, I'll start off by saying I'm not a vegetarian, as I'll be honest, I like the taste of meat too much.

But, it's always struck me as odd behaviour when I really think about it; eating other animals. And what is even more odd, is if there is a God, why would he make animals that eat other animals?

Just wondering what the religious folk here think was God's reason when he made the carnivore? I'd imagine it's not too pleasant being eaten alive by another animal in the wild. Wouldn't it make more sense to put all the necessary nutrients and taste into plants/vegetables etc? Very strange God.

 

[SpaceProg]

Hmm... now I may be wrong, but I think back in Eden, all the animals were supposed to have eaten grass and other plant material. It was only after Sin entered the world, that animals began feeding upon each other.

I could be wrong there, as it's been a while since I've talked with anyone about this subject, but it sounds right, as far as my memory's concerned.

 

[HighwayMan]

I can't think of a good answer to be honest. In a way it seems like unnecessary cruelty. I suppose it would have to fit in with that "grander scheme " of things.

 

[Skaloop]

Hmm... now I may be wrong, but I think back in Eden, all the animals were supposed to have eaten grass and other plant material. It was only after Sin entered the world, that animals began feeding upon each other.

I could be wrong there, as it's been a while since I've talked with anyone about this subject, but it sounds right, as far as my memory's concerned.

That's one thing I don't quite get. It was man (ie=Adam and Eve) that supposedly sinned to cause the fall. So why inflict carnivorous behaviour on innocent animals? They didn't eat the apple. They didn't eat from the tree of knowledge. Punish humans for doing that, sure, but why did the fall affect animals? And why only some of them? Were the ones that remained herbivores exempted? "Hey, lion, you're gonna have to eat other animals now, but mister cow, you can carry on eating grass." Don't make a lick of sense.

 

[Washington]

That's one thing I don't quite get. It was man (ie=Adam and Eve) that supposedly sinned to cause the fall. So why inflict carnivorous behaviour on innocent animals? They didn't eat the apple. They didn't eat from the tree of knowledge. Punish humans for doing that, sure, but why did the fall affect animals? And why only some of them? Were the ones that remained herbivores exempted? "Hey, lion, you're gonna have to eat other animals now, but mister cow, you can carry on eating grass." Don't make a lick of sense.

And I would say that visiting the sin of A&E on other humans is just as senseless.

It's certainly a strange story that Christianity serves up.

 

[SpaceProg]

Well... after the "Fall of man" Things supposedly got a lot tougher for all concerned. Maybe the whole food chain deal was a result of that. Kind of a guilt thing for A&E. "They ruined it for everyone" kind of result. *shrugs*.

 

[Madcoil]

Why WOULDN'T he make animals that eat other animals?

 

[quatona]

Well, god wanted animals to have freewill - the choice to be loving or unloving.

 

[Steezie]

One thing is clear by looking at the way our bodies were designed. We are omnivorous creatures. We have canines that are designed for eating meats and molars designed for crushing plant matter. We have organs designed to help process meat and we need the protein from meat to survive. And yes yes yes I know that most (Not all) of these proteins are avalible in plants but WE have the luxury of being picky and of importing, early man did not have such luxury

 

[TeddyKGB]

Humans don't have the common herbivore digestive tract - multiple stomachs and long exposure to mechanical and chemical processes - used to break down fibrous matter. Instead bacteria do most of the dirty work for us, permitting nutrient absorption along almost the entire length of the intestines.

 

[Alexandrah]

I see a lot of people saying we're "designed to eat meat" and all that, so why is it that when people who have never eaten meat or people that have stopped for a long period of time get physically ill after doing so? They lack the enzymes to break it down.
Ever seen a lifelong vegan yack after eating a hamburger on a drunken dare? Not pretty, let me tell you.

To eat animals or not to is everyones decision. We all have the ability to determine what we consider to be ethical behavior and to apply it to our own lives.

Since I can stay healthy and happy and glean all the essential nutrients I need to live (yes, even protein!) I choose not to eat things with central nervous systems, because for myself I consider it to be unethical.

For people that want to look at it from a biblical perspective, here are a few passages that seem to promote vegetarianism/veganism

"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 food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb forfood: and it was so." Genesis 1:29-30

"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox with hatred within." ~ Proverbs 15:17

​

"Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of something to eat." ~ Romans 14:20

​

"He who killeth an ox is as if he slew a man. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are stained with blood, and your mouths are defiled with flesh." ~ God, Isaiah 1:15,66:3


​

 

[jayem]

God really likes the smell of animal flesh on a open fire. The OT is full of references to how God is soothed by the odor from the sacrificial flames. So I guess, if we have to sacrifice these animals anyway, we may as well eat them. Hey, who doesn't like barbecue?

 

[Aeris]

Well if no animals were carnivores then some species (like rabbits, mice, rats, and other animals that either give birth often or have many babies at once like sea turtles which lay and hatch hundreds of eggs because only a couple survive) would become way overpopulated which would be bad for the species as a whole as well as for other animals that eat the same things as the overpopulated species. Yes it is bad for the individual animal but thats the way nature works (humans choosing not to eat meat is different because we can obtain our nutrients from other sources and we can understand the pain of other animals, I personally eat meat but I can understand why people might choose not to), also the carnivores will take the sick and old ones first this also helps to ensure that the strong ones are the ones that are breeding.

 

[stan1980]

I see a lot of people saying we're "designed to eat meat" and all that, so why is it that when people who have never eaten meat or people that have stopped for a long period of time get physically ill after doing so? They lack the enzymes to break it down.
Ever seen a lifelong vegan yack after eating a hamburger on a drunken dare? Not pretty, let me tell you.

To eat animals or not to is everyones decision. We all have the ability to determine what we consider to be ethical behavior and to apply it to our own lives.

Since I can stay healthy and happy and glean all the essential nutrients I need to live (yes, even protein!) I choose not to eat things with central nervous systems, because for myself I consider it to be unethical.

For people that want to look at it from a biblical perspective, here are a few passages that seem to promote vegetarianism/veganism

"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 food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb forfood: and it was so." Genesis 1:29-30

"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox with hatred within." ~ Proverbs 15:17

​

"Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of something to eat." ~ Romans 14:20

​

"He who killeth an ox is as if he slew a man. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are stained with blood, and your mouths are defiled with flesh." ~ God, Isaiah 1:15,66:3


​

That's all well and good, humans can certainly live without meat, but it still doesn't explain why God made animals such as cats that have to live off other animals, or they'd die.

 

[stan1980]

Well if no animals were carnivores then some species (like rabbits, mice, rats, and other animals that either give birth often or have many babies at once like sea turtles which lay and hatch hundreds of eggs because only a couple survive) would become way overpopulated which would be bad for the species as a whole as well as for other animals that eat the same things as the overpopulated species. Yes it is bad for the individual animal but thats the way nature works (humans choosing not to eat meat is different because we can obtain our nutrients from other sources and we can understand the pain of other animals, I personally eat meat but I can understand why people might choose not to), also the carnivores will take the sick and old ones first this also helps to ensure that the strong ones are the ones that are breeding.

Well if God created everything, wouldn't it have been smarter to make sure animals such as rabbits, mice etc don't breed so much, so they don't overpopulate?

 

[Alexandrah]

but it still doesn't explain why God made animals such as cats that have to live off other animals, or they'd die.

Ahh, well, if you believe that God made everything then perhaps you should ask God to give you an answer. After all, God is the only entity that could verify the method to their madness.

 

[stan1980]

Ahh, well, if you believe that God made everything then perhaps you should ask God to give you an answer.

I would ask God, but he doesn't talk to me Perhaps that is because I'm not mentally ill (yet).

 

[Steezie]

I see a lot of people saying we're "designed to eat meat" and all that, so why is it that when people who have never eaten meat or people that have stopped for a long period of time get physically ill after doing so? They lack the enzymes to break it down.
Ever seen a lifelong vegan yack after eating a hamburger on a drunken dare? Not pretty, let me tell you.

Thats simply food acclimation. If I were to eat lots of meat for months then suddenly jump to eating vegetables I would most likely get sick too.

Also, many vegetarians have formed a mental block against meat, they consider it disgusting and revolting so of course if they eat some its more than likely going to trip their gag reflex.

To eat animals or not to is everyones decision. We all have the ability to determine what we consider to be ethical behavior and to apply it to our own lives.

Since I can stay healthy and happy and glean all the essential nutrients I need to live (yes, even protein!) I choose not to eat things with central nervous systems, because for myself I consider it to be unethical.

And thats fine, thats a personal choice for you. But its not something that works for me and I will continue to eat beef and chicken.

 

[LittleNipper]

First of all, I'll start off by saying I'm not a vegetarian, as I'll be honest, I like the taste of meat too much.

But, it's always struck me as odd behaviour when I really think about it; eating other animals. And what is even more odd, is if there is a God, why would he make animals that eat other animals?

Just wondering what the religious folk here think was God's reason when he made the carnivore? I'd imagine it's not too pleasant being eaten alive by another animal in the wild. Wouldn't it make more sense to put all the necessary nutrients and taste into plants/vegetables etc? Very strange God.

You are not eating other animals, you are a human who eats animals.

 

[GeratTzedek]

if there is a God, why would he make animals that eat other animals?

I have wondered this myself. And it is not just carnivores. All animal life consumes living things to survive. Only plants survive solely on sunlight and the nutrition provided by dead life in the soil.

I don't have an answer for this question other than that we know the nature of G-d, that he is loving and just. This means that without knowing the answer, we may still have faith that his plan makes sense and is good and is for the best.