Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Several years ago I began earnestly pursuing my faith and examining my behaviors in light of what is written in the scriptures. Over time, I became convicted by the Holy Spirit to pursue a vegan lifestyle. This treatise outlines the relevant scriptural portions that I considered as well as several other resources that I discovered and created along my journey thus far. The Lord knows I have struggled and this treatise is not meant to cast judgment or express contempt towards anyone else’s lifestyle or diet; it is merely meant to document why I made the change I did and to act as a resource for those who are convicted to do the same. Every word is written with love.

I. Relevant Scripture

Genesis 1:29-30 - The Original Diet of Man

29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.

Genesis 9:3-4 - God’s Promise to Noah After the Flood

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

Exodus 12:8-9 - In Reference to the Passover Feast

8 They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts.

Leviticus 11: 1-47 - Rules about Meat

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Tell the Israelites: These are the animals you can eat:” […]

46 These are the rules about all the tame animals, birds, all the animals in the sea, and all the animals that crawl on the ground. 47 These rules will help the people know which animals are unclean and which animals they are allowed to eat and which ones they cannot eat.

Isaiah 65: 21-25 - The New Creation

21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

Matthew 14:14-21 - Yeshua Feeds a Multitude with 5 Loaves of Bread and 2 Fish

14 And Yeshua went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Yeshua said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to [his] disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Matthew 15:29-39 - Yeshua Feeds a Multitude with 7 Loaves of Bread and a Few Fish

29 Yeshua left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. 32 Yeshua called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” 33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” 34 “How many loaves do you have?” Yeshua asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” 35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.

Luke 5:1-11 - Yeshua Helps the Disciples with a Miraculous Catch

1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him [Yeshua] to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s [Peter], and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Peter “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

5 But Peter answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Peter saw it, he fell down at Yeshua’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Peter. And Yeshua said to Peter, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

John 21:1-18 - The Second Miraculous Catch

1 [After the crucifixion] Afterward Yeshua appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.  It happened this way: 2 Simon [Peter], Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Early in the morning, Yeshua stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Yeshua.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7 Then the disciple whom Yeshua loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.  9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10 Yeshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Yeshua said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Yeshua came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Yeshua appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished eating, Yeshua said to Peter, “Peter, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Yeshua said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Yeshua said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Yeshua said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Yeshua asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Yeshua said, “Feed my sheep.”

Mark 7:15-19 - That which Defiles Man

15 There is nothing from outside a man which entering into him can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are they which defile the man. 16 If anyone have ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And when He was entered into a house from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 And He says to them, Are you so without understanding also? Do you not consider that every thing from outside which enters into a man, cannot defile him; 19 because it enters not into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the latrine, cleansing all the foods?

Luke 24 41-43 - Yeshua Eats Broiled Fish

41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.

Acts 10:10-16 - Peter’s Vision

10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Romans 14:1-4, 13-21 - Paul on Not Passing Judgement

1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. […] 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

II. Why Should Christians Consider Going Vegetarian/Vegan?

The Bible is clear about what foods God intended for us to eat from the beginning… It is on the 6th day of the Creation, when God creates Adam, that he proscribes what we should eat, “see, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food.”

It is important to recognize that the later promise to Noah and his offspring in Genesis 9:3 (refer above) was given after the Great Flood, during which the plant life on earth was destroyed. After the flood, it would take time for the herbs and fruit bearing trees to replenish but animals, both carried on the ark and the corpses that remained after the flood, would have been available for sustenance. In that verse, it even refers to God’s original provision of herbs as our food. God provided us with the flesh of animals as food out of necessity during the time after the flood.

So if God provided the flesh of every living thing to be meat, why should we go back to a vegetarian/vegan diet?

While God allowed us to eat the flesh of animals out of necessity, this is not an excuse to break his eternal law found in the 10 Commandments, specifically the 6th Commandment stating “thou shall not kill.” This Commandment is generally understood to mean that we should not murder, meaning that we should not kill with malicious intent or without just purpose. That being said, when we have the ability to survive without eating the flesh of animals, and have herbs and fruit in abundance, do we have just purpose in killing animals? When we eat animal flesh for pleasure or taste, rather than out of necessity, are we justified in the eyes of our Father?

Surely buying meat from a butcher, farmer, or store isn’t the same as killing?

We are responsible for the acts that we commission just as much as the acts that we physically do. By purchasing animal flesh, we create the demand for suppliers to fill. Purchasing their flesh is an overt act in furtherance of killing animals, making us conspirators in their deaths.

Doesn’t agriculture kill plants and animals to produce vegetarian/vegan foods too? So what’s the difference?

In fact, many plant based foods can be produced without killing the plants which are being harvested from. While animals that are considered “pests” are often killed in agricultural production, we can reduce the scale if we stop industrial meat production and find other solutions; over 50% of our agricultural resources go to the production of meat and the feed they are raised on (up to 80% of agricultural land in the US alone is used for livestock and feed!). We can also eliminate the inhumane conditions animals are forced into due to industrial meat production. All this being said, switching to a vegetarian/vegan diet does not erase the need to further develop conscious and sustainable agricultural practices.

What about the Israelites who ate animal flesh during the Passover and subsequent Exodus to the promised land?

We must remember that the Israelites were in bondage and were slaves to the Egyptians during that time. They did not have the ability to provide their own food and were under secular/pagan rulers who apportioned them their resources, including food. From the time of God’s promise to Noah to Israel’s captivity and subsequent flight, God even provided them specific rules about how they should prepare their meat to be acceptable for consumption (Refer above to Genesis 9:4; Exodus 12:8-9; Leviticus 11: 1-47).

Furthermore, as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness before reaching the promised land, God provided manna for his people to eat, not the flesh of animals. Although the Israelites were well provided for by our Father, they incurred his wrath by not being grateful for the food that was given and by complaining that they had no meat, like they once had during their bondage under the Egyptians:

Numbers 11:4-34 - God Sends a Plague Carried by Quail to the Israelites

4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” […]

16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.

18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” […]

31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

Why did Yeshua serve the multitudes with fish?

Yeshua states in Mark 7:15-19 above, eating the flesh of an animal is not inherently bad for us and does not defile us, rather it is what comes out of the mouth and what is in the heart that may defile us. Just as after the flood, when food is scarce, God will provide for us and we hold no guilt for using provisions out of necessity. When we are in times of abundance such as these however, what leads us to eat animal flesh?

We should also recognize that in both stories of the multitudes being fed, although Yeshua broke and served the fish to the people, he had not fished for or killed the fish; they had been previously caught by the followers.

Why would Yeshua help Peter and the others during the miraculous catches of fish?

Yeshua was not condoning fishing during the miraculous catches. The fish from the miraculous catches represent sin. The first miraculous catch illustrates how Yeshua could turn his disciples from a life of sin to follow him. Just as we eventually crumble under the weight of sin, so did their nets begin to break after Yeshua showed the disciples where to cast their nets. Eventually their boats began to sink under the weight, just as we do. The first thing Peter does after the catch is fall to Yeshua’s knees and beg for him to leave because he is ashamed at being a sinner. He doesn’t ask Yeshua how he did it or where to catch more fish in the future. When Yeshua asks Peter and the others to become fishers of men, they renounce and give up everything, leaving their fishing nets and catch behind.

The second miraculous catch takes place after the crucifixion of Yeshua. Peter decides to go back to his old ways of fishing [representing sin] and leads the others unsuccessfully. Once again, even after permanently paying the blood sacrifice for sin with his own life, Yeshua shows the disciples where they can find fish and once again their nets get weighed down.

The scripture informs us Peter is not the first one to recognize that it was Yeshua who helped them; he had lost sight of the Lord. The first thing Peter does when he realizes is wrap his garments around him, the original mark of shame (going back to when God clothed Adam and Eve after the original sin). Peter then proceeds to jump in the water and swim to Yeshua. We then see that Peter and the disciples had fish being prepared on the shore all long, even though they had said they didn’t when Yeshua asked them. There was also bread to eat.

Although Peter must have been tired from that swim, Yeshua proceeds to tell him to go back and bring some of the fish they have “just” caught; further implying that Peter and the others had previously caught fish, again contradicting their statement of not having any, and clearly a way of admonishing Peter for going back to his old ways. Yeshua serves Peter and the others a breakfast of bread and fish, implicitly giving each of them a choice, just as with the multitudes and like in Eden. Yeshua then asks Peter if he loves the fish more than he loves him, a gentle reminder that Peter had lost his way. Yeshua tells Peter that if he truly loves him that he should return his focus on feeding and tending to his sheep, the spiritual flock of Christianity.

Why did Yeshua eat fish when he appeared to the disciples after the resurrection?

It is important to recognize that not only was this the only instance in the scriptures that directly stated Yeshua ate animal flesh, it was one of his first acts after appearing before the disciples after the crucifixion and resurrection. Just as the resurrection symbolized Yeshua’s victory over death, eating the fish further symbolized his victory over sin. Although consuming fish isn’t inherently sinful, obtaining fish to eat is predicated on the sinful act of killing. In consuming the fish, Yeshua uses the fish as a tool to revitalize and bolster the faith of the disciples who could not believe he was really there and allows that which was dead from sin to become part of his eternal body.

Why did God tell Peter to kill and eat the animals in his vision?

When Peter had his vision of the animals descending from heaven, he distinguishes them as clean and unclean based on the rules proscribed in Leviticus. The Lord responds however and states, “do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Although Peter is very hungry and is offered the animals as food three times, he does kill or eat them. Rather, they ascend to heaven and he comes to the conclusion that, “God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.” (Acts 10:28.)

As discussed in Acts chapter 10, the purpose of the vision wasn’t to condone the killing of animals for food but rather was meant to address the prejudice the Jews had against the “unclean” Gentiles. Through the sacrifice of Yeshua the animals, which symbolically represented the Jews and the Gentiles, were all made clean and allowed to partake in eternal life.

Why did Paul state that one whose faith is weak, only eats vegetables?

The faith Paul is talking about is not with respect to the early Christian Church believing in God the Father, rather he is talking about faith in our redemption from sin and salvation through the sacrifice of the Son. Yeshua stated, “every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” (Matthew 12:25.) Accordingly, the Apostles were well aware that God’s kingdom must be unified and that they were responsible for creating unity between the early Christians. Likewise, when Paul wrote to the Romans, his goal was to stop infighting and judgement between the faithful within the Church. He was well aware that much division was caused by those in the in the faith that had strong egos or claimed moral superiority over others; these were the weak in faith who did not fully understand that we are all saved by the grace in Yeshua’s sacrifice alone.

It is telling that Paul tells those that eat meat to not treat those who do not with contempt and those who do not eat meat to not judge those who do. Contempt would not be an appropriate response by those strong in faith; Yeshua’s message is one of unconditional love and forgiveness. (See Matthew 18:21-22) And doesn’t the story of Yeshua and the adulteress illustrate that only those that follow the entire law are qualified to judge others (of which there have been none apart from Yeshua)? (John 8:1-11.) Paul’s letter was meant to admonish this divisive behavior with the Church; it was not mean to be a decisive statement on what constituted an appropriate Christian diet.

Just as the earlier scriptures stated, Paul recognized that no food was inherently unclean. That being said, he also recognized that if someone regarded a food as unclean, it would be for that person, and that we should not eat anything that would cause someone else to stumble. Wouldn’t dietary choices which cause others to kill, be such a stumbling block? Paul states as much when he says, “it is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”

FINAL THOUGHTS

Thus saith the Lord, “the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.” From Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the new creation it is clear how the Lord’s people shall live. Peace will reign and neither wolf, nor lion, nor man, nor serpent shall hurt or destroy on the Lord’s holy mountain.

It is clear from examining the scriptures that God’s intent was not to promote killing animals and eating their flesh indiscriminately. Rather God wanted to make sure we were provided for even when we did not have the ability to provide for ourselves. Yeshua declares, “truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18.) As Christians, we should ask ourselves then, “should we allow for the wholesale torture and slaughter of millions of sentient beings each year?” Does that sound like heaven?

III. Additional Resources & Arguments

For an empathetic and in-depth secular lecture for veganism please check out the following presentation from Gary Yourofsky:

The Most Important Speech You’ll Ever Hear (Advocating for Veganism) - published July 8, 2010 at Georgia Tech (approx. runtime - 1h 9m)

For more information on the environmental, health, and social consequences of consuming animal flesh please check out these informational videos produced by Kurzgesagt:

Is Meat Really that Bad? - published November 30, 2021 (approx. runtime - 12m)

Is Meat Bad for You? Is Meat Unhealthy - published June 9, 2019 (approx. runtime - 10m)

Why Meat is the Best Worst Thing in the World - published September 30, 2018 (approx. runtime - 8m)

Milk. White Poison or Healthy Drink? - published January 26, 2020 (approx. runtime - 9m)

For information on how to transition to a nutritionally complete vegan diet, please see our resource linked below:

Methodology for a Nutritionally Complete Vegan Diet

Love Always Wins,