Christianity's view on Animals!?

Postmaster · 03-29-2005, 11:37 PM

Well, recently I've been getting really religious, I'm giving more money to charity, I've changed a lot on how I think and view life. It's come to the point where I question eating animals, but because as I'm a Christian I simply feel it justifiable because humans are closer to God and animals do not matter as much as the human. But I try to see everything as equal, it's the only way I can explain God, is that if I'm part of God, then everything is part of God, so that means everything deserves respect. What did Jesus say about animals?

Bandit · 03-30-2005, 01:42 AM

not sure if there is a solid view on it Postmaster. I know Jesus ate meat, especially fish. we know they ate lamb.

my personal view is, eat the frutis and veggies, make bread and pasta and take the milk form cows. if we have a bad harvest we might need to eat a cow.
i am not much of a meat eater, but little bit a couple of times a week.
God did give us dominion over the animals but i think some have done more than have dominion these days.
i always wanted a little piggy for a pet

BluejayWay · 03-30-2005, 03:48 AM

Quote:

God did give us dominion over the animals but i think some have done more than have dominion these days.

Agreed--dominion doesn't mean doing as we wish with animals and the Earth--stewardship is necessary: managing God's creation not only to our benefit, but for the benefit of all of God's creation.
We respect God in our respect of that life that we share the Earth with--

Dor · 03-30-2005, 05:00 AM

Leviticus Ch 11 goes into detail about which animals we should be eating. So it seems we have been supposed to eat some animals all along.

Bandit · 03-30-2005, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluejayWay

Agreed--dominion doesn't mean doing as we wish with animals and the Earth--stewardship is necessary: managing God's creation not only to our benefit, but for the benefit of all of God's creation.
We respect God in our respect of that life that we share the Earth with--

stewardship is necessary.

i know. it is like all this livestock being kept in small spaces, fed chemicals for a market price...then the creatures in the lakes and rivers..then when i hear of brutality..oh no, no.
i have real love for animals. sometimes more than people

i have 3 dogs, a parot, 6 cockatiels, an iguana, 2 african fighter fish, 1 rabbit. and tons of wildlife that come onto the property...sometimes even a deer

i do have a massive squirrel and rabbit problem, but traps are great then take em to the wildlife center.

Basstian · 03-30-2005, 01:26 PM

1co 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Think this kind of sums it up. I am a meat eater but if you arent I would night invite you to dinner and serve steak.

We have a responsibility to respect people and there different beliefs I see people who dont eat meat for Gods sake as faithful to their own soul. That is Good. I see people who eat meat and are thankful to God for the meal as faithful to there own soul. That is good.
As far as being stewards I think anybody knows when being cruel to animals is wrong. After rebuilding many a starved horse. I kind of feel men will be held responsible for the way we treat Gods creation.

Postmaster · 03-30-2005, 03:16 PM

The question is, why are they not meat eaters and we are?

Is someone doing something wrong?

Awaiting_the_fifth · 03-30-2005, 03:37 PM

I believe the catholic church's official view on all animals is that they have no souls, you absolutely will not see your dog again in heaven. I don't know the exect quote, but I'm pretty certain that it says somewhere in genesis that the animals (birds, beasts, fish etc) are ours to do with as we would. In fact in the old testament, animal sacrifices were made to god.

Bandit · 03-30-2005, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awaiting_the_fifth

I believe the catholic church's official view on all animals is that they have no souls, you absolutely will not see your dog again in heaven. I don't know the exect quote, but I'm pretty certain that it says somewhere in genesis that the animals (birds, beasts, fish etc) are ours to do with as we would. In fact in the old testament, animal sacrifices were made to god.

hmmmm
i do believe animals do have a soul and i can bet my life on it that they do have a soul/spirit.
that does not mean we can't eat them.

this can get tricky because you start to wonder if guppies & chocolate covered ants and grasshoppers have souls

& slimey worms squiggling
crunchy & yummy

i think John the baptist ate locust. eeewww

didymus · 03-30-2005, 10:08 PM

Whatever you do, don't eat rock badger!

ISFP · 03-30-2005, 11:00 PM

Postmaster-

while there's nothing much in the NT that discourages meat eating, my impression would be that the Christian ideal of love and kindness should extend to other living things, too.

later saints and religious thinkers have elaborated on that idea- some say it's ok to eat meat, while others don't. but most all of them advocate kindness towards God's creatures on some level, and a need to care for His creation.

truthseeker · 03-30-2005, 11:22 PM

Survival of the fittest... Hmmm. I think that is Darwinian.

We can eat the animals. God permitted it to such a point that in Exodus he told his chosen people how to kill it and prepare it for consumption. When the animal is not killed properly is when souls 'n things become an issue. On a Christian level, Jesus said that he did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.

Anyhow, I don't eat much meat. I don't eat much animal byproduct either. It's not a religious thing, it's just that my body doesn't seem to react well to it. I feel worn down and my thoughts are different when I consume these things. It's like I am more susceptible to temptation when I'm full of meat. When I eat chicken breast I feel like I'm digging into a chicken back - I feel a bit inhumane sometimes. But I am still not against eating meat. Eating meat is the natural course of things. If it were not, then man would have been wiped out a long time ago (Didn't Adam live like 900+ years and now the average human life span is 65?)

Postmaster · 03-30-2005, 11:41 PM

Quote:

(Didn't Adam live like 900+ years and now the average human life span is 65?)

It's unlikely that Adam or other biblical Characters lived that long, actually probably due to the ancients having different years or measurement of date to our modern Calender.

I believe not eating and eating meat can both be justified, after all there is no animal like the human, we understand consequence and we are probably the only animal that understands death on such a great level. If and when animals ever developed such complex and beautiful abilities of the human, if ever; then that animal will be excluded of such harm.

But still, we should respect every living thing for they are still Gods creation and they still have souls. But the Humans are closer to God and we will be closer to God after death. We take on a greater burden then any animal has ever taken.

God bless.

Bandit · 03-31-2005, 12:41 AM

Quote:

It's unlikely that Adam or other biblical Characters lived that long, actually probably due to the ancients having different years or measurement of date to our modern Calender.

maybe God wanted adam to live that long. 930 years so he could taste of everything. people forget adam was a child of God and God loved him just as much as the rest...maybe even a tad more because he was the first.

Adam named every living creature that God made for him to have dominion over.
i dont believe it is a myth.

Bandit · 03-31-2005, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truthseeker

Survival of the fittest... Hmmm. I think that is Darwinian.

We can eat the animals. God permitted it to such a point that in Exodus he told his chosen people how to kill it and prepare it for consumption. When the animal is not killed properly is when souls 'n things become an issue. On a Christian level, Jesus said that he did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.

Anyhow, I don't eat much meat. I don't eat much animal byproduct either. It's not a religious thing, it's just that my body doesn't seem to react well to it. I feel worn down and my thoughts are different when I consume these things. It's like I am more susceptible to temptation when I'm full of meat. When I eat chicken breast I feel like I'm digging into a chicken back - I feel a bit inhumane sometimes. But I am still not against eating meat. Eating meat is the natural course of things. If it were not, then man would have been wiped out a long time ago (Didn't Adam live like 900+ years and now the average human life span is 65?)

you know it kind of makes me feel the same way if i eat too much. kind of droggy and lazy.
nothing like a plate full of uncooked greens...maybe with a little meat on top or to the side. i get more energy with veggies.