Americans seeking divine inspiration in the latest step
of their quest for health, fitness and beauty are fuelling a growing demand for
faith-based food – recipes based on what Jesus might eat if he were alive today.
An Ohio-based group called the Christian Vegetarian Association has published
a collection of recipes featuring what it claims would be on Jesus’s dinner-plate
and insisting that meat would not form part of his diet.
…’Although some are certain that Jesus was a vegetarian,
I am not convinced. The Bible is not clear. But I am certain that, if he were
alive today, he would be. There are just so many tasty options today that don’t
involve animals.’
The CVA also has the support of the Rev Dr Andrew Linzey,
head of the theology studies centre at the University of Essex and respected
author of a number of books on Christianity and animal welfare. His essay, ‘A
Peaceable Kingdom’, in which animals and humans are reconciled with Christ is
an integral part of the CVA’s website. [Full
Story]
This idea of Jesus as a vegetarian I just don’t understand at all and especially
the idea that the Bible infers in any way that Jesus was a vegetarian. Don’t
they understand at all what the Jewish Passover meal was? That at the last supper
they would have had a meal of lamb that everyone was required to eat. At the
original Passover all were required to eat of the lamb or they would die, no
exceptions for vegetarians like a tofu lamb was acceptable (I think that line
came from Scott Hahn). After the fall of Adam and Eve the first act of God was
slaughtering animals to cover them and then later during the Exodus they were
required to slaughter for sacrifice the very animals they had been worshiping
in Egypt. Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes to feed the crowd. After
the resurrection Jesus ate fish with the Apostles. If God was trying to teach
people to be vegetarians he certainly sent out some very mixed messages. John
the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God not the Lima Bean of God.
I enjoyed this line from their site:
We don�t judge those who may have eaten meat, owned slaves,
or done other things that we believe are not God�s highest ideals for humankind.
Oh yeah they aren’t judging and it is just a coincidence that after the words
eaten meat, comes owned slaves. If people want to be a vegetarian fine, more
power to them. But I dislike the condescending idea that by eating meat I am
falling from the ideals God wants me to follow. The argument that he might have
eaten meat before but wouldn’t now I also find mistaken. Jesus never sinned
in any way he always did what the Father wanted him to do and to imply just
because he didn’t have tasty vegetable recipes available before he sunk to going ahead and eating meat.
1 comment
At least they didn’t call him a teetotaler. If I had to choose between Christianity and British Ale, the outcome would not be certain.