This question was addressed by @Frank Sanoica in another thread, as to whether it was actually a heresy to Bible teachings NOT to eat meat, or animal flesh of any kind. Since that thread was actually in the health section of the forum, and not in the religious section, I am going to open up this thought for discussion here where it might be a more appropriate place to discuss the spiritual ramifications of diet. What it looks like to me, is that when mankind and animals were first created by God (in His image) , he said that we were supposed to eat a plant-based diet, and even the animals were to eat grasses and herbs. God also states that we are supposed to have dominion over the animals of the earth; which more looks to me like we are supposed to take care of them, than to kill and eat them. After man was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, then the rules seemed to change, animals were killed and eaten, and there were eventually guidelines specified about which animals could and could not be eaten as food for God’s people. After reading Frank’s question, I thought that it migh be good to actually discuss it as a religious topic for those of us who believe in God. Here is the scripture from Genesis: Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
I think in the beginning if people would have started eating meat before the animals (that God gave permission to eat) had time to "be fruitful and mulitply" also...then the few God created would have been eaten and become extinct before they ever had a chance to become plentiful enough for mankind to start using for food. I also think in the Garden of Eden the trees contained everything Adam and Eve needed for good health and life...like it will probably be like in heaven some day. Outside of the Garden of Eden I believe both plant and animal life sustained mankind's life and that was the way God planned it.
That is exactly why I posted this topic in the religious section instead of trying to discuss that facet of it in the health and wellness section. It is a whole other discussion, even though related to the same topic of what food is healthy for a person to eat.
I could be wrong because it's not like I have polled everyone or anything, but it seems to me that people who belong to the faiths that believe in full sanctification, which is that mankind is capable of becoming without sin and being like Christ, generally in His humanity rather than in His deity, are among those who promote vegetarianism, which leaves me wondering if the closer someone gets, or believes they have gotten, to be like Christ, the more likely they are to be vegetarian.
The Bible gives some pretty good descriptions of when God was upset, angry, giving warnings, loving, merciful etc. A couple of examples would be when Cain killed Abel or when the people of Israel first wanted a king. God became a tad testy to say the very least. Beyond the writings in Leviticus and Deuteronomy when the Israelites were instructed about which foods they could not eat and what parts were to be used for sacrifice etc, I have truthfully never come upon a decree stating that eating meat was bad (sans pork.) It is a given that vegetarianism goes back thousands of years for even in Paul’s epistles, he wrote about not serving meat to guests who ate no meat. Those edicts were more lessons of etiquette and respect for other people and their personal eating habits. The dream Peter had which displayed all sorts of meats, vegetables and what have you all spread out on a blanket along with the words that everything that God provides is good. Now, there is another interpretation that Peter gave which is good too but Paul and others like myself agree to a duality in the interpretation rather than the singular. Note: Some of the writings of the Essenes indicates that they were vegetarians but they made their appearance around 20 B.C. ...John the Baptist is said to have joined in with that tribe and was also a vegetarian. Second note: Daniel 1:3-15 does give some credibility to the vegetarian diet that some if not most Israelites enjoyed before the exile. There is one thing that I can readily bring up and that is when God allowed any of His covenants with man to be changed. Now IT IS POSSIBLE, but not probable that there was a part of the Adamic or Noaic covenants which outlined what man should or shouldn’t eat that was not written in those parts of the Septuagint or somehow lost. But even then, Biblically speaking, those parts of the future covenants would have been reiterated or perhaps they were in the Mosaic covenant when the law was presented and broken down. Bottom line for me....dunno.
As far as I can see, eating meat has been allowed pretty much ever since the removal from the Garden of Eden, but I don’t see any references to anyone eating anything except plant foods of some type before then. The lifespan was considerably longer then, as well, and after the fall of mankind and removal from the Garden, people gradually started living a much shorter lifespan. Pain came into being for both men and women. I certainly do not think that it is sinful to eat meat, or not to eat meat, for that matter. My question was simply to wonder if not eating any animal foods was considered the perfect diet for humans, since that is what He first told us to eat ? It would appear that eating animal flesh is the default diet plan. One of the first things that the Bible says about God, is that after creating the earth and populating it with plants, animals, and mankind, God planted a Garden. God is a gardener. He planted trees and told Adam and Eve that they should eat the fruit. It is hard for me to think that in Heaven, we would be killing and eating animals, like happens here. When we see pictures that envision Heaven, people are usually eating fruit, when they are shown as eating something at all.
I thought the idea of a covenant was that it could not be changed. Covenants can be supplanted or superseded, but I don't think they can be changed. Marriage was once a covenant, but has been changed to a simple contract by modern laws. I think it would be extremely difficult for a nomadic people beyond very primitive gatherers to be vegetarian, as they couldn't plant, tend and harvest crops. I have also read that pork was forbidden, not because it was unhealthy, but because pigs couldn't be raised by a nomadic people--it is very difficult to "herd" pigs, while sheep, goats and cattle will herd and move from pasture to pasture relatively easily. I don't know what the lifespans were in the Garden, since there is little or no statement of that (everybody died after being expelled), but the lifespans certainly dropped among the survivors of The Flood.
There could be something to that. To me, it made sense to consider it unclean because pork so often is unclean, or more prone to parasites and such, particularly without a full understanding of the role of heat in killing these critters.
@Don Alaska In reality, pork was unhealthy, back when Trichinosis infestation was rampant, and pork required well-done cooking temperatures to kill all the beasties. However, I doubt seriously the Ancients knew it. Pork today is said to be quite devoid of Trichina. I cook it good, anyway! Frank
If they could herd pigs, there might not be as much Trichinosis in the meat, especially in the desert, but it does occur frequently in bears, so it may be due to being an omnivore. I had always heard that the dietary ban on it was due to parasites, but, as you said, the ancients probably didn't know that since they didn't have microscopes. I raised pigs for a while, and found them to be delightful animals to have around, almost as good as dogs, but I couldn't imagine trying to herd them on a trail, though.
Herding would be totally impractical due to a pig’s natural need to wallow and most desert settings do not afford a lot of water. Swine are closely related to the hippopotamus and have very few functioning sweat glands hence the need to roll in water or better yet, mud. The water contained in mud evaporates slower plus tolling in the mud serves to help remove external parasites. In regard to Biblical covenants, the word “change” is used in the light of simplicity which I had believed to be understood. Whether supersession or amendment, a change in the overall detail has still been made. If I had used either of the other alternatives then I would have to specify what those singular details are. Note for one: Old testament sacrifice versus New Testament “one sacrifice for all” and what new part the Holy Spirit would play in the lives of man. The new covenant of sacricifce supersedes the old but nonetheless a change has been made. A valid statement in accordance with Biblical (God to man) covenants might be: God has never changed his mind concerning sin but He definitely has changed His method of dealing with it. Getting back on track: It’s been pretty much a given that those fish, meats and birds which were outlined as being “unclean” had / has some health risks involved. But the question does come in as to why some plant forms were not also in the outline as many go from slightly noxious to downright poisonous? A small answer to that might be that mankind probably watched what plant life animals ate in order to arrive at a conclusion as to what was good or not and didn’t need instruction but ............?
Well I don't know if you consider fish as meat which it is it is also mention in the bible and was given to the people as food. I don't think the bible was written for a health manual maybe a mental health manual but not dietary one. If vegan is perfect than why does god take them at an early age and let the meat eater live longer?