Doesn't the Bible specifically state that it is ok to kill animals for food?


Yes, it does. In particular, Exodus and Leviticus of the Old Testament give very specific rules for how animals are to be slaughtered and which animals can be eaten. Exodus and Leviticus are also the sections of the Old Testament which specifically state that slavery is permitted, and which give very specific rules for how slaves are to be treated. During the movement to abolish human slavery, many abolitionists were accused of going against the will of God, due to the fact that slavery is specifically condoned by the Bible. Nevertheless, the movement to abolish human slavery included many Bible believing Christians, as does the modern animal rights movement.

The word "slave" in the Bible meant the same thing that it does today, as can be seen from the following passages.


Leviticus 25:44-46
"Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly."

Exodus 21:4
"If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free."

Exodus 21:20-21
"Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property."


People who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible are often troubled by these types of passages in the Old and New Testaments. The following is one possible explanation which some of them can offer. A society can absorb only a limited amount of change at one time. It could be argued that God knew that if he commanded humans to abolish slavery and abolish the practice of killing animals for food, then this would simply be too great a shock for society to accept all at once, and most people would just end up ignoring the commandments altogether. Therefore, by giving specific rules for how slaves are to be treated, and for how animals are to be slaughtered, it could be argued that God made these practices considerably less barbaric than they would have been otherwise - although his real intention was for people to one day eventually realize that the message of compassion should be applied to all beings, including slaves and animals.

 

Follow up questions:


Doesn't the Bible state that a weak person eats only vegetables, and not to pass judgement on those who eat meat?


What about the passage where God tells Peter to "Kill and eat"?


What about the stories involving Jesus and fish?


What about the animal sacrifices in the Bible?


If God did not want us to eat meat, then why did he place animals on the Earth?


Don't only human beings have a soul?


Doesn't the Bible give humans dominion over the animals?


 

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