Digest Number 1057

[Guest guest]

wow! I don't even know where to begin to answer this. She was intense and

heartfelt in her reply. I will think about this and get back to you.

 

Rachel

> ______________________

> ______________________

>

> Message: 6

> Sat, 22 Jan 2005 17:15:08 -0600

> teresa aldrich <taldrich

> a response to the vegetarian quotes

>

>

> Hi,

> I am that vegan who lives in cattle country in Missouri. I homeschool

> my kids not for religious reasons but because the local schools are

> pitiful. When I read the vegetarian quotes on the vegetarian parents

> emails the other day I forwarded them to several people, the local home

> school group included. I really touched a nerve in at least one of the

> members. I have enclosed my response to her letter that she sent me

> after reading the quotes.

> Upon reading her letter I was reminded that animal rights have a long

> way to go in this country and it will take many genarations to get

> there.

> We MUST speak for those who cannot.

> Teresa

>

> taldrich

> Re: [stClairCHEF] off topic

> January 22, 2005 4:52:11 PM CST

> s.west

>

> Hi,

> I forwarded the vegetarian quotes to many people I know, not just the

> CHEF group. It never occurred to me that the integrity of the authors

> of the quotes would come into question by anyone.

> I am sorry if I have upset you. I have included a couple of links to

> some Christian Vegetarian websites that may communicate the vegetarian

> standpoint to someone as deeply Christian as yourself.

>

> http://www.johndear.org/

>

> http://www.jesusveg.com/

>

> Peace,

> Teresa

>

> On Jan 21, 2005, at 2:02 PM, September West wrote:

>

>> Hi Teresa,

>>

>> I carefully read over all the Vegetarianism Quotes that you shared with

>> us and would like to share some thoughts with you. (This is a private

>> reply to you and not to the entire group.) I also agree that hunting

>> animals for sport is wrong and I respect your decision to refrain from

>> eating meat, but I do question your reasoning for this decision. I

>> noticed that all of your quotes were from well-known people, but only

>> one was from the Bible. The passage in question, Ecclesiates 3:18-19,

>> is actually Solomon's record of the reasoning of a man living without

>> God, in contrast to the later chapters of this book, which reflect

>> Christian reasoning. It is also interesting to note that among those

>> quoted in the vegetarian statements, there were several Buddhists and

>> evolutionists, a lesbian, and an atheist anthropologist who was

>> instrumental in the founding of Planned Parenthood. What concerns me

>> most is that although none of these people have a Biblical worldview,

>> you agree with their statements. A couple of years ago, I was

>> challenged to be sure that my thinking was in line with the Word of

>> God.

>> As I dug into the Bible, I found that in many areas, I was not thinking

>> like a Christian, but had accepted the teachings of secular society.

>> As

>> homeschool moms, it is especially important that we are imparting truth

>> to our children, and not merely the opinions of men. Since we will

>> give

>> an account for every idle word that we speak (Matt. 12:6), and Jesus

>> has

>> a special love for children (Mark 10:14), we need to take special care

>> that what we say agrees with his Word (Matt. 18:6).

>>

>> There were three recurring themes throughout the Vegetarianism Quotes:

>> evolution as an accepted fact, animals being equal to man, and the

>> eating of meat being immoral. I would like to compare these ideas with

>> Scripture and see if they meet the test of truth. I pray that you will

>> have an open mind and heart to this discussion, as I have spent several

>> hours praying about and preparing this letter, and my desire is to

>> speak

>> with love.

>>

>> How do the teachings of evolution compare to the Word of God? To

>> begin,

>> evolution negates the clear teaching of the creation account in

>> Genesis.

>> Instead, it tells us that if God was at all involved in the

>> evolutionary

>> process, he is imperfect because he could not create correctly the

>> first

>> time. If God is imperfect, however, how can he be God? Evolution also

>> teaches that there were millions of years of death and suffering in the

>> world before Adam came upon the scene. Romans 5:12 tells us, however,

>> that death is the result of Adam's sin. If death is just a natural

>> circumstance according to evolution, then it is not the effect of sin,

>> and therefore we do not need a Saviour to deliver us from sin.

>> Evolution, therefore, is diametrically opposed to the Gospel. Although

>> this is the most important reason why evolution is an unbiblical idea,

>> there are many others, all of which can creep into our teaching on

>> other

>> subjects. An excellent resource for more information on this topic is

>> www.answersingenesis.org. I also have some wonderful videos that I

>> could give you regarding creation and evolution from Dr. Kent Hovind,

>> who will be speaking at the St. Louis Science Center next month.

>>

>> Let's look at the second recurring theme, animals being equal to man.

>> God gave life to both animals and man, however only man was made in

>> God'

>> s image (Gen. 1:24-28). In this same passage, man was also given

>> dominion over all of the animals. Genesis 2:7 also tells us that God

>> gave man a soul, but this is never said of animals. Jesus taught that

>> man was superior to the animals in Luke 12:6-7 when he said, " Are not

>> five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten

>> before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

>> Fear

>> not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. " This same

>> message is repeated by our Lord in Matthew 6:26, " Behold the fowls of

>> the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns;

>> yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than

>> they? " God required capital punishment for the murder of humans is

>> Genesis 9:3, but no such commandment is required for the slaying of

>> animals. This command is also present in the New Testament, Romans

>> 13:4.

>>

>> If animals and man are distinct creations, then, is it immoral for man

>> to kill and eat animals? Although not for the purpose of providing

>> food, God himself killed the first animal when he provided " coats of

>> skins " as a covering for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21). God also apparently

>> commanded Adam and his family to continue sacrifices as a picture of

>> the

>> forthcoming Messiah since we are told of Abel presenting " the firstling

>> of his flock and of the fat thereof " to the Lord, who " had respect unto

>> Abel and his offering " , but not unto Cain's offering of the " fruit of

>> the ground (Gen. 4:4) " While at this time man was under instruction

>> to

>> eat only plants and seeds (Gen. 1:29), God removed this restriction

>> after the flood when he told Noah, " Every moving thing that liveth

>> shall

>> be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

>> (Gen. 9:3) "

>>

>> God established the system of sacrifices in the Old Testament, and the

>> animals which were slain were then used to provide skins for the

>> covering of the tabernacle and food for the tabernacle and temple

>> priests (Lev. 10:12-13). At the dedication of the temple, King Solomon

>> sacrificed " twenty and two thousand oxen and an hundred and twenty

>> thousand sheep " and God blessed the nation of Israel for this act of

>> worship (II Chron. 7:5-10). Although some animals, i.e. pork,

>> shellfish, etc., were prohibited to be eaten by God's people in the Old

>> Testament (Lev. 11), he removed this restriction in Acts 10:10-13.

>> Nearly all of the great heroes of the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 are

>> spoken of as having eaten meat. In one of the most compelling cases,

>> Abraham killed a calf from his herd and had it prepared for the Lord

>> and

>> two of his angels to eat when they appeared unto him (Gen. 18:8). In

>> the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ condoned the killing of

>> animals

>> for food and ate meat several times. These incidents include

>> instructing Peter to catch a large multitude of fish (Luke 5), eating

>> fish at the feeding of the 5,000 (Matt. 14:19), the feeding of the

>> 4,000

>> (Matt. 15:36), and twice with the disciples in his resurrected body

>> (Luke 24:42-43 and John 21:5-14). Jesus also kept the Passover in

>> Matthew 24:19, commanding his disciples to prepare for the meal by

>> killing a spotless lamb. Was it cruel and immoral for Jesus to condone

>> the killing of fish and lamb for food? If He is the Son of God, the

>> Word clothed in human flesh " who did no sin " (1 Pet. 2:22), then this

>> cannot be.

>>

>> Romans 14:2-3 teaches that as Christians we are at liberty to either

>> eat

>> or not eat meat. Even though eating meat was looked down upon by some

>> New Testament Christians because the meat had been offered to idols

>> before being sold in the marketplace, Paul clearly states that while

>> those who do not eat meat have that freedom, they are not to judge

>> those

>> who do. God received them both. " But meat commendeth us not to God:

>> for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are

>> we the worse. (1 Cor. 8:8) " By contrast, religious leaders who

>> command

>> others to abstain from meats are called " seducing spirits " speaking

>> " doctrines of devils... For every creature of God is good, and nothing

>> to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is

>> sanctified

>> by the word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4:1-5). " Therefore, if we choose

>> to abstain from any activity which is not judged sinful by God's Word,

>> (including eating meat), it should be because of reasoning that agrees

>> with the Bible (staying in good health, being good stewards of our

>> money, etc.) not by the unbiblical opinions of men. " Beware lest any

>> man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition

>> of

>> men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. "

>> Colossians 2:8. This has been my purpose in writing to you-not to

>> dissuade you from being a vegetarian or to start a debate, but to

>> lovingly challenge you, as I have been, to see everything through the

>> light of God's holy, infallible Word. If you have any questions, or

>> would like the videotapes I spoke about earlier, please don't hesitate

>> to contact me.

>>

>> In Christ's love,

>> September West

>>