Subject: Are Christians commanded to eat meat? |
Bible Note: Greetings again brother charis! I would certainly agree, the Old Testament isn't advocating "cruelty" to animals. Proverbs 12:10 says, "The righteous man regards the life of his beast." Psalms 147:9 says God provides daily for the needs of animals. And there's the story in Numbers 22:23-33 about how God rebuked the prophet Baalam after he hit his donkey with his staff. In Ezekiel 34:2,3 God talks about shepherds who aren't caring for the sheep - not feeding them, not taking care of the sick ones -and although it was metaphorical (he was referring to his people), God wouldn't have used it as a picture if it weren't a true picture. God does care for animals. In the N.T., also: Luke 12:24 says "not one of them is forgotten before God." Every sparrow that falls to the ground does not escape his notice. 2. If an ox falls into a pit, we are to help it out. Luke 14:5 When it comes to so-called "animal rights," however, we have to look to Psalms 32:9, "Be not as the horse or mule, which hath no understanding." Animals are not capable of having rights - they lack the intellectual capacity to either understand or exercise them. Blessings to you, Nolan |