But Mom, Eve Was a Vegetarian!

            Right from the start, I can promise this post is not as deep and heartfelt as my other posts are and I apologize for that. However, I’ve wanted to touch on a topic for a while now since I’ve never really come across it on any other blog.

            Here’s the topic: Christian vegetarians.

            All right, I know this is hardly a pressing issue, but it’s one that caught my attention. On a personal level, it’s because I’m a Christian who just so happens to be vegetarian as well. As a result, I’ve become curious as to what the two could have to do with each other.

            Vegetarianism has become popular lately, as can be seen by the many restaurants opting to have meatless options on their menus (I mean, even Burger King has a veggie burger now!) Many adults are vegetarian, as well as teenagers, and even some kids. I find it interesting how every person who decides to be vegetarian does so for different reasons.

My personal reason is against animal abuse, but I’ve heard of many other reasons. Some choose to be vegetarian because they think eating meat is murder, some as a protest against the meat industry, others for religious purposes, and some are allergic and have no choice.

What I’m wondering is, could one of those reasons correlate directly to being Christian?

When I originally decided to become a vegetarian, my mother freaked out. Like many other teen parents, she automatically assumed the worst.

“But you won’t get enough protein!”

“But you’ll start to get sick more often!”

“But what will you eat?”

“But how can I cook for you?”

The questions went on and on. Eventually, my mom saw I was serious about my decision and supported me, so long as she knew I was healthy. Now, whenever she questions me, I always make the same joke.

“But Mom, Eve was a vegetarian!”

Her response is almost always her rolling her eyes.

My joke got me thinking, though, as to what God’s reaction to my being a vegetarian would be. Would He admire me for respecting His creatures or would He be offended that I refuse to eat a type of food He has created? Were we originally meant to be vegetarians, as Adam and Eve were, or were we always destined to eat meat, like they later had to do? Besides, if being a vegetarian were the right way to go, wouldn’t Jesus have been a vegetarian?

The truth is I’ve been racking my brain on this topic for a while, wondering if deciding to be a vegetarian would really be a diss to God, even if it doesn’t seem like a sin, bad or anything other than just a lifestyle choice.

It’s funny, though, how God works when we really need Him to.

After wondering about this for my entire two years as a vegetarian, I came across a specific Bible verse that spoke to me clearly:

“…He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God” - Romans 14:6 NIV

God spoke to me clearly and just like that, all of my questions had answers. God does admire me for respecting His creatures by not eating them, but He would also admire me for respecting His creatures by eating them as a type of food He created as well. The rest of my questions followed suit. Adam and Eve were originally vegetarians, but by not being vegetarian they weren’t doing anything wrong. The same goes with Jesus.

Like I said before, I know this isn’t a pressing issue, but it was a constant worry I had in the back of my mind. In the end, I’m glad God helped me put the issue to bed, so I can keep my mind on more important issues.

Such as, what else can I vent about on my blog?!