VEGETARIANISM AND THE WORLD RELIGIONS
CHRISTIANITY:
Major stumbling blocks for many Christian are the belief that Christ ate meat and the
many references to meat in the New Testament. But close study of the original Greek
manuscript shows that the vast majority of the words translated as "meat" are
trophe, brome, and other words that simply mean "food" or "eating" in
the broadest sense. For example, in the Gospel (Luke 8:55) we read that Jesus raised a
woman from the dead and "commanded to give her meat." The original Greek word
translated as "meat" is phago, which means only "to eat". So, what
Christ actually said was, "Let her eat." The original Greek word for meat is kreas
("flesh"), and it is never used in connection with Christ. In Luke 24:41-43 the
disciples offered him fish and a honeycomb and he took IT (singular, we can guess
which one). Nowhere in the New Testament is there any direct reference to Jesus eating
meat.
This is in line with Isaiah’s famous prophecy: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat butter and honey, so that
he may know the evil from the good." (Isaiah 7:14-15) (this itself says that meat
eating destroys all good discretion in man. It is quite typical, that the second part of
the sentence is omitted in Matthew 1:23).
He rebuked strongly the Pharisees with the words: ..."and if you had known
what it means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice, ... you would not condemn the
innocent, " (Matthew 12:6) which clearly disapproves of the killing of animals, as
this is a verse taken from Hosea 6:6: "I desire mercy instead of sacrifice, the
knowledge of God more than burnt offerings..." (note: again the 2nd part of the
sentence is omitted in Matthew 12:6).
He strongly opposed the custom of temple animal sacrifices, violently driving those who
were selling oxen, sheep and pigeons and the money-changers out of the temple (John
2:13-15).
His words: "... you shall not make my father's house a house of trade (which in
earlier translations always was translated as "murder's den").
We all know that according to Matthew John the Baptist was refusing to eat meat.
("...and his food was wild locust (bean) and wild honey." (orig. Greek: enkris,
oil cake and akris; locust/honey)
But we never hear of the sheer overwhelming evidence which points to Jesus being a
vegetarian: No less than seven of Jesus' twelve disciples refused meat food (the rest we
do not know). This naturally reflects the teaching of Jesus, as: "...a servant is not
greater than his master..." (John 14:16). The seven are:
1. Peter, ..."whose food was bread, olives and herbs..." (Hoer 15:cf,
Clem. Hom. XII, 6)
2. James: Church Father Eusebius, quoting Hegesippus (about 160AD) that
"... James, the brother of the Lord was holy from birth. He drank no wine or ate the
flesh of animals..."
3. Thomas: according to an early Christian document he was "...wearing a
single garment, giving what he had to others and was abstaining from eating of flesh and
drinking wine..." (James Vernon Bartlet, M. A. The Apocryphal Gospels from the
History of Christianity in the Light of Modern Knowledge)
4. Matthew: "...lived upon seeds and nuts, fruits and vegetables
without the use of flesh... (Clement of Alexandria/Clem. Instructor)
5. Matthias (who filled the place of Judas (Acts 1:21-26). His food as told by
Church Father Clement of Alexandria was the same as Matthews.
6. Andrew and 7. Jude: Andrew (Peters brother in both flesh and faith)
and Jude of Bethsaida, originally two of John the Baptists' followers, must have followed
the Baptist's austere diet.
Paul also says: "Destroy not the work of God for the sake of food... It is
good neither to drink wine or eat flesh..." (Roman 14:20, 21) though his commitment
altogether seems somewhat less categorical. Beyond that there are strong arguments of a
similar nature by many of the Fathers of the early Church:
"... How unworthy do you press the example of Christ as having come eating and
drinking into the service of your lusts: I think that He who pronounced not the full, but
the hungry and thirsty "Blessed", who professed His work to be the completion of
His Father's Will, I think that he was wont to abstain, instructing them to labor for that
"Meat" which lasts to eternal life, and enjoying in their common prayers
petition, not for flesh food but for bread only..." - Quintus Septimius Tertullianus
(AD 155).
This knowledge of Tertullianus was supported by fragments of the writings by the
Apostolic Father Papias (AD 60-125).
The apocryphical Acts of Thomas, which were widely in use among early Christian sects,
depict the disciples of Jesus as ascetics: "...He continually fasts and prays, wears
the same garment in all weather, accepts nothing from anyone, gives whatever he has to
others and abstains from meat and wine..."
"...The unnatural eating of flesh is as polluting as the heathens worship of
devils with its sacrifices and impure feasts, through participation in which a man becomes
a fellow eater with devils... " (2nd century scripture Clemente Homilies (Hom. XII)
Clemens Prudentius, the first Christian hymn writer exhorts in one of his hymns his
fellow Christians ..."not to pollute their hands and hearts by the slaughter of
innocent cows and sheep..."
"...It is by far better to be happy than to have the devil dwelling in us, for
happiness is fun only in the practice of virtue. Accordingly the Apostle Matthew, partook
of seeds, and nuts, and vegetables, without the use of flesh. . is there not within a
temperate simplicity, a wholesome variety of eatables, vegetables, roots, olives, herbs,
milk, cheese, fruits?" - Churchfather Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens /
AD 150 - 220)
"...We the Christian leaders practice abstinence from the flesh of animals to
subdue our bodies. The unnatural eating of flesh is of demonic origin." And about the
early Christians: "...No streams of blood are among them. No dainty cookery, no
heaviness of head. Nor are horrible smells of flesh among them or disagreeable fumes from
the kitchen..." - St. Chrysostomos (AD 347-404)
"...Since Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the Messiah who restores all things,
it is no longer permitted to divorce or to eat flesh... and so too I say to you: if you
wish to be perfect, it is good not to drink wine or to eat flesh..." - St. Jerome,
(AD 340-420), who gave the Vulgate, the authorized Latin version of the Bible still in use
today.
"The steam of meat darkens the light of the spirit... One hardly can have virtue
when one enjoys meat meals and feast..." - St. Basil (AD 320-79)
Besides that: Many heathen observers describe the early Christians as abstaining from
meat:
Pliny, Governor of Bithynia (where Peter preached) referred to the early Christians in
a letter to Trajan, the Roman Emperor, as a ..."contagious superstition abstaining
from flesh food..."
Seneca, (5 BC - 65 AD), stoic Philosopher and tutor of Nero, described the Christians
as "... a foreign cultus or superstition (under imperial suspicion) who abstain from
flesh food..."
And Josephus Flavius says about the early Christians: "They assemble before
sunrising and speak not a word of profane matters but put up certain prayers.. . and sit
down together each one to a single plate of one sort of innocent food..."
In an old Aramaic scripture, recovered and translated by E. M. Szeekely, Jesus is
quoted: "...Therefore, he who kills, kills his brother... And the flesh of slain
beasts in his body will become his own tomb. For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills,
kills himself, and who so eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats of the body of death...
Kill neither men, nor beasts, nor the food which goes into your mouth... For life comes
from life, and from death comes always death. For everything which kills your foods, kills
your bodies also. And your bodies become what your foods are, even as your spirits become
what your thoughts are..." - E.M. Szeekely, Gospel of Peace
Hence Albert Schweitzer says: "...Ethics has not only to do with mankind but with
the animal creation as well. This is witnessed in the purpose of St. Francis of Assisi.
Thus we shall arrive that ethics of Jesus now recognized as a necessity of thought.. Only
a universal ethic which embraces every living creature can put us in touch with the
universe and the will which is there manifest..."
Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-90) says: "Cruelty to animals is as if man did
not love God... They have done us no harm, they have no power of resistance... there is
something dreadful, so satanic in tormenting those who have never harmed us and who cannot
defend themselves, who are utterly in our power..."
Tolstoy and Dukhobor (Orthodox Russian Christian ) were of the opinion that meat-eating
is against the tenets of Christianity.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of ISKCON (Hare
Krishna Movement) concludes:
"...There are many rascals who violate their own religious principles. While it
clearly says according to Judeo-Christian scriptures, "Thou shalt not kill, "
they are giving all kinds of excuses. Even the heads of religions indulge in killing
animals while trying to pass as saintly persons. This mockery and hypocrisy in human
society has brought about unlimited calamities..."
JUDAISM:
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 which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to
you it shall be for meat..." - (Genesis 1:29).
"Thou shalt not kill." - (Exodus 20:13).
"He that kill an ox is like him who kills a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, like
him who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a cereal offering, like him who offers
swine's blood...yea they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their
abominations." - (Isaiah 66:3).
"I am full of burnt offering of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I delight not in
the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of goats... Bring no more vain offerings... When
you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes though you make many prayers, and I
will not hear you. For you hands are full of blood..." (Isaiah 1:11-15).
"I will have mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather then burnt
offerings..." - (Hosea 6:6)
When the children of Israel lusted after flesh it says: "...Therefore the Lord
will give you meat and you shall eat. You shall not eat one day or two days, or ten days
or twenty days, but till it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you,
because you have rejected the Lord..." (Numbers 11:18-20)
And "while the flesh was yet between their teeth, the wrath of Lord was kindled
against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague." (Number
11:13)
We also find the story of Daniel, who while imprisoned in Babylon refused to eat the
meat offered by his jailers, preferring instead simple vegetarian food.
Isaac Bashevis Singer concludes: "When a human being kills an animal for food, he
is neglecting his own hunger for justice; man prays for mercy, but is unwilling to extend
it to others. Why, then, should man expect mercy from God? It is unfair to expect
something that you are not willing to give."
And Philip L. Pick, President and Founder of the International Jewish Vegetarian
Society says: "Judaism is founded on a compassionate way of life and provides
complete philosophy for non-killing in relationship to one's food.
HINDUISM
All great Indian saints and seers of India like Kapila, Vyasa, Panini, Patanjali,
Shankaracharya, Chaitanya, etc., all Sufi saints of Islam and all the great apostles of
peace like Mahatma Buddha, Bhagwan Mahavir, Guru Nanak and Mahatma Gandhi who taught the
lesson of non-violence, were all pure vegetarians and were against the eating of
flesh-food, because right thinking and spiritual attainment are not possible with meat
eating.
It says in the Laws of Manu (5:55): "He who gives permission, he who kills the
animal, he who sells the slaughtered animal, he who cooks the animal, he who administers
the distribution of the flesh, and at last he who eats the flesh are all murderers and all
of them are punishable under the law of karma."
"If one has a strong desire for meat, he may make an animal out of clarified
butter, or one of flour, and eat that. But let him never seek to destroy a living
being..." (Manu 5:37)
"Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to
sentient beings is detrimental to the attainment of heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun
the use of meat." (Manu)
"Having well considered the disgusting origin of flesh and the cruelty of
fettering and slaying of corporeal beings, let him entirely abstain from eating
flesh." (Manu)
"Those who never harm others by (physical deeds), by thought and speech, in
whatever condition they may be, do not go to Yama's abode. Men who harm other creatures do
not go to heaven, in spite of their reciting Vedas, giving gifts, practicing austerities
or performing sacrifices. Harmlessness is a great form of piety. Harmlessness alone is a
great penance. Harmlessness is a great gift. This is what the sages always say."
(Padma Purana III 31-25-28)
"Whoever eats raw or cooked flesh, and whoever destroys a foetus shall be
destroyed by us from here." (Atharva Veda 8.6.23)
"The Hero Bhisma has described as sinners all those who eat meat, those who trade
in meat and those who kill animals for their flesh. (Anushasana Parva of the
Mahabharata)
In Satyartha Prakash Maharishi Dayananda has said that meat eating makes a
person's temperament violence prone.
"One should treat animals such as deer, camels, asses, monkeys, mice, snakes,
birds and flies exactly like one's own son. How little difference there actually is
between children and these innocent animals." - (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.14.9)
"A cruel and wretched person who maintains his existence at the cost of others'
lives deserves to be killed for his own eternal well being, otherwise he will go down by
his own actions." - (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.37)
The great sage and saint Chanakya Pandit said that those who eat meat or drink alcohol
are animals in human form and a burden on a suffering earth. In the Bhagavad Gita
Lord Sri Krishna says: "...aham bija-pradah pita - I am the seed-giving father of all
beings..." (14.4), ... in the heart of all ... (15.15), and .. the only friend of all
living creatures..." (5.29). "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a
flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it." (9.26)
Only pure non-violent food is accepted and by partaking of such food offered in
sacrifice the devotee is blessed: "The devotee of Lord are released from all kinds of
sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food
for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin." - (Bhagavad Gita 3:13)
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, the
Hare Krishna Movement says: "One who loves Krishna will give Him whatever He wants,
and he avoids offering anything which is undesirable or unasked for. Thus, meat, fish and
eggs should not be offered to Krishna... Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk and water are
the proper foods for human beings and are prescribed by Lord Krishna Himself. Whatever
else we eat, can not be offered to him, since He will not accept it."
Bhagavad Gita describes 3 categories of food:
1) sattvic food such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, nuts, milk, butter
etc. promote longevity, intellect and strength while granting pleasure, peace of mind,
compassion, non-violence and equanimity, and save the body, heart and mind from all
impurities.
2) rajasic food includes very hot, sour, bitter, spicy and dry substances. This
kind of food creates perverted feelings, sorrow, decease and tensions.
3) tamasic food such a stale, juiceless, half-cooked, evil smelling, rotting,
impure, intoxicating materials and meat, etc., which lead man to evil deeds, cloud their
intellect, give rise to disease, laziness and other evil qualities.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the Hare
Krishna Movement states:
"No one can create a living being despite all advancement of material science, and
therefore no one has the right to kill a living being by one's independent whims. The
material world is itself a place always full of anxieties, and by encouraging animal
slaughter the whole atmosphere becomes polluted more and more by war, pestilence, famine
and many other unwanted calamities."
"All living entities have to fulfil a certain duration for being encaged in a
particular type of material body. They have to finish the duration allotted in a
particular body before being promoted or evolved to another body. Killing an animal or any
other living being simply places and impediment in the way of his completing his term of
imprisonment in a certain body. One should therefore not kill bodies for one's sense
gratification, for this will implicate one in sinful activity."
SIKHISM:
The Prasad served in Gurudwara is always vegetarian. Guru Nanak Dev always
consumed only vegetarian food.
Kabir Sahib's teachings of pity, non-violence and his condemnation of meat-eating have
been highlighted at various pages in the Adi Granth. All Guru Sahibs have very clearly
forbidden violence. And when violence is prohibited, the question of eating fish, fowls
and flesh does not arise. After years of intensive research, the Shiromani Gurudwara
Prabhandak Committee has published the order and edicts of the Gurus in the form a book.
One of those Hukum-namas reads as follows: "It is the order of the True Lord to the
entire body of the Khalsa... that they shall abstain from bhang, tobacco, opium, alcohol
and desist from eating meat, fish, onions, nor indulge in theft and lust..."
The food in the Langar of all Sikh Guruwaras is compulsorily vegetarian.
JAINISM:
In a religion where the saddles try to avoid breathing in insects, where tying up of
animals, causing hurt to them, overloading them or even keeping them in cages is
considered sinful, the question of eating meat simply does not arise.
BUDDHISM:
"To avoid causing terror to living beings, let the disciple refrain from eating
meat... the food of the wise is that which is consumed by the sadhus (holy men), it does
not consist of meat... There may be some foolish people in the future who will say that I
permitted meat-eating and that I partook of meat myself, but meat-eating I have not
permitted to anyone, I do not permit, I will not permit meat-eating in any form in future,
in any manner and in any place. It is unconditionally prohibited for all." - Lord
Buddha.
"All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another,
one should not kill or cause another to kill." - Dhammapada 130.
"He who has renounced all Violence towards all living beings, weak or strong, who
neither kills nor causes other to kill - him do I call a holy man" - Dhammapada
405.
"There is just no reason why animals should be slaughtered to serve as human diet
when there are so many substitutes. Man can live without meat." - The Dalai Lama.
"It is said Lord Buddha sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam. He saw the whole
human race going to hell by this animals and human beings. Actually animal-killing, no
religion sanctions. In Christian religion also, it is clearly stated, 'Thou shall not
kill'. So everywhere animal killing is restricted. In no religion unnecessary killing of
animals is allowed. But nobody is caring. The killing process is increasing, and so are
the reactions. Every ten years you find a war. These are the reactions." - His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, the Hare Krishna
Movement.
TAOISM:
Confucius seized on the law of Reciprocity, known as the Chinese Golden Rule of 'What
you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others' - one of the many age-old maxims
which may have found their way into the Christian symposium. This was the truth he worked
from.
Lao Tse expounded Taoism in The Tao Te Ting which taught the unity of life... to
achieve perfection we have "to be in unison with Tao" - in harmony with life.
"We cannot separate ourselves from whom we call the 'lower' animals. They are
lower in the scale of evolution, but they, like us, are members of the One Family. We must
not take away the life of any creature. Indeed, we must never take away that which we
cannot give. And as we cannot restore a dead creatures to life, we have no right to take
away its' life.' - J. P. Vaswani, Why Kill For Food?
ISLAM
"There is not an animal on the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings,
but they are peoples like unto you." - Koran, surah 6 verse 38.
"Therewith He causes crops to grow for you, and the olive and the date-palm and
grapes and all kinds of fruit. Lo! Herein is indeed a portent for people who
reflect." - Koran, surah 16, verse 11.
"A token unto them is the dead earth. We revive it, and we bring forth from it
grain so that they will eat thereof. And we have placed therein gardens of the date-palm
and grapes, and We have placed therein. That they may eat of the fruit thereof, and their
hands created it not. Will they not, then, give thanks?" - Koran, surah 36, verses
33-35.
"Maim not the brute beast... Whoever is kind to the lesser creatures is kind to
himself... He who takes pity (even) on a sparrow and spares its life. Allah will be
merciful on him on the day of judgement." - Prophet Mohammed
All Sufi saints of Islam have laid great stress on leading a noble life, a life of
renunciation and compassion, eating simple food and abjuring meat. They themselves avoid
eating meat. Sheikh Ismail, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, Hazrat Nizammuddin Aulia, Bu Ali
Qalandas, Shah Inayat, Mir Dad, Shah Abdul Karim etc., were Sufi Saints whose path was
pious living, self-restraint, love and affection for all and vegetarian food. They said
that if you want to live in heaven for all times to come, then behave in a spirit of
compassion and sympathy with the entire creation of God.
The famous saint, Mir Dad, said that anyone who eats the flesh of any living being
shall have to repay it with his own flesh. He who breaks another living being's bone shall
have his own bones smashed. Every drop shed of another's blood, will have to be accounted
for by one's own. Because that is the eternal law.
The great Saint Sarmad condemned meat-eating by saying that the light of life is asleep
in metals, dreaming in plants, awake in animals and completely alert in human beings.
Kabir, addressing Muslims, makes it clear that even fasting (Roza) is in vain if its
practitioner lets his tongue dictate the killing of living of living beings for the sake
of its taste. Allah will not be pleased this way.
The Imam of London mosque, Al-Hafiz B. A. Masri, in his book Islamic concerned for
Animals, has expressed sorrow about the excesses against animals in the name of
religion. Quoting from the holy Quran and the teachings of Holy Prophet Muhammad, he
described all acts of torturing of animals, and even keeping birds in cages as sin.
According to him even killing trees is prohibited in Islam. The Imam Masri is himself a
vegetarian and advises everyone to adopt vegetarianism.
Concluding our discussion on the position of Non-Violence in our World Religions the
authors of this book agree with Peter Singer, Professor of Philosophy, Monash University,
Australia, Author of Animal Liberation: "The exploitation of animals and any
religion which professes compassion is simply incompatible."
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