FAITH - Why I Am A Vegetarian Part 3

image of rosary beads in a box with the word faith written on it.

One of the determining factors for me in becoming a vegetarian was my faith. I'm not saying that the bible says ‘don’t eat meat ‘ because it doesn't (sometimes it almost seems that it says the opposite of this), but I do believe that I see a thread that runs through the bible and that points me towards a vegetarian lifestyle.
Rob Bell discusses the idea that we currently live between two trees, on the one hand we live after the tree of knowledge in the book of Genesis (the first book in the bible), that caused problems in our world; on the other hand we live before the tree talked about in Revelation (the last book in the bible) that’s leaves will bring healing to the nations (I do believe that these trees are metaphorical not physical). In other words we live in the mess that has been caused by following our selfish desires.
The scriptures points us towards what life will be like when God acts decisively in history and we move beyond selfishness. We see beautiful images painted of swords being beaten into plough shares, spears into pruning hooks, wolves lying down with lambs, where children are safe and where death is no more. and Christ’s life, death and resurrection testify to this. Christ called it ‘the kingdom of God’.
Our job as the church is to be a sign post to what this reality will look like. To, as best we can, show what life can look like when we choose love above all else. As we did in the garden before the tree, and as we will do again after the tree in revelation.
We read in the book of Genesis that God gives to humanity (and the animals) all kind of green, growing plants to eat, but there is no mention  of eating animals. So we see what life is like before the second tree.
In Isaiah we have reference to the wolf lying down with the lamb, in other words, the wolf will no longer eat the lamb. Will it be so different for us humans?
So if we as the church, as people who point to the way things will one day be, are to live out this new kingdom now on earth, to live out what the end of death looks like, then vegetarianism is something that we should consider.

May we learn to value all life as the sacred thing that it is, may we be sign posts to the kingdom of God, and may we be those that live a life of love.

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