The Morality of Eating Meat

My last post was about a tremendous ministry in Charlotte called the King's Kitchen.  Unexpectedly, the blog started a conversation between a friend and me about the morality of eating meat.  You can read the blog post here as well as her comment.

After some dialogue, Kat graciously sent me a DVD to watch called Farm to Fridge.  I watched the DVD, did personal research, study, and came to the following conclusion.  Below is my response to Kat.

When I posted my blog about The King’s Kitchen I certainly didn't imagine that it would spark a discussion about the morality of eating meat or cause me to deeply discern whether I wanted to continue eating meat.  I did watch the video that sent me (Farm to Fridge); it was horrible. 

There seem to be two issues at play.  First, is it morally wrong (Biblically speaking) to eat meat?  Second, should inhumane industry practices towards animals raised for slaughter deter the eating of meat?

As I’ve studied the first question, I cannot find a compelling Biblical reason to not eat meat.  In fact, it seems that the opposite is true.  Starting in the first chapters of Genesis, God creates a distinction between humans and animals, namely creating humans in His own image and giving them the responsibility to “rule” over the earth as God rules over all.  With that being said, animals are created beings and, like the environment, I think they should be stewarded with care and concern.  And yet there is a sense that creation is meant to be used (not abused) and cultivated for human flourishing and God’s glory.  There is a higher order for man compared to animals.

You are right that there is no explicit command to eat meat in Genesis 1 and 2, but on the other hand there is no explicit command to not eat meat.  It is not mentioned.  The only prohibition is to not eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Perhaps God’s ideal was for Adam and Eve to be vegetarians in the Garden of Eden, but there is ample Bible text post-fall that suggests that, while eating meat may not be ideal pre-fall, it is minimally permissible post fall. 

The fact that God’s first act of redemption or covering was to slaughter an animal and use it to cover the nakedness of disobedient Adam and Eve I think suggests that there is a permissibility in the functionality of animals even when it means their death.  This continues all throughout the Old Testament with hundreds of years of animal sacrifices that God ordained to cover the sins of the Israelites.  While these animal sacrifices could not suffice for the continued sin of God’s people, Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice, is called the Lamb of God, who had to die to take away the sins of the world.  There is a profound spiritual truth in this physical reality.

Biblical wisdom states that “everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial or constructive (I Cor. 10:23).  This passage is directly linked to a passage about eating meat.  The issue in this text was not the morality of eating meat itself, but eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, which I think transitions nicely to the second issue of whether we should eat meat that has been produced under inhumane conditions.  This is really where I have wrestled.

The practices that are highlighted in the video you sent me are deplorable.  Certainly I think they should cause us to question the industry.  When I started to process the images I saw in the video, I was left with a lingering question.  How standard are these practices?  The reason for this question stems from a concern to know how normative these practices are in the meat industry.  Every endeavor of human hands is going to be tainted in some way by sin.  Every industry is going to have some stain of sin, sometimes large sometimes small.  Do we throw away the baby with the bathwater? Do we throw out the entire industry because of isolated malpractice?  For example, do I reject the public school system because there are perverted teachers and administrators who use their position to prey on students?  While I hate the practice, I can understand that there is still good in the industry at large.  I think the same can be said for the meat industry. 

The conclusion that Paul makes in I Corinthians 10 is telling:

1 Corinthians 10:23-32
²³ “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. ²⁴ Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. ²⁵ Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁶ For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” ²⁷ If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹ I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? ³⁰ If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?  ^{31 32} Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God

Several conclusions from this passage:

-          The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.  He has given human’s authority over the earth as He has authority over us.  This is God’s premise for allowing man to eat meat.
-          Eating meat is an issue of conscious.  I would say it’s inappropriate to make a matter of personal conscious or a wisdom issue a matter of conviction for everyone.
-          Where it would be offensive to eat meat (or not eat meat), you should oblige out of care for others.
-          Whatever we do, whether eating meat or anything else, we should do it with a mindset of bringing great glory to God.

This is a Biblical defense of the morality of eating meat.  I understand that there could be other motivations to eat or not eat meat.  I simply wanted to lay out a Biblical motivation, because that is what motivates me personally.

So where do I land on this issue.  While I do think it is Biblically permissible to eat meat, I do question the treatment of animals that are raised to slaughter.  I’m still investigating the nature of mistreatment in terms of whether these are commonplace practices and standards or isolated instances of abuse.  While I do not have a problem eating meat, I have substantially limited my meat consumption unless it is served to me or I have purchased the meat from a humane butcher or local farmer.