Q. If God didn’t want us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?
A. Taking it on faith (no pun intended) that this is a serious question and not just a snarky t-shirt slogan, the answer is quite simple. Animal flesh contains some of the nutrients humans need to survive because animals need those same nutrients to survive. The proteins that are the building blocks of human muscle are also the building blocks of animal muscle. Iron is necessary for animals’ red blood cells, as it is for humans. The nutrients in animal flesh are not present for human benefit, but so the animal can live.
Think about this: human beings are also "made of meat." The historical record of cannibalism proves it’s possible to survive on a diet of human flesh. Yet, virtually every religion and culture in the world sees cannibalism as a taboo. If we believe that their being edible and containing nutrients means God intended for us to eat the animals, then surely we should believe that humans being edible and containing nutrients means God intended us to eat one another!
The Judeo-Christian faith acknowledges that humans are “wonderfully made.” (Psalms 139:14) If a company made a well-designed product, would you not expect them to use similar elements of design throughout their product line? God efficiently designed all life on Planet Earth to be self-sustaining, drawing the building blocks of life - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. - from earth, air, and sun. Shouldn’t the real question be “If God intended for us to eat animals, why did he make it possible for us to survive and thrive on a plant-based diet?”
(Authored by me, originally published at http://www.thisdishisvegetarian.com/2012/01/tdiv-q-if-god-didnt-want-us-to-eat.html.)
I can't resist it, apologies in advance.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't become a humanitarian just because people are "made of meat"...
The fact we are omnivores and are intelligent means we can choose what we eat. We can survive not eating meat and have the ability to make that distinction.
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