Christian Living Articles
Archive of Comments and Discussions - Questions and Answers From All-Creatures.org

Our subjects cover: animals, religion (Christian, Jewish and others); diet and lifestyle (vegan and vegetarian); and other miscellaneous subjects.

By Stephen Vantassel - 3 Feb 2010

In Reference to: The Book of Genesis

Your terms are confusing to me. In what sense did Jesus show compassion to the pigs? How we define compassion should be done on the basis of what Jesus understood compassion to be rather than what we would want it to be. Wouldn’t you agree. How does animals in heaven suggest that eating them on earth is somehow wrong? We aren’t married in heaven, yet in heaven we won’t be married. Clearly the analogy has limits. Additionally, you neglected to address Christ’s explicit statements regarding that all animals are clean, thus expanding humanity’s dietary choices, not limiting them. See also 2 Tim where the rejection of eating meat is considered a doctrine of demons.

The hermeneutical principle is that the general is restricted by the specific. Whether Christ did any fishing or not, is not relevant. He didn’t’ do a lot of things are perfectly moral for the believer. The fact that he never condemned fishing or eating animal flesh says that statements to contrary deny his authority over creation (See Psalm 8 and Hebrews 1).

Stephen Vantassel, Rev., Ph.D.

Go on to comments: By Frank and Mary Hoffman - 3 Feb 2010
Return to: Christian Living Articles
Return to: Discussion Table of Contents