@Vouthon does Christianity teach vegetarianism is virtuous in any way, and/or merciful? Because for me that's always stood out as a difference between Dharmic and Christian non-violence. I've only heard from an Eastern Orthodox Christian that a St. Milos (?) advocated for vegetarianism?
I think I already know the Church doesn't teach animals are unsentient automatons right? That animals have feelings and experience pain?
I guess I've simply wondered from time to time- did Jesus want non-violence to go all the way ideally- and his followers not engage in the slaughter trade?
I'm sorry if this question seems unfair like I'm trying to hold Christians to a Buddhist standard- because vegetarianism is an important aspect of non-violence for Dharmics.
I guess also, as I understand the Buddha seeing vegetarianism as ideal for his followers- does the Church see any indication that Jesus ideally wanted his movement to gradually adopt a vegetarian diet?
Not at all, I think that's a perfectly legitimate question to ask.
The answer is that we know from the earliest evidence in Paul's letters - the first Christian documents - that the early church had both meat-eaters and vegetarians among its members, because people interpreted Jesus differently on this issue, for whatever reason. He hadn't written anything down, it was an oral culture in which people remembered things he'd said, so there were some differences of interpretation on certain things.
Accordingly, the attitude was one of tolerance for the "
conscience" of each individual believer:
Welcome a man whose faith is weak, but not with the idea of arguing over his scruples. One man believes that he may eat anything, another man, without this strong conviction, is a vegetarian. The meat-eater should not despise the vegetarian, nor should the vegetarian condemn the meat-eater.
Again, one man thinks some days of more importance than others. Another man considers them all alike. Let every one be definite in his own convictions. If a man specially observes one particular day, he does so “to God”. The man who eats, eats “to God”, for he thanks God for the food. The man who fasts also does it “to God”, for he thanks God for the benefits of fasting. The faith you have, have as your own conviction before God. Let us therefore stop turning critical eyes on one another. If we must be critical, let us be critical of our own conduct and see that we do nothing to make a brother stumble or fall.
We should be willing to be both vegetarians and teetotallers if by doing otherwise we should impede a brother’s progress in faith. Your personal convictions are a matter of faith between yourself and God, and you are happy if you have no qualms about what you allow yourself to eat. Yet if a man eats meat with an uneasy conscience about it, you may be sure he is wrong to do so. For his action does not spring from his faith, and when we act apart from our faith we sin.
(Romans 14:1-23)
So, from the beginning, Christianity was tolerant about dietary matters but emphasized that every individual Christian had to live in accordance with their own conscience:
if you feel guilty about eating meat, then it's sinful for you to do so but don't impose your personal conviction on others, was the advice from Paul.
However some early Christian sects were vehemently vegetarian, for instance the sect that produced the Gospel of the Hebrews. In this gospel, Jesus has a confrontation with the high priest and condemns them for sacrificing animals in the temple, saying,
"I am come to end the animal sacrifices and feasts of blood; and if ye cease not offering and eating of flesh and blood, the wrath of God shall not cease from you; even as it came to your fathers in the wilderness, who lusted for flesh, and did sat to their content, and were filled with rottenness, and the plague consumed them."
This same sect also wrote the
Clementine homilies, a second-century work purportedly based on the teachings of the
Apostle Peter, which states:
"The unnatural eating of flesh meats is as polluting as the heathen worship of devils, with its sacrifices and its impure feasts, through participation in it a man becomes a fellow eater with devils."
It's obviously folks like these whom St. Paul was asking to "
take a chill pill and live let live", because there had been a fierce debate over it.
On the "
vegetarian" side of early Christianity was Jesus' own brother
James the Just - the first bishop of Jerusalem and the most powerful person in the early church - as the 3rd century ecclesiastical historian and church father Eusebius tells us:
CHURCH FATHERS: Church History, Book II (Eusebius)
James, the brother of the Lord Jesus, succeeded to the government of the Church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called the Just by all from the time of our Saviour to the present day; for there were many that bore the name of James.
5. He was holy from his mother's womb; and he drank no wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat flesh. No razor came upon his head; he did not anoint himself with oil, and he did not use the bath.
Because of his exceeding great justice he was called the Just, and Oblias, which signifies in Greek, 'Bulwark of the people' and 'Justice,' in accordance with what the prophets declare concerning him.
Later on, many Catholic monastic orders such as those based on the Rule of St. Benedict as well as the Carthusians, Cistercians and Order of Minims have made either Pescatarianism, Vegetarianism or Veganism part of the vows taken by monks or friars; the laity have only ever been
obligated to abstain from meat on Holy Days and particularly solemn seasons of the year such as Lent or Good Friday. So there is a clear difference in what is expected of monks/religious and lay persons when it comes to dieting.
Nevertheless the most rigorous ascetic 'ideal' in dieting within my religion is the "
black fast" and it is explicitly Vegan:
Black Fast - Wikipedia
The Black Fast is a severe form of Catholic fasting...
The details of the fast, as they were prior to the tenth century, are as follows:
- No more than one meal per day was permitted
- Flesh meat, eggs, butter, cheese and milk were forbidden
- The meal was not allowed until after sunset
- Alcohol was forbidden
- During Holy Week, the meal consisted exclusively of bread, salt, herbs, and water
Despite my discomfort with the severity of some of the austerities associated with this fast, I do admire the veganism.
St. Francis di Paola (1416 – 1507) and his followers known as the
'Minim Fathers' observed this vegan fast ALL-YEAR round:
Francis of Paola - Wikipedia
Saint Francis of Paola, O.M. (or: Francesco di Paola or Saint Francis the Fire Handler; 27 March 1416 – 2 April 1507) was an Italian mendicant friar and the founder of the Roman Catholic Order of Minims...
The two major movements in this order were humility and non-violence. The word "Minim" refers to living as the smallest or least, or embracing humility, simplicity, and plainness. The call to non-violence and absence of cruelty was expressed through veganism, or not doing harm to any creature.[6]
He followed a vegan diet, not only free from animal flesh, but also from all animal-derived foods, such as eggs and dairy products.[7] One of the vows of the order he founded was the abstinence from meat, fish, eggs, butter, cheese and milk.[8]
There are some truly charming 'hagiographical fables' written by the disciples and later Minim followers of St. Francis which illustrate his 'vegan way of life'. See:
There are several stories about his compassion for animals, and how he gave back life to animals that were killed to be eaten.[11] For example, a biographer writes: “Francis had a favorite trout that he called ‘Antonella.’ One day, one of the priests, who provided religious services, saw the trout swimming about in his pool. To him it was just a delicious dish, so he caught it and took it home, tossing it into the frying pan. Francis missed ‘Antonella’ and realized what had happened. He asked one of his followers to go to the priest to get it back. The priest, annoyed by this great concern for a mere fish, threw the cooked trout on the ground, shattering it into several pieces. The hermit sent by Francis gathered up the broken pieces in his hands and brought them back to Francis. Francis placed the pieces back in the pool and, looking up to Heaven and praying, said: ‘Antonella, in the name of Charity, return to life.’ The trout immediately became whole and swam joyously around his pool as if nothing had happened. The friars and the workers who witnessed this miracle were deeply impressed at the saint’s amazing powers.”
St. Francis also raised his pet lamb, Martinello, from the dead after it had been eaten by workmen. “Being in need of food, the workmen caught and slaughtered Francis’ pet lamb, Martinello, roasting it in their lime kiln. They were eating when the Saint approached them, looking for his lamb. They told him they had eaten it, having no other food. He asked what they had done with the fleece and the bones. They told him they had thrown them into the furnace. Francis walked over to the furnace, looked into the fire and called ‘Martinello, come out!’ The lamb jumped out, completely untouched, bleating happily on seeing his master.”[12]
St. Francis Paola called the animals by their names even after their lives had ended. He apparently believed they continued to exist after their deaths
