Religion, Animals and VEGetarianism
This page is a:
Religious informational donation for the church and world religions
The real reason for Jesus crucifixion
"The Cleansing of the Temple" is a great short video explaining the profound ramifications of Jesus expelling the money changers from the Temple, accusing them of turning the Temple into a den of thieves. Please visit:
Jesus wanted to end the bloodshed of innocent animals!
Have a blessed day!
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Lorena Mucke
Coordinator
Christian Vegetarian Association
Beloved church and religious organizations leaders in Canada and around the world,
We’ve come to you, today, to share the Holy Scriptures messages on a very essential subject and to personally invite all church leaders on the next local and global journey in order to help heal our world at a far deeper level! Below is a collection of highly important information, as a donation of our many years of work and study on the subject, about the next natural step for humanity and the planet!
The religious, health, compassion, environment healing and TRUE world peace aspect of a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle is covered through a rich collection of extremely informative and powerful material, backed up by the Holy Scriptures and also reputable scientists and environmentalists. We would like to invite all churches and their religious leaders, on behalf of our beloved planet which needs our collective support for healing, to review, save and to share this or part of this information with your congregation.
Churches, holding mass on these topics, sharing literature that we could design as part of our donation to your church, with its congregation members can have an instant, very big, POSITIVE, HEALING impact on our world and God with his Son, Jesus Christ could not be more pleased than through such actions as this being the most noble forms of helping our Divine Creation of all beings. This message will be sent forth to many other churches in Canada and all around the world.
THANK YOU for taking the time to read and review this material.
HOLY SCRIPTURES quotes:
RELIGION and VEGetarianism
God giveth the grains and the fruits of the earth for food: and for righteous man truly there is no other lawful sustenance for the body." ~ Jesus, The Gospel of the Holy Twelve (earliest known recorded words of Jesus)
'Thou shalt not kill any living thing,' for life is given to all by God, and that which God has given, let not man taketh it away. ~Jesus, Gospel of the Holy Twelve
"LET NO FLESH MEAT ENTER YOUR MOUTHS" (JESUS: Lect. 38, GHT) *
Wherefore I say unto all who desire to be my disciples, keep your hands from bloodshed and let no flesh meat enter your mouths, for God is just and bountiful, who ordaineth that man shall live by the fruits and seeds of the earth alone. JESUS; Gospel of the Holy Twelve; Lection 38
Verily I say unto you, for this end have I come into the world, that I may put away all blood offerings and the eating of the flesh of the beasts and the birds that are slain by men. JESUS; The Gospel of the Holy Twelve; Lection 75
Blessed are they who keep this law, for God is manifested in all creatures. All creatures live in God, and God is hid in them. . JESUS; The Gospel of the Holy Twelve; Lection 75
"Thou shalt not kill," Exodus 20:13 - Deuteronomy 5:17
The exact Hebrew wording of this biblical phrase is lo tirtzack which accurately translates as "any kind of killing whatsoever."
"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat (Genesis 9.4-5)
"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man." (Isaiah 66.3)
"And the flesh of slain beasts in his body will become his tomb. For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills himself, and whoso eats the flesh of slain beasts, eats the body of death." ~ Jesus, The Gospel of Peace
"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox with hatred within." ~ Proverbs 15:17
"Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of something to eat." ~ Romans 14:20
"He who killeth an ox is as if he slew a man. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are stained with blood, and your mouths are defiled with flesh." ~ God, Isaiah 1:15,66:3
And God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, I have given every green herb for food: and it was so." ~God, Genesis 1:29-30
Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all shall return. Ecclesiastes 3 18-20
Biblical Opposition to Flesh Eating
EXPLANATIONS AS TO WHY THE BIBLE CONTAINS SO FEW OBSERVATIONS CONDEMNING THE VICTIMIZATION AND KILLING OF ANIMALS
Jesus Condemneth the Ill Treatment of Animals
Gospel of the Holy Twelve; Lection 38
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, they who partake of benefits which are gotten by wronging one of God's creatures, cannot be righteous: nor can they touch holy things, or teach the mysteries of the kingdom, whose hands are stained With blood, or whose mouths are defiled with flesh. Gospel of the Holy Twelve; Lection 38
"Fish" is another frequently mistranslated word in the Bible. Its reference is often not to the form of swimming life, but to the symbol by which early Christians could identify each other. It was a secret sign, needed in times of persecution, prior to official acceptance of Christianity as a state religion.The sign of the fish was a mystical symbol and conversational password. Its name deriving from the Greek word for fish, "ichthus" Much later it was represented an acrostic, composed of leading letters of the Greek phrase, "Iesous Christos Theou Uios Soter"-"Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."Frequent references to fish are intended as symbolic of The Christ and have nothing to do with the act of eating a dead fish. But the symbol of the fish did not meet with Roman approval. They preferred the sign of the cross, choosing to concentrate more on the death of Christ than on His brilliant life. Perhaps this is one reason only ten percent of His life record appears in the canonical scriptures. Most of His first thirty years has been omitted.
The seventh-century Christian mystic Saint Isaac the Syrian asks, “What is a charitable heart? It is a heart which is burning with love for the whole creation, for men, for the birds, for the beasts . . . for all creatures.
He who has such a heart cannot see or call to mind a creature without his eyes being filled with tears by reason of the immense compassion which seizes his heart; a heart which is softened and can no longer bear to see or learn from others of any suffering, even the smallest pain being inflicted upon a creature.
That is why such a man never ceases to pray for the animals . . . moved by the infinite pity which reigns in the hearts of those who are becoming united with God.”
May all beings be free and at peace, Will
John Wesley, the eighteenth-century founder of Methodism, has written, “I believe in my heart that faith in Jesus Christ can and will lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to the broader concern for the well-being of the birds in our backyards, the fish in our rivers, and every living creature on the face of the earth.”
Solutions: Education and awareness
Google & watch: “EARTHLINGS”
Google & watch: “Best Speech You Will Ever Hear” - Gary Yourofsky
Google & watch: “WORLD PEACE DIET”
Google & watch: El Reino Apacible ( Peaceable Kingdom) 1/4
The TRUTH behind “HUMANE” or “FREE RANGE” produced “food”
"The leading causes of death in the Western world—heart disease, cancer, and stroke—can often be prevented and even treated—with proper dietary and lifestyle changes. Explore nutrition’s role in combating specific illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, cancer, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, endometriosis, foodborne illness, heart disease, high blood pressure, mad cow disease, migraines, Parkinson's disease, prostate problems, premenstrual pain and PMS, and stroke by following a vegan diet." ~ Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ( www.pcrm.org)
Scrolling down to first read ALL of the links' subject titles is most helpfulHEALING from the GROUND UPhttp://agnvegglobal.blogspot.com/2012/01/all-links-healing-from-ground-up.html
Labels such as "Cage Free," "Free Range," "Humane Certified," "Grass Fed," "Organic," and "Local" make it seem like those who are willing to pay a higher price can enjoy eggs, dairy, and meat from small-scale "humane" farms that treat animals with compassion and respect.
But is the public being misled?
Former beef & dairy farmers speak out!
Animals who are destined for an abbreviated life that ends in a violent death now called to my conscience and required me to show up, and where I could, show what little bit of mercy I can. Since I have made this conscious decision to show mercy, my life has been blessed a million, million times over and I have found a deep peace. So no, in my experience, there is no such thing as humane animal products, humane farming practices, humane transport, or humane slaughter.
In time, our consciences would not allow us to continue milking our cows for the purpose of producing dairy products. It was a frightening time for us because the goat milk and the kids were part of our income in supporting the farm. But we later witnessed the deaths of some of our baby goats, and that finished the process of altering our life course. So for Jim and I, there is now a very clear distinction between humane and inhumane farming. Humane farming is cultivating a plant-based diet. Inhumane farming is breeding any sentient being for production and consumption. http://humanemyth.org/cheriezell.htm founder of http://www.maplefarmsanctuary.org/
My life experience has given me a better understanding of what is happening, and what a mistake it is to believe there is anything called "humane" slaughter. Animals have families and feelings, and to think that kindness before killing them is an answer is totally wrong. Humans have no need for animal products. And when we consume animal products, we're not just killing the animals. In the long run, we're killing the planet, and ourselves. http://humanemyth.org/howardlyman.htm founder of http://www.madcowboy.com/
ANIMALS and WORLD RELIGIONS
SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS
and VEGETARIANISM
Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians
Vegetarianism and the
Major World Religions Pamphlet
Animals and World Religions
Despite increasing public attention to animal suffering, little seems to have changed: Human beings continue to exploit billions of animals in factory farms, medical laboratories, and elsewhere. In this wide-ranging and perceptive study, Lisa Kemmerer shows how spiritual writings and teachings in seven major religious traditions can help people to consider their ethical obligations toward other creatures.
Dr. Kemmerer examines the role of nonhuman animals in scripture and myth, in the lives of religious exemplars, and by drawing on foundational philosophical and moral teachings. She begins with a study of indigenous traditions around the world, then focuses on the religions of India (Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain) and China (Daoism and Confucianism), and finally, religions of the Middle East (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). At the end of each chapter, Kemmerer explores the inspiring lives and work of contemporary animal advocates who are motivated by a personal religious commitment.
Kinship and Killing: The Animal in World Religions
Through close readings of Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist texts, Katherine Wills Perlo proves that our relationship with animals shapes religious doctrine, particularly through the tension between animal exploitation and the bonds of kinship. She pinpoints four different strategies for coping with this conflict. The first is aggression, in which a divinely conferred superiority or karma justifies animal usage. The second is evasion, which emphasizes benevolent aspects of the human-animal relationship within the exploitative structure, such as the image of Jesus as a "good shepherd." The third is defense, which acknowledges the problematic nature of killing, leading many religions to adopt a propitiation mechanism, such as apologizing for sacrifice. And the fourth is effective-defensive, which recognizes animal abuse as inherently unethical.As humans feel more empathy toward animals, Perlo finds that adherents revise their interpretations of religious texts. Preexisting ontologies, such as Christianity's changing God or Buddhism's principle of impermanence, along with advances in farming practices and technology, also encourage changes in treatment. As cultures begin to appreciate the different types of perception and consciousness experienced by nonhumans, definitions of reality become complicated and humans lean more toward unitary accounts of shared existence. These evolving attitudes exert a crucial influence on religious thought, Perlo argues, moving humans ever closer to a nonspeciesist world.http://www.amazon.com/Kinship-Killing-Animal-World-Religions/dp/023114623X Christian Vegetarian Association
Rev. Al Sharpton and Others Resolve to Go Veg in 2012 - MFA Blog
Jesus questioned the foundation of war and oppression, which was then, as it is now, the killing and eating of animals.
Back then it was animal sacrifice performed by priests at the temple, which was the main source of wealth and prestige for the Jewish religious power structure, as well as being the source of meat for the populace.
Jesus’ confrontation at the temple in which he drove out those selling animals for slaughter was a bold attack on the fundamental herding paradigm of viewing animals merely as property, sacrifice objects, and food.
The Bible and Human 'Dominion' Over Animals: Superiority or Responsibility?
Learning to look the other way brings spiritual death in everyone who practices it.
In encouraging it, religious institutions show how far they have strayed from the passionate mercy and all-seeing kindness taught and lived by those whose spiritual evolution and illumination inspired the institutions themselves.
May all beings be free and at peace, Will
New offering:Prayer Circle for Monday
Today, let us send our prayers to all farmed animals.
May compassion and love reign over all the earth for all farmed animals―Dear ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens; cows, pigs, lambs, bison, elk, deer, and all of you who are suffering today in tiny cages or crowded into feedlots, being beaten, fed poisoned and unnatural food, and for those of you languishing without water or food on trucks or entering the slaughterhouses.
We bear witness to your suffering, we take action to permanently end it, and we continually send out an energy field of love and compassion to comfort you and to transform the hearts and souls of those who support this violent oppression.
We send our tears and our prayers on wings of love to you. Compassion encircles the earth for each of you and for all beings.
~ Judy Carman and http://www.worldpeacediet.com/
"Behold this watermelon, the fruit of the earth." Jesus then broke open the watermelon and said:
"See thou with thine own eyes the good fruit of the soil, the meat of man, and see thou the seeds within, count ye them, for one melon maketh ...a hundredfold and even more.
If thou sow this seed, ye do eat from the true God. For no blood was spilled, nay no pain nor outcry did ye hear with thy ears or see with thine eyes.
The true food of man is from the mother of the earth, for she brings forth perfect gifts unto the humble of the land.
But ye seek what Satan giveth, the anguish, the death, and the blood of living souls taken by the sword.
Know ye not, those who live by the sword are the ones who die by the same death?
Go thine way then, and plant the seeds of the good fruit of life, and leave ye off from hurting the innocent creatures of God."
*The Gospel of the Holy Twelve, also known as The Gospel of the Hebrews, The Essene Gospel, The Gospel of the Ebionites, or just plain "The Gospel."
(This book has been translated from Aramaic by the Englishman, Reverend Gideon H. Ousley, 1835-1906).
*Jesus was a life long Vegetarian, and denounced the killing of animals and eating their flesh,
..as did all Essene' (Nazarene), for a hundred years, prior to his birth.
you remember them, don't you?
the second most famous Essene, was John the Baptist
(and we all know he was a hippie:)
"Behold this watermelon, the fruit of the earth." Jesus then broke open the watermelon and said:
"See thou with thine own eyes the good fruit of the soil, the meat of man, and see thou the seeds within, count ye them, for one melon maketh a hundredfold and even more.
If thou sow this seed, ye do eat from the true God. For no blood was spilled, nay no pain nor outcry did ye hear with thy ears or see with thine eyes.
The true food of man is from the mother of the earth, for she brings forth perfect gifts unto the humble of the land.
But ye seek what Satan giveth, the anguish, the death, and the blood of living souls taken by the sword.
Know ye not, those who live by the sword are the ones who die by the same death?
Go thine way then, and plant the seeds of the good fruit of life, and leave ye off from hurting the innocent creatures of God."
*The Gospel of the Holy Twelve, also known as The Gospel of the Hebrews, The Essene Gospel, The Gospel of the Ebionites, or just plain "The Gospel."
(This book has been translated from Aramaic by the Englishman, Reverend Gideon H. Ousley, 1835-1906).
-the following is referenced from "Conscious Eating, by, Gabriel Cousens, M.D.
JESUS AND VEGETARIANISM
The Dead Sea Scroll materials unearthed in 1947 indirectly suggest that Jesus was a lifelong vegetarian.
This is because they indicate that the Essenes were vegetarians, and historically there is evidence that Jesus was raised in an Essene community; therefore it is highly likely that he and his family were vegetarian.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556432852/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=150577680&ref=pd_sl_94hozc7fj5_e
CONTINUED
..This is because they indicate that the Essenes were vegetarians, and historically there is evidence that Jesus was raised in an Essene community; therefore it is highly likely that he and his family were vegetarian.
The Essene Gospel of Peace, book one, taken from the original Aramaic third century manuscript discovered in 1927 in the secret Vatican archives by Dr. Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, directly and strongly suggest that Jesus was a lifelong vegetarian.
It reveals his direct teachings against the eating of flesh.
Nevertheless, as these documents come to the surface, there is still lack of definite proof, as well as confusion about mistranslations and conscious and unconscious changes made in the scriptures as we see them today.
This is especially true with claims of various changes and deletions in the Gospels and the Epistles that in all probability largely occurred at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.
According to The Profit of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Upton Clary Ewing, a theologian praised by world famous Albert Schweitzer, M.D., as the "renaissance of Leonardo da Vinci":
"There is hardly a single scholar among bible exegetists who will not agree that there are many inconsistencies and contradictions to be found in the Gospels and Epistles."
Perhaps this inability to make a final proof one way or the other is fortunate, as no ones faith need be flatly challenged by this chapter.
Ultimately there is room to believe whatever one feels comfortable believing. This topic is not meant to challenge anyone's religious beliefs.
It is meant to raise issues and information not readily available in order to aid and support those who are Christian vegetarians already or those Christians contemplating the transition to vegetarianism as a part of the medicine for healing themselves and this planet.
The following information is for those who are confused or disempowered in their desire to be vegetarian by the commonly held interpretations, based on the currently used editions of the New Testament, that maintain Jesus was not a vegetarian.
To understand the relationship of Jesus to vegetarianism we must probe into a realm in which much of the historical documentation has been lost, and that which is left is partially confused by the subtleties in the translation from Greek to English.
The accuracy of the translations has also been affected by the limited understanding and philosophy of those who were doing the translating.
For example, the world "meat," which appears 19 times in the New Testament, seems to imply that Jesus sanctioned meat eating.
The most accurate understanding, however, of the word "meat" in the translation from Greek to English does not imply flesh food at all.
The Greek word translated as "meat" is more precisely translated as "food" or "nourishment," and not animal flesh as we currently think when we hear the word "meat."
For example, Jesus did not actually say, "Have ye any meat?" as in John 21:5 but "Have ye anything to eat?"
And when the Gospels say that the disciples went away to buy meat (John 8), it merely means to buy food.
Similarly mistranslations have occurred with the use of the word "fish."
The misunderstanding of this word results in a portrayal of Jesus as eating fish and encouraging the eating or killing of fish by others.
In the early church, the word "fish" was a secret term. The Greek word for fish is I-CH-TH-U-S. It is made up of the first letters of the words "Jesus Cristos Theou Uios Soter."
This translates as Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour. The fish is also found as a Christian symbol in the catacombs.
It is symbolic of the Piscean Age, which was emerging at the time. It is entirely conceivable that the word "fish," as written in the New Testament, was used primarily in this deeper mystical way.
Since Jesus taught in parables and metaphors, I believe its use in the New Testament was to communicate this deeper meaning of "fish" rather than the literal idea of a dead fish that was physically eaten.
In this context, the feeding of the fish to the people is a metaphor for the feeding of the higher teachings of the Master to the masses.
In a second-century book by Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202), it was twice stated that Jesus fed the multitude of 5,000 with bread alone.
Others have pointed out that there is an aquatic plant called the fish plant that was used as food in that era as well as during Babylonian times.
These fish plants were dried in the sun, beaten into mortar, and baked into bread-like rolls and sold in the open market. Perhaps in the translation, the "plant" portion of the word designated as the fish plant was omitted.
It was only in the 4th century that fish was added to the bread offering in the scriptures.
This suggests that the second-century version of the Gospel of the Hebrews might be more authentic. In this translation, it says in the Lection XXIX, verse 7 and 8:
"And when he had taken the six loaves and the seven clusters of grapes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and the grapes also, and gave them to his disciples to set before them, and they divided them among all.
And they did all eat and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that were left. And they that did eat of the loaves and of the fruits were about five thousand men, women, and children, and he taught them many things."
In any case, the souls of the five thousand, we can assume, were at least fed with the mystical meaning of fish.
THE HISTORICAL JESUS
It is a lot easier to understand Jesus' teachings about vegetarianism when he is understood in his historical context.
He and his family were associated with the Essene movement of the times. The Essenes were Jewish communities of very evolved people who had broken away from the mainstream of Jewish thought several hundred years before the time of Jesus.
They were vegetarians in accordance with the highest meaning of the Law of Moses, which said, "Thou shalt not kill." They were also against the practice of animal sacrifice.
In The Prophet of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ewing quotes Philo of Alexandria, a historian writing during the times of Jesus' ministry, who said:
"They are called Esseni because of their saintliness. They do not sacrifice animals, regarding a reverent mind as the only true sacrifice."
Ewing quotes Professor Teicher in saying:
"But we have there (in the Essene scriptures) the emphatic prohibition of eating animals. No consumption of meat means no killing of animals and both together means no sacrifice of animals."
The Dead Sea Scrolls by Millar Burrows, quotes from the Essene scriptures:
"Let not a man make himself abominable with any living creature or creeping thing by eating of them."
The lives of the Essenes required a discipline and purity of mind, body, and spirit that was beyond the practice of the typical religious person of the time.
The Essenes developed self-sufficient communities in the peace of the desert in order to make it easier to focus on God.
It is thought that Jesus and his parents were part of the Essenes, some of whom were also called the Nazarenes.
It is said that Jesus escaped to an Essene community in the desert to avoid the murderous intent of King Herod.
It was in the Essene communities that was raised and trained. Some of the Essenes, such as John the Baptist, as well as the master Jesus himself, went out into public to uplift the people.
As part of their teaching of compassion and love for all life, they taught vegetarianism.
For example, in the Essene Gospel of Peace, book one (P. 36), Jesus is quoted as saying:
"God commanded your forefathers: "Thou shalt not kill." But their heart was hardened and they killed.
Then Moses desired that at least they should not kill men, and he suffered them to kill beasts. And then the heart of your forefathers was hardened yet more, and they killed men and beasts likewise.
But I do say to you: Kill neither men nor beasts, nor yet the food which goes into your mouth. For if you eat living [uncooked] food, the same will quicken you, but if you kill your food, the dead food will kill you also."
What is important here is that this teaching is a direct quote of Jesus from an original Aramaic third-century manuscript found in the secret archives of the Vatican.
It is not a teaching by implication. The message is consistent with Jesus' own dietary practice and that of his community of birth and where he grew up, which also practiced vegetarianism.
Aside from these exciting findings, most of the information concerning Jesus' explicit teachings on this subject has been lost or destroyed.
One exception is the work by Epiphanius (A.D. 315-403), a Catholic bishop of Constantia in Cyprus. In his book Panarion (as explained in A Critical Investigation of Epiphanius' Knowledge of the Ebionites:
A Translation and Critical Discussion of "Panarion," by Glenn Alan Kochit), Epiphanius points out that according to the Ebionites, a group of early Judaic Christians who were vegetarians:
-Whenever you speak to them (Ebionites) concerning flesh food, the Ebionites reply they were vegetarian because "Jesus revealed it to me." [This was a direct teaching they were referring to and not a revelation.]
There is another early book called The Gospel of the Holy Twelve, also known as The Gospel of the Hebrews, The Essene Gospel, The Gospel of the Ebionites, or just plain "The Gospel."
This book has been translated from the Aramaic by the Englishmen, Reverend Gideon H. Ousley (1835-1906).
Ousley claims that it is the translation of the original gospel and that it had been preserved first by the Essenes and then later in a Tibetan monastery after the Essenes were forced to leave their communities in A.D. 68 by the advancing Romans.
The Essenes apparently hid many of their scriptures in the desert (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) and took some with them as they disappeared.
Reverend Ousley claims that this gospel was taken to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery by Essene monks. It was in the Tibetan monastery that Reverend Ousley found it.
If this is authentic, as some scholars believe, it would be the most ancient and complete writings available about Jesus and his teachings.
Dr. Ewing believed that this might be the original gospel, but it might have been known primarily as "The Gospel," and was written in western Aramaic..
*Jesus' teachings of vegetarianism in the Gospel of the Hebrews is both poetic and clear as he answers a doubting Sadduce man who asked,
"Tell me, please, why sayest thou, do not eat the flesh of animals...?" Jesus' beautiful answer to him was:
"Behold this watermelon, the fruit of the earth." Jesus then broke open the watermelon and said:
"See thou with thine own eyes the good fruit of the soil, the meat of man, and see thou the seeds within, count ye them, for one melon maketh a hundredfold and even more.
If thou sow this seed, ye do eat from the true God. For no blood was spilled, nay no pain nor outcry did ye hear with thy ears or see with thine eyes.
The true food of man is from the mother of the earth, for she brings forth perfect gifts unto the humble of the land.
But ye seek what Satan giveth, the anguish, the death, and the blood of living souls taken by the sword.
Know ye not, those who live by the sword are the ones who die by the same death?
Know ye not, those who live by the sword are the ones who die by the same death?
Go thine way then, and plant the seeds of the good fruit of life, and leave ye off from hurting the innocent creatures of God."
In a teaching to his disciples in Lection XXXII, verse 4, of the Gospel of the Hebrews, Jesus is completely clear about his opposition to killing and eating animals:
"For of the fruits of the trees and the seeds alone do I partake, and these are changed by the spirit into my flesh and my blood. Of these alone and their like shall ye eat who believe in me, and are my disciples, for of these, in the spirit, come to life and health and healing unto man."
In the same section, verse nine, Jesus explains the problem of the custom of flesh-eating with an understanding of the past and a prophecy for the future return to vegetarianism for the whole world:
"Verily I say unto you, in the beginning, all creatures of God did find their sustenance in the herbs and the fruits of the earth alone, till the ignorance and the selfishness of man turned many of them from the use which God had given them, to that which was contrary to their original use, but even these shall yet return to their natural food, as it is written in the prophets "Isaiah," and their words shall not fail."
In Lection XXXVIII, verses 3, 4, and 6 of the Gospel of the Hebrews, the spiritual meaning of the awareness and practice of the oneness with all of life is translated into Jesus' teachings of vegetarianism and non cruelty to animals and all of life; his words are consistent with the awareness one would expect from some of Jesus' great spiritual stature:
3 God giveth the grains and the fruits of the earth for food; and for righteous man truly there is no other lawful sustenance for the body.
4 The robber who breaketh into the house made by man is guilty, but they who break into the house made by God, even of the least of these are the greater sinners. Wherefore I say unto all who desire to be my disciples, keep your hands from bloodshed and let no flesh meat enter your mouths, for God is just and bountiful, who ordaineth that man shall live by the fruits and seeds of the earth alone.
6 And whatsoever ye do unto the least of these my children, ye do it unto me. For I am in them and they are in me. Yea, I am in all creatures and all creatures are in me. In all their joys I rejoice, in all their afflictions I am afflicted, wherefore I say unto you: Be ye kind to one another, and to all the creatures of God..
HISTORY OF VEGETARIANISM IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY
From Epiphanius' book, it is shown that the immediate followers of Jesus, the Judaic Christians, were vegetarians until the fifth century. This was about 100 years after the historical struggle among the three main factions of Christianity of those times: Judaic Christians, Christian Gnostics, and Catholic Christians.
According to the evidence presented in The Vegetarianism of Jesus Christ by Charles Vaclivik, the Judaic Christians were led for 30 years after Jesus left the physical realm by his brother James.
Vaclivik's historical evidence suggests that the Judaic Christians were the very first Christians. They were the ones who actually walked and prayed with Jesus. After them the Christian Gnosticism developed, and around A.D. 70 the Catholic Christians began their ascent to power.
The Judaic Christians and the Gnostics were vegetarians and the Catholic Christians were not. Many early Christian leaders were also vegetarians. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 160-240) wrote,
"It is far better to be happy than it is to have our bodies act as graveyards for animals."
Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 345-407) also taught that the unnatural eating of flesh meat was polluting.
Man scholars think that the original Christian documents were altered at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 to make them acceptable to the Emperor, Constantine. Steve Rosen, in Food for Spirit, points out that flesh-food-eating was not officially permitted until the 4th century when Emperor Constantine, through his powerful influence, made his version of Christianity the official version for everyone.
Vegetarian Christians had to practice in secret or risk being put to death for heresy. Rosen writes that Constantine used to have molten lead poured down their throats if they were captured. By the 4th century, the Catholic Christians became considerably more politically powerful than the other two groups.
Most of the literature of the Judaic Christians and Gnostics was essentially destroyed during the political repression of this time period. In The Vegetarianism of Jesus Christ, it is postulated that the translations after this time may have been altered away from a vegetarian menu, as the Catholic Christians did not believe in vegetarianism and or were not ready for it.
If people are surprised that there was more than one Christian faction in the first 100 years after Jesus, it is useful to remember that we now have hundreds of different Christian churches..
JESUS AND ANIMAL SACRIFICE
Epiphanius points out that the early Essenes were not only vegetarians, but also opposed to animal sacrifice. It is in this context that one gets a further understanding of why Jesus chased out the money lenders from the Temple and freed the animals who were going to be sacrificed.
It was the money lenders who exchanged money so that Jews coming from foreign lands could purchase animals for sacrifice.
The teachings of Jesus and the Essenes stood directly against the practice of the other Jewish sects and that of the Romans, who also practiced animal sacrifice.
Titus Flavius Clemens, one of the most respected of the early Christian fathers, is quoted in Ethics of Diet by Howard Williams as saying, "Sacrifices were invented by men as a pretext for eating flesh."
This seems to be essentially the Essene understanding of the motivation behind sacrifices. According to Ewing, the Essene understanding of the diet was based on the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," and the first dietary commandment of Genesis 129, quoted earlier,
which gave humanity fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, grains, and grasses to eat, but specifically not flesh food.
The position of Jesus against animal sacrifice, is of course, consistent with his humanness, his love for all of God's creatures, and his vegetarianism. According to Hastings Encyclopedia on Religion and Ethics,
The Gospel according to the Apostles was used by the Ebionites (viz Nazarenes). Herein is found the "Essene Christ." He denounces sacrifice and the eating of animal flesh.
Epiphanius quotes Jesus, in his confrontation with the high priest in the Temple after he has chased out the money lenders,
"I come to abolish sacrifices, and unless you cease sacrifices my anger will not cease from you."
The Gospel of the Hebrews also clarifies that Jesus not only advised against eating our animal friends, but he had come to end blood sacrifices. In Lection XXI, verse 8, preaching to his disciples he says:
"I am come to end the 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 they ate to their content, and were filled with rottenness, and the plague consumed them."
Many believe that Jesus ate the lamb of the passover meal and used this as indirect evidence that he did not teach or practice vegetarianism. In the Gospel According to the Hebrews, Lection LXXVI, section 27, which predates the addition of the gospels used today, Judas is quoted as inciting Caiaphas against Jesus for not eating lamb at the Passover:
Now Judas Iscariot had gone to the house of Caiaphas and said unto him, "Behold he (Jesus) has celebrated the Passover within the gates of Jeresalem, with the Mazza in place of the lamb. I indeed bought a lamb, but he forbode that it shall be killed, and lo, the man of whom I bought it is witness.
It is important to remember that the information in the gospel came from earlier Judaic sources and not vice versa. Changes in translations commonly occur, and this could be one of them. Again, Jesus' refusal to eat the Passover lamb is consistent with his role and high spiritual awareness as the great Essene teacher of the time and also his actions against animal sacrifice in the Temple..
THE VEGETARIANISM OF THE DISCIPLES
Dr. Ewing points out that the highly respected church father, Eusebius, quotes Hegesippus (about A.D. 160),
who said that James, the disciple and brother of Jesus who became head of the Judaic Christians, was a vegetarian who "drank no wine, wore no wool, nor ate any flesh."
It was said that he followed this practice from birth. It is likely that all of Jesus' family, including himself, were raised as vegetarians and lived that way as adults.
It is also likely that in the light of the overall evidence, all but one of the disciples were vegetarian.
Ewing quotes the Clementine Hominies XXII, 6, who also suggests that most of the disciples if not all were vegetarian:
They followed the Apostles in their custom of daily lustrations.
They refused to partake of flesh or wine. taking as their pattern Saint Peter, whose food was bread, olives and herbs
the "fish" story:
"In the early church, the word 'fish' was a secret term. The Greek word for fish is I-CH-TH-U-S. It is made up of the first letters of the words 'Jesus Cristos Theou Uios Soter.'
This translates as Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour. The fish is also found as a Christian symbol in the catacombs.
It is symbolic of the Piscean Age, which was emerging at the time. It is entirely conceivable that the word 'fish,' as written in the New Testament, was used primarily in this deeper mystical way.
Since Jesus taught in parables and metaphors, I believe its use in the New Testament was to communicate this deeper meaning of 'fish' rather than the literal idea of a dead fish that was physically eaten.
""..And whatsoever ye do unto the least of these my children, ye do it unto me. For I am in them and they are in me. Yea, I am in all creatures and all creatures are in me. In all their joys I rejoice, in all their afflictions I am afflicted, wherefore I say unto you: Be ye kind to one another, and to all the creatures of God."
-The Gospel of the Holy Twelve(Essene Gospel) ♥"
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. -Romans 14:17
