In the Beginning....we were all vegetarians!!!

Today was my first day getting into the groove of my new Operation Actually Read Bible thingy that I am doing and I am so jazzed to tell you something seriously revolutionary that I learned. I guess it is common knowledge to some, but I had no idea!!

I started reading Genesis, (Genesis 1:29), "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit, they shall be yours for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, [I give] all the green plants for food." I read that and I walked over to Brad and asked him, "does that mean all creatures were vegetarians before the fall?" he shrugged unimpressed and I went on with my reading. I was wrong! All creatures, (yes this means humans AND animals) were veggies until after the flood!

You gotta check it out(in Genesis 9:1- 3) Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."



I like what is said about it here (from The Straight Dope):

Remember, up till now people had only been permitted to eat vegetarian foods. Now God expands this. Humankind had been given power over the animal kingdom, but now there is a concession that people can eat meat.

Some commentators read much between the lines. The Etz Hayim Torah commentary says, "Originally, God expected people to be vegetarians and not kill living creatures for their food. But God then compromised the vegetarian ideal, permitting the eating of meat." The dietary laws from Leviticus, which are still practiced in traditional Judaism, serve as a reminder that eating meat is a compromise. Later, of course, Paul and the early Christians (at the Council of Jerusalem, reported in the book of Acts) decided that belief in their Messiah obviated the need for any such dietary laws, and so "eating flesh with its life-blood in it" was no longer prohibited.

Crazy! that is why I can tell my little boys that the animals didn't all eat each other when they were in the ark. I have wondered about that before. Also, that is how Noah got them in so easily, they had no fear of him- he was not a predator towards them and they were not trying to eat him either.I really found that all interesting, one of those things that I can't wait to ask God about. So is the compromise of meat eating second best? I really find this interesting.

So that was good, but I also was interested to see that God will hold animals accountable. Really? As in if they don't kill to eat? this is what it says, "And for your lifeblood I will surely demand and accounting. I will demand and accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand and accounting for the life of his fellow man. "(Genesis 9:5) God holds us accountable for our fellow man, I really like that. I like the way that is said there.

Did you already know this?? Maybe I am just fully out of the loop, but I am always excited to find new aspects of the word of God that I hadn't considered before, new things to think about. I am not a huge debater, mostly because I like to make up my mind and I don't really like to have others argue me out of it. I find this really interesting.


here are some other sites on the topic:
Bible.com: What does the Bible have to say about Vegetarianism?
Apologetics Press: Were all Men Vegetarians Before the Flood?