Interesting topic about the flood and meat eating. I think I will briefly comment:
I remember seeing it being mentioned somewhere in this thread that eating meat and flesh is now okay after the flood, and "part of Christian dogma". Correct me if I'm wrong.
Let me emphasize however that yes, it may be part of general Christian dogma amongst most fundamental groups, but this does not mean the belief is rampant among all Christian denominations and sects.
Seventh-Day Adventists, for example, are vegetarians (at least most of them anyway). I totally agree with their philosophy on vegetarianism. In fact, I'm actually a little more strict than most Adventists. I'm a Vegan Vegetarian, and have been so for about 14 years. I'm very conscientious about my diet, and am not a "potato chip vegetarian". I eat plenty of fruits, grains, nuts, beans, and vegetables, and I feel very good after meals like this. I do my best to balance my proteins and carbs, and lean more toward natural and sometimes organic processed vegetarian/soybased meats, such as Deli Slices, Tofu Dogs, and Silk (soy milk) and "Better Than Milk" soymilk brand.
I know many Christians to use various verses in scripture to justify and rationalize that it is okay to eat any meat or animal as long as the Lord has blessed it. I will not go into detail as to why I believe they are wrong, and why they are missinterpreting these verses, but I will say that strong evidence suggests that Seventh-Day Adventists live an average of 10 years longer and have less heart disease than their counterparts. The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, so I do believe God expects us to take care of our bodies.
Here is an interesting "Journey of Longetivity" done by National Geographic that speaks about different cultures, their diets, and even Seventh-Day Adventists and their diet:
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/...ts_n_sounds/index.html
Listen the whole thing through if you would.
Now I shall comment on Noah and his family eating meat.
Yes, it was the Lord's will that Noah and his Family eat meat after they walked off the Ark. But the question is, WHY? Why did God allow Noah and his family to eat meat after they walked off the Ark? Well, for one, God was being logical. The planet was barren from vegetation, and it would be a number of years before a substantial amount of vegetation would be available to live off.
As for me, personally, however, I do feel it was God's intention that man should eventually return back to a diet closer to the original diet at Eden. During Daniel's time, many years had past since Noah's family, and his vegetarian-like diet was exemplified in the Bible in Daniel 1:8-17. Instead of meat and wine, Daniel and his 3 friends requested "pulse" and "water". "Pulse" could represent legumes such as peas, beans, or even lentils--all of these being great meat substitutes which provide the necessary protein the body needs.
This is not to say Daniel did not eat meats such as fish, or perhaps even lamb. These types of meats were acceptable of God and were clean back in those days. However, it is of my opinion that as we draw closer to the last days of this earth's history, we are living in a time when it is no longer safe to eat anything that comes from the animal kingdom. I personally believe that in proportion to the wickedness of man, so is the increase of disease amongst animals. It may be said that disease exists amongst fruits and vegetables. This may be true, but still; they are still safer than animals, and as long as we do our part in doing our best to stay healthy, God will bless us. He cannot bless us, however, if we are presumptuous enough to think "no matter what I eat, as long as I pray for God to bless it, He will protect me".
This message has been edited by Lysimachus, 10-22-2005 05:01 PM
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