Leviathan Project supports and respects vegan and vegetarian diets. The meat industry causes many problems for animals and the environment. Making the choice to not eat meat is an honorable decision.
That being said, we understand that asking Christians to become vegan is not a practical approach.
Is it hypocritical to eat meat and care about animals? From a Biblical standpoint the answer is no; we have been given permission to eat meat, but we have also been asked to take care of animals.
The belief that you must be a vegan to care about animals is extreme, and it breeds inaction.
Meat is an everyday part of life in America.
Think for a moment of all of the occasions that invlove meat consumption: weekend barbeques, chicken wings on super bowl Sunday, turkey on Thanksgiving, ham on Christmas and Easter, pizza delivery for family night, date night surf and turf, ballgame hot dogs, shoreline clam bakes, food festivals and cook-out competitions, campfire chili, late-night food truck visits, drive-through cheeseburgers and the list goes on and on.
The following statistics put into perspective just how much meat Americans consume:
-
An estimated 10 billion farm animals are raised and killed for food in the US every year.
-
The average American consumes close to 300 pounds of poultry and red meat annually, nearly twice the average person’s body weight.
-
Americans spend $142 billion annually on meat and poultry (keep in mind that most meat products in the US are up to four times less expensive than in other developed countries).
God gave us permission to eat meat, yet we are currently facing a huge moral problem as Christians.
The issue is not that we consume meat; the issue is the amount of meat that we consume, the treatment of the animals we eat, and the negative impact of the meat industry on the environment.
Christians need to question whether or not the negative repercussions of eating so much meat can be ethically justified. This section will equip you with information that can help you make healthy, sustainable, and humane eating choices.
