What Does the Bible Say about Veganism? (It's Not a Commandment)

This post explores what the Bible really says about veganism and whether believers must adhere to a vegan diet or not. Discover Biblical perspectives on dietary choices.

Does the Bible say that believers have to or "should" have vegan diets? What does Scripture say about veganism? If you're not familiar, veganism is a diet that only allows for plant based foods. No animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, honey, or dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, etc. are to be eaten by vegans. There are people who will tell you that the only way to truly eat Biblically is to have a vegan diet, but this belief is not consistent with Scripture. To cut to the chase, to say that the Bible says that believers have to be vegan is blatantly against the teachings of Scripture. It is Biblically permissible (and sometimes a requirement) to have animal products in our meals.

Many people look at YHWH's directive to Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the trees of the garden of Eden as a sign that this was God's original plan for mankind, and therefore his preferred option for us now. It's true that Adam and Eve were initially on a vegan diet, but it was very different than modern veganism. Adam and Eve ate only tree fruit. Since the ground wasn't tilled until after the fall, there would have been only perennial plants in the garden of Eden. Today the majority of most of the food we eat is made up of annual plants, not perennials. Annual plants include things like most grains, corn, soybeans, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, melons, beans, and a substantial portion of foods commonly eaten today. In order to truly eat like Adam and Eve, you would have to eat only tree fruit that is in season in your area. (You could also make the case that you would need to tend and harvest this fruit yourself.) Unless you live in the tropics, the season for tree fruit is only a few months of the year.

Adam and Eve were also naked in the garden of Eden. That does not mean going around nude is an appropriate choice for believers today. In cold temperatures exposure can be deadly. While nakedness may very well have been ideal at the time, we can all agree that that would not serve us well today.

If we look at the whole of Scripture, it quickly becomes apparent that while Adam and Eve may have eaten only plants, that's not a requirement for others. And since it's not a commandment of the Bible, it is wrong to act like or tell others that veganism is something that God expects of people today. Way too many people have been told that a vegan diet is the only way to please God. This is no different than the Pharisees claiming that before eating you had to do a ritual hand washing that they invented in order for food to be clean (Mark 7, Matthew 15). Neither is a commandment of Scripture. We know that the Messiah did not tolerate any stand-ins for Biblical instruction.

We will take a look at Bible verses that demonstrate that veganism is not a commandment.

Biblical evidence that veganism is not required of believers:

-The Bible articulates in concise language which animals can and cannot be eaten. If all animals were forbidden to believers, Leviticus 11 would be a much shorter chapter. It would simply say not to eat animals or animal products. But it doesn't say that. It tells us which animals are appropriate for food.

-Abraham and Sarah served milk, curds, and meat to their supernatural visitors - and weren't reprimanded for it. (Genesis 18:8)

-All believers were given the directive to eat lamb or goat on Passover. (Exodus 12:8)

-YHWH provided quail for the Israelites when they wandered the desert. (Numbers 11:31)

-The promised land is repeatedly described as a land of milk and honey...neither product is vegan. (Exodus 3:8, Leviticus 20:24, Numbers 13:27, Jeremiah 11:5)

-The Levitical priests were provided with meat from certain animal sacrifices, as directed by Scripture. (Leviticus 7:8)

-Animal products are frequently spoken well of throughout Scripture. The Torah is compared to both milk and honey...how crazy would it be for the Bible to liken the word of YHWH to something forbidden, or considered less than ideal?

-The Messiah's example of a "good gift" was an egg. (Luke 11:12)

-The Messiah himself served fish both before and after his resurrection. (Matthew 14:19, John 21:9)

-In Acts 10 when Peter had the vision of animals being lowered on a sheet and heard the words, "Kill and eat," his response wasn't that he had never eaten any animals, but that he hadn't eaten unclean animals.

-The shepherding culture of Israel...and before anyone tells you that they just kept sheep around for the wool, see 1 Corinthians 9:7, "Who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?"

These are just a few of many examples in the Bible about why veganism is not necessary or required for believers.

Balancing dietary choices with Scripture:

Now you can make an argument that you could eat only plant based products because the Bible doesn't say that you can't (although note that in Exodus in order to keep Passover, you ate lamb), and that choice is up to you. If you're eating at a restaurant, dinner party, or event where abominable animals are being served, sticking with vegan options can be an appropriate way to eat Biblically, as Daniel did when he was captive in Babylon. However, there being certain situations where only plants are eaten does not mean that this is a commandment of God. Whether or not you are a vegan, it would be wise to be mindful of the problems that have sprung up from this diet today.

Causes for concern about believers adhering to a vegan diet:

-Many vegans perpetuate the lie that veganism is a commandment when it is not. Veganism is a personal choice, nothing more.

-Often vegans emphasize how sad they find it that animals are being harvested for food. Acting like animal-consumption is cruel is an affront to the character of God who said this was okay. Dread of animal death is also a good way to skew the meaning of sacrifice in the Levitical priesthood, which can ultimately lead to misunderstanding the Messiah's sacrifice.

-The virtue-signaling is nauseating. I've met believers who are vegans who will talk about very little besides veganism. I've been excited to connect with others only to have the conversation be nothing but moral posturing and put-downs as people believe they are somehow above others and earning extra points with God for their veganism. To be clear, veganism does not get you extra points with God, just as Jesus did not give extra points to the Pharisees for their pre-meal rituals. Focusing too much on a specialty diet in conversations is a poor witness to others.

-Many people who claim to be vegans are not. Many "vegans" will talk continually of their diet and it's supposed superiority to what others eat, and then may knowingly help themselves to a dessert or other dish that is filled with dairy or meat at a congregational potluck. If you tell people that you don't eat animal products, and then you intentionally eat animal products, you are not a vegan. In fact, you are a liar. Again, this is a poor witness to those who already see people of faith as very hypocritical. 

-This is a self centered belief. Sure, if you're doing well in America today, it's relatively easy to go to a corporate grocery store and fill your cart with ready-to-eat vegan foods, and subsist only on them. But for most of history, it was simply not possible to survive, let alone thrive, without including any animal products in your diet. This is still true in many parts of the world today. It should give us pause if this supposed instruction of Scripture is only obtainable to those of a certain socio-economic status or geographic location!

-It places a huge stumbling block in front of others! We need to be careful that we do not place unnecessary obstacles in front of other believers or, as the Messiah said, "weigh them down with heavy burdens and not lift a finger to help them." We have no right to burden others with extra rules that are blatantly against what the Bible teaches - Jesus took issue with the Pharisees for doing just that in Mark 7. Just cutting pork and shellfish out of meals is extremely challenging for most people - and it's an effort that deserves to be celebrated! We should not treat a Biblically clean diet with meat and dairy as some sort of lesser option.

Eating only plants is not a commandment and should not be treated as such. The Bible does not call for a vegan diet. This creates the opportunity for people of all cultures and locations to honor YHWH by eating how he says, in a way that also makes sense with their local ingredients. According to Scripture, we are free to eat meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products from the animals in Leviticus 11.

Related posts:
Understanding Mark 7 (Jesus Made All 'Foods' Clean)
What the Bible Says about Meat and Dairy - And If They Can Be Mixed
How to Eat Biblically Clean
Why Daniel Refused to Eat the King's Meat

What the Bible Says about Rape and Sexual Assault

As the title says, this post talks about rape. I do my best to not be unnecessarily graphic, but obviously this is a sensitive topic for many. Please use caution and only delve in when you are emotionally in a good place to do so. If you have been assaulted, I hope you know that God's heart aches for what you've gone through.

This post talks about what the Bible says about rape. My hope is that this will clear up some incorrect assumptions that have been made about Scripture on this topic, and that we will be better able to see the character and love of God even through this overview. Every once in a while I hear from someone that suggests that honor-killings are part of the Old Testament, or that girls who were raped were stoned to death, and I face palm. NO. This is not the Word of God. We will look at what the Bible actually says about sexual assault, and we will see God's justice in that. We will also see that many of the notorious "rape laws" of Deuteronomy 22 aren't about rape, but focus on violations in marriage.

Who was raped in the Bible?

Some of the women raped in the Bible include Dinah and Tamar. Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Her brothers Simeon and Levi were so angry about how she had been violated, that they wound up killing all the males in the town that the perpetrator was prince of (Genesis 34). Tamar was a princess of Israel as a of daughter of King David, and his wife Maacah. She was raped by her half-brother Amnon, after her father had unknowingly sent her into a dangerous situation. Two years later, Tamar's brother Absalom had the perpetrator killed (2 Samuel 13). Judges 19 records an unnamed woman being brutally gang raped and murdered. It's also possible that Sarah endured similar violation at the hands of pharaoh.

Biblical instructions for dealing with rape are found in Deuteronomy. 

If a man happens to meet in a town a woman pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death - the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. -Deuteronomy 22:23-24

But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. ...For the man found the young woman out in the country, and though she screamed, there was no one to rescue her. -Deuteronomy 22:24-27

If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.  -Deuteronomy 22:28-29

Depending on how we read these instructions, they can sound archaic and draconian. They used to make me angry. If I get raped then I have to marry the guy and can never get divorced?! Women were stoned for this?! I often hear from people who just can't embrace the Old Testament because of things like this. A lot of people read it like God wants an honor-killing, and if a girl is raped then she should be killed. And if you read it like that, then yeah, it makes sense to be upset with God because nothing is just or fair or kind about that.

But that is not the meaning of this passage!

The first thing we need to recognize 'rape' is not the literal meaning of the word that is translated variously as rape, lie with, or sleep with.  The word used to imply sex is sakab (Strongs H7901), which means to lie with or sleep with. This is used similarly to the English phrase, "sleep with," which is generally a euphemism for sex, but can also be used literally. When Samuel lies down in the Tabernacle (1 Samuel 3:3), he is lying down to sleep, nothing sexual is meant. Sakab in itself does not denote rape. Rachel used this word when she acquired mandrakes, it was what Potiphar's wife said when she tried to entice Joseph, and Leviticus uses this word to describe intimacy in marriage. But sakab is also used in the stories of Dinah and Tamar being raped in Scripture. We have to look at the context of the verses to see if the act was consensual or forced.

This means that Deuteronomy 22 addresses various sexual encounters, and not just rape!

When most of us think of rape, we think of someone going about their business until a stranger appears and assaults them. But it's actually more common for rape to be perpetrated by a friend, date, or boyfriend than for the victim to be grabbed in a dark alley by an unknown assailant. 

In my work with teenagers and young adults, it is concerning how often young men are surprised by allegations of rape. Frequently young men are shocked when a friend or girlfriend accuses them of rape, after what they believed was consensual sex. It's not that there wasn't sex and someone is falsely accusing them. It's that there was sex that one person thought was consensual, but that the other didn't. The same sexual act was experienced differently by the girl and the guy. She felt she was being raped, while he had no idea. 

Obviously not all sexual assault is like this - some people are attacked by strangers (we'll get to what the Bible says about that). But it is alarming how often this happens. And we can blame it on poor sexual education, bad morals, the patriarchy, movie culture, or whatever, but in this case we aren't so much concerned about why this is happening, as with the fact that YHWH made provisions to prevent this. 

Why does it matter if the woman screamed or not?

God has always intended for his people to know his words and instructions like these. These directions were given to all his people. This means that all his people had clear instructions about what consensual sex would look like. Men knew that if a woman was screaming and he pushed sex on her that was a capital offense that he could be put to death for. Women knew that if they didn't make it clear they weren't okay with it (by screaming), then they would be held accountable as well. With this instruction, there would be no surprises after the fact. Each party knew what was happening.

I believe the provision of screaming was so that men knew forcing sex on someone who was resisting was absolutely off-limits. It painted a clear picture of what, "No," looks like, and also prepared and empowered women about what to do should they find themselves in those circumstances. We might feel like it should be obvious what constitutes rape or consent, but I can attest from talking to hundreds of teens (and adults) that it is not clear to everyone. If the simple 'rule of scream' were laid out today, many people would benefit from that, and much trauma and heartache could be avoided.

Now the Bible is not saying here that if you were raped and didn't scream because of shock or fear then you are somehow to blame for the assault. NO. If you were raped, you are not to blame! This stipulation was intended to create a culture of clear guidelines for consensual sex. We do not have that culture today, and many suffer trauma because of it. For many people, seeing physical relationships played out on television and in movies is their only information about what the moments leading up to sex look like. How many movies have you seen where a first kiss escalates to clothing coming off within ten seconds? When the people involved are not even in a relationship? I would say sex is portrayed like that more often than not in movies. The dysfunction of this is a massive disservice to our culture. 

Because of the stipulation about screaming, the implication is that if you were not actively resisting you are prepared to be accountable for this action. Again, that's not to cast blame on victims who were pressured into sex and threatened into silence. Most women and girls today have never been told what to do if they are assaulted or if a boyfriend takes things further than they would like. If they've heard anything it's typically about self defense (i.e. the stranger in the alley), which offers limited help for those smaller and less strong than the attacker.

Notice that the Bible doesn't say, "If a girl is raped, then stone her"! It gives different instructions for different circumstances.

We can see from the examples in Deuteronomy that the only case where a woman was to be stoned was if she didn't scream, it happened in town, and she was engaged. These circumstances indicate that the sex was consensual, and, therefore, that she was committing adultery. In Scripture, the start of a marriage is at the engagement. If an engaged person chose to sleep with someone else, both parties were to be stoned for adultery - provided the act had been witnessed by two or three people who would testify to this (Deuteronomy 17:7). There are other posts where we tackle the topics of stoning and adultery on this blog which I'll leave links for at the end of the post if you want to know more about that. For what it's worth, the Bible doesn't record anyone being stoned for adultery. 

The element of this act happening in town further points to the woman's consent. People were in much greater proximity to each other during Bible times, with larger families living in smaller homes, and no one had earbuds in or had the radio blasting. We should also remember that homes and dwelling places with multiple rooms were not common until the past two hundred years of recent history. The privacy of multi-story homes with soundproof walls did not exist in Biblical times. Most people throughout history have lived in one room homes or tents, which meant that sex was something that happened in the dark that you tried to tune out. It would not have been a mystery who was sleeping with whom in your household, or if they were a willing participant or not. The implication here is that help was available if it was wanted. If the woman screamed someone nearby would hear and come to her aid.  Note that the example in Deuteronomy 22:23-24 there is no suggestion of the sex being forced, unless the woman cries out for help. By not crying out when there were people around to help, points to it being a consensual encounter. Stoning absolutely was not to happen to someone that was raped.

Let's examine the the different circumstances Deuteronomy 22 gives.

-The engaged woman in town who did not scream from verse 23.

As we've discussed, the hypothetical unmarried couple in this example was participating in consensual sex, and thereby committing adultery. If there were two or three witnesses to this then both the man and the woman could be stoned. Note that this is different from culture's that practice honor-killing where an innocent victim of rape is murdered while the perpetrator goes free. That is not God's heart at all! The only time a woman was to be theoretically put to death was for consensual adultery with multiple witnesses. There is no record of this happening in the Bible.

-The engaged woman raped in the countryside from verse 24.

In this case, with the assault happening in the countryside the implication is that there were no witnesses, and no one around to come and help the woman. What happens in this case, according to the Bible, is that the woman is to be believed. "Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving of death." She is not punished at all, even if she is engaged, since she did not consent. This meant that if an unmarried woman became pregnant after being raped, or if rumors spread that she had slept with someone, others weren't to decide that this was consensual and stone her. In this we see YHWH providing security for women, in that if this happened to them they were not to be harmed or punished in any way.

-The single woman who is violated.

This is the one that used to bother me the most. So if you get raped you're just stuck with the guy who hurt you? But once again we see the sakab word here and nothing in the text suggests that rape occurred. Also while the man is obligated to marry her, we don't see that she has to marry him. (Marriage is consensual in Scripture.) Note that neither Dinah nor Tamar were married off to their rapists. We see the man being held to an extremely high standard of sexual conduct, and if he was going to pressure a girlfriend into sleeping with him or coerce a single woman to do so, he had to be prepared to pay a fine, and marry the woman without ever divorcing her. This was to ensure the woman's livelihood if a male took advantage of her. We see a modern variation of this played out with 'shotgun weddings.' Note that the woman in question does not necessarily have to accept the marriage offer, but a law like this naturally would have lead to all members of society exercising more caution before getting into bed with someone, and fewer vulnerable young women being taken advantage of.

I believe that these laws were intended to be protection for both women and men. The rule of scream ensured that women would know what to do in a situation where they were being pressured to sleep with someone or physically forced to do so. Women knew that if they were raped, then their side of the story was to be believed. Men better understood boundaries and would have been protected from  false accusations of rape. Single women knew that if they slept with a man he wouldn't have the option to leave her with no means of financial support. And both parties understood if they slept together, they needed to be prepared for marriage. 

In most of these examples, the implication is that the woman and man knew each other, and sex was consensual. But what about someone who is just randomly attacked and raped? We see the answer in Deuteronomy 22:26, "Only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death." Rape is so abhorrent to God, that he says the perpetrators should be put to death! Think of the cultural implication of that. Rape would be much less common if would-be perpetrators understood that they could be killed for this offense, instead of risking a two-game suspension from football, for example.

You may have noted that in that example the woman was engaged. But what if she wasn't? Again she would not be harmed. Exodus 21:16 tells us that kidnappers should be put to death. If someone is abducted or forced into sex, that would be a form of kidnapping. Kidnapping is also abhorrent to God, and the perpetrator would be put to death, not the victim.

What does the Bible say about rape? "Do nothing to the woman...she is innocent." 

I hope this post helps to shed light on the fact that the Bible absolutely never stones or kills victims of the horrendous crime of rape. We see through the above Scriptures and the Bible's high standards for sexual conduct, that God wanted to create a society that eliminated rape as much as possible.

Related posts:
Biblical Law and the Woman Caught in Adultery
Stoning in the Bible
The Significance of Sarah in the Bible