Some religions have specific rules around what is acceptable to eat, where as Christianity allows its followers to eat whatever they like and in the same breath tells it’s followers not to look down on what other people choose to eat.
So where does this leave you if you are a vegan interested in Christianity or a Christian interested in veganism? In a pretty good place as it happens.
In the beginning.
Christianity teaches that God made the world (no arguments about how here please), that he made it good and he put humanity in charge of caring for it all. Now if someone dear to you handed over their prize possession and asked you to take care of it, you wouldn’t trash it, right?
As a Christian, my veganism is very much part of my love for God and all he has made. Also, I notice that before people mucked up their relationship with God, they were vegans, so I feel it is a very natural thing for me to be a vegan, all the while remembering not to judge those who eat meat. And speaking of judgement:
Love your neighbour as yourself
Jesus taught that we shouldn’t judge other people, which informs how I approach meat eaters. By the same token, it should mean that church is a place where vegans don’t get judged.
In reality it can be a place where misunderstanding around veganism is a rife as it is anywhere else, although I have to say in my own experience, church has been wonderful.
Our church did a rota of dinners (to bless us after the birth if our boy) which lasted us two weeks. And this from meat eaters who all cheerfully went online to look up vegan recipes to feed us.
Spreading the word…
…On veganism is no different from talking about Christianity. You can’t make anyone believe anything. People look at our actions way more than words. Its why my husband and I don’t talk to people about becoming a vegan very often… But we do invite people round for dinner. It means we get to show hospitality towards others and they get to try food they might otherwise not have chosen.
At the end if the day kindness and genuine friendship are great helps to the cause… Both veganism and Christianity.
Understanding Alice 