Jesus and Vegetarianism

Many Eastern religions show mercy to animals

I am not particularly well versed in Western religions, because I do not really identify with them. However, I have always found it fascinating that many Eastern religions include animals into their beliefs and practices. The Bible says to “love thy neighbor”, but many wonder “who is my neighbor” (X130)? Does the definition of a “neighbor” extend to animals? Western religions seem to focus more on the human rather than life as a whole, and it is difficult to see “Jesus’ special concern for the animal world.” (X136), for much literature is dedicated to “the fellow man”.

The One Who Showed Mercy

However, the Bible says “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (X129), which I interpret as being merciful to all beings. While I do not practice any form of Christianity, I believe that this philosophy is a decent way to live life, as it is pervasive in all religions.
I would like to imagine that when Jesus referred to “all strife and suffering” (X135), he was also including that of animals and of nature. However, modern interpretation has not really paid much attention to the extension of this notion to animals, evident in the fact that most western religions disregard the suffering of animals and plants. At this point, I do not think our culture would allow us to accept that Jesus was a vegetarian.

Does Jesus’ love extend to animals? Does it matter?

Regardless of whether or not Jesus was indeed a vegetarian, I do not think that in this day and age, such an argument would change many people’s minds, because “meat eating is already ritualized in our culture” (X135). Was Jesus a vegetarian? I don’t think it really matters. Many people have already succeeded in doing things that Jesus would not tolerate, such as “ slaughtering and destroying others” (X137), so I don’t see what difference the revelation of his vegetarianism would bring. No matter what, I believe that most people are selectively religious, that is, they pick out parts of their religion with which they agree and ignore other parts. So if it were found out that Jesus was a vegetarian, I don’t think many people would make the switch from meat to nonmeat, simply because they may believe that they are serving their religion in other better ways.