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Vegetarianism: Roots In Europe?

Whilst not particularly religious myself, it is interesting that the Bible states explicitly that God's original plan was for humankind to be strictly vegetarian:

Genesis 1:29, "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food".

It is therefore perhaps somewhat surprising that there aren't more vegetarians or vegans amongst Christian purists.

Just for the record, I went vegetarian around 30 years ago for purely ethical reasons and I believe that, eventually, we will regard the eating of our fellow creatures with the same disgust as we regard cannibalism today.
Until plant-based lifeforms land and express disgust with our eating preferences.
 
My sister's boyfriend is a vegan and regularly goes on punishing marathon cycle rides that would make you cry, so it's a fallacy non-carnivores are weaker.

l remember a few years ago a UK TV diet and exercise programme which involved an all-female, all vegetarian martial arts team. They persuaded the ladies to revert to a normal diet. After a week or two eating meat, every woman’s performance had increased, one by as much as 15%.

My only surprise was that the programme made it to air.

maximus otter

PS: My PB for a one day bicycle ride is 63 miles. l rode 55 for my 55th birthday.

m.o.
 
"you just performed heresy. "
Blimey. I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition...

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise!... Surprise and fear... fear and surprise... Our two weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency! Our three weapons are fear, and surprise, and ruthless efficiency... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope... Our four... no... Amongst our weapons... Hmf... Amongst our weaponry... are such elements as fear, surpr... I'll come in again.
[They leave]
[They burst in again]
NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!... Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms - Oh damn!

Spanish Inquisition.jpg
nobody-expects-the-spanish-inquisition_o_290350.jpg
Random SI related ginger hate:
in-medieval-times-red-hair-was-associated-with-moral-degradation-30639071.png
Awesome.
 
l remember a few years ago a UK TV diet and exercise programme which involved an all-female, all vegetarian martial arts team. They persuaded the ladies to revert to a normal diet. After a week or two eating meat, every woman’s performance had increased, one by as much as 15%.

My only surprise was that the programme made it to air.

maximus otter

PS: My PB for a one day bicycle ride is 63 miles. l rode 55 for my 55th birthday.

m.o.

You could go from Land's End to John O'Groats if you gave up meat!

Anyway, all the TV programme shows is that being on an exercise TV thing means you're going make the effort to get fitter no matter what you're eating - I take it there was no test group of veggies to contrast?
 
The idea that not having any meat in your diet makes you physically weaker, or more tired, or anything, is nonsense. Maybe if you don't manage your diet well enough, but the same would be true if you ate meat - and if we're talking about athletes, they're going to be paying close attention to what they're eating.

There are any number of vegan and vegetarian martial artists, boxers, bodybuilders and track athletes.
 
There are any number of vegan and vegetarian martial artists, boxers, bodybuilders and track athletes.

Every one of whom would probably perform better if they ate the diet that 4,000,000,000 years of evolution has formed them to consume.

maximus otter
 
Every one of whom would probably perform better if they ate the diet that 4,000,000,000 years of evolution has formed them to consume.

Not quite. Evidence points to our lineage switching to a meat diet approximately 2.5 million years ago.

As for performing better, try telling that to Carl Lewis, for example. Switched to a vegan diet and roughly a year later puts in the best performances he's ever achieved at the '91 World Championships.

(PS - I don't have a horse in this vegan/vegetarian race. I have an abysmal, animal fat-based diet.)
 
I don't just eat meat. I eat stuff that only vaguely resembles meat. I eat bits of animals that no sane person would regard as meat.
We all do that. Mechanically reclaimed meat is everywhere.
 
Whilst not particularly religious myself, it is interesting that the Bible states explicitly that God's original plan was for humankind to be strictly vegetarian:
Genesis 1:29, "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food".
It is therefore perhaps somewhat surprising that there aren't more vegetarians or vegans amongst Christian purists..

Whoa Jack, let me toss a few other relevant Bible verses into the playpen..:)-
God said-"Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3)

"Do not eat meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire" (Exodus 12:9)

"Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, "Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there " (Lev 8:31)

"You may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want" (Deuteronomy 12:15)

"He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them." (1 Kings 19:21)

"On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine, the best of meats and the finest of wines" (Isaiah 25:6)


Personally I've always been a meat-eater and always will be, otherwise my belly would feel empty and unfilled.
I'm only glad that somebody else slaughters the animals and chops them up for me so I can simply buy bits down the supermarket.
Some people do the slaughtering themselves, for example christian Bear Grylls in action-

grylls-eating-heart_zpswl8wpj4e.jpg~original
 
Bear Grylls when he turned full zombie.
 
I was once chased by a herd of cattle in the countryside and had to climb on top of a hut til they'd buggered off.
So now whenever I sink my teeth into a nice juicy steak I think "It's payback time"..:)
 
I was once chased by a herd of cattle in the countryside and had to climb on top of a hut til they'd buggered off.
So now whenever I sink my teeth into a nice juicy steak I think "It's payback time"..:)

Cattle are dangerous, they even chased my JRT. How many missing dogs and people are eaten by cows? The Far Side is factual!

tumblr_mtl5foVzR71stxqq3o1_400.gif
 
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Whoa Jack, let me toss a few other relevant Bible verses into the playpen..:)-
God said-"Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3)

"Do not eat meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire" (Exodus 12:9)

"Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, "Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there " (Lev 8:31)

"You may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want" (Deuteronomy 12:15)

"He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them." (1 Kings 19:21)

"On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine, the best of meats and the finest of wines" (Isaiah 25:6)


Personally I've always been a meat-eater and always will be, otherwise my belly would feel empty and unfilled.
I'm only glad that somebody else slaughters the animals and chops them up for me so I can simply buy bits down the supermarket.
Some people do the slaughtering themselves, for example christian Bear Grylls in action-

grylls-eating-heart_zpswl8wpj4e.jpg~original

Do any of your quotations come before Genesis 1:29?
If not, then my statement that God's original plan was for humankind to be vegetarian still appears reasonable, given the scriptural evidence.
 
Cattle are dangerous, they even chased my JRT. How many missing dogs and people are eating by cows? The Far Side is factual!

tumblr_mtl5foVzR71stxqq3o1_400.gif

The James Herbert novel The Fog has a bit where a man is eaten by cows. They start by biting off his fingers.
 
Do any of your quotations come before Genesis 1:29?
If not, then my statement that God's original plan was for humankind to be vegetarian still appears reasonable, given the scriptural evidence.

Check your monitor settings, you must have missed my earlier post where God said-
"Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3)

See, he put plants on earth first, then he later put animals too so that we'd have a nice balanced diet, I mean, he designed our bodies so he must know what's best for them.
Below:- Get stuck in there mate!-

one-mill-bc_zpscf705569.jpg~original


PS- nevertheless there are some things I won't touch because I don't like them, e.g. fish, poultry, black sausage, rabbit etc.
 
vegetarainism was around at least 2500 years ago in india as part of the buddhist strictures about not killing living things
 
Human teeth. We have canines and teeth for grinding plants.
 
Vegetarianism is first mentioned by the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos around 500 BC
 
Check your monitor settings, you must have missed my earlier post where God said-
"Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3)

See, he put plants on earth first, then he later put animals too so that we'd have a nice balanced diet, I mean, he designed our bodies so he must know what's best for them.
Below:- Get stuck in there mate!-

one-mill-bc_zpscf705569.jpg~original


PS- nevertheless there are some things I won't touch because I don't like them, e.g. fish, poultry, black sausage, rabbit etc.

I won't eat rabbits because I think of them as pets.
 
Human teeth. We have canines and teeth for grinding plants.

Nah, the canines are part of our Killer Ape heritage, for ripping out the throats of our prey. Declined a bit from lack of use over millennia just as the killer instinct is gone from Irish Wolfhounds.
 
Never mind that. Why did He make bacon so irresistible instead of making Brussel Sprouts taste like Maltesers?

Gotta say, I don't see the attraction of bacon. I know it's supposed to be vegetarianism's Achilles Heel, but it just smells like stale piss to me.
 
Gotta say, I don't see the attraction of bacon. I know it's supposed to be vegetarianism's Achilles Heel, but it just smells like stale piss to me.

Haven't you ever tried properly smoked bacon rashers? Great grilled.
 
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