“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth,” (Genesis 1:26 KJV).
In the very first book of the Bible, when God speaks about creating the Earth, he bestows dominion over the living creatures, and in this way, life upon humans.
It’s unusual that more Christians don’t interpret this passage in particular toward vegetarianism, or take an environmentally sensitive approach to their faith.
At the confluence of intense sanctity for life and reverence for all things natural and traditional, vegetarianism isn’t even considered.
University of Minnesota fourth-year Ian Gill said he interprets the Genesis passage to justify the consumption of animal meat.
“I think God gave man dominion over the world, and that includes its animals,” Gill said. “I don’t think that animals are on the same spiritual level as humans.”
University Ph.D. biostatistics student and practicing Catholic, Andres Arguedas Leiva said, while he is not a vegetarian, he understands why individuals would choose to be given the scripture, or be uneasy with the meat industry.
“Genesis does say that we have, like, dominion over nature, right?” Arguedas Leiva said. “So there’s a difference between dominion and domination.”
While the Christian Vegetarian Association interprets the Bible in favor of vegetarianism, this movement is by no means mainstream.
This may point us to the unique linear throughline, or lack thereof, as we understand the connections between food, lifestyle and morals as they’ve been spoonfed to us.
Christian doctrine says we’re supposed to care about protecting innocent life, but not only in pre-approved and sometimes morally inconsistent ways. We protect God’s creation but turn a blind eye to the destruction of the planet and its inhabitants.
University second-year student and former Minnesota Daily reporter Hayden Lessiter said he doesn’t prioritize animals as highly.
“I can see what sort of theological reasoning they could give for being vegetarian,” Lessiter said. “But I don’t personally, because it’s not like it’s ever really looked down upon in any scripture or any tradition.”
We are in the midst of an administration that has gained heavy support from Christians, which purports to be influenced by God’s word and the teachings of the Bible.
Church and state aside, the cultural influence felt by this administration can’t be ignored. It’s bleeding into how we conceptualize our lifestyle and diet choices. The Make America Healthy Again movement, which centers on all-natural remedies and transparency in food and drug production, is part of its moralized preference toward the natural over the artificial.
Here, vegetarianism seems almost too on-the-nose as a lifestyle choice for practicing Christians to adopt in an era of MAHA, dietary moralization and factory farming. Red meat is classified as a carcinogen, after all.
Despite this, we have received no directives or public statements from the administration informing the public that vegetarianism is a way to prevent cancer and fight back against the institutional food-processing powers that this administration villainizes — often rightly so.
Arguedas Leiva said there are nuances regarding the dominion that humans are given over the Earth per Genesis. He added that domination can be seen in environmentally unfriendly farming practices and cruel treatment of animals on factory farms, and stewardship should be the ultimate goal.
Vegetarianism also has less of a carbon footprint than meat production and consumption, making it better for the planet. As humans, we explicitly get stewardship over this process, according to Genesis.
Global warming kills animals through extinction, as well as destroys the planet we all inhabit. Earth is God’s creation, so it’s perplexing why there aren’t more calls from inside the administration to ameliorate the damage we’ve done, even outside of vegetarianism.
University first-year student and vegetarian since birth, Molly Scherr said the imagery she’s seen surrounding factory farms has affirmed her decision to remain a vegetarian.
“I’ve been shown a lot of really horrifying stuff about it,” Scherr said.
It may be the association with left-wing or hippie sensibilities that makes vegetarianism unpopular.
But that hasn’t stopped contemporary Christians as of late. Even 20 years ago, if one were asked the political or religious affiliation of individuals largely rejecting modern medicine in favor of homeopathic remedies, the answer would look very different. The policy stances on modern medicine have flipped, where MAHA’s position used to be a stereotypically left-wing point of view.
This shows us just what we’re willing to believe to protect life and health. We must dispel the preconceived notions we’ve been fed about certain actions and lifestyle choices.
Vegetarians and vegans have gotten a bad rap, especially as of late, with figures like That Vegan Teacher and the over-the-top, and largely unpopular, activism on behalf of organizations like PETA stirring the pot.
These early forms of ragebait did far more harm than good in perceptions of vegetarianism, and by extension, planet-conscious diet and lifestyle choices. The ragebait was not only partisan but also shrill and self-righteous. It alienated the practice from the preaching and obscured the bigger picture.
We don’t have to be vegetarians, but the fact that many haven’t given it a second thought is telling. The protection of life and God’s creation should truly know no bounds.
The protection and stewardship of living beings and the environment look different from what one would expect. Moral and ideological consistency seem to be slipping from view.
