What Would Jesus Eat? The Biblical Case for Eating Animals, 2019

Abstract:

[Please email thsiao@grantham.edu for a copy.] The animal rights movement loudly and boldly proclaims that meat consumption is seriously immoral. For defenders of animal rights, the decision to go vegan isn’t merely just a matter of one’s personal lifestyle choices, it is a direct moral obligation that is binding upon all of us. In defense of this position, pro-vegan ethicists have deployed a number of philosophical arguments that purport to show that animals have serious moral status, and that both meat consumption and modern animal agricultural practices violate this status. The goal of this chapter will be to respond to these arguments and make the case for the moral permissibility of eating meat. My arguments will not rely on any particular set of theological assumptions. Although I am a Christian who believes that Scripture permits meat-eating, I shall argue that meat-eating can be justified philosophically apart from appealing to divine revelation.