God's Original and Final Intent part 4

This is my final paper for The International Healing Rooms School of Transformation in Spokane Washington. Its is very long paper so I am breaking it down in to smaller portions to post here.
This is part 4 of that paper. I hope you enjoy it. I love to hear your feed back in the comments.


Thanks, Margot

"The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." Proverb 12:10 (NIV)

I found this quote in an article in Veg News Spring 2018 issue called Why We Eat Meat by Marla Rose she states ” Underneath this juggernaut of animal agribusiness are consumers as individuals - parents and children, neighbors and peers - who keep the machine well-oiled and fully operational. As consumers, we are the hand that cranks the machine and turns more that 50 billion land animals a year world wide into consumable, often unrecognizable products. The machine depends on our participation, and - with a wold population expected to surpass 9.8 billion by 2050, plus a growing body of evidence linking animal agriculture to massive environmental strain - every effort to examine, unpack, and leave behind the diet that is creating so much suffering must be made.” 

1 Corinthians 10:31

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

God’s intent for Animal life

When God created animals and then he looked among them for a suitable partner or helper for Adam. I believe their original purpose was always to be a help to man. Some might say that would mean that some were intended to be food for man. I think if you look at the whole of Scripture that animals are often used to teach us some valuable truths about God.  The following are just a few examples that immediately came to mind. 

“We can gather that all these creatures of the world lead the mind of the contemplative and wise man to the eternal God. For these creatures are shadows, echoes and pictures . . . and vestiges proposed to us and signs given so that we can see God.” -St. Bonaventure

Proverbs 6:6 (KJV) Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

 Isaiah 40:31 They That Wait Upon The Lord, Shall Renew Their Strength, They Shall Mount Up With Wings of Eagles, They Shall Run and Not Be Weary Walk Faint 

Psalm 42:1  As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.

In Song of Songs the bride and bride groom often describe each other using imagery found in animals and in nature. It is from these and many other verses that I believe God created animals to be something more than sacrifices through their deaths so we might live. 

“ I often tell my theology students that Genesis 1 and 2 are among the best pro-animal texts we could ever imagine there being. Nonhuman animals and humans are created on the same day of creation. Both share the breath of life. God commands humans to eat plants. Animals are brought to Adam, not to kill and eat, but “because it is not good man should be alone.” The fact that Eve is latter found to be the “suitable partner” does not change the fact that God brought the animals to Adam to be his companions.” from Why all Christians should go vegan by By Charles Camosy January 5, 2017 In The Washington Post 

My personal journey began for my own health and has grown into a greater consciousness of the ethics of what I eat. I find myself considering things that never before occurred to me. Things like how does what I choose to eat effect my own body, how does it effect my neighbors, and how does it effect my planet. I find my self back to the quote at the beginning of this paper. 

“And may God bless you with enough foolishness 

to believe that you can make a difference in this world, 

so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.” 

I know that this journey has been a learning and an eye opening process for me. I don’t expect that everyone will be motivated to make a full switch to veganism but I hope that I might be an advocate and a proponent for helping to change the mindsets of people in my influence by my life and example.