Why I became a plant-based Christian

(A personal testimony written in today's vernacular, except for the Hebrew scripture).

After decades of eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, as much as I wanted & developing food allergies & health issues, I went back to God's Word to see what His "Perfect Will" originally was for bodily nourishment.

I read in Genesis about God's Original Food Plan. His "Perfect Will" was plant-based. If Adam & Eve had not sinned it would have stayed that way. The penalty was death. Someone had to die. God wanted to give them more time to come to repentance, so he made them clothing from animal skins.

When Jesus was baptized, John said, "This ain't right! You never sinned, you should be baptizing me!" Jesus said, "Suffer it to be so for now. God's permissive will."

Just like when the animals in the garden were sacrificed, they did nothing wrong, it was God's permissive will that they die that day instead of the ones who sinned."Suffer it to be so for now."

Then, I read how God had rules for how the animals were to be raised, loved & cared for, keeping the mothers & babies together, never separating them & traveling slowly as Jacob did his herds, & males were counted, not eliminated, in the herd. Every animal's soul life mattered. God said, "Never eat meat with blood in it." (You can never get all the blood out. The blood & fat mix to make the delicious juices on the bar-b-que that we lust after, does it not?)

I read how God put an end to the continual holocaust slaughter of the animal sacrifices when the Lamb of God, (God incarnate in human form as Jesus Chrst), died on the cross as the Last Sacrifice.

After the flood, God made a covenant (promise) with all living creatures (animals, birds & humans, etc.) that he would never destroy lives with a worldwide flood again. At the cross, God made another covenant (promise) with all living creatures that there would be no more slaughter sacrifices for forgiveness of human sins.

What was meant as a temporary fix from the Garden, from Cain & Able, & after the Flood, ended at the cross. But man's lust for the taste of flesh between their teeth remained. God's permissive will, not his perfect will as in the beginning.

I read about the sheet of clean & unclean animals and how God told Peter, "Kill & eat & do not call anything/anyone unclean that/who I have called clean."

And then God sent Peter (a clean Jew) to a Gentile (unclean) person's house, for Jesus was killed for the sins of all & all who will believe & be saved are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) & now clean, worthy, to partake/eat of the bread of life.

Then I read about the New Heavens, New Earth & New Jerusalem and how the Lion will lay down with the Lamb & the child will play beside the snake's hole. And no one will be afraid for the food chain will be gone. Swords will become plows to plow the gardens and "as in the beginning, so in the end" and ""as in the end, so it was in the beginning". For the rest of Eternity God will have His Perfect Will.

And Jesus came in the form of a man & he ate fish. He may have felt, "This ain't right! But suffer it to be so for now. I came in the form of a human, in God's "Permissive Will", to live in a way they can relate to me & I to them. So "Suffer it to be so for now, God's "Permissive Will."

Paul called plant-based Christians "weak." (But, Few are they who can give up meat. It is not easy. A weak person cannot do it).

As in the beginning, so too, it will be in the End.

Original Hebrew: God said, "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for "meat".

I was so sick physically eating the "Permissive Will", that upon realizing Jesus in Heaven now is eating the Eden way, for there is no death in Heaven, & in the New Heavens, New Earth & New Jerusalem we all will be plant-based, I (this weak person) was finally ready to change my diet from God's Permissive Will to His Original Perfect Will.

There is a feeling no words can explain how wonderful to eat a meal that did not end the life of another. No one has to die for my sins anymore, Jesus already took my place And no living creature needs to be taken from their family & slaughtered, so I can eat & live. No one needs to die, be abused, tortured or treated cruelly, so I can live/eat.

I realize not many will agree with any of this, but my witness is my health is better, I have no prescriptions & most people my age have many. I was sick & now I am healthy. And never again will I say "I love animals" with a mouthful of one that was slaughtered, so I could eat. Eden is full of delicious, healthy, nutritious foods, no one needs to die for my meals.

Only the weak, according to Paul, can do this. He was preaching to the Roman officials on his travels... aka Bull Fighters. It was God's permissive will that he "not insult "their" rich diets", so they would be open to salvation... yet "when I am weak, I am strong"... and healthy & in "God's original perfect will for me".

You do not have to be like me, be who God leads you to be. God's Permissive Will seems to reign in our country with those who are saved. While his original food plan reigns alongside idols in many other countries.

I would ask and desire those not eating as in Eden consider the life taken so you can have a delicious meal. Give thanks & consider a price was paid, some animal died for you to have this meal.

And my plea for those raising animals for food, give them a good life, do not abuse or treat them cruelly for their creator & yours is watching & taking into account if you do not treat "His Created Herds" with respect knowing he sees all.

Animals are capable of love, pain, fear, sorrow, compassion, forgiveness & anger... just like you, they have families, too. As mothers they love, noirish & desire to protect their babies. Their milk is a mother's milk for her babies & a mother's bonding is sacred in any species. It is her reward & their security, do not rob them of this special gift & time from God.

Their life is short compared to yours, make it a pleasant life & be compassionate in their life & death. God hears their cries. "Suffer it to be so for now, but do not be the cause of their sufferings."