Saint David: Upholding vegetarianism



Saint David (Photo: Casper Gutman)

Although meat-laden cawl is often served in honor of Saint David’s Day, Saint David himself was said to be a strict vegetarian. 

According to Wikipedia, the Monastic Rule of David prescribed that monks “must drink only water eat only bread with salt and herbs…”  Wikipedia also reports that some passages from the Bible seem to be in favor of vegetarianism.  According to Genesis 1, humans were once vegetarians, and “it was very good.”  The Edenic diet was essentially dependent upon “every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed…”

Although God is said to have permitted meat-eating after the Flood, the consumption of blood (referred to as “life”) was still forbidden.  Since it is biologically impossible to remove all blood from a slaughtered animal, some conclude that this Genesis 9 passage is in favor of vegetarianism.  Some also interpret the Commandment which states “Thou shalt not kill” to be supportive of a meatless diet.  Isaiah 66:3 (KJV) states:  “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man…”  Isaiah 11:6-7 states that “the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb” and “the lion shall eat straw like the ox.”

According to the Animal Rights Community Online, modern-day Popes such as Benedict XVI and John

Paul II have also made compassionate statements regarding animals.  When still Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict made this 2002 comment:  “Certainly, a sort of industrial use of creatures… this degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible.”  When Pope John Paul II visited Assisi, he spoke of Saint Francis’ love of animals and stated that “We, too, are called to a similar attitude.”

Anglican priest Andrew Linzey concludes:  Animals are God’s creatures… The cross of Christ is God’s

absolute identification with… unprotected, undefended, innocent suffering…

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_David

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_vegetarianism

http://www.animalsuffering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1828

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Linzey

Copyright March 1, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved