Are they compatible, why or why not? For what reasons can a Christian be vegan, even if it is not a vegan (mandating it) religion? Is the end-point of veganism compatible with Christianity, considering the eschatology of Christianity ends in veganism?
Veganism and Christianity
If you're protestant, it's your prerogative to do what you think is best, just do your due diligence. Read the bible, ask some people, read some resources.
If you're catholic, ask your priest.
I mean they're compatible, you can be a vegan.
But you can't really tell others that they should be vegan or vegetarian yourself. Christ ate fish, Christ helped people catch a lot of fish, God instituted the passover lamb.
As a personal choice its fine. But to say people should be vegetarian or vegan as its the right thing to do implies that God was in the wrong with what He did.
I think there are numerous Saints who committed themselves to a vegetarian lifestyle. I believe Saint Germanus did so.
yeah, you can be vegan but it isn't mandated by christianity. I think the Athonite monks are vegan or atleast vegetarian.
Veganism weakens you and decreases the energy you have to put back into the world to make it better. It is untenable and unhealthy. Vegetarianism is viable but it is still very inefficient.
Was there any meat-eating by any creature in Eden?
Assuming that Eden was a paradise for all the creatures within it, and considering that there are many animals which prefer meat, I'd propose that God could have created slabs of meat that never came from killed animals for those creatures which prefer meat.
Many Protestants are I know, some even moreso than Apostolics.
Does this entail a non-promoting of it as good or beneficial even if not required? Assuming that it is possible to obtain human needs being vegan, can a Christian who is think that it is better to do so than not and promote it?
Yes, and St. David of Wales, etc. Though usually for ascetical reasons and penance, which is very amazing that they had the discipline. The Holy Spirit empowers all.
Interesting perspective. I'm not qualified on any takes about this.
It appears that there weren't, although some think there were because then the nature of animals would have changed because of the fall. It seems plausible that there weren't though because of the common sentiment of "all creation fell with Adam," implying that we disordered it all for now, and knowing that with the existence of animals in the new creation they won't. Since the new creation is more of a restoration, that would imply they didn't in the beginning. But maybe happened.
Orthodox are vegan at least half of the year.
Being a Vegan is fine. However you have no right to tell people to choose a vegan diet because you have no authority over them and God have man authority over animals. Also god required animal sacrifice in the Ild Covenant which involves eating the sacrifice so he is cool with eating meat except on Friday because it is a day of penance and abstinence. Still is the Church never changed anything about Friday except it is now Universal Abstinence which means you can pick what you abstain from.
For vegans it would be allowed since both the bread and the wine are materially vegan and God offering His flesh and blood willingingly is vegan in itself. They do not think the act of eating flesh is inherently wrong in itself, only that the procuring of it is usually immoral (for instance if a person literally needed in the truest sense of the word to eat chicken liver once a week to live, it would be vegan still, someone who didn't need it wouldn't be).
veganism is a terrible diet that starves you of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need. vegetarianism is not as bad, but still unbalanced.
cutting red meat and eating fish & poultry is much better, this is known as a pollo-pescetarian diet.
iirc, Genesis states that humans and animals were vegetarian before the Fall. I would think that the fruits of Eden gave us all the sustenance we needed, unlike the fruits of our fallen world.
I'd assume that, based on the above, there was no preference for meat until the Fall.
Historically, a part of the early christians chose to be vegetarians, and recommended it as a more christian diet.
Some didn't.
In either case, i know a lot of ancient and modern monastics(and Sylvester Graham) recommended eating less meat, to temper your passions.
It's recommended you cut down on meat anyway, since it's healthier.
Most vegans (not vegetarians) are animal-worshipers. Just eat as the Lord permitted after the flood of Noah.
A vegan diet isn't sinful in itself, but the philosophy behind veganism (muh Mother Earth, muh animals) is absolutely heretical.
And for vegan philosophers who don't think those things? Or which there is a great many.
of*
Is there? I don't know much about vegan philosophers, to be honest. Nonetheless, it is certainly heretical to claim eating animals is evil. Of course, you aren't obliged to eat meat if you really don't want to.
Nice thing about being Christian is that you can eat whatever the hell you want. Matthew 15:11
Be vegan, be vegetarian, be pescatarian, be an absolute carnivore who eats literally nothing but rotting sheep anuses! It doesn't matter.
This. Most people cannot be true vegans, and by that I mean sustain themselves solely on non-animal food that occurs naturally. They instead have to consume industrially processed food made of soy and other things humans were never intended to eat. If that is the kind of veganism OP is going for, then he's better off not being vegan.