Diet - part 2 — Animals and Religion

IV. Jesus—Fishes and Fishing

(This section of the book is the original work of Dr. Kemmerer.)

Some Christians argue that Jesus assisted those fishing and he ate fishes, so why shouldn’t we?

Point: Jesus ate fish flesh, served fish flesh, and helped people to catch fishes, so why shouldn’t we eat (or catch) fishes (and other anymals)?

Matthew 14:19-20 (similarly in Mark 6:36-44)

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled.

Matthew 15:36-37 (similarly in Mark 8:1-9)

…he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled.

Luke 5:4-6

“Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.

John 21:5-6

“Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

John 21:13

Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.

Luke 24:36-42

They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Fish gasping for breath and life. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Five Counterpoints:

Subsistence fishing 2000 years ago was not a dietary choice. Moreover, Jesus multiplied and served fishes who were already dead (and so did not kill fishes to serve them); Jesus filled nets in order to convert fishers to a different livelihood, and scriptures indicate that he personally ate only one small piece of a fish after resurrection.

Whether or not we care, and whether or not we are aware, fish commonly listed on menus are now listed as endangered. . . . We decide the fate of the earth’s oceans. We must choose between plodding sea turtles and wheeling albatross, colorful coral reefs and undulating kelp—or fish for dinner. The only way to avoid contributing to the silent collapse of the earth’s seas is to choose to eat something else. You decide where you stand every time you sit down to eat. (Lisa Kemmerer, Ph.D., in Eating Earth: Environmental Ethics and Dietary Choice, 83)

The Sea Shepherd, a small nonprofit, attempts to patrol the vast oceans against illegal fishing. Here a Japanese vessel working on behalf of illegal Japanese whaling, blasts the Sea Shepherd, ultimately sinking their small boat. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Eating fishes in the 21st century does not align with core Christian ethics.

With regard to caretaking the earth and earth’s many living creatures (including ourselves) there are three serious concerns associated with choosing to consume fishes:

Fishes and ocean systems are “in a state of silent collapse” because of contemporary consumers and the industrialized fishing that supplies this demand (“New Report” n.p.).

Fishes are sentient individuals whose lives matter to the Creator; fishing methods bring a prolonged and painful death to fishes, whether caught by a hook or pulled from the water with a net.

Eating fishes is risky. Thanks to human pollution, all fishes “are contaminated with mercury” (Smith 158), a “potent neurotoxin . . . that attacks the central nervous system, can cause permanent brain damage, and is particularly dangerous for children and the unborn” (“Mercury 17). There is no “safe” level of mercury consumption. (Smith 146)

I was horrified when the woman working there tore the hook from the fish’s mouth and blood shot out. I never realized that fish had blood, red like ours.

The violent removal of the hook didn’t kill the fish, however, so the woman held him (her?) by the tail and smashed the body hard on the stainless-steel table. There was more blood, and then, stillness. She handed me my “prize” in a baggy. I was horrified. I knew that a life had left this earth because of me, but I also knew that if I told the priest in confession that I’d committed murder, he’d tell me that I hadn’t. There was nowhere to go for absolution. (Victoria Moran, founder of Mainstreet Vegan, n.p.)

A fish bleeds out onto a processing table at a fish market in Vietnam. While still alive, their scales are grated off and they are cut in half. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

It is important to distinguish between eating fishes 2000 years ago and choosing to purchase/consume flesh, diary, and eggs in the 21st century. When Jesus lived there were far fewer people and they generally lived much more simply, much more in balance with the rest of creation, eating local foods. In Biblical times fishes were not pulled from the seas by the millions to feed trillions all over the world, and oceans were not polluted with mercury (Kemmerer, Animals, 209). Contemporary fishing, whether for sport, as part of a family business, or as a corporate enterprise, is cruel. Fishing destroys not only lives, but ocean/lake ecosystems. There are now many other food options that are generally readily available (and less expensive, despite heavy government subsidies for anymal agriculture and aquaculture), including rice and beans, lentils and potatoes, pasta and vegetables, peanut butter/humus and bread.

When we think about Jesus eating fish, it is essential to remember the vast differences in food access between most Americans and a poor Jewish teacher in first-century Palestine. (Christopher Carter, Ph.D., The Spirit of Soul Food, 135)

Many Christians ask us if we believe that eating meat is sinful. By Biblical criteria, eating meat is not inherently sinful. Historically, many people have needed meat for nourishment. However, the Bible encourages us to follow Jesus' path of pure love and compassion. James recognized this when he wrote, "Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin" (James 4:17). (Stephen Kaufman, M.D., “Christianity and Animals,” n.p.)

The question is not “What did Jesus eat?” but rather, “What would Jesus eat today?” (Kemmerer, “What,” 5). If we are to caretake the earth and earth’s many living creatures (including ourselves) we cannot choose to eat fishes. The Prince of Peace, the compassionate savior, would choose to preserve and protect life and the Creator’s work of beauty and love. Today, there is very good reason to believe that Jesus would choose to live vegan.

“The Divine Manger.” (Courtesy of Crista Forest.)

3. God reaffirms a plant-based diet by providing manna.

Exodus and Nehemiah reaffirm Genesis 1: God provides nothing more than plants and plant products for our sustenance:

Exodus 16:13-16

When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer [measuring volume] to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.’”

Nehemiah 9:15

For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock.

Manna (without flesh, dairy, or eggs) provided by God is of such importance that Moses instructs people to preserve and remember this food in Exodus 16:31-36.

Exodus 16:31-36

The house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, in order that they may see the food with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the covenant, for safekeeping. The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a habitable land; they ate manna, until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

(For more on vegan diet provided in Genesis 1, see 5.4.II.A.4 “Vegan Dominion.”).

Nonetheless, some of the lost wanderers were unhappy with manna and missed familiar foods of home. Numbers tells us that this angered God:

Numbers 11:4-6

The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

Those who are discontent with God’s vegan provisions are among the nonfaithful and are referred to as “rabble.” In the following paragraphs they complain loudly for “meat.” Finally the Lord provides meat in abundance (Num. 11:31-33), but

while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving. (Num. 11: 33-34)

God was angry that the people could not be contented without eating anymal products, so angry that he brought a plague against them, leaving behind the “graveyard of lust” (Kibroth-hattaavah). Plant-based manna, provided by God, is another indication (and reminder) of what the Creator intends/prefers for our sustenance, of God’s preference that we share the planet in a state of peace and harmony, and that we be contented with what the Creator provided at the outset.

God’s love for all of creation confers intrinsic value to all of God’s creatures and creations. It is this fundamental measure of worth which serves as the foundation of justice. Christians are called by God to love what God loves, to value what God values, and to join with God in the process of redemption—to restore the right relationships of a good creation in a fallen world. (James B. Martin-Schramm, ordained, Evangelical, “Incentives,” 440)

A loon with young tangled in fishing line. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

In multiplying bread and fishes, Jesus does not cause the death of even one fish.

Matthew 14:15-21 (similarly in Mark 6:36-44)

“We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled.

Matthew 15:32-38 (similarly in Mark 8:1-9)

Jesus asked them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled.

“Bringing Our Loaves and Fishes to Jesus,” 2019, by Jonathan Coe. (Image courtesy of Catholic Exchange.)

Importantly, in multiplying loaves and fishes, Jesus does not cause suffering or loss of life. Jesus takes fishes who are already dead, and from those bodies creates enough food for all who are present. In contrast, when we buy/consume fishes, we create demand for fishing, thereby causing suffering and death and contributing to the destruction of ocean ecosystems.

They were catching fish, and they were throwing fish against the side of the boat in order to kill them, they [were] flopping around … and it was undeniable that it was brutal, barbaric and horrible . . . . I remember we said, “Why didn’t you tell us that’s where meat came from?” and my mum not being [able] to answer. (Joaquin Phoenix, actor, Fish Feel, n.p.).

Actor Joaquin Phoenix visits and supports the Be Fair Be Vegan campaign in Toronto. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Jesus fills fishing nets to pull people away from fishing.

Luke 5:4-7

He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats.

John 21:5-6

Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

Ernst Zimmerman, “Christ with the Fisherman” (1852-1901). (Courtesy of Anthony’s Fine Art/Antiques.)

Only in these passages from Luke and John do we read that Jesus is implicated in the deaths of fishes. Importantly, in each story where the miracles of Jesus fill the nets of fishers, the story moves on to show that Jesus is not interested in the killing of fishes, but in pulling men away from boats and nets: Those fishing are called to leave the fishes and become fishers of humanity, pulling people to God and Christianity:

Matthew 4:19-20 (also Mark 1:16-18)

[T]hey were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers . . . mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Luke 5:10

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Jesus does not encourage fishing. On the contrary. Jesus redirects these men, permanently, to a new occupation: spreading the Good News.

Tilapia crowded in murky waters in one of fifty floating cages of an Indonesian fish farm. The fish are used to stock ponds for hobby/sport fishing. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

4. In scriptures, food and eating are often metaphors, not to be taken literally.

Food metaphors (which are not actually about food) are common in scripture, particularly in the words of Jesus:

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 6:25

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

John 4:31-38

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

John 6:27

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.

John 6:35

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

2 Corinthians 9:10

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

1 Peter 2:2-3

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Revelation 3:20

I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.

These passages are not about food and what we ought to eat, but instead teach spiritual lessons. For example, conveying the idea that accumulating physical/material wealth is not worthwhile in comparison with accumulating good deeds, such as spreading the Good News. Similarly, Biblical passage about fishing or eating fishes do not teach that we ought to eat fish flesh, but instead convey important spiritual messages. To attempt to use these passages to justify eating meat, dairy, or eggs obscures the central message and an invitation to make dietary choices that align with Christian ethics, promoting both peace and justice. 4. In scriptures, food and eating are often metaphors, not to be taken literally.

Food metaphors (which are not actually about food) are common in scripture, particularly in the words of Jesus:

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 6:25

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

John 4:31-38

John 6:27

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.

John 6:35

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

2 Corinthians 9:10

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

1 Peter 2:2-3

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Revelation 3:20

I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.

Bycatch in France from a trawler in the French Mediterranean Sea, with a variety of species, lie dying and dead. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

I came to understand that these animals were victims of a profound injustice and, through my everyday eating practices, I was complicit in this wrong-doing. I became convinced that today’s followers of Jesus have a duty to engage seriously with animal concerns, and after much prayer and contemplation, my conclusion was to become vegan. (Daryl Booth, co-founder of Sarx: For All God’s Creatures, n.p.)

5. One Gospel reports that Jesus ate a piece of a fish to prove to doubting disciples that he had risen. This is not a legitimate reason to choose to consume fishes today.

Luke 24:36-42

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

John 21:9-14

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Fishes were important for subsistence in the region where Jesus lived and taught, and fish flesh was likely critical to the diets of most of the people who saw him after he rose from crucifixion. Those who saw him did not believe that he had defeated death. In order to demonstrate that he was not a ghost or a figment of their imagination, he shared food: Eating, as a basic act of sustenance for the physical body, is an excellent way to show embodiment (Cachila n.p.).

Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene After the Resurrection, 1834, Alexander Ivanof. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)

By eating a piece of a fish after resurrection, Jesus demonstrated to a doubting humanity that he was alive. The importance of this act cannot be overstated: Jesus demonstrates that the divine “has the power to resurrect from the dead,” and thereby indicates that all of us might be saved from the grave. Jesus defeats death (Wescoe n.p.).

Biblical narratives that merely record what people ate in Biblical times are not intended to teach what we ought to eat more than 2000 years later. This is especially true given that we now live on a planet suffering from mass extinctions and life-threatening environmental degradation.

Many years ago, I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, “I am killing him—all for the passing pleasure it brings me.” Something inside me clicked. I realised, as I watched him fight for breath, that his life was as important to him as mine is to me. (Paul McCartney, long-term vegan from The Beatles, Fish Feel, n.p.)

Paul McCartney, proud vegan. (Photo courtesy of PETA.)

Arguments that attempt to defend omnivory or a vegetarian diet by focusing on what Jesus ate are tantamount to arguing that we ought to wear the same clothes or footwear that Jesus wore, or that we ought to sleep in similar beds or under similar roofs, or that we ought to use the same boats or nets as described in scriptures. To argue that we ought to do as people did in biblical times only where eating fishes is concerned, is disingenuous.

Importantly, scriptures do not indicate that Jesus ate fishes (or any anymal products) in his lifetime. Scriptures only indicate that Jesus consumed one morsel of a fish after resurrection. This does not provide grounds for eating fishes in any century, let alone cows, pigs, and turkeys in contemporary times. Especially given the moral complications of omnivory and vegetarianism in the 21st century, and given the wide availability of foods such as red beans and rice, peanut butter or humus on bread, and lentils with vegetables, all of which are more in keeping with Christian ethics. (For more on diet and environment, see 5.3.VI.5.)

Tulipa fish look out from a tank at a supermarket in Indonesia. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Fishes dying in a net. "Bycatch" caught in a fishing net and left to suffocate as carp (a traditional Christmas dish in Poland) are taken from a Polish fish farm. During the holiday season approximately 21,000 tonnes of carp are caught and killed. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Summary, Jesus—Fishes and Fishing

Buying or consuming fishes in the 21st century is fraught with 21st century moral concerns that did not exist 2000 years ago. The Bible reports habits of the day but does not recommend eating fishes in the 21st century. Eating fishes today contributes to serious environmental problems and damages human health (and always causes suffering and premature death for fishes).

Summary, Jesus—Fishes and Fishing

In a bucket on a family fishing boat in Italy, mouth gaping for oxygen, a small fish dies from asphyxiation. Millions of small boat owners set hundreds of miles of nets and lines every day; many use illegal devices or techniques—it’s impossible for authorities to patrol so many boats in such vast waters. The photo caption reads: “Fishing is killing the sea. We can’t consider small-scale fishing sustainable. . . . The seas are near the point of no return.” (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Surely the fact that Jesus was lawfully permitted to keep slaves does mean we should do likewise? Also what would a church equality opportunities board say if Jesus’s choice of disciples, an exclusively male and monoethnic selection, was adopted as a model of church leadership today? (Sarx: For All God’s Creatures, “But Didn’t Jesus” n.p.)

Christians have always been shaped by the patterns of meaning in the gospel portraits, not by the particulars. (Richard Alan Young, professor of New Testament Studies at Temple Baptist Seminary, Is God a Vegetarian?, 11)

V. The Swine of Gerasene

(This section of the book is the original work of Dr. Kemmerer.)

Some look to the Gospel story of the swine of Gerasene (Gadarene/Girgesene) to demonstrate that the lives of pigs are not of much value in the sight of God, that they are certainly not as valuable as human life. Such a conclusion misses the point and is problematic when applied to other portions of scripture.

Point: If a pig’s life is valuable in the sight of God, why did Jesus allow evil spirits to enter a herd of pigs, which cost them their lives?

Luke 8:26-39

Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Visoki Dečani. “The Demons and the Swine” (14th century). (Image courtesy of Pravoslavie.)

Three Counterpoints:

The story of the Swine of Gerasene (Matthew 8:28-34 is the shortest version, also Mark 5:1-20, and Luke 8:26-39) tells of a man who is possessed by many demons so that he is dangerous to the community, becoming “so fierce that no one could pass that way” (Matthew 8:28). When these evil spirits are about to be exorcised by Jesus they are “terrified to be without an abiding place” and request to be sent into the swine (Abingdon 1006). Jesus gives them permission and the possessed herd dashes into the nearby waters and drowns.

Does this mean that “the demoniacs mattered more to Jesus than the fate of the swine,” as some conclude (Keener 184)?

A: This story is not about weighing the value of lives.

The story of the swine of Gerasene is not a moral lesson about the value of pigs versus human beings. This story records the miraculous power of Jesus, making it clear that we are right to put our faith in him. Many New Testament narratives carry this critical message. For example, in Matthew 21:18-22, Jesus withers a fig tree and speaks of throwing mountains into the sea. People do not generally argue that these narratives speak to a lack of value for fig trees, mountains, or nature more generally.

These narratives are intended to reveal the power of God and the importance of faith in Jesus. Only those intent on defending a habit of eating pigs (who are not equally interested in defending a habit of withering trees or throwing mountains into the water) are likely to make such an argument regarding the swine of Gerasene. Nonetheless, the same is true in each case: These narratives are not about the value of creation, but about the power of God and the importance of placing our faith in Jesus.

Inquisitive, friendly pigs delight filmmaker Kelly Guerin of We Animals Media. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

2. This story is not about the value of life.

At the outset of the Book of Job, Satan and God talk. Job is noted as a servant of God, “blameless and upright” (1:8). Here, Satan speaks first:

Job 1:9-12

“Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord”

The next passages have important parallels in the story of the Swine of Gadarene:

Job 1: 13-22

One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.

As with the Swine of Gadarene, evil forces ask permission to do something that results in loss of life; in this case, human lives are among those lost. In the end, Job is given another set of offspring, and even more wealth, but the dead do not return to life on Earth. Regarding Job, people do not generally argue that these human beings die because they are of little, lesser, or no value: The narrative is not about the value of life, but about human ignorance in comparison with God, and the importance of humility and faith.

The lesson of Job is primarily this: It is not ours to question (let alone challenge) God, but to obey and worship, no matter what befalls us. The intent is not to devalue life but to highlight our place as living creatures, as humble supplicants. Similarly, the story of the Gadarene demoniac is not about the value of pigs but speaks to the miraculous powers of the Creator, making clear that we are right to put our faith in Jesus (Wedderburn 8).

It may seem difficult for some to understand why scriptures would hold a story where God allows Satan to kill Job’s family and Jesus allowed the demons to enter and destroy the pigs. However, it is easy to understand the core message of each of these stories, which is not that people or pigs do not matter, but that we ought to maintain unwavering faith.

In many ways, our blindness to the diverse perspectives on human and nonhuman animal value in the Bible is like the blindness of Job, who understandably but incorrectly let his situation determine the way he perceived God’s intent for creation. Like God’s speech from the whirlwind, the Bible beckons us to a broader and deeper understanding of nonhuman animals and greater humility about our place among them. (Nekeisha Alexis-Baker, “Doesn’t the Bible Say that Humans Are More Important than Animals?” 46)

Rescued piglet Patsy reaches up to eat fresh green leaves in dappled sunshine at Pigs In The Wood Sanctuary. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

3. The pigs’ presence is symbolic.

There is a convincing argument to be made that the Gospel story of the swine of Gerasene is “a coded political tale that grew out of anti-Roman sentiment,” and that the swine are not to be taken as pigs but as representing the occupying Roman army, and the dispatching of the pigs as driving out the unwelcome military force (Spalde and Strindlund 103). For the purposes of dietary choice and Christian ethics, there seems a more important point to be made. Recall that Christianity emerged from Jewish culture and that pigs were not kept, slaughtered, or consumed by observant Jews (because they have cloven hooves and are therefore “unclean,” forbidden as food in Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8) (Keener 282; also Douglas 69).

Deuteronomy 14:8

And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses.

The story of the swine of Gerasene is not about pigs or what we ought to eat, though the pigs are important to the intended message. The “presence of pigs” tells readers that Jesus was working either in a gentile community (Abingdon 1006; also Keener 282) or in a non-observant Jewish community. Importantly, the pigs relay the message that the ministry of Jesus extend beyond the Jewish community.

Rescued pig at Edgar's Mission Sanctuary. (Photos courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Summary, the Swine of Gerasene

When reading complicated scriptures, it is important to remember core ethics and primary themes. God is compassionate and merciful, and the creator lovingly caretakes all of creation. The Gospel story of the swine of Gerasene seems a complicated bible story, but in the larger context of scriptures and Christian ethics, the story is simple and beautiful: The swine are symbolic and they teach of faith in God and the Christian mission to minister to all people, which now includes vegans.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 2416) tells us that “Animals are God’s creatures. By their mere existence they bless Him and give Him glory. Thus men owe them kindness.” God created the earth and all that lives on it, and is calling human beings to cherish and care for all of this creation. (Catholic Concern for Animals, “About,” n.p.)

Internet star and ambassador for animals, Esther the Wonder Pig was adopted as a tiny piglet by a Toronto couple (Steve and Derek), who had been told she was a mini-pig. (Esther is in fact a commercially bred sow who now weighs nearly 700 pounds.) Coming to know and love Esther and learning about factory farming, Steve and Derek both went vegan—and founded the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary in Ontario, Canada. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Esther the Wonder Pig in her pool at Happily Ever Esther vegan sanctuary in Ontario, Canada.

Summary, the Swine of Gerasene

Conclusion

Four common arguments against choosing vegan frequently surface in Christianity. Counterpoint arguments show that, in light of scriptures and Christian ethics, these reasons are not valid—particularly in contemporary times. Christianity teaches such values and ethics as compassion, simplicity, service, and caretaking life and the planet. A vegan diet protects anymals, people, and the planet. Therefore, it is the plant-based diet that aligns with Christian ethics.

A plant-based diet honors God. It helps us become healthy, joyful, effective servants of God; and it avoids the animal cruelty, environmental damage, and human misery associated with factory farms. (Christian Vegetarian Association, “Joyful,” n.p.)

Maggie and Ted. (Photo courtesy of We Animals Media.)

Featured Sources

Kemmerer, Lisa. Animals and Christianity. (Amazon, 2022, http://lisakemmerer.com/publications.html.)

Kemmerer, Lisa. Vegan Ethics: Amore—Five Reasons to Choose Vegan. (KDP, 2022, http://lisakemmerer.com/publications.html)

Kemmerer, Lisa. Animals and World Religions (Chapters 5 and 6). (Oxford: Oxford UP), 2012.

Schwartz Richard H. Vegan Revolution: Saving Our World, Revitalizing Judaism. Appendix B (pages 153-162). NY: Lantern Publishing & Media, 2020.

Carter, Christopher. The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, And Food Justice. Champaign: U. of Illinois, 2021.

Kaufman, Stephen and Nathan Braun. Good News for All Creation: Vegetarianism as Christian Stewardship. Cleveland, OH: Vegetarian Advocates Press, 2004.

King, Sarah Withrow. Animals are not Ours: An Evangelical Animal Liberation Theology. Eugene: Cascade, 2016.

Webb, Stephen H. Good Eating. Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2001.

Young, Richard Alan. Is God a Vegetarian? Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights . Chicago: Open Court, 1999.