Was Jesus a Vegetarian?

AI picture of Jesus

I watched the documentary Christspiracy by Kip Andersen and Kameron Waters this past weekend, and I wanted to share a little bit about the film and some of the questions it raised for me.

Kip Andersen is a well-known documentarian who creates films focused on animal welfare and raises concerns about the agricultural and dairy industries.

At the beginning of the documentary, we see Kip speaking to a group of people. Kameron Waters is in the audience and asks Kip, “Is there a spiritual way to kill an animal?” More specifically, he asks, “How would Jesus kill an animal?”

Kip explains that he isn't religious and isn't sure how to answer the question. After this interaction, the two begin working together to explore Kam's questions.

Kam identifies himself as a Christian who grew up in the Bible Belt. He is a passionate follower of Jesus, but he explains that he began separating himself from organized religion because of what he saw as hypocrisy surrounding the issue of eating meat.

Kip and Kam travel around the world, interviewing religious scholars and historians to explore whether Jesus was a vegetarian and whether there is an ethical way to kill animals for food.

One of the key points that comes up is the concept of dominion. Many religious interpretations suggest that God gave humanity dominion over the planet and the animals, implying that humans have authority and power over them.

However, Kip and Kam speak with religious scholars who argue that the word dominion has been mistranslated and is better understood as “stewardship” or “compassionate care.” If that interpretation is correct, then perhaps humanity's role isn't to own or dominate the planet and its animals, but to care for them.

Another fascinating point they explore is the meaning behind the term “Jesus of Nazareth.” The documentary explains that Nazareth is not a reference to a town where Jesus was from, but instead to the Nazarene movement, a group that opposed certain practices associated with the Temple during the Roman period.

According to the documentary, the Nazarenes were known for being righteous and for following strict teachings that included not killing animals or eating them. They did not participate in animal sacrifices because they interpreted the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” as applying to animals as well.

The film shares several historical references in support of this idea. For example, it quotes the Gospel of the Ebionites, saying that John the Baptist, who, evidently like Jesus maintained a strictly vegetarian cuisine. It also discusses accounts describing Matthew and Peter as vegetarians.

The documentary references the Nazarene tradition as well, stating that when they were asked why they did not eat meat, their response was essentially, Jesus taught us to be vegetarians. It also cites Epiphanius' Panarion saying, "The Nasaraeans considered it unlawful to eat meat or make sacrifices with it".

Another major point made in the film involves the event that ultimately led to Jesus' crucifixion: the incident commonly referred to as the “Cleansing of the Temple,” which took place at the Temple in Jerusalem. The traditional Christian interpretation is that Jesus became angry with the money changers and merchants in the Temple, overturned their tables, and called them thieves.

However, the priest interviewed in the documentary offers a different interpretation. He explains that Jesus may have been speaking out against a culture in which animals were being killed for religious sacrifice and profit. Jesus' anger was directed not simply at the money changers, but at the animal sacrifices taking place within the Temple.

This raises another question: Why did Jesus call these people “thieves” then? Kip and Kam then meet with a Hebrew biblical scholar to examine the original language of the text. According to the documentary, the Hebrew word used in the bible was parits, which she explains is translated as “violent one” or “murderer” rather than “thief.”

Of course, there are many ways to interpret the Bible, and perhaps Jesus was referring to them as both thieves and violent people. Maybe he was simply fed up with the corruption surrounding everything that was happening, including the killing of innocent animals. We certainly can't know for sure and of course, historical truth is based on perspective.

I'm not religious, and I don't feel particularly passionate about interpreting religious texts. I simply found this entire conversation in the documentary really interesting and wanted to share it. If you're curious about biblical texts and how they have been translated and interpreted over time, I definitely recommend watching the documentary and listening to what the biblical scholars have to say. I'm certainly not the right person to debate or dissect the religious and historical aspects of this topic, but I found the questions they raised fascinating.

Throughout the film, Kip and Kam interview people from different religious traditions and ask a simple but profound question: Is there an ethical way to kill an animal for food? As they explore Christianity, Buddhism, the Ten Commandments, the Yoga Yamas, and Islamic teachings, they find similar principles emphasizing the importance of not harming or killing others. But does that principle include animals?

When we sit down to eat a meal, how often do we think about the fact that we are eating an animal that once had a life of its own? Do we think about the person who had to look into that animal's eyes and slaughter it so that we could eat the meat?

Or do we distance ourselves from that reality because it is simply too painful or uncomfortable to think about?

Isn’t it ironic that on Christmas, a day where we celebrate Jesus, many are eating meat from factory farms and slaughterhouses. Most of us know what goes on at a factory farm and slaughterhouse and the way animals are treated. The agricultural business also makes trillions of dollars every year. Isn’t this the culture Jesus may have been rebelling against?

On my own spiritual journey over the last couple of years, I've come to believe that animals do, in fact, have souls. They are beautiful, loving, and caring beings. I believe they have their own experiences and purposes for being here, just as we do.

Yes, I believe animal souls know what they are agreeing to when they incarnate into physical form on planet Earth. But that raises another question for me: Does that make it right for us to slaughter them for food when we have the technology and resources to produce enough plant-based food to feed the people on our planet?

I realize these are difficult and potentially triggering questions. The food we eat is deeply connected to our belief systems and our upbringing. From childhood, we are taught by our parents, grandparents, governments, cultures, and societies what is considered normal, acceptable, right, and wrong.

And I also realize how challenging it can be to change your diet. I was an avid meat eater for most of my life. It was only within the last couple of years that I gave up beef, although I continued to eat chicken, dairy, and fish. More recently, I've started questioning whether I want to continue eating chicken, dairy, and fish as well.

I'm taking this slowly. I'm not trying to completely change my diet overnight. Instead, I'm experimenting with cooking more vegetarian meals for myself and potentially for my kids and seeing how that feels.

I'm also not sharing this blog post to guilt or shame anyone for what they eat. Eating meat and dairy is deeply ingrained in our society, our culture, and our belief systems, so I understand that changing those habits can be a daunting step.

I'm simply sharing some of the things I've been thinking about lately as I continue to question the world around me, the beliefs I've inherited, and the society we live in.

I think this is an important part of the spiritual journey: being willing to question the things we have been taught by the people and institutions around us, rather than simply accepting them as truth. As we become more spiritually aware, we can begin to look within, trust our intuition, and pay attention to what truly feels right to us—and what doesn’t.

The documentary is available to watch for free on the Christspiracy website. It was originally intended to be released on Netflix, along with Kip's other documentaries. However, Netflix wanted Kip and Kam to remove certain parts of the film, and they ultimately refused. As a result, the filmmakers decided to make the documentary available to watch for free on their website instead.