What kind of animals may we eat?

Don't eat animals. Be a vegan (or at least a vegetarian).

God originally told humans to eat only plants.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. Genesis 1:29

Proverbs tells us not to be among the "riotous eaters of flesh."

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh. Proverbs 23:20

Daniel refused to defile himself by eating the meat that the king fed him.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat. Daniel 1:8

And Paul said we shouldn't eat meat if it offends other people. (And God knows it offends those weak-minded vegetarians.)

It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Romans 14:21

Only certain kinds of animals may be eaten.

Don't eat animals that chew the cud or divide the hoof.

Nevertheless, these shall ye not eat, of them that chew the cud or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel and the hare, and the coney; for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore, they are unclean unto you. And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass. Deuteronomy 14:7-8

These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. Leviticus 11:2-4

Eat anything that moves.

After the flood, God changed his mind about what people should eat. Their vegan days were over; now they were to eat everything that moves. (Plants were no longer on the menu.)

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you. Genesis 9:3

Permission to eat all animals, clean and unclean, was also given in Deuteronomy.

Thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after ... the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart. Deuteronomy 12:15

Thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. ... Thou shalt kill .. and thou shalt eat ... whatsoever thy soul lusteth after ... The roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike. Deuteronomy 12:20-22

And a voice told Peter (via trance) to kill and eat every kind of four-footed beast, creeping thing, and bird.

Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. Acts 10:9-13

You'll know the end of the world is coming when you see lots of vegetarians (who eat the devil's food).

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils ... commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-3

Eat whatever you want. Nothing is unclean, so there's no need to wash it.

Jesus said we can eat whatever we want. It isn't what goes in to your mouth that defiles you, it's what comes out "into the draught" (the latrine).

And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. Mark 7:18-20, Matthew 15:11

Jesus told his disciples to eat whatever is set in front of them.

And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. Luke 10:8

And Paul said to eat whatever you find at the grocery store. It's all clean.

Whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat. 1 Corinthians 10:25

There is nothing unclean of itself. Romans 14:2

1 comment

Tim Freeman 5 months ago

I disagree with the interpretation here of things that come out of a man defiling him, third point from the end. Mark 7:21-23 says something that makes sense: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Matthew doesn't have a similar clarification, but he copied from Mark so he probably meant the same thing.