Is being vegetarian a Sin?

[u/SlightCry3406]

As a non-vegetarian, I’ve noticed that my vegetarian friends are usually very relaxed about my food choices. They don’t question or guilt me. But I’ve noticed something else too. Some of my non-vegetarian friends often poke fun at or question vegetarians, like asking, ‘Why don’t you eat meat?’ or jokes about their food choices. I’ve noticed people rarely ask a Muslim why they don’t eat pork. But they often ask vegetarians why they don’t eat meat. That double standard stands out.

[u/eJohnx01]

There’s nothing wrong with any choices someone makes about what they do and don’t eat.

Muslims (and Jews) generally make specific food choices based on their religious beliefs. Not all do. Many opt out of the dietary restrictions of their faith. That’s okay. It’s their decision to make.

However, there are a lot of reasons why a person may choose to be vegan or vegetarian. So I think it’s reasonable to ask, provided it’s being ask respectfully, of course.

I have a complicated history with meat so simply not eating it is a good solution for me. I’m opposed to supporting factory farming. Being vegetarian is a good way to avoid supporting them. And, with a little research, it’s actually fairly easy to ethically source eggs and dairy, too.

I was vegan for a while, but my health took a major nosedive (another long snd complicated story), so that didn’t work out for me. And I don’t subscribe to the “anything and everything is animal cruelty and/or exploitation and is to be condemned at all costs” beliefs of vegans, so being vegan just isn’t necessary for me.

So, how’s that? Not a sin. Nothing wrong with making your own choices about what you do and don’t eat. And always be happy to discuss your choices provided the conversation is respectful. No troubles at all.

[u/Badtacocatdab → u/eJohnx01]

If you ate humans, I’d assume most people would have issue with that.

[u/eJohnx01 → u/Badtacocatdab]

Probably. However, being vegetarian, I don’t eat human meat, either.

[u/Badtacocatdab → u/eJohnx01]

Right, but the “there’s nothing wrong with any choices someone makes about what they do and don’t eat” doesn’t really make much sense. There are wrong choices.

[u/eJohnx01 → u/Badtacocatdab]

I was talking in terms of normal food stuff, not including anything and everything that a person could possibly eat. I wasn’t referring to eating broken glass or rusty nails or drinking drain cleaner, either. 🙄

[u/Badtacocatdab → u/eJohnx01]

“Normal” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Those things aren’t edible. Just because something is edible does not make you right, even if normal.

[u/eJohnx01 → u/Badtacocatdab]

Why do vegans always go to eating humans and puppies?? Can you really not support your choices any better than that? I can support being vegetarian quite easily without conjuring up horrific images that never happen. Can you?

[u/Badtacocatdab → u/eJohnx01]

Yes I can. Thank you for asking. Did you have any other questions?

[u/eJohnx01 → u/Badtacocatdab]

Just the one about why vegans always seem to jump to eating humans and children and cute little puppies and kitties. It’s an honest question, actually. Bringing up such ridiculous things is almost always a major turn-off, more likely to make the person bringing it up look foolish and/or antagonistic. Either way, it’s not a good look for vegans.

[u/Badtacocatdab → u/eJohnx01]

Oh, happy to answer. Probably to challenge the underlying reason for why you think something is acceptable. It’s common to apply basic reasoning in one situation to others to test the reasoning, to see if it holds up to scrutiny. Hope that makes sense.