Jesus Was NOT a Vegan

Let's stop using the poor guy to defend our own pet positions

© Courtney Perry

Before we begin today, just a friendly reminder that my book comes out in less than two weeks. You can grab a copy at GodOfWildPlaces.com. Thanks for your support!

There’s a new movie coming out, and its creators are trying to gin up some publicity, which seems to be working. The film is called Christspiracy: The Spirituality Secret, and the premise is pretty clear: Jesus was a vegetarian, so we should be, too.

As the Religion News Service article explains,

The forthcoming documentary that suggests Jesus and many of his early followers opposed the killing and eating of animals. This bombshell truth, the filmmakers argue, is part of “the biggest coverup in the last 2,000 years.”

What the filmdudes do is start with a conclusion, then they back their way into it by finding evidence that supports that pre-determined conclusion. For instance, they rely exclusively on little-known Bible scholars who happen to agree with them, and they completely ignore the vast majority of scholars who do not.

They hinge their belief in Jesus’ veganism on his overturning of the tables in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem. This was, no doubt, the pivotal event that got Jesus killed, so it’s rife with meaning. But these guys are not the first to interpret Jesus’ actions as those of an animal liberationist.

For a couple years, I taught a class at a local state university called, “Introduction to the New Testament.” The first half of the semester was taken up with the historical, religious, and literary context of first century Palestine and the Gospels, and the second half of the semester was concerned with Acts, the letters of Paul, and the balance of the New Testament writings. Just before the midterm, having looked at all four Gospels, we spent one class session considering the “quest for the historical Jesus” — who was Jesus, really, and how much can we confidently say about him? I was always looking for examples of how the Bible and Jesus are used as if they’re floating signifiers, and one year, two examples fell right into my lap.