“When all ate of the meats of the Gentiles, he kept his soul and never was defiled with their meats.” (Tobit 1:12   Douay-Rheims Bible) 1. Background of the Book and the Man The Book of Tobit is one of the apocryphal books of the Bible. It dates to the 3rd or early 2nd century BC. It is a Jewish wisdom narrative set during the Assyrian exile, when Israelites were forcibly relocated to pagan cities after Assyria conquered northern Israel (8th c. BCE). Written for Jews living u

Intro.: Saint Seraphim of Sarov  (19 July 1754 – 14 Jan. 1833), born in Kursk, was a most revered Russian vegan monk. Between 1794 and 1819, he lived as a secluded hermit in the woods outside Sarov Monastery, during which he subsisted on vegetables he cultivated himself and formed gentle, trusting relationships with wild animals such as bears, rabbits, wolves, and foxes. A nun once saw the holy monk sitting beside a bear, stroking him and feeding him with bread. From 1825 onw

The story of Bathsheba’s first child (2 Samuel 12) will be examined from the perspective of Jesus, as reflected in his healing of the man born blind in John 9. It will be argued that Jesus explicitly rejects punitive theology and blood sacrifice. 1. The Shared Assumption (That Jesus Smashes) Both stories rest on the same ancient assumption that suffering exists because someone sinned, and God is exacting payment. Concerning 2 Samuel 12, it is assumed that David sins and the c

Introduction:  God did not “kill” Bathsheba’s innocent first child (2 Samuel 12) in order to punish King David and Bathsheba. Rather, the text reflects an ancient theological framework that wrongly attributes consequences of royal violence to God’s direct action. From a vegan theology perspective, this story exposes how human violence generates ripple effects that later theology falsely sacralises as divine punishment. God is not the killer here. David is; the royal system is

Jesus’s first deed after being baptized by John was not ministry amongst human beings, but triumphing over the partition between human and wild animals.  "At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. HE WAS WITH THE WILD ANIMALS, and angels attended him" (Mark 1:12-13). According to theologian Richard Bauckham's "(1994) Jesus and the Wild Animals (Mark 1:13): A Christological Image for an Ecological Age,

Within early Jewish-Christian theology, Jesus did not reform the sacrificial system but decisively replaced it through two bloodless rites. First, he instituted water baptism as a substitute for animal sacrifice in matters of purification and forgiveness, explicitly rejecting cleansing by “the blood of beasts” in favour of moral and spiritual purification:- “What was wanting in the Mosaic institutions should be supplied…He should warn them by the mercy of God to cease from sa

Executive Summary: 1. Animal Sacrifice as an Evil Cult In the OT, there are graphic descriptions of animal sacrificial rituals (e.g., Exodus 29:15-17; Lev. 1:9, 13, 7:3-4, 12-16; Num. 28:2-6; Ezekiel 44:7). God is depicted as demanding the internal organs, fat and blood of animals on a daily basis and as coveting the aroma of the burnt flesh. The whole thing sounds like an evil cult. 2. Five Prophets Opposed Animal Sacrifice Contrariwise, per the 5 great OT prophets (Amos, Is

When we help innocent creatures of God, life itself rises to help us. When we rescue animals from danger, the Lord will deliver us from evil. The more we pray for and bless animals abused by humans, the more blessed our own lives become. The more we speak out for animal rights, the more righteousness, harmony, and inner peace we encounter. The more we donate to animal sanctuaries and those who protect God’s creatures, the more abundance flows into our lives. Jesus understood

Jesus died for the sake of humans and animals, but not in place of humans. 1. Jesus Chose to Die Jesus took the initiative to die in order to align with God’s grand scheme (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42), to fulfil the prophecy of the Scriptures (Matt. 26:54), and to wake us up from our falsities (e.g., Matt. 23:27–28), our indifference, and our atrocities toward animals and humans, raising us to a level of love (e.g., “Blessed are the merciful” — Matt. 5:7; cf. 1 John 3:16), pur

St Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226) was renowned for his extraordinary compassion towards God’s innocent creatures. He addressed animals as his brothers and sisters, protected them from harm, and healed many of them (I:234–5). Animals, in turn, were often deeply attached to him, responding to him with devotion, gentleness, and even obedience (Bonaventure 1904:8.1, 8.6-11). However, because the medieval Church frequently accused strictly vegetarian or vegan groups—such as th

“Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die” (Proverbs 31:8). For sure, this applies to political dissidents imprisoned in dungeons, tortured, and organ-harvested by dictatorial regimes. Nonetheless, it also applies to animals crammed into small cages in dark factory farms, and throat-cut, scalded, cut open, and skinned alive in slaughterhouses and laboratories. These helpless, terrified creatures cannot speak for themselves. They have no

Halloween stands on the eve of All Saints’ Day, a time traditionally meant to honour holy men and women who lived lives of compassion, purity, and faithfulness to God. Yet, in the modern world, Halloween has become a celebration of the grotesque: images of death, violence, fear, and—most disturbingly—feasts of dead flesh displayed as entertainment. But the earliest Christian tradition offers a stark warning regarding such imagery and practice, especially when it concerns the

Summary: Many modern “animal-friendly” theologians—such as John Calvin, C. S. Lewis, Karl Barth, Stephen Webb, and David Clough—actually...

Many anti-vegan theologians, such as St Augustine ( The City of God ), Martin Luther ( Luther’s Works , 2:132), and Karl Barth ( Church...

Today, as the moon rises in her fullest splendour, families across East Asia gather to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節) — a time...

Dr. Jane Goodall (1934–2025), the celebrated British primatologist and vegan advocate for animal rights, passed away on 1 October 2025 at...

“For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or...

“The word of the Lord came to me: Woe to you shepherds… who only take care of yourselves!... You have ruled them harshly and...

Summary:  Many people who wear animal skins quote Genesis 3:21 — “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed...

The prophets Isaiah and Amos remind us that true devotion to God is not found in ritual fasting alone, but in dismantling injustice and...