By Rogan Ferguson
God prefers vegetarianism to meat eating. It is as simple as that, and it is stated no clearer than in the Doctrine and Covenants section 89, the Word of Wisdom.
Don't get me wrong. Neither I nor God 'Forbidith to abstain from meats,' (D&C 49:18), nor do we place animal life on par with human life. Indeed, the scripture most often quoted by meat eaters, D&C 89:12, assures that your life and mine rank higher than Fido's. It reads, 'Yeah, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly'.
Of course everyone has their own definition of 'sparingly,' as evidenced by the fact that Utah has one of the highest red meat consumption levels per capita in the United States. But even this warning does not express God's desire as well as the next verse, D&C 89:13, which states with no equivocation, 'And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.' (italics added for emphasis).
However, don't think that just because the weather is getting nippy we should throw another hog on the fire!
In 1833, the year Joseph Smith received the Word of Wisdom, winter was a time when the vegetables from the harvest would not last the entire season without being supplemented with meat. His inclusion of famine with winter and cold emphasizes that God is talking about times when crops are not plentiful, rather than when the weather takes a turn for the worse.
In the present, grocery stores provide a plentiful supply of vegetables all year, thus eliminating the need experienced in 1833 to eat meat during the winter. To paraphrase, God says that while animals have been ordained for the use of man, it is pleasing unto God that they NOT be eaten, except under extremely dire circumstances.
Will eating Big Macs keep a person from attaining Celestial glory? Probably not. Is it pleasing unto God to abstain from eating Big Macs? Most certainly.
We live in a time when we have the privilege NOT to eat meat. This probably won't always be the case -- if a major famine wipes out crops in America, I will be one of the first to hunt animals to sustain my family. Until that day I will enjoy the privilege of vegetarianism.
Of course there are many other reasons for being a vegetarian. Vegetarianism promotes health, as herbivore humans live between five and ten years longer than omnivore humans. Vegetarianism protects the environment (cutting trees to create grazing land is one of the main causes of rainforest depletion). Vegetarianism fights starvation (it takes 16 pounds of grain fit for human consumption to create one pound of beef ... imagine sending all of that food to third world countries instead of blowing it on a night at Carver's).
Vegetarianism helps family finance (it is no mystery that vegetables are by far less expensive than meat). Vegetarianism promotes nonviolence, and a deep respect for life (the unnecessary slaughter of animals equates to unnecessary violence).
While all of these points could easily be expanded into separate articles, they are all secondary issues. Ultimately we should choose vegetarianism because we want to do that which is pleasing unto God.
The holidays are nearly upon us. What a wonderful time to make a new resolution, or to recommit ourselves to an ideal that makes God smile. This December, when we sit down for the holiday feast, let's choose life -- let's choose vegetarianism and let the spirit of the season be a time of thanksgiving for all of God's creatures.