Linus was correct!

   Throughout my entire youth, I knew little about Jesus.  Sadly, there were only two witnesses to me which I recall about the identity of Jesus.  One of the two came from a character I was familiar with whose name is Linus.  Watching all of the Peanuts holiday shows from our television was an annual event in my childhood household.  One year when watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, where Charlie Brown and the entire group were involved in presenting a Christmas play, the monologue by Linus contained a message that resounded in my heart.
   Thanks to the Scripture from Luke 2:8-11 which was presented in the beloved cartoon, I learned of the proclamation of the good news that a Savior has been born.  I did not know what the Savior could save me from.  And I did not know how to receive the great joy that had been proclaimed.  Yet I did learn that God had made some glorious opportunity available.
   And now I answer those questions which were unknown by me for many years.  First: Why do we need a Savior?  Because God, the giver and sustainer of life, is Holy; perfectly good and loving.  Being Holy, He maintains a loving union with those who are made holy.  For us who have done anything wrong, which always interferes with a truly loving relationship, we need forgiveness, and we need to be enabled to enter an everlasting loving friendship with Him, which means we need to be enabled to be truly loving.
   Before I received Jesus as my Savior, I normally did not consider myself a person in need of a Savior, though there were windows of time when I sensed such a need, such as when I listened to Linus, and during a rough time in high school.  I rarely got into trouble in school, and I was Captain of the Safety Patrols, even earning an award for being the second best Safety Patrol in all of Fairfax County for the 1978 to 1979 school year.  Many people often wrote in my yearbook that I was a "nice" guy, and I earned the rank of Eagle in Boy Scouts with all three Palms.  At Virginia Tech, I was a Resident Advisor, and I received many compliments for that job which was done into my sophomore year, and then throughout my junior and senior year.  In my youth, I was only in a few fights, I only stole one library book, and once I stole a dollar (which I returned years later, after I became a Christian).  I rarely lied, and I only kissed two young ladies, one of whom was a Fairfax County police officer.  (A group of counselors and officers were playing a game when I was a counselor at the superb Fairfax County Patrol camp.)
   However, I easily recognize now that I had anger and lust in my heart which was ever increasing.  As a result, I increasingly did things that hurt myself, other people, and which interfered in developing a relationship with God.  Truly loving is not about being more caring than a bunch of other people, rather it is about being like Jesus.  Anything short of His love results in spiritual death, because eternal life requires true love.
   And secondly: How can a person receive the Savior?  By believing in Jesus (see John 11:25-26).  Jesus, the Messiah, the Hebrew word for Christ, died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone.  Jesus spiritually died as the substitute for the consequence of wrong doings.  Jesus was the atoning sacrifice!  And then?  Jesus was resurrected.  If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life.
   Do realize that if you truly believe in Jesus, you will even be changed.  I have written in my journal many times; "The perfection process is a painful process, but the perfection process leads to goodness."  That change involves a lifetime sanctification process for a follower of Jesus.  Yet God will be there to rely on.
   I now believe with all of my heart that Linus was right: a Savior has been born.  You can believe in Him right here and now.

   Merry Christmas, and I hope this season is truly blessed for you.  Jesus loves you.
love, Hunter

Peanuts, Linus, and Charlie Brown are all trademarks under the copyright of PEANUTS Worldwide LLC.

To God be the glory, I graduated from Colorado Christian University!!

Today I graduated from Colorado Christian University!  I now have a second B.A. in Youth Ministry, and I give thanks to God!

   Boy, in this world, going for dreams requires much sacrifice, yet being obedient to God, going by His loving guidance, encouragement, and help, results in goodness.

   This accomplishment is a dream come true!
   CCU is a great university, and graduating summa cum laude is due to God enabling me to persevere during the smooth times as well as the rough times.  I have a passion for learning about God, and I went all out in my studies at CCU!  I gave it my all!  In four and a half years as a part-time student, I think I only missed 3 classes, though it may have been four.  Giving it my all, I could not go another semester, yet on the flip side, I feel totally ready to teach Bible.  I only was able to do what I did because of God.

   It has been one of the best and most unique things I have done.  Many may wonder why I would go for a second B.A. rather than go to seminary considering that my B.A. and grades at Virginia Tech could have gotten me into most seminaries in the U.S.  My answer is, "Do you want the long story or the short story?"  The short story is that CCU is where I wanted to go, thanks to my mentor Dr. David Beckman.  Then I had God's unique affirmation, the primary time being, of all places, during my lunch period at my part-time job.  The other time was when I was frustrated once during the second semester of my first year, and standing in a corner of my room praying.  If God encourages you to do something, I have learned to do it even if it seems a little crazy.  I know I had God's blessing by studying at CCU!

   CCU is academically challenging.  In the course of my studies over four and a half years, I wrote 187 pages worth of papers, not counting bibliography pages and cover pages obviously.  There were countless sacrifices.  For Thanksgiving my first year, after three days of distributing flyers in a Denver neighborhood that week to make some needed money, I spent the bulk of Thanksgiving Day working on a history paper.  (Or that may have been my second year, and the work was on a Western Civilization paper.  I was really tired when I wrote this, and I do not remember now.)  Then there was my birthday which is always near final exam time.  My first year, I spent much of my birthday working on a fifteen page paper for my Biblical Interpretation class.

   Colorado Christian University is a special school, an inter-denominational university, which is rare for an evangelical university.  In retrospect, how incredible there are students and professors from a vast variety of denominations and doctrinal convictions, all learning together at the same college.  Being inter-denominational obviously has it challenges.  Student and professor convictions were across the spectrum.  For example, one professor, who I like, who is no longer teaching undergrad at CCU, taught that the Biblical book of Jonah is fictional, (the only such book of the Bible), meant to be a biblical parable.  That is one example of some of the variety of teaching you have at CCU.  I add that I spoke up with my reason as to why Jonah is not a fictional book.

   I had some disagreements with some of the professors over the course of my time there, but the key about CCU is that almost all professors allow all students in class to give his or her opinion.  I think this is an enriching forum for good inter-denominational teaching, more so, that is an enriching forum for education.  To allow open discussion fosters learning for those who genuinely seek the truth.
   I have heard of Christian colleges and seminaries where students are not permitted to discuss disagreements in class.  I would never recommend such colleges, since there is a difference between preaching and teaching.  Teaching needs to involve discussion, and there needs to be the acceptance, even by professors, that not everyone is going to agree.  The "open" method at CCU, the fact that CCU is overall an evangelical university, and the fact that CCU has many extremely special people as a part of that family, is a reason I am a supporter of CCU!

   (I add here, after writing and posting this on a day where I was extremely tired, that I look back on my time at CCU and realize that I gained a great education.  Granted much of that was because I was engaged in the entire learning process.  Yet it was also due to some extraordinary classes.

   My favorite class was my New Testament survey class, yet there were so many other quality classes.  And the biggest surprise: I think the class of which I benefited the most from the teaching was "Research Writing" taught by Dr. Windy Petrie.  Looking back, my writing has been vastly improved by some simple basic lessons taught by Dr. Petrie at the beginning of that semester.)

   And the outstanding moral standards exemplified at CCU are not for the sake of showing off.  CCU moral standards are about living a life that is good, resulting in more and more love poured out for God and for other people.  Sin blocks love.  Living God's way results living by true love.  We people at CCU are human, yet the advocation at CCU of living by the teachings of Jesus are embraced, and the love of God is flowing at CCU.

   I love students at CCU!  I thank Jesus for enabling me to be a loving big brother-in-Christ with numerous students, the most important thing for me at CCU.

   Seriously, this was one hope of mine as I planned to be a new student, though old student, at CCU: I wanted to be a supportive big brother-in-Christ to at least one student in some special way.  I was, in unique ways, to several students.  It was God who put me in a special position to be a big brother!

   Even on the second day of classes, there was a freshman who was perplexed about something discussed in a class, maybe even disturbed.  I had the opportunity to comfort her with an explanation and encourage her.  That would be the first of many opportunities to assist my fellow students as someone who has followed Jesus for over twenty years by His mercy and grace.

   One huge blessing at CCU was my job in the CCU library for three years and four months.  I liked working in the library in a big way, because I liked helping students, and I liked seeing the oodles of cool Biblical books we have.  Granted I have my weaknesses.  On my first day on the job at the library, I was told to quiet down.  For those of you who know me, I am not a quiet person.  I honestly have trouble lowering my voice.  Fortunately I got quieter with time, since I was getting older with time.  I also socialized a bit too much, yet on the whole, I worked darn hard in that job, and I miss serving students already.  And I am thankful to the Director of the CCU Library, Gayle, who gave me a huge compliment at our Christmas party, saying I was the pinnacle of giving service to students.  Also the going away gift, a CCU blanket, is great and useful.
   Then there was my tutoring job.  The privilege of tutoring students for New Testament and Old Testament general education classes for one year was one of the most blessed activities of my life.  I only did it for one year, since I could not give my all to my course work and to the tutoring.  Yet it was an incredible CCU experience.  Supporting students in a manner which fit my passion was awesome, and I thank each student who worked with me to learn more about the Bible.

   I have worked a number of jobs in my life, and they all have one thing in common: they were short term.  I am thankful God opened the door, and helped me all along, so that I am now a graduate of Colorado Christian University.  This positions me for a career.  The difference between a job and a career is that a career is long term.  And a career needs to fit you in some unique way in order to be fulfilling.  And I am thankful that because of my calling from Jesus, my career is rooted in a calling, which is possible for all followers of Jesus.

   There were challenges being an older student at CCU that I would never have imagined.  And being 41 when I started at CCU, it was a social challenge simply being back in college.  Yet God used the unique circumstance for good, and I learned much about even my own flaws and the need to improve.  And having the dream of doing vocational ministry work, and the dream of being married one day, I have confidence that my CCU education will contribute to both of those dreams, even after such a long wait.

   And then there is a statistic I will never forget.  In four and a half years at CCU, I went on one date.  Good thing it was a nice date.  It did not go romantic between us; there was not even a second date, but she is still a dear friend.  I am thankful for a compliment she gave me at a later time, which was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me.  She is a special woman.  I will not embarrass her by giving her name, but she can smash a volleyball.

  I have to add I think it is great so many students get engaged at CCU.  When I was in college the first time, I never knew anyone to get engaged before graduation.  To see so many students at CCU who are mature enough and godly enough to get married at what I consider such a young age was encouraging to me.

   I want to thank every single person who supported me on this challenging journey!  I give a special thanks to those who supported me all along, and I was thankful I took the opportunity to personally name them in my Christmas letter.  And I am grateful to those who came last night to the graduation banquet: my mom, sister Holly, Becky, and Dave.

   Today after my last final exam, I went out to the edge of the duck pond and cried!  Then I gave God the glory for enabling me to flourish at CCU.  Then I knelt and prayed.

   After my time beside the duck pond, I went to the classroom where I had my second class at CCU, starting on Monday morning, August 25, 2008.  (Ironically, that class my first semester, New Testament Introduction, was my favorite class of my entire time at CCU, though I had a number of other incredible classes.)  I sat in the exact chair where I sat for the whole semester.  Then going to the class where I had my first class at 8:00 am that same Monday morning, a great history class, I sat down in my same seat and said the Lord's Prayer.  It was an incredible time of acknowledging the finish.

   For my success at Colorado Christian University, I say, "To God be the glory!!!"

Hunter

[Picture from the fantastic spring CCU graduation, which I attended, after having graduated mid-year!  A happy alumnus!!]

Please note: I edited this piece on two different occasions after posting it.  I was so tired out that Thursday evening, I do not know how I even was able to write this.  It shows how excited I was.

   Back to how exhausted I was, the mid-semester graduation banquet was Wednesday the 19th.  Then Thursday the 20th, I had my last final exam.  Though drained, against all odds, I aced it.  Quite rare.

   Honestly, looking back, succeeding at CCU was against all odds for me, and I remain thankful for God's help!

I add the link to my new beloved second Alma mater.
www.ccu.edu

Why do many Hindus refrain from eating meat, yet many Christians do not?

   Below is my last paper, the last of many, done for course work here at CCU.

   Note the original paper was done using the CMS citation, but I had to do MLA for this posting because there were technical issues with the 29 footnotes.

COLORADO CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

SUPPORTING BELIEFS FOR VEGETARIAN OR MEAT EATING DIET PRACTICES

IN HINDUISM AND CHRISTIANITY

SUBMITTED TO DR. RYAN MURPHY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

PHL 315 - WORLDVIEWS

BY

HUNTER IRVINE

12/12/12

   Vegetarianism is common among people who engage the Hindu faith. Vegetarianism is not prevalent among Christians, yet I am a Christian, and I rarely eat meat.  Primarily a pescatarian, someone who eats only fish meat, I committed to this diet back in 2007.  A vegetarian connection between many people of the Hindu faith and myself is the reason I chose this topic. First, in order to give context for my subject, I will examine the diet ordained by Hindu conviction, past and present, and then examine the diet ordained by Christian conviction, past and present. Secondly, I will argue my thesis: the worldview of what is sacred for Hindus influences their diet conviction; likewise the worldview of what is sacred for Christians influences their diet conviction.

   What was the ordained diet practice of Hindu people back in ancient times? Arguing my thesis will involve the two different worldviews of sacredness. Sacredness is “That which is ultimate, either of a spiritual or secular nature, and which orders reality for believers” (Young 425). In leading to my argument, how appropriate to take into account the claim by both Hinduism and Christianity that they rely on what are deemed sacred texts for God’s wisdom or revelations. “The Hindu traditions have a multiplicity of sacred texts in Sanskrit and regional languages” (Coogan 42). The oldest writings which Hindus claim are scriptures, sacred writings, are the Vedas, texts put into writing around 1500 B.C. “Their origins are ambiguous and a matter of great controversy as some scholars attribute them to the Indus-Valley civilization and others to the Indo-European ‘Aryans’…” states Deepak Sarma, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University (Sarma 5). Whatever their origin, many Hindus consider them sacred, and some consider the Vedas to be “…trans-human, that is, not authored by human beings” (Coogan 42).

   There is a debate concerning the diet practices of ancient Hindus. According to Professor Constance Jones and Dr. James Ryan, most scholars claim that Hindus did not embrace vegetarianism until as late as the 6th century as a result of the influence of the Jains and the Buddha (Jones and Ryan 485). They claim the Vedas show people eating meat, including beef (Jones and Ryan 283). On the other side of the debate are scholars such as prolific Vaishnava author Steven J. Rosen {Satyaraj Das}. A Jewish man who converted to Vaishnava Hinduism in 1972, Rosen served as the “editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies, an academic quarterly that is esteemed and supported internationally by scholars in the field” (Berry 92). “As a measure of the high esteem in which he is held by Indian scholars, his works have been issued by three of India’s prominent publishers…” (Berry 91). Rosen claims Hindus were vegetarians from the start, quoting from Hindu sacred texts which support animal protection. For example, Rosen quotes Yajur Veda, 12.32: “One should not use their God-given body for killing God’s creatures, whether these creatures are human, animal or whatever” (Rosen 182).

   However, one fact is admitted by scholars on both sides of the fence: the Vedas sanctioned the eating of meat which was sacrificed to the "gods." An example of this meat eating is found in a section of the Vedas which concerns sacrificing a horse to the ‘gods.’ “The Invoker, the officiating priest, the atoner, the fire-kindler, the holder of the pressing-stones, the reciter, the priest who prays – fill your bellies with this well-prepared, well-sacrificed sacrifice” (Sarma 13). This passage in the Vedas clearly sanctioned eating meat as part of a ritual sacrifice to the gods, and the passage is so elaborate, it almost seems like such activity was being encouraged.

   This grand exception for eating meat balanced with a prohibition of eating meat is reflected in a later Hindu text called Manavadharmasatra, which is commonly termed The Law Code of Manu. This dharma (duty or righteousness) text is more of an ethical text than sacred text. It reflects the dichotomy between abstaining from meat and indulging if meat is properly consecrated to the gods. However, it also reflects some contradiction, since Chapter 5, verse 55 states: “There is no fault in eating meat, in drinking liquor, or in having sex; that is the natural activity of creatures. Abstaining from such activity, however, brings great rewards” (Sarma 250). This seems to go against an earlier statement in the Manu that “killing living beings is an impediment to heaven” (Sarma 250).

   Currently, what is the stance within the Hindu community concerning a vegetarian diet? Steven Rosen argues that vegetarianism prevails in the Hindu culture, with 80 percent of Hindus in India being vegetarians or quasivegetarians. “As evidence, one need merely observe how meat-oriented restaurants in India advertise to their vegetarian clientele—with a sign in the window saying, ‘nonvegetarian.’ In the West, where meat eating is more common, it’s just the opposite” (Rosen 182). One catch here is that “quasivegetarian” could even just mean abstaining from meat on Hindu sacred days. A concise summary statement comes from Professor Jones and Dr. Ryan regarding the influence of Hindus who advocate vegetarianism: “Vegetarianism is highly valued in Indian culture” (Jones and Ryan 485). So even if some Hindus eat at McDonald’s restaurants, which have been in India for years, the Hindu faith still has such an influence as to cause that giant corporation at one time to substitute cow meat with water buffalo in certain towns (Jones and Ryan 283). And one clear fact of vegetarianism for Hindus is that Orthodox Brahmins embrace a vegetarian diet.

   The same two questions must be addressed for Christians. First, what was their diet practice in ancient times? The Bible is the single sacred authoritative text for many Christians, and to a degree diet is shown or discussed in the Scriptures. Controversy does loom since a minority, like myself, advocate that God created people as vegetarians, and that people remained vegetarians until after the Flood. This is supported by the statement to earliest humanity, “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food’” (Genesis 1:29 NIV). There is no mention of God ordaining animal flesh to be eaten by people, and there is no record of meat being eaten by humans until after the Flood. There was an offering to God by Abel of “fat portions” from the flocks. If people were not eating meat at that time, there was some killing of animals in sacrifice to God. But many Christians interpret Genesis to allow for humans eating meat from the start.

   Second, what is the current diet practice of Christians? After Noah and his family survived the Flood, God said to Noah and his sons, “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything” (Genesis 9: 3 NIV). A vast majority of Christians are in agreement that at this juncture, God ordained eating meat as permissible for human beings. There may be a small minority of Christians who are not in agreement with this.

   The question, “What is sacred?” is our seventh worldview question which we have pondered all semester for various faiths. In examining this question, a point of agreement between Hindus and Christians is that both religions see a Supreme Being as sacred. Yet a point of disagreement is that Hinduism sees sacredness in all living things, since Brahman indwells all living things, whereas Christians see goodness in all created things, which were all created by God, but do not acknowledge them as sacred. Christians do recognize humans as created in the image of God, yet we were created as individual beings. With context presented, I now argue that the worldview regarding what is sacred directly influences both Hindus and Christians concerning their diet.

   Hindus say that Brahman (or another deity such as Vishnu), and the life he has created is sacred! The ancient practice of animal sacrifice diminished, possibly due the teaching of the Buddha, and the focus shifted to Brahman dwelling in all living beings. This strong view of what is sacred influences the Hindu honor for vegetarianism.

   Classified within the Vedas are the Upanishads, which were written by different authors from the seventh to third centuries B.C. (Sarma 24). I find there to be contradictions in these texts regarding the Brahman. For example, there are statements like: “This is brahman’s super-creation. It is a super creation because he created the gods, who are superior to him, and, being a mortal himself, he created the immortals” (Sarma 31). This contradicts with statements that deem Brahman as “Immortal,” and is in contradiction with passages such as Chapter 3, verse 7 of the Svetasvatara Upanisad, which states: “Who is higher than that, higher than brahman, the immense one hidden in all beings, in each according to its kind, and who alone encompasses the whole universe…” (Sarma 60). Yet overall, the texts portray Brahman as the One due reverence, and the One who is everything.

   As I stated, animal sacrifice played a prominent role in the ancient Vedas. Professor Sarma understands the Upanishads to have promoted the shift away from such acts, and he states: “The Upanisads [different spelling] were largely concerned with the internalization of the sacrifice and with laying the foundations for the theological system that was to supplant the ritual world of the Vedas” (Sarma 24). Thus we have a shift away from ancient sacred text advocating animal sacrifice, which included people getting to partake of the meat, to a new focus on spiritual teachings. And a central teaching concerns Brahman, who is overall acknowledged as “Immortal,” and “pure Spirit.” And the dwelling place of Brahman? “As fire, though one, takes new forms in all things that burn, the Spirit, though one, takes new forms in all things that live. He is within all, and is also outside” (Mascaro 64). In scholarship terms, this is termed pantheism – “The belief that all reality is infused with God” (Young 424). “…Brahman is all” (Mascaro 79).

   Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata, the epic Hindu tale, which is extremely popular among Hindus. In the Eighteenth Teaching, verse 61, Lord Krishna states to Arjuna, “Arjuna, the lord resides in the heart of all creatures, making them reel magically, as if a machine moved them” (Sarma 140). Here is a sacred story that emphasizes the teaching that creatures are indwelled by deity. And we have read Huston Smith all semester, and he stated, “This infinite center of every life, this hidden self or Atman, is no less than Brahman, the Godhead” (Smith 21).

   So if Hindus believe Brahman is in you, me, animals, and even plants, I argue a natural result is a worldview which adheres to a reverence for all living creatures. I support this argument by giving examples of how two vegetarian Hindus utterly adhere to this doctrine that all creatures are a dwelling place of God. Mahatma Gandhi was a famous religious leader who is known worldwide and still revered by many of people. Gandhi was a Hindu, and he was a devout vegetarian. What was his basis for such a diet practice? Gandhi once said, “The only basis for having a vegetarian society and proclaiming a vegetarian principle is, and must be, a moral one” (Roberts XV). And Gandhi had morals from his Hindu faith, and such faith influenced him to believe and proclaim, “All embodied life is in reality an incarnation of God” (Roberts 15). This is a conviction with broad ramifications, as Gandhi is saying that every form of life is God in flesh.

   Steven Rosen is an avid vegetarian, and he dedicated one of his books to the person who taught him this Hindu belief. “To His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who taught me to see God in every living creature” (Rosen xi). If you give reverence to God, and if you believe God is in every creature, then you are going to give reverence to every creature. And reverence to creatures indwelled with God involves abstaining from violence against such creatures. Non-violence against all living things is precisely what Gandhi advocated to the world, and what Steven Rosen advocates so strongly.

   One contradiction I saw immediately with this worldview on the practice of vegetarianism was the logic that if God is even in plants, then how could a person justify eating a plant any more than an animal. I add that beside thinking Brahman is in every living thing, Hindus also believe that people are reincarnated. If a person digresses in the reincarnation process, he or she can even become a plant. The Katha Upanishad states, “The soul may go to the womb of a mother and thus obtain a new body. It even may go into trees or plants, according to its previous wisdom and work” (Mascaro 64). The only suggestive answer Hinduism gives is that even though there seems to be no hierarchy within Brahman in his complete form, there is hierarchy of things assigned in this world, even a hierarchy of human beings. As part of that hierarchy, plants were meant for food, but flesh was not. Yet I add that a Hindu is even supposed to respect the plant world, and not be reckless with them. So I adamantly argue that Hinduism favors vegetarianism because they believe Brahman is sacred, and they believe Brahman is in all living beings. Thus all living things have a sense of sacredness, and abstaining from killing animals is important.

   Likewise with Christianity, beliefs regarding the sacred influence diet. God, a Supreme Being, is sacred. A term used often for God in the Christian Scriptures is that God is Holy. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8 NIV). We also find in the Hebrew Scriptures, which Christians include as part of Scriptures on the whole: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3 NIV). This indicates the sacredness attributed to God. This belief by Christians has a point of agreement with Hinduism.

   Yet there is a serious point of disagreement with Christianity compared to Hinduism! Christians affirm that God’s creation is good. “God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25 NIV). Before I go any further, note the word “livestock.” I do not know Moses’ intention with this word, but before the Flood, there was livestock, and they were not necessarily being butchered by people. Livestock was imperative from the start since cows give milk, chickens give eggs, and sheep give wool.

   So God’s creation was good, yet Christians believe that God is separate from His creation, what is termed transcendent. Different to the view of Gandhi expressed in the quote I gave, Christians believe the sole incarnation of God has been when Jesus became a human being, a Person who was fully God and also fully man. Jesus is the Incarnate.

   And only human beings, and no other aspect of God’s creation in this world were or are made in the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 NIV). God is transcendent, separate from His creation, and creation is not sacred, not even living creatures. Christians proclaim people can be united with God, who is sacred. Humans are not one with God or eternal by nature. Yet humans are loved by God, and can be united with God if they believe in Jesus, because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross as He atoned for the wrong doings of all human beings. For a person who believes in Jesus, she or he is united with the Sacred One.

   Thus the worldview of Christians is that only the triune God is sacred, and there is potential for people to be united with that sacredness. Since neither animals nor plants are sacred, the fact that many Christians eat meat fits their worldview. And that worldview is supported by their sacred writings, which are clear concerning the fact that God has allowed people to eat meat ever since the post-Flood period.

   Being a vegetarian Christian, I would be quick to engage a Hindu on this topic of conversation, since I would have some common ground with the person. I would emphasize my admiration of the Hindu concern for living creatures, stating that Christians should share that concern since God does. And I would express my Biblical conviction is that God originally created a world where no one was permitted to eat meat. But then I would further explain that Christians have their hope in only one incarnation, and that is the Incarnation of Jesus. Then I would shift to the fact that ancient Hindus carried out animal sacrifices. Though not highlighted, near the conclusion of the passage on horse sacrifice in the Vedas, there is the statement: “Let Aditi make us free from sin” (Sarma 14). There was purpose God had for asking for animal sacrifice in the ancient world. We people have done what is wrong in the eyes of a sacred God, and the result is physical and spiritual death. In order for there to be forgiveness, the just demand was sacrifice. Yet praise be to God, animal sacrifices no longer need to be made. Jesus, who is Divine, and who became incarnate, has made the all-encompassing sacrifice, once for all! He died as a substitute for people, thus those who believe in Him and receive Him will have eternal life.

   In conclusion, Hindus believe Brahman is sacred, and the religious belief that Brahman is in all living things has delegated a sense of sacredness to all living things, which has strongly influenced the Hindu conviction that vegetarianism is an honorable practice. The Christian belief is that God is sacred, and that Jesus, God the Son, became incarnate here in this world to save people, who were made in His image, from the results of our wrongdoing. He will one day create a new heaven and a new earth where there will be no more death, even of animals. Yet God created plants and animals as separate from Himself, and not sacred, thus Christian conviction is that both plants and animals can be eaten at this time as food.

Hunter Irvine

Colorado Christian University 12/12/12

http://hunter-ntintro.blogspot.com/2012/12/why-do-many-hindus-refrain-from-eating.html  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berry, Rynn. Food for the Gods:

    Vegetarianism and the World’s Religions.

    New York: Pythagorean Publishers, 1998.

Coogan, Michael D., ed. Eastern Religions.

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    Non-violence, Non-abundance and Merciful 

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Does God heal?

One day this past week, I was taking a super walk in one of my favorite parks on a day that was extremely warm for a December day in Colorado.  Walking along a forest path, I suddenly saw a small group of runners coming toward me.  I quickly deduced they were the cross country team from the nearby high school.  They were all students except for one adult who was probably the coach.  I only watched as they ran by, but what I had the urge to do was talk with them.  Deep down I even wanted to yell out, "How's my friend?!"  That is because in my former church where I did youth ministry work, one of the students who worships in that church has two brain tumors.  And she use to run cross country for that high school.  I continued walking and thinking about my former church until I got to a point where I was ready to turn around and start walking back to my car.  Before continuing on, I got my water bottle out of my daypack and was guzzling water.  Then I saw the runners and the coach again on a distant parallel path as they ran back the other way back towards the high school.  Yet a detail I noticed was that there was one student missing from the group, and I figured it was the same one who was tailing a bit behind when they had passed me earlier.  I waited to see if she would come along.  A little while later, I saw her in the distance.  She was running at a steady pace, but she had really slowed down.  I wondered if she felt alone, being so far behind her coach and teammates.  I prayed for her.
Then I again thought of my friend with the two brain tumors.  I realized there was only one thing I could do for her, and that was to pray.  Yet does praying really help anything?  I have known people who sincerely prayed for an individual who was extremely ill, and yet they died anyway.  First, when you pray for yourself, you are truly submitting yourself to God so that He can do spiritual work in you, and that spiritual benefit will even benefit you physically, yet that does not mean you will have some grand physical healing.  And if there is something you pray for where the answer is "no," then you can be more at peace about that knowing that you asked.  (This is easier said than done!  Sometimes it takes me quite awhile to get peace when God says "no.")  Now there have been times when I know that I got some physically healing from God.  Yet I usually still needed to go to the doctor as well!  And first and foremost, in my heart I get healing all of the time from Jesus!
Now praying for someone else is a bit different, because God is not going to force Himself on them if they are unwilling.  Yet my friend is willing to have God heal her.  Is God willing?  I would claim that God does desire to heal, yet His plan is a long term plan, and the core is Jesus.  In this world at this time, God's core action always starts with the heart.  For instance, when Jesus was physically in this world, He healed a blind man.  Yet someone may be blind now, and not receive sight.  When I was a young Christian, I had two friends at my large church who were blind.  Both were devoted to Jesus; neither had miraculous restoration of eyesight.  Yet the Bible teaches that one day they will be able to see.  In heaven, all children of God are given a new body.  There will be no blind people in heaven.  A person may have to be blind for many years in this world.  But one day their body is going to be restored.  Here and now, the first and foremost concern of God is that people have their heart made anew, because the heart is the core of a person, and all humans need our heart changed by Jesus to be truly loving, and to be united with God.
  Standing there in that beautiful place on a gorgeous day, feeling helpless to help my friend who is suffering from such a horrible thing, I realized that praying was all I needed to do.  Prayer helped me right then and there!  First, I had a realization that my friend's life is in God's hands.  I can see her running down that path soon.  Yet young people do die.  I have a friend from when I worked at the National Rehabilitation Association in Alexandria, Virginia, who died of cancer.  She was an incredible woman of faith, yet she physically died.  But that leads to a second reminder from my prayer, which is that God loves everyone.  And anyone who submits herself or himself to Jesus has life eternal in the Kingdom of Heaven, and can have a certain peace here on earth in this world that God created which is good.  When Jesus told the man who was being executed for stealing, who had put his faith in Jesus, that he would be with Him in Paradise, Jesus meant it.  Jesus was not using the term flippantly, rather it was a promise to a physically dying man (see Luke 23:43).  The Kingdom of Heaven is Paradise, because the King there is Jesus, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  And any human being can become a citizen in the Kingdom of God!  Can you believe that?  As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones stated, "The Christian message is that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, came out of heaven into this world in order to save us." (1)  He goes on to say how Jesus accomplished this: "...He has borne my sins in His own body..." (2).  The consequences of sin is spiritual death.  Yet Jesus took the consequences!  Because of the forgiveness He made available, any person can be united with God, which starts by having the heart indwelled by the Holy Spirit, which is having the King in your heart!  We people are not simply material particles.  We people have a soul, something not empirically detectable by us limited humans, because God made us in His image, and God is Spirit (John 4:24).  And our souls can be bonded to God here and now, and then one day Jesus is going to come a second time into this world.  He will judge the unrighteous and deem their punishment, which is spiritual death, and He will establish His Kingdom anew in heaven and on earth.  Love will abound in the Kingdom of God!  And His citizens, who are even His adopted children, and who will have new bodies, are going to be able to be with Him in full forever!  To God be the glory!

Hunter Irvine
(1) Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Kingdom of God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1992), 151.
(2) Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Kingdom of God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1992), 151.