Were we meant to be vegetarians?

I have had a young man challenge me with many thoughts about what is right and wrong on the view of being a vegetarian. I agree with the things that he had said, so I thought that I would also challenge you to make a educated guess on this topic. Go to the link listed and read the full scriptural reference. Be careful as some of the info is speculation, but if you read the scripture alone, it is pretty clear. Listed below are some of the scriptures that really caught my attention.

In the Beginning

Genesis 1:
28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29
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.


After the Flood:

Genesis 9:
1
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
2
The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands.
3
Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4
"But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.
5
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.

So what do you think it means for us now?
Should we do as they did in the beginning or if we eat meat are there stipulations to it?



As a Note:
As today, 2/1/08, I have become a vegetarian. The past 6 months I have not eaten meat simply because a medicine messed my stomach up and it made me sick to eat it- though I could still eat fish. Today in doing more research on this topic and in study on how animals really are killed for our meat eating pleasure, I am ceasing to eat any kind of meat, including fish. I want to thank the young man who began this desire in me to look into this further. I thank him for his conviction on this matter and for making a difference!! (The animals thank you too!! :)

One thing that I must stress in this is that you shouldn't just cut out certain things from your diet and not look at other options to make your diet well balanced so you will remain healthy. There are nutrients found in meat that you must compinsate for when making such a decision. Be smart!! Be healthy!!

http://www.christianveg.org/ awesome resource!!

http://www.peta2.com/outThere/o-riseagainst_video.asp

http://www.marscandykills.com/

http://vegkitchen.com/tips/teenagers.htm

http://vegkitchen.com/recipes-galore.htm