Breath of Life
“But what about plants, you’re killing them too.” Ah, the old “what about plants” question. It’s surprising how often people who never before in their life considered a head of lettuce and a dog to be the same kind of life form will fall back to this question when presented with the concept of ethical vegetarianism. It is, I suspect a defense mechanism brought forth to protect us from the cognitive dissonance that rightly occurs when we realize what ‘eating meat’ really means. In an effort to relieve our conscience we consider that no matter what we eat it involves killing in some sense so therefore it doesn’t matter whether it’s animals or plants. No matter what kinds of psychology or philosophy you might want to bring to it I suggest that for Christians the only definition that really matters is the biblical one. Plants and animals are not the same. All living creatures (human and non-human) have the same breath of life. God set it up very clearly that creatures with the breath of life did not kill each other for food and we are told through the prophets that this is what we anticipate in the Kingdom of God. Animate nature is not the same as inanimate nature, in Biblical terms plants and animals are not the same kind of life. Furthermore, the only difference between human and non-human animals is that we are ‘made in the image of God’.
In the Torah, chaya in its various forms regularly denotes “life” in the physical sense of the term. People, as well as other creatures, live, survive, and are spared from impending destruction. In several instances, both the nominal and verbal forms are contrasted to mut, die, death. Life and death are clearly viewed as opposite states.
Of related interest are the rare but picturesque occurrences in which chaya modifies inanimate objects. “Living” water, unlike that which lies dormant in a cistern, flows and has a sense of freshness or purity to it. Similarly, “living” flesh, although diseased and therefore not fresh or pure, grows and multiplies. Apparently, at issue is the notion of activity and movement. That which is alive has the ability to function and perform. Death involves the loss of all such capabilities; it is to be “lifeless.”
But the Torah does more than acknowledge physical life, briefly describing also its inception. As a result of God’s creative activity, both animals and people are “living creatures.” In this sense, all of animate nature is on similar standing. While most translations imply that Gen 2:7 is in some way different from 1:20, 24, the Heb. is the same in each instance (chayya nephesh). What separates human beings from the animal world is not that they are living souls rather than living creatures, but that they have been created “in the image of God.” ~New International Dictionary Of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, “chayya”
Some people will still resort to the position that vegetarians are being cruel to plants by eating them. Even without referring to the biblical standards of how plants and animals differ, this is still a nonsensical position. Plants do not have the anatomy for pain perception. Who would honestly argue that there’s no difference between sticking a red-hot poker into a head of broccoli and sticking one into a dog? (besides Descartes … that’s a topic for another day). Furthermore, plants often require being eaten for reproduction (seed-bearing plants) which is clearly not the case with animals.
