Christian Roots of Veganism
A Return to the First Mercy
A Prayer to See Through God's Eyes
"Dear Jesus, open my heart to the fullness of Your grace. Help me to see Your creation through Your eyes, following the path of Your Apostles James, Matthew, and Peter, who honored every living creature in their daily lives. Grant me the strength to live with that same radical mercy You show to us all. Amen."
The Original Vision
Genesis 1:29
In the beginning, God's design for humanity was one of perfect peace. In the Garden of Eden, we were given "every plant yielding seed... and every tree with seed in its fruit" for food (Genesis 1:29). This was a world without slaughter or fear, representing God's perfect will for His creation.
The Way of the Apostles
The early Church leaders often sought to return to this "Edenic" ideal. Historical records from the first centuries tell us that many of the Apostles chose a life of mercy toward animals:
St. James the Just
The brother of Jesus and first Bishop of Jerusalem was famously known for his lifelong commitment to mercy. The early historian Hegesippus records that James "ate no flesh" and drank no wine from the time of his birth, dedicated entirely to a life of purity and compassion (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23).
St. Matthew
The Apostle and Evangelist is remembered in early tradition for his simple and bloodless diet. St. Clement of Alexandria recorded that Matthew "partook of seeds, and nuts, and vegetables, without flesh," seeking to honor God's creation through a lifestyle of intentional restraint (Clement, The Instructor 2.1).
St. Peter
The Prince of the Apostles is described in early traditional writings as following a life of deep restraint and compassion. In the Clementine Homilies, Peter describes his own diet by saying, "I live on olives and bread, to which I rarely only add vegetables" (Homily XII, 6). This reflects a commitment to the same simple, merciful lifestyle shared by his fellow Apostles.
The Wisdom of the Saints
For centuries, the Church's greatest thinkers have seen a plant-based diet as a way to grow closer to Christ's heart:
St. Jerome (Doctor of the Church)
He taught that while meat-eating was permitted after the Flood due to human weakness, Christ's coming calls us back to the beginning. He wrote, "Once Christ has come... we are no longer allowed to eat animal flesh" (St. Jerome, Against Jovinianus).
The Desert Fathers
The earliest monks and hermits almost universally refused to eat meat, seeing it as a vital part of a life dedicated to prayer and non-violence.
A Call to Mercy Today
We believe our mission is to restore the “First Mercy”—the original, sacred harmony of a world without violence.
Our path is guided by the vision of peace found in the beginning of creation, where every breath was sacred and life was sustained by “every plant yielding seed” (Genesis 1:29). This is the standard of mercy we strive for today.
By choosing a plant-based life, we honor the intrinsic value of every soul at our sanctuary and align ourselves with a mercy that is active, consistent, and universal. We aren’t just rescuing animals; we are reclaiming a way of living that protects the most vulnerable and honors the sanctity of all life.
For a Deeper Dive
If you wish to explore the apostolic history of Christian vegetarianism, the following resources have been recommended by Father Donatello, a vegan Catholic priest in Toronto, Canada, and a wonderful spiritual advisor for our sanctuary:
Animal Gospel
By Andrew Linzey (Author)
Andrew Linzey is an Anglican priest, a theologian, a writer, and is internationally known as an authority on Christianity and animals. He is a member of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford, and holds the world's first academic post in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare — the Bede Jarret Senior Research Fellowship at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. He is currently Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham in England and Special Professor at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. He has written numerous articles and authored many books on animal theology and ethics.
The Forgotten Beginnings of Creation and Christianity
By Carl Anders Skriver (Author)
Carl Anders Skriver (1903–1983) was a German Lutheran pastor and pioneering theologian who dedicated his life to reclaiming the compassionate, non-violent roots of early Christianity. A vegan since 1948, he argued in influential works like The Forgotten Beginnings of Creation and Christianity that the original message of Jesus was one of universal peace that extended to all living creatures. As a Vice President of the International Vegetarian Union and a leader in the German vegetarian movement, Skriver focused on how institutional religious doctrines had drifted away from their peaceful origins, ultimately positioning animal rights as a fundamental moral requirement for any person of faith.
The Vegetarianism of Jesus Christ
By Charles P. Vaclavik (Author)
Charles P. Vaclavik is an American author and independent researcher whose work focuses on the compassionate and non-violent roots of early Christianity. Much like Carl Anders Skriver, he argues that the original teachings of Jesus were defined by pacifism, communalism, and a strict plant-based diet — a thesis he details in his prominent book The Vegetarianism of Jesus Christ. His research explores "Primitive Christianity" through the lens of groups like the Nazoreans and Essenes, suggesting that institutional religious practices moved away from these peaceful foundations over time. As a long-time member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and a frequent lecturer for the International Vegetarian Union, Vaclavik remains a leading voice in providing a historical and ethical framework for the modern Christian vegetarian movement.
By Keith Akers (Author)
Keith Akers is an American author, activist, and researcher who has spent over four decades exploring the intersections of veganism, environmental sustainability, and early Christian history. Much like Carl Anders Skriver and Charles P. Vaclavik, he is a leading advocate for the theory that the historical Jesus was a vegetarian who opposed animal sacrifice — a thesis he details in his influential book The Lost Religion of Jesus. A former leader within the International Vegetarian Union and the Vegetarian Society of D.C., Akers bridges theological research with modern ethics, arguing that the "Jewish Christian" roots of the faith were defined by a radical commitment to non-violence and simple living. His work has gained recent prominence through his appearance in the documentary Christspiracy, where he discusses the suppressed history of animal compassion within the early church.