Vegetarianism and Religion

According to the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians, the majority of the world's vegetarians follow the practice for religious reasons.

Many religions, including Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and especially Jainism, teach that ideally life should always be valued and not willfully destroyed for unnecessary human gratification.

Hinduism

Hindus believe that food shapes the personality, mood and mind.

They believe that meat promotes aggressiveness and a mental state of turmoil known as "rajas". On the other hand, a vegetarian diet is considered to promote sattwic qualities, calm the mind, and essential for spiritual progress.

They also believe that animals have souls and killing animals have karmic repurcussions that are bound to be reaped later by oneself.

Most of the secular motivations for vegetarianism such as ethical considerations and nutrition apply to Hindu motivations as well.

Hindus of certain castes, especially Brahmins, are forbidden from consuming anything gained at the expense of an animal's suffering, and follow a lacto-vegetarian diet.

The milk of cows, buffalo, and goats as well as dairy products (other than cheese containing rennet) are acceptable, as milk is traditionally given willingly.

Leather from animals who have died of natural causes is acceptable for some Hindus.

The diet of the orthodox Hindu excludes animal products (apart from milk products), alcohol, the rajasic foods - onions and garlic, as well as mushrooms, which are a form of fungus.

The Indian cuisine and diet is primarily vegetarian and most Hindus are semi-vegetarians, refraining from beef and eating meat/seafood only occasionally.

Most non-vegetarian practising Hindus maintain a vegetarian diet on religious days.

Members of the Hare Krishna, Brahmakumaris and other such movements follow a strict lacto-vegetarian diet, abstaining from meat, fish & eggs.

Brahmakumaris eliminate onions and garlic as well from their diet.

Followers of the Hare Krishna movement offer all food first to Krishna and then take the remnants, known as prasadam, which literally means mercy.

Buddhism

The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing.

Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals.

However, this is not necessarily the case.

The Buddha made distinction between killing an animal and consumption of meat, stressing that it is immoral conduct that makes one impure, not the food one eats.

In one of the Pali sutras belonging to the Theravada lineage of Buddhism, the Buddha says that vegetarianism is preferable, but as monks in ancient India were expected to receive all of their food by begging they had little or no control over their diet.

However, since vegetarianism was a norm in ancient India, it would have been extremely rare that the monk be offered meat.

The Buddha did not wish to lay an extra burden on his lay followers by demanding that the food should be vegetarian, and there was no general rule requiring monks to refrain from eating meat.

At one point the Buddha specifically refused to institute vegetarianism, and the Pali Canon records the Buddha himself eating meat on several occasions.

There were, however, rules prohibiting certain types of meat, such as human, leopard or elephant.

Monks are also prohibited from consuming meat if they witnessed the animal's death or know it was killed specifically for them.

This rule was not applied to commercial purchase of meat in the case of a general who sent a servant to purchase meat specifically to feed the Buddha.

Therefore, eating commercially purchased meat is not prohibited.

On the other hand, the Buddha in certain Mahayana sutras strongly denounces the eating of meat.

In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha states that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion", adding that all and every kind of meat and fish consumption (even of animals already found dead) is prohibited by him.

The Buddha also predicts in this sutra that later monks will "hold spurious writings to be the authentic Dharma" and will concoct their own sutras and mendaciously claim that the Buddha allows the eating of meat, whereas in fact (he says) he does not.

A long passage in the Lankavatara Sutra shows the Buddha weighing strongly in favor of vegetarianism, since the eating of the flesh of fellow sentient beings is said by him to be incompatible with the compassion a Bodhisattva should strive to cultivate.

Several other Mahayana sutras also emphatically prohibit the consumption of meat.

A solution to this problem arose when monks from the Indian sphere of influence migrated to China, as of the year 65 CE.

There they met followers who provided them with money instead of food.

From those days onwards Chinese monastics, and others who came to inhabit northern countries, cultivated their own vegetable plots and bought everything else they needed in terms of food in the market.

In the modern Buddhist world, attitudes toward vegetarianism vary by location.

In China and Vietnam, monks typically eat no meat (and with other restrictions as well – see Buddhist cuisine).

In Japan or Korea some schools do not eat meat, while most do.

Theravadins in Sri Lanka and South-east Asia do not practice vegetarianism.

All Buddhists however, including monks, are allowed to practice vegetarianism if they wish to do so.

Abrahamic religions

Jews, Christians, and Muslims (Abrahamic religions) are all left with the biblical ideal of the Garden of Eden diet, which from all appearances is fruitarianism (see Genesis 1:29, 9:2-4; Isaiah 11:6-9).

However, only minorities within these populations actually practice and advocate such strict diets, since the same book of the Bible, Genesis, later gives permission to Noah (and presumably his descendants) to consume animal flesh.

Curiously, this is not without great suffering simultaneously administered to all creatures:

"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" (Gen.9:2).

Suffice to say, the Judeo-Christian God's permission for humankind to eat meat was not an unmixed or otherwise "unqualified" blessing.

Commentators agree that meat-eating largely appears to be a divine concession to human weakness and sin, with penalties — likely including decreased life expectancy (see Gen. 6:3).

(Noah's great-grandfather, Methuselah, is famously reported as having lived 969 years, but this was prior to God permitting meat-eating in the Bible.)

In the Bible, the Book of Genesis teaches that human beings were originally vegetarian, but that later, following the Deluge, God permitted people to eat meat as well.

Many Judeo-Christian vegetarians interpret this to mean that God originally intended human beings to be vegetarians, and that people would do well to be vegetarians, even though meat-eating is permitted.

Additionally, some Biblical prophecy suggests that in a new Messianic age, there will be universal vegetarianism, even among normally carnivorous animals (for example, Isaiah 11:7 says, "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.").

Judaism

Rabbinical Judaism discourages ascetic practices in general.

With respect to food, this teaching may be summarized by the Talmudic statement, "Man will have to account for everything he saw but did not eat." (This refers to permissible or kosher foods only, not to forbidden animal species such as pork.) On the other hand, the Talmud discourages indulgence and states that it is preferable that one's diet consist mostly of non-meat products.

To Jewish vegetarians wishing to remain consistent with this teaching, vegetarianism is not a form of self-deprivation, because the vegetarian does not desire to eat meat and believes it is healthier not to eat meat.

Genesis 1:29 states "And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit - to you it shall be for food."

According to some classical Jewish Bible commentators this means that God's original plan was for mankind to be vegetarian, and that God only later gave permission for man to eat meat because of man's weak nature.

Other commentators argue that people may eat animals because God gave Adam and Eve dominion over them.

Generally speaking, Judaism has not promoted vegetarianism.

However, some prominent rabbis have been vegetarian, among them the first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, Abraham Isaac Kook and former Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Goren.

Some Orthodox authorities have ruled that it is forbidden for an individual to become a vegetarian if they do so because they believe in animal rights;

however, they have ruled that vegetarianism is allowed for pragmatic reasons (if kosher meat is expensive or hard to come by in their area), health concerns, or for reasons of personal taste (if someone finds meat unpalatable).

Some believe that halakha encourages the eating of meat at the Sabbath and Festival meals, thus some Orthodox Jews who are otherwise vegetarian will nevertheless consume meat at these meals.

There are several arguments from Judaism used by Jewish vegetarians.

One is that, since Adam and Eve were not allowed to eat meat and that, according to some opinions, in the Messianic era, the whole world will be vegetarian, not eating meat is something that brings the world closer to that ideal.

A second one is that the laws of shechita are meant to prevent the suffering of animals and today, with factory farming and high-speed, mechanized slaughterhouses, even kosher slaughterhouses are considered by some authorities not to fulfill enough of the requirements to render the meat kosher.

A third one is that the Sages only mandated eating an olive's bulk of meat during festivals, but even then, this was because in Talmudic times, meat was considered essential for one's diet (whereas a vegetarian will probably be of the opinion that current science has shown otherwise).

Christianity

Main article: Christian vegetarianism

In Christianity, Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans that although he himself ate meat, the choice to eat meat or abstain from meat should be a matter of personal conviction:

"The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him." (Romans 14:3).

Several Christian monastic groups have encouraged vegetarianism, including the Desert Fathers, Trappists, Benedictines, and Carthusians.

Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists and Christian anarchists, take a literal interpretation of the Biblical prophecies of universal vegetarianism and encourage vegetarianism as a preferred, though not required, lifestyle.

However, most evangelical groups are unaware of the existence of any such prophecies, and point instead to the explicit prophecies of temple sacrifices in the Messianic Kingdom, many of which are eaten—see Ezekiel 46:12 where peace offerings and freewill offerings will be offered, and Leviticus 7:15-20 where it states that such offerings are eaten.

Some key Christian historical figures such as St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assisi became vegetarians for ascetic reasons, not necessarily because of a religious edict to that effect.

In the 19th century, members of the Bible Christian sect established the first vegetarian groups in England and the United States.

However, it has been argued that the anthropocentric viewpoint of the Bible encourages human exploitation of animals and meat eating.

The Bible says: "..And God said, Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness:

and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepth upon the earth.", "And God blessed them, Be fruitful and multiply, and subdue the earth;

and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

The attitude of dominion is then disputed with the translation of dominion as the authority to rule over animals and not consume them.

Further reading in Book of Genesis lends credibility to this belief by stating in Genesis 1:30:

"And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."

Continuing into Genesis 1:31, the Bible says:

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

The only time the phrase "very good" appears in the Bible as stated by God is in Genesis 1:30.

This indicates that God's original plan was for vegetarianism.

The introduction of sin later changed the plan to include blood sacrifices to atone for sin, with death being the price for sin.

Upon the sacrifice of the final lamb, Jesus Christ, animal sacrifices were no longer needed and vegetarianism became a part of Chritianity as indicated by various references in the New Testament.

There are many verses of the Bible that have been misinterpreted through English translation or through changes in the meaning of English words.

Such as in I Corinthians 8:8 the word broma was translated as meat, which at one time referred to all kinds of food (as does the Greek word) but in current English has the restricted meaning of animal flesh.

In the Book of Exodus however, Yahweh himself provides the Jews with manna and quail (Exodus 16:13).

Islam

Islam explicitly permits the eating of some kinds of meat, but does not make it compulsory.

There are several hadith that support a vegetarian lifestyle and recommend kindness to animals rather than eating them.

"Masih (the messiah, Jesus) said, ‘Flesh eating flesh?

How offensive an act!’" (Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (early fifth century AH/early eleventh century CE), Mahadarat al-Udaba', 1:610.)

According to Karen Armstrong, "The Koran does permit meat-eating, but it also encourages healthful foods (which, many Muslims conclude, does not include animal products).

Given these traditions, many Shi'ite Muslims and the Islamic mystics, such as the Sufis, see vegetarianism as the Islamic ideal and choose this diet." - A History of God by Karen Armstrong

Jainism

All dietary rules listed for Hindus apply to Jains, in addition to which Jains must take into account any suffering caused to plants and suksma jiva (Sanskrit:subtle life forms;refers to what would later be termed "microorganisms") by their dietary choices.

They are forbidden from eating most root vegetables (such as potatoes) and deem many other vegetables acceptable only when harvested during certain times of the year.

Taoism

In Chinese societies, "simple eating" (Mandarin: 素食sù shí) refers to a particular restricted diet associated with Taoist monks, and sometimes practiced by members of the general population during Taoist festivals.

It is referred to by the English word "vegetarian";

however, though it rejects meat, eggs and milk, this diet does include oysters and oyster products.

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith prefers a vegetarian diet, although it is not required.

Furthermore, Bahá'ís believe "Fruits and grains" will be the foods of the future and the time will come when meat will no longer be eaten.

Sikhism

In Sikhism, only vegetarian food is served during religious occasions, but Sikhs are not bound to be meat-free.

Rastafari

Rastafarians generally follow a diet called "I-tal", which eschews the eating of food that has been artificially preserved, flavoured, or chemically altered in any way.

Many Rastafarians consider it to also forbid the eating of meat.

According to the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians, the majority of the world's vegetarians follow the practice for religious reasons. Many religions, including Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and especially Jainism, teach that ideally life should always be valued and not willfully destroyed for unnecessary human gratification. Hinduism Hindus believe that food shapes the personality, mood and mind. They believe that meat promotes aggressiveness and a mental state of turmoil known as "rajas". On the other hand, a vegetarian diet is considered to promote sattwic qualities, calm the mind, and essential for spiritual progress. They also believe that animals have souls and killing animals have karmic repurcussions that are bound to be reaped later by oneself. Most of the secular motivations for vegetarianism such as ethical considerations and nutrition apply to Hindu motivations as well. Hindus of certain castes, especially Brahmins, are forbidden from consuming anything gained at the expense of an animal's suffering, and follow a lacto-vegetarian diet. The milk of cows, buffalo, and goats as well as dairy products (other than cheese containing rennet) are acceptable, as milk is traditionally given willingly. Leather from animals who have died of natural causes is acceptable for some Hindus. The diet of the orthodox Hindu excludes animal products (apart from milk products), alcohol, the rajasic foods - onions and garlic, as well as mushrooms, which are a form of fungus. The Indian cuisine and diet is primarily vegetarian and most Hindus are semi-vegetarians, refraining from beef and eating meat/seafood only occasionally. Most non-vegetarian practising Hindus maintain a vegetarian diet on religious days. Members of the Hare Krishna, Brahmakumaris and other such movements follow a strict lacto-vegetarian diet, abstaining from meat, fish & eggs. Brahmakumaris eliminate onions and garlic as well from their diet. Followers of the Hare Krishna movement offer all food first to Krishna and then take the remnants, known as prasadam, which literally means mercy. Buddhism The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing. Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals. However, this is not necessarily the case. The Buddha made distinction between killing an animal and consumption of meat, stressing that it is immoral conduct that makes one impure, not the food one eats. In one of the Pali sutras belonging to the Theravada lineage of Buddhism, the Buddha says that vegetarianism is preferable, but as monks in ancient India were expected to receive all of their food by begging they had little or no control over their diet. However, since vegetarianism was a norm in ancient India, it would have been extremely rare that the monk be offered meat. The Buddha did not wish to lay an extra burden on his lay followers by demanding that the food should be vegetarian, and there was no general rule requiring monks to refrain from eating meat. At one point the Buddha specifically refused to institute vegetarianism, and the Pali Canon records the Buddha himself eating meat on several occasions. There were, however, rules prohibiting certain types of meat, such as human, leopard or elephant. Monks are also prohibited from consuming meat if they witnessed the animal's death or know it was killed specifically for them. This rule was not applied to commercial purchase of meat in the case of a general who sent a servant to purchase meat specifically to feed the Buddha. Therefore, eating commercially purchased meat is not prohibited. On the other hand, the Buddha in certain Mahayana sutras strongly denounces the eating of meat. In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha states that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion", adding that all and every kind of meat and fish consumption (even of animals already found dead) is prohibited by him. The Buddha also predicts in this sutra that later monks will "hold spurious writings to be the authentic Dharma" and will concoct their own sutras and mendaciously claim that the Buddha allows the eating of meat, whereas in fact (he says) he does not. A long passage in the Lankavatara Sutra shows the Buddha weighing strongly in favor of vegetarianism, since the eating of the flesh of fellow sentient beings is said by him to be incompatible with the compassion a Bodhisattva should strive to cultivate. Several other Mahayana sutras also emphatically prohibit the consumption of meat. A solution to this problem arose when monks from the Indian sphere of influence migrated to China, as of the year 65 CE. There they met followers who provided them with money instead of food. From those days onwards Chinese monastics, and others who came to inhabit northern countries, cultivated their own vegetable plots and bought everything else they needed in terms of food in the market. In the modern Buddhist world, attitudes toward vegetarianism vary by location. In China and Vietnam, monks typically eat no meat (and with other restrictions as well – see Buddhist cuisine). In Japan or Korea some schools do not eat meat, while most do. Theravadins in Sri Lanka and South-east Asia do not practice vegetarianism. All Buddhists however, including monks, are allowed to practice vegetarianism if they wish to do so. Abrahamic religions Jews, Christians, and Muslims (Abrahamic religions) are all left with the biblical ideal of the Garden of Eden diet, which from all appearances is fruitarianism (see Genesis 1:29, 9:2-4; Isaiah 11:6-9). However, only minorities within these populations actually practice and advocate such strict diets, since the same book of the Bible, Genesis, later gives permission to Noah (and presumably his descendants) to consume animal flesh. Curiously, this is not without great suffering simultaneously administered to all creatures: "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" (Gen.9:2). Suffice to say, the Judeo-Christian God's permission for humankind to eat meat was not an unmixed or otherwise "unqualified" blessing. Commentators agree that meat-eating largely appears to be a divine concession to human weakness and sin, with penalties — likely including decreased life expectancy (see Gen. 6:3). (Noah's great-grandfather, Methuselah, is famously reported as having lived 969 years, but this was prior to God permitting meat-eating in the Bible.) In the Bible, the Book of Genesis teaches that human beings were originally vegetarian, but that later, following the Deluge, God permitted people to eat meat as well. Many Judeo-Christian vegetarians interpret this to mean that God originally intended human beings to be vegetarians, and that people would do well to be vegetarians, even though meat-eating is permitted. Additionally, some Biblical prophecy suggests that in a new Messianic age, there will be universal vegetarianism, even among normally carnivorous animals (for example, Isaiah 11:7 says, "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox."). Judaism Rabbinical Judaism discourages ascetic practices in general. With respect to food, this teaching may be summarized by the Talmudic statement, "Man will have to account for everything he saw but did not eat." (This refers to permissible or kosher foods only, not to forbidden animal species such as pork.) On the other hand, the Talmud discourages indulgence and states that it is preferable that one's diet consist mostly of non-meat products. To Jewish vegetarians wishing to remain consistent with this teaching, vegetarianism is not a form of self-deprivation, because the vegetarian does not desire to eat meat and believes it is healthier not to eat meat. Genesis 1:29 states "And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit - to you it shall be for food." According to some classical Jewish Bible commentators this means that God's original plan was for mankind to be vegetarian, and that God only later gave permission for man to eat meat because of man's weak nature. Other commentators argue that people may eat animals because God gave Adam and Eve dominion over them. Generally speaking, Judaism has not promoted vegetarianism. However, some prominent rabbis have been vegetarian, among them the first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, Abraham Isaac Kook and former Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Goren. Some Orthodox authorities have ruled that it is forbidden for an individual to become a vegetarian if they do so because they believe in animal rights; however, they have ruled that vegetarianism is allowed for pragmatic reasons (if kosher meat is expensive or hard to come by in their area), health concerns, or for reasons of personal taste (if someone finds meat unpalatable). Some believe that halakha encourages the eating of meat at the Sabbath and Festival meals, thus some Orthodox Jews who are otherwise vegetarian will nevertheless consume meat at these meals. There are several arguments from Judaism used by Jewish vegetarians. One is that, since Adam and Eve were not allowed to eat meat and that, according to some opinions, in the Messianic era, the whole world will be vegetarian, not eating meat is something that brings the world closer to that ideal. A second one is that the laws of shechita are meant to prevent the suffering of animals and today, with factory farming and high-speed, mechanized slaughterhouses, even kosher slaughterhouses are considered by some authorities not to fulfill enough of the requirements to render the meat kosher. A third one is that the Sages only mandated eating an olive's bulk of meat during festivals, but even then, this was because in Talmudic times, meat was considered essential for one's diet (whereas a vegetarian will probably be of the opinion that current science has shown otherwise). Christianity Main article: Christian vegetarianism In Christianity, Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans that although he himself ate meat, the choice to eat meat or abstain from meat should be a matter of personal conviction: "The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him." (Romans 14:3). Several Christian monastic groups have encouraged vegetarianism, including the Desert Fathers, Trappists, Benedictines, and Carthusians. Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists and Christian anarchists, take a literal interpretation of the Biblical prophecies of universal vegetarianism and encourage vegetarianism as a preferred, though not required, lifestyle. However, most evangelical groups are unaware of the existence of any such prophecies, and point instead to the explicit prophecies of temple sacrifices in the Messianic Kingdom, many of which are eaten—see Ezekiel 46:12 where peace offerings and freewill offerings will be offered, and Leviticus 7:15-20 where it states that such offerings are eaten. Some key Christian historical figures such as St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assisi became vegetarians for ascetic reasons, not necessarily because of a religious edict to that effect. In the 19th century, members of the Bible Christian sect established the first vegetarian groups in England and the United States. However, it has been argued that the anthropocentric viewpoint of the Bible encourages human exploitation of animals and meat eating. The Bible says: "..And God said, Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness: and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepth upon the earth.", "And God blessed them, Be fruitful and multiply, and subdue the earth; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." The attitude of dominion is then disputed with the translation of dominion as the authority to rule over animals and not consume them. Further reading in Book of Genesis lends credibility to this belief by stating in Genesis 1:30: "And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." Continuing into Genesis 1:31, the Bible says: "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." The only time the phrase "very good" appears in the Bible as stated by God is in Genesis 1:30. This indicates that God's original plan was for vegetarianism. The introduction of sin later changed the plan to include blood sacrifices to atone for sin, with death being the price for sin. Upon the sacrifice of the final lamb, Jesus Christ, animal sacrifices were no longer needed and vegetarianism became a part of Chritianity as indicated by various references in the New Testament. There are many verses of the Bible that have been misinterpreted through English translation or through changes in the meaning of English words. Such as in I Corinthians 8:8 the word broma was translated as meat, which at one time referred to all kinds of food (as does the Greek word) but in current English has the restricted meaning of animal flesh. In the Book of Exodus however, Yahweh himself provides the Jews with manna and quail (Exodus 16:13). Islam Islam explicitly permits the eating of some kinds of meat, but does not make it compulsory. There are several hadith that support a vegetarian lifestyle and recommend kindness to animals rather than eating them. "Masih (the messiah, Jesus) said, ‘Flesh eating flesh? How offensive an act!’" (Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (early fifth century AH/early eleventh century CE), Mahadarat al-Udaba', 1:610.) According to Karen Armstrong, "The Koran does permit meat-eating, but it also encourages healthful foods (which, many Muslims conclude, does not include animal products). Given these traditions, many Shi'ite Muslims and the Islamic mystics, such as the Sufis, see vegetarianism as the Islamic ideal and choose this diet." - A History of God by Karen Armstrong Jainism All dietary rules listed for Hindus apply to Jains, in addition to which Jains must take into account any suffering caused to plants and suksma jiva (Sanskrit:subtle life forms;refers to what would later be termed "microorganisms") by their dietary choices. They are forbidden from eating most root vegetables (such as potatoes) and deem many other vegetables acceptable only when harvested during certain times of the year. Taoism In Chinese societies, "simple eating" (Mandarin: 素食sù shí) refers to a particular restricted diet associated with Taoist monks, and sometimes practiced by members of the general population during Taoist festivals. It is referred to by the English word "vegetarian"; however, though it rejects meat, eggs and milk, this diet does include oysters and oyster products. Bahá'í Faith The Bahá'í Faith prefers a vegetarian diet, although it is not required. Furthermore, Bahá'ís believe "Fruits and grains" will be the foods of the future and the time will come when meat will no longer be eaten. Sikhism In Sikhism, only vegetarian food is served during religious occasions, but Sikhs are not bound to be meat-free. Rastafari Rastafarians generally follow a diet called "I-tal", which eschews the eating of food that has been artificially preserved, flavoured, or chemically altered in any way. Many Rastafarians consider it to also forbid the eating of meat. °	TESTO PARALLELO INCASELLATO Scopri come è facile capire l'inglese se c'è a fianco la traduzione parallela incasellata!
	According to the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians, the majority of the world's vegetarians follow the practice for religious reasons.	Secondo la “Società dei vegetariani etici e religiosi” la maggioranza dei vegetariani del mondo segue questa pratica dietetica per ragioni religiose.
	Many religions, including Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and especially Jainism, teach that ideally life should always be valued and not willfully destroyed for unnecessary human gratification.	Molte religioni, incluse l’induismo, il taoismo, il buddismo e soprattutto il giainismo, insegnano che da un punto di vista ideale la vita dovrebbe sempre essere rispettata e non distrutta deliberatamente per inutili gratificazioni umane.
	Hinduism	L’induismo
	Hindus believe that food shapes the personality, mood and mind.	Gli induisti credono che il cibo foggi la personalità, lo stato d'animo e la mente.
	They believe that meat promotes aggressiveness and a mental state of turmoil known as "rajas". On the other hand, a vegetarian diet is considered to promote sattwic qualities, calm the mind, and essential for spiritual progress.	Essi credono che la carne favorisca l’aggressività e uno stato di agitazione mentale noto come “rajas” mentre una dieta vegetariana è considerata promotrice di qualità “sattwic”, calma la mente ed è ritenuta essenziale per il progresso spirituale.
	They also believe that animals have souls and killing animals have karmic repurcussions that are bound to be reaped later by oneself.	Essi credono anche che gli animali hanno un'anima e uccidendoli si abbia una ripercussione carmica che più tardi dovrà essere espiata dalla persona stessa.
	Most of the secular motivations for vegetarianism such as ethical considerations and nutrition apply to Hindu motivations as well.	La maggior parte delle motivazioni non religiose delle pratiche vegetariane, come le considerazioni di carattere etico e nutrizionista, si applicano anche alle motivazioni degli induisti.
	Hindus of certain castes, especially Brahmins, are forbidden from consuming anything gained at the expense of an animal's suffering, and follow a lacto-vegetarian diet.	Induisti di determinate caste, soprattutto bramini, hanno la proibizione di consumare qualunque prodotto ricavato a spese delle sofferenze di un animale e seguono una dieta latto-vegetariana.
	The milk of cows, buffalo, and goats as well as dairy products (other than cheese containing rennet) are acceptable, as milk is traditionally given willingly.	Il latte di mucca, bufala e capra così come i prodotti caseari (tranne quei formaggi che contengono caglio) sono ammessi, poiché il latte, tradizionalmente, viene dato senza costrizione.
	Leather from animals who have died of natural causes is acceptable for some Hindus.	La pelle degli animali che sono morti per cause naturali è però ammessa da alcuni induisti.
	The diet of the orthodox Hindu excludes animal products (apart from milk products), alcohol, the rajasic foods - onions and garlic, as well as mushrooms, which are a form of fungus.	La dieta degli induisti ortodossi esclude i prodotti animali (tranne il latte e derivati), l’alcool, i cibi rajasic – cipolle e aglio nonché i funghi, che sono una forma di fungus.
	The Indian cuisine and diet is primarily vegetarian and most Hindus are semi-vegetarians, refraining from beef and eating meat/seafood only occasionally.	La cucina e la dieta indiana sono fondamentalmente vegetariane e la maggior parte degli induisti è semi-vegetariana e si astiene dal mangiare carne di manzo limitandosi occasionalmente a consumare carne di altri animali e prodotti del mare.
	Most non-vegetarian practising Hindus maintain a vegetarian diet on religious days.	La maggior parte degli induisti praticanti che non sono vegetariani seguono una dieta vegetariana durante le ricorrenze religiose.
	Members of the Hare Krishna, Brahmakumaris and other such movements follow a strict lacto-vegetarian diet, abstaining from meat, fish & eggs.	I membri degli Hare Krishna, brahmakumaris e altri movimenti del genere seguono una rigida dieta latto-vegetariana, evitando di mangiar carne, pesce e uova.
	Brahmakumaris eliminate onions and garlic as well from their diet.	I brahmakumaris eliminano dalla loro dieta anche le cipolle e l’aglio.
	Followers of the Hare Krishna movement offer all food first to Krishna and then take the remnants, known as prasadam, which literally means mercy.	I seguaci del movimento degli Hare Krishna prima offrono tutto il cibo a Krishna e successivamente consumano quanto rimane, conosciuto come prasadam, che significa letteralmente "misericordia".
	Buddhism	Il buddismo
	The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing.	Il primo precetto non sacerdotale nel buddismo proibisce espressamente l'uccidere.
	Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals.	Molti vedono in questo precetto l'implicazione che i buddisti non dovrebbero mangiare carne di animali.
	However, this is not necessarily the case.	Ma questo non è detto.
	The Buddha made distinction between killing an animal and consumption of meat, stressing that it is immoral conduct that makes one impure, not the food one eats.	Budda ha operato la distinzione fra l’uccisione di animali e il consumo di carne, sottolineando che è la condotta immorale a rendere una persona impura, non il cibo che mangia.
	In one of the Pali sutras belonging to the Theravada lineage of Buddhism, the Buddha says that vegetarianism is preferable, but as monks in ancient India were expected to receive all of their food by begging they had little or no control over their diet.	In uno dei sutra del canone Pali che appartiene alla tradizione buddista Theravada, Budda dice che l’essere vegetariani è preferibile ma poiché nell’antica India i monaci si aspettavano di ricevere tutto il loro cibo dall’elemosina, essi avevano poco o nessun controllo sulla loro dieta.
	However, since vegetarianism was a norm in ancient India, it would have been extremely rare that the monk be offered meat.	Comunque, dato che nell’antica India l’essere vegetariani era la norma, sarebbe stato estremamente insolito che ai monaci venisse offerta della carne.
	The Buddha did not wish to lay an extra burden on his lay followers by demanding that the food should be vegetarian, and there was no general rule requiring monks to refrain from eating meat.	Il Budda non desiderava gravare i suoi seguaci laici di un fardello supplementare esigendo che il cibo fosse vegetariano e non vi era alcuna regola generale che imponesse ai monaci di astenersi dal mangiar carne.
	At one point the Buddha specifically refused to institute vegetarianism, and the Pali Canon records the Buddha himself eating meat on several occasions.	Ad un certo punto Budda rifiutò esplicitamente di istituzionalizzare il vegetarianismo e il canone Pali annota che Budda stesso mangò carne in diverse occasioni.
	There were, however, rules prohibiting certain types of meat, such as human, leopard or elephant.	Esistevano comunque delle regole che proibivano determinati tipi di carne, come quella umana e la carne di leopardo o di elefante.
	Monks are also prohibited from consuming meat if they witnessed the animal's death or know it was killed specifically for them.	Ai monaci è anche proibito il consumo di carne se sono stati testimoni della morte dell’animale o se sanno che è stato ucciso appositamente per loro.
	This rule was not applied to commercial purchase of meat in the case of a general who sent a servant to purchase meat specifically to feed the Buddha.	Questa regola non venne applicata per l’acquisto di carne nel caso di un generale che mandò un domestico a comperare della carne proprio per sfamare Budda.
	Therefore, eating commercially purchased meat is not prohibited.	Di conseguenza, mangiare carne acquistata non è proibito.
	On the other hand, the Buddha in certain Mahayana sutras strongly denounces the eating of meat.	E tuttavia Budda in certi sutra del Mahayana stigmatizza fortemente il consumo di carne.
	In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha states that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion", adding that all and every kind of meat and fish consumption (even of animals already found dead) is prohibited by him.	Nel sutra del Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Budda dichiara che "il consumo di carne soffoca il germe della misericordia", aggiungendo che qualsiasi tipo di consumo di carne e di pesce (anche di animali trovati già morti) è da lui proibito.
	The Buddha also predicts in this sutra that later monks will "hold spurious writings to be the authentic Dharma" and will concoct their own sutras and mendaciously claim that the Buddha allows the eating of meat, whereas in fact (he says) he does not.	Budda in questo sutra predice anche che i monaci che verranno dopo di lui “prenderanno delle scritture spurie per il Dharma autentico" e inventeranno i loro sutra e sosterranno falsamente che Budda permette il consumo di carne, mentre in realtà (lui dice) non è così.
	A long passage in the Lankavatara Sutra shows the Buddha weighing strongly in favor of vegetarianism, since the eating of the flesh of fellow sentient beings is said by him to be incompatible with the compassion a Bodhisattva should strive to cultivate.	Un lungo passaggio nel sutra Lankavatara mostra un Budda fortemente a favore del vegetarianismo, poiché consumare carne di esseri senzienti al pari di noi è da lui considerato incompatibile con la misericordia che un Bodhisattva dovrebbe sforzarsi di coltivare.
	Several other Mahayana sutras also emphatically prohibit the consumption of meat.	Anche alcuni altri sutra Mahayana insistono nel proibire il consumo di carne.
	A solution to this problem arose when monks from the Indian sphere of influence migrated to China, as of the year 65 CE.	Una soluzione a questo problema si presentò quando monaci provenienti dalla sfera di influenza indiana migrarono in Cina a partire dall’anno 65 dopo Cristo.
	There they met followers who provided them with money instead of food.	Là essi incontrarono dei seguaci che davano loro del denaro anziché del cibo.
	From those days onwards Chinese monastics, and others who came to inhabit northern countries, cultivated their own vegetable plots and bought everything else they needed in terms of food in the market.	Da allora in poi, i monaci cinesi ed altri che arrivavano per abitare i paesi del nord, coltivarono i loro orti e comprarono ogni altro cibo necessario al mercato.
	In the modern Buddhist world, attitudes toward vegetarianism vary by location.	Nel moderno mondo buddista l'atteggiamento nei confronti del vegetarianismo varia a seconda del luogo.
	In China and Vietnam, monks typically eat no meat (and with other restrictions as well – see Buddhist cuisine).	In Cina e Vietnam i monaci tendono a non mangiare carne (e ci sono anche altre restrizioni - vedi cucina buddista).
	In Japan or Korea some schools do not eat meat, while most do.	In Giappone e Corea alcune scuole non mangiano carne, a differenza della maggioranza.
	Theravadins in Sri Lanka and South-east Asia do not practice vegetarianism.	I theravada dello Sri Lanka e dell'Asia del sud-est non praticano il vegetarianismo.
	All Buddhists however, including monks, are allowed to practice vegetarianism if they wish to do so.	Tuttavia tutti i buddisti, inclusi i monaci, hanno il permesso di essere vegetariani se lo desiderano.
	Abrahamic religions	Le religioni abramiche
	Jews, Christians, and Muslims (Abrahamic religions) are all left with the biblical ideal of the Garden of Eden diet, which from all appearances is fruitarianism (see Genesis 1:29, 9:2-4; Isaiah 11:6-9).	Ebrei, cristiani e musulmani (religioni abramiche) hanno tutti come riferimento l’ideale biblico di dieta del Giardino dell’Eden, che, a quanto è dato modo di vedere, è il fruttarianismo (vedi Genesi 1:29, 9:2-4; Isaia 11:6-9).
	However, only minorities within these populations actually practice and advocate such strict diets, since the same book of the Bible, Genesis, later gives permission to Noah (and presumably his descendants) to consume animal flesh.	Tuttavia, solo delle minoranze all’interno di queste popolazioni sostengono e praticano davvero tali diete rigorose visto che lo stesso libro della Bibbia, la Genesi, dà più tardi il permesso a Noè (e, presumibilmente, ai suoi discendenti) di consumare carne animale.
	Curiously, this is not without great suffering simultaneously administered to all creatures:	Curiosamente, ciò non è esente da un'enorme sofferenza arrecata simultaneamente a tutte le creature:
	"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" (Gen.9:2).	“La paura e il terrore nei tuoi confronti scenderanno su tutte gli animali della terra e tutti gli uccelli dell’aria, sopra ogni creatura che si muove lungo la terra e sopra tutti i pesci del mare” (Gen. 9:2)
	Suffice to say, the Judeo-Christian God's permission for humankind to eat meat was not an unmixed or otherwise "unqualified" blessing.	Insomma, il permesso del Dio giudeo-cristiano all’umanità di mangiare carne non è stata una benedizione esente da perplessità o priva di distinguo.
	Commentators agree that meat-eating largely appears to be a divine concession to human weakness and sin, with penalties — likely including decreased life expectancy (see Gen. 6:3).	Gli esegeti sono d’accordo sul fatto che il mangiar carne sembra essere più che altro una divina concessione all’umana debolezza e al peccato, con sanzioni che includono probabilmente la diminuzione della speranza di vita (vedi Gen. 6:3).
	(Noah's great-grandfather, Methuselah, is famously reported as having lived 969 years, but this was prior to God permitting meat-eating in the Bible.)	(del bisnonno di Noè, Matusalemme, si racconta, come è noto, che abbia vissuto 969 anni, ma questo avveniva prima che Dio consentisse nella Bibbia di mangiar carne).
	In the Bible, the Book of Genesis teaches that human beings were originally vegetarian, but that later, following the Deluge, God permitted people to eat meat as well.	Nella Bibbia, il libro della Genesi insegna che gli esseri umani erano originariamente vegetariani, ma che più tardi, dopo il diluvio, Dio permise alla gente di mangiare anche carne.
	Many Judeo-Christian vegetarians interpret this to mean that God originally intended human beings to be vegetarians, and that people would do well to be vegetarians, even though meat-eating is permitted.	Molti vegetariani giudeo-cristiani interpretano ciò nel senso che originariamente Dio voleva che gli esseri umani fossero vegetariani e che, comunque, farebbero bene ad essere vegetariani, anche se è permesso mangiar carne.
	Additionally, some Biblical prophecy suggests that in a new Messianic age, there will be universal vegetarianism, even among normally carnivorous animals (for example, Isaiah 11:7 says, "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.").	Inoltre, alcune profezie bibliche suggeriscono che in una nuova età messianica, tutti saranno vegetariani, anche gli animali normalmente carnivori (per esempio, Isaia 11:7 dice, “La mucca si sfamerà assieme all’orso, i loro cuccioli si sdraieranno insieme, e il leone mangerà la paglia come il bue.”)
	Judaism	L’ebraismo
	Rabbinical Judaism discourages ascetic practices in general.	L’ebraismo rabbinico scoraggia in generale le pratiche ascetiche.
	With respect to food, this teaching may be summarized by the Talmudic statement, "Man will have to account for everything he saw but did not eat." (This refers to permissible or kosher foods only, not to forbidden animal species such as pork.) On the other hand, the Talmud discourages indulgence and states that it is preferable that one's diet consist mostly of non-meat products.	Con riferimento al cibo, questo insegnamento può essere riassunto dall’affermazione talmudica, “L’uomo dovrà spiegare la ragione per ogni cosa che ha visto ma che non ha mangiato.” (Questo si riferisce solo al cibo permesso o kosher, non a specie animali proibite come la carne di maiale). Dall'altro lato, però, il Talmud scoraggia l'abbandono ai piaceri della tavola e dichiara che è preferibile che la propria dieta consista principalmente di alimenti non carnei.
	To Jewish vegetarians wishing to remain consistent with this teaching, vegetarianism is not a form of self-deprivation, because the vegetarian does not desire to eat meat and believes it is healthier not to eat meat.	Per i vegetariani ebrei che desiderano rimanere coerenti con questi insegnamenti, l’essere vegetariani non è una forma di auto-privazione perché il vegetariano non desidera mangiare carne e anzi crede sia più sano non mangiarla.
	Genesis 1:29 states "And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit - to you it shall be for food."	La Genesi 1:29 afferma “ E Dio disse: Vedi, io ti ho dato ogni seme che produce erba che è sulla faccia della terra e ogni albero che ha frutti capaci di generare semi - per te questo sarà cibo.”
	According to some classical Jewish Bible commentators this means that God's original plan was for mankind to be vegetarian, and that God only later gave permission for man to eat meat because of man's weak nature.	Secondo alcuni esegeti dell’antica Bibbia ebraica questo significa che i piani originali di Dio erano che l'umanità fosse vegetariana e che Dio solo più tardi diede all’uomo il permesso di mangiar carne in considerazione della sua debole natura.
	Other commentators argue that people may eat animals because God gave Adam and Eve dominion over them.	Altri esegeti sostengono che l'umanità può mangiare carne d’animali perché Dio ha dato ad Adamo ed Eva il dominio sopra di loro.
	Generally speaking, Judaism has not promoted vegetarianism.	In linea generale, l’ebraismo non si è fatto promotore del vegetarianismo.
	However, some prominent rabbis have been vegetarian, among them the first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, Abraham Isaac Kook and former Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Goren.	Tuttavia, alcuni rabbini importanti sono stati vegetariani, fra di loro il primo rabbino capo di Israele prima che diventasse uno stato, Abraham Isaac Kook, e l'ex rabbino capo di Israele Shlomo Goren.
	Some Orthodox authorities have ruled that it is forbidden for an individual to become a vegetarian if they do so because they believe in animal rights;	Alcune autorità ortodosse hanno sentenziato che cui è proibito a una persona diventare vegetariana se lo fa perché crede nei diritti degli animali;
however, they have ruled that vegetarianism is allowed for pragmatic reasons (if kosher meat is expensive or hard to come by in their area), health concerns, or for reasons of personal taste (if someone finds meat unpalatable).	tuttavia, essi hanno decretato che il vegetarianismo è ammissibile per motivi pragmatici (se la carne kosher è cara o difficile da reperire nella loro zona), per problemi di salute, o per ragioni di gusto personale (se qualcuno trova la carne sgradevole).
Some believe that halakha encourages the eating of meat at the Sabbath and Festival meals, thus some Orthodox Jews who are otherwise vegetarian will nevertheless consume meat at these meals.	Alcuni ritengono che l’halakha (legislazione religiosa ebraica) incoraggi il consumo di carne durante i pasti del sabato e nelle feste religiose, per cui degli ebrei ortodossi che sono normalmente vegetariani mangeranno carne in queste ricorrenze.
There are several arguments from Judaism used by Jewish vegetarians.	Ci sono diversi argomenti nell’ebraismo che vengono usati dai vegetariani ebrei.
One is that, since Adam and Eve were not allowed to eat meat and that, according to some opinions, in the Messianic era, the whole world will be vegetarian, not eating meat is something that brings the world closer to that ideal.	Un primo argomento è che dato che ad Adamo ed Eva non era consentito mangiar carne e che, secondo alcune opinioni, nell’era messianica il mondo intero sarà vegetariano, il non mangiar carne è qualcosa che avvicina il mondo a quell'ideale.
A second one is that the laws of shechita are meant to prevent the suffering of animals and today, with factory farming and high-speed, mechanized slaughterhouses, even kosher slaughterhouses are considered by some authorities not to fulfill enough of the requirements to render the meat kosher.	Un secondo argomento è che le leggi della shechita (macello rituale) intendono evitare inutili sofferenze agli animali e oggi, con gli allevamenti su scala industriale e i mattatoi meccanizzati ad alta velocità, persino i mattatoi kosher non sono considerati da certe autorità religiose come in grado di soddisfare tutti i requisiti indispensabili per rendere una carne kosher.
A third one is that the Sages only mandated eating an olive's bulk of meat during festivals, but even then, this was because in Talmudic times, meat was considered essential for one's diet (whereas a vegetarian will probably be of the opinion that current science has shown otherwise).	Un terzo argomento è che i Saggi ordinarono di mangiare un pezzo di carne della grandezza di un’oliva nelle feste religiose, ma, perfino allora, il motivo era che nell'epoca del Talmud la carne era considerata essenziale per la propria dieta (mentre un vegetariano sarà probabilmente dell’opinione che la scienza attuale ha dimostrato il contrario).
Christianity	Il cristianesimo
Main article: Christian vegetarianism	Articolo principale: Christian vegetarianism
In Christianity, Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans that although he himself ate meat, the choice to eat meat or abstain from meat should be a matter of personal conviction:	Per quanto riguarda il cristianesimo, Paolo, nella sua Epistola ai Romani, scrisse che anche se lui personalmente mangiava carne, la scelta di mangiarla o di astenersi dal farlo doveva essere una questione di convinzione personale:
"The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him." (Romans 14:3).	"L’uomo che mangia di tutto non deve disprezzare chi non lo fa, e l’uomo che non mangia di tutto non deve condannare l’uomo che lo fa, perchè Dio lo ha accettato.” (Romani 14:3).
Several Christian monastic groups have encouraged vegetarianism, including the Desert Fathers, Trappists, Benedictines, and Carthusians.	Parecchi gruppi di monaci cristiani incoraggiarono il vegetarianismo, compresi i padri del deserto, i trappisti, i benedettini e i certosini.
Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists and Christian anarchists, take a literal interpretation of the Biblical prophecies of universal vegetarianism and encourage vegetarianism as a preferred, though not required, lifestyle.	Alcuni gruppi cristiani, come la Chiesa Avventista del Settimo Giorno e gli anarchici cristiani interpretano letteralmente le profezie bibliche relative al vegetarianismo universale e lo incoraggiano come sistema di vita da preferire, anche se non obbligatorio.
However, most evangelical groups are unaware of the existence of any such prophecies, and point instead to the explicit prophecies of temple sacrifices in the Messianic Kingdom, many of which are eaten—see Ezekiel 46:12 where peace offerings and freewill offerings will be offered, and Leviticus 7:15-20 where it states that such offerings are eaten.	Per contro, la maggior parte dei gruppi evangelici sono ignari dell’esistenza di questo genere di profezia e fanno notare invece le esplicite profezie dei sacrifici rituali del tempio nel Regno Messianico, molti dei quali sono destinati ad essere mangiati - vedi Ezechiele 46:12 dove saranno fatte offerte propiziatrici e volontarie, e Levitico 7:15-20, dove si afferma che tali offerte verranno mangiate.
Some key Christian historical figures such as St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assisi became vegetarians for ascetic reasons, not necessarily because of a religious edict to that effect.	Alcune figure storiche cristiane di capitale importanza come Sant'Agostino e San Francesco d’Assisi diventarono vegetariani per ragioni ascetiche e non necessariamente in conseguenza di un editto religioso in tal senso.
In the 19th century, members of the Bible Christian sect established the first vegetarian groups in England and the United States.	Nel diciannovesimo secolo, membri della setta della Bibbia Cristiana fondarono i primi gruppi vegetariani in Inghilterra e Stati Uniti.
However, it has been argued that the anthropocentric viewpoint of the Bible encourages human exploitation of animals and meat eating.	Tuttavia, si è sostenuto che il punto di vista antropocentrico della Bibbia incoraggi lo sfruttamento degli animali da parte dell'uomo e il mangiar carne.
The Bible says: "..And God said, Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness:	La Bibbia dice: “... e Dio disse, facciamo l’uomo a nostra immagine e a nostra somiglianza:
and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepth upon the earth.", "And God blessed them, Be fruitful and multiply, and subdue the earth;	e lasciamogli avere dominio sopra i pesci del mare, e sopra gli uccelli dell’aria, e sopra il bestiame, e su tutta la terra, e sopra ogni cosa strisciante che striscia sulla terra.”, ”E Dio li benedisse, siate prolifici e moltiplicatevi, e sottomettete la terra;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."	e abbiate dominio sopra i pesci del mare, e sopra gli uccelli dell’aria, e sopra ogni cosa vivente che si muove sopra la terra.
The attitude of dominion is then disputed with the translation of dominion as the authority to rule over animals and not consume them.	L’atteggiamento di dominio viene poi contraddetto con l'interpretazione della parola "dominio" come potere di governare sugli animali e non di mangiarli.
Further reading in Book of Genesis lends credibility to this belief by stating in Genesis 1:30:	L'ulteriore lettura del Libro della Genesi presta credibilità a questa idea tramite la seguente affermazione nella Genesi 1:30:
"And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."	“E a ogni bestia della terra, e a ogni uccello dell’aria, e a ogni cosa che striscia sulla la terra, in cui c’è vita, io ho dato per cibo ogni erba verde: e così sia.”
Continuing into Genesis 1:31, the Bible says:	Continuando in Genesi 1:31, la Bibbia dice:
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.	“E Dio vide ogni cosa che aveva fatto, e, guarda!, era molto buona.
And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."	E la sera e la mattina furono il sesto giorno.”
The only time the phrase "very good" appears in the Bible as stated by God is in Genesis 1:30.	La sola volta che l'espressione “molto buona” compare nella Bibbia come affermazione di Dio è nella Genesi 1:30.
This indicates that God's original plan was for vegetarianism.	Questo indica che il piano originale di Dio per gli esseri umani era il vegetarianismo.
The introduction of sin later changed the plan to include blood sacrifices to atone for sin, with death being the price for sin.	Più tardi la comparsa del peccato cambiò questo piano fino a prevedere sacrifici di sangue per espiare il peccato in una situazione dove la morte diventava il prezzo del peccato.
Upon the sacrifice of the final lamb, Jesus Christ, animal sacrifices were no longer needed and vegetarianism became a part of Chritianity as indicated by various references in the New Testament.	Con il sacrificio dell’ultimo agnello, Gesù Cristo, i sacrifici animali non erano più necessari e il vegetarianismo divenne un elemento della cristianità come indicato da vari riferimenti nel Nuovo Testamento.
There are many verses of the Bible that have been misinterpreted through English translation or through changes in the meaning of English words.	Ci sono molti versetti della Bibbia che sono stati mal interpretati a causa della traduzione inglese o del cambiamento di significato delle parole inglesi.
Such as in I Corinthians 8:8 the word broma was translated as meat, which at one time referred to all kinds of food (as does the Greek word) but in current English has the restricted meaning of animal flesh.	Per esempio, nei Corinzi 8:8 la parola broma fu tradotta con carne, che allora si riferiva a ogni tipo di cibo (come accade con la parola greca) ma che nell’inglese corrente ha il significato ristretto di carne animale.
In the Book of Exodus however, Yahweh himself provides the Jews with manna and quail (Exodus 16:13).	Nel libro dell’Esodo, tuttavia, Yahvé stesso fornisce agli Ebrei manna e quaglie (Esodo 16:13)
Islam	L’islam
Islam explicitly permits the eating of some kinds of meat, but does not make it compulsory.	L’islam permette esplicitamente di mangiare alcuni tipi di carne, ma non lo rende obbligatorio.
There are several hadith that support a vegetarian lifestyle and recommend kindness to animals rather than eating them.	Ci sono diversi hadith che supportano uno stile di vita vegetariano e raccomandano gentilezza verso gli animali piuttosto che il cibarci di loro.
"Masih (the messiah, Jesus) said, ‘Flesh eating flesh?	“Masih (il messia, Gesù) disse ‘Carne che mangia carne?
How offensive an act!’" (Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (early fifth century AH/early eleventh century CE), Mahadarat al-Udaba', 1:610.)	Che atto riprovevole!” (Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (inizio del quinto secolo secondo il calendario islamico/ inizio dell'undicesimo secolo dopo Cristo), Mahadarat al-Udaba’, 1:610).
According to Karen Armstrong, "The Koran does permit meat-eating, but it also encourages healthful foods (which, many Muslims conclude, does not include animal products).	Secondo Karen Armstrong, “Il Corano consente sicuramente di mangiare carne, ma incoraggia anche il cibo salutistico (che, concludono molti musulmani, non comprende prodotti animali).
Given these traditions, many Shi'ite Muslims and the Islamic mystics, such as the Sufis, see vegetarianism as the Islamic ideal and choose this diet." - A History of God by Karen Armstrong	Date queste tradizioni, molti musulmani sciiti e i mistici islamici, come i sufi, vedono il vegetarianismo come un ideale islamico e scelgono questa dieta.” - da “Una Storia di Dio” di Karen Armstrong.
Jainism	Il giainismo
All dietary rules listed for Hindus apply to Jains, in addition to which Jains must take into account any suffering caused to plants and suksma jiva (Sanskrit:subtle life forms;refers to what would later be termed "microorganisms") by their dietary choices.	Tutte le regole dietetiche elencate per l’induismo si applicano anche al giainismo, con l'aggiunta del fatto che i sostenitori del gianismo, nelle loro scelte dietetiche, devono tenere in considerazione anche qualsiasi sofferenza causata alle piante e alle suksma jiva (in sanscrito: forme di vita "sottili"; si riferisce alle forme di vita che in seguito sarebbe stato definite con il termine “microorganismi”).
They are forbidden from eating most root vegetables (such as potatoes) and deem many other vegetables acceptable only when harvested during certain times of the year.	I giainisti hanno il divieto di mangiare la maggior parte dei tuberi (come le patate) e ritengono accettabili molti altri vegetali solo se raccolti durante certi periodi dell’anno.
Taoism	Il taoismo
In Chinese societies, "simple eating" (Mandarin: 素食sù shí) refers to a particular restricted diet associated with Taoist monks, and sometimes practiced by members of the general population during Taoist festivals.	Nella società cinese, “mangiare in modo semplice” (dal mandarino: 素食 sù shí) si riferisce a un regime dietetico particolarmente sacrificato associato ai monaci taoisti e praticato talvolta da parte della popolazione normale durante le feste religiose taoiste.
It is referred to by the English word "vegetarian";	Lo si definisce con la parola inglese “vegetariano”;
however, though it rejects meat, eggs and milk, this diet does include oysters and oyster products.	tuttavia questa dieta, benché rifiuti carne, uova e latte, include ostriche e prodotti delle ostriche.
Bahá'í Faith	La religione Bahà’ì
The Bahá'í Faith prefers a vegetarian diet, although it is not required.	La religione Bahà’ì preferisce una dieta vegetariana, sebbene non sia obbligatoria.
Furthermore, Bahá'ís believe "Fruits and grains" will be the foods of the future and the time will come when meat will no longer be eaten.	Inoltre i Bahà’ì credono che “frutta e cereali” saranno i cibi del futuro e verrà il momento in cui la carne non sarà più mangiata.
Sikhism	Il sikhismo
In Sikhism, only vegetarian food is served during religious occasions, but Sikhs are not bound to be meat-free.	Nel sikhismo, durante le ricorrenze religiose viene portato in tavola solo del cibo vegetariano ma i sikhs non sono obbligati a privarsi della carne.
Rastafari	I rastafari
Rastafarians generally follow a diet called "I-tal", which eschews the eating of food that has been artificially preserved, flavoured, or chemically altered in any way.	I rastafari seguono generalmente una dieta chiamata “I-tal”, che esclude il consumo di cibo che sia stato conservato artificialmente, aromatizzato o alterato chimicamente in un qualsiasi modo.
Many Rastafarians consider it to also forbid the eating of meat.	Molti rastafari pensano che la loro dieta proibisca anche il consumo di carne.