This is something I have yet to talk about on here. I kind of wanted to give it some time before I brought it up.

A little over 6 months ago, I made a decision to stop eating meat. It was a decision that took a lot of thought, meditation, and prayer. I thought it was going to be a difficult change, but it's proven to be rather easy. I thought that I would take some time to just kind of lay out why I came to this decision. This is just a few of the beliefs behind my decision, not nearly all of them.

First of all, here are some of my beliefs that are not reasons why I stopped eating meat:

1. I don't believe that eating meat is wrong.

I don't think it's a sin to eat meat. Jesus clearly said that what goes into our body is not the problem, it's what comes out of it (Mark 7:15). I don't believe that by eating meat, I'm sinning against God.

2. I don't believe other Christians are wrong for eating meat.

There is nothing in the Bible that clearly prohibits the eating of meat. I understand that not all Christians are going to experience the conviction that I am experiencing.

3. I don't believe an animals life is as valuable or more valuable than a human's.

I think this idea is just ridiculous. I don't feel I need to even explain this one.

Here are the reasons why I stopped eating meat:

1. We eat too much meat.

The world today is much different than the world Jesus lived in. It's much different than the world our great-grandparents lived in. Today, it's normal that a person would have some sort of meat at every meal of the day. That means we have to produce a lot of meat to keep up with the demand. In order to meet this demand, ranchers had to change the way in which they raise and slaughter animals. Before, animals were born, lived on a range where they were free to move around and graze. When they got to the right age or size, they would be slaughtered and butchered by hand. These days, most animals are kept in a cage their whole life, force fed to increase their size more quickly, and then herded into a slaughterhouse where they are slaughtered and butchered by machine. Numerous times in the Bible, God condemns cruelty towards animals.

2. God cares about His creation and so should I.

Jesus makes it very clear that God loves humans above all the other earthly creations, but He also makes it clear that God loves all His creations. In Luke 12:6, Jesus says, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God." This tells us that God even cares about each and every small animal we may just take for granted.

When God created the earth, He gave Adam dominion over the other creatures on the earth (Genesis 1:26, 28). I think that in doing so, God's intent was not for us to be a tyrant over them and abuse them, but to treat them with the same love God does. He also told Adam and Eve that they could eat of any tree in the garden (besides the tree of knowledge), but never did he mention that they should eat the animals. That wasn't allowed by God until after the flood in which almost all fruit bearing plants had died and God allowed Noah to eat certain animals for nourishment.

It's not that I think eating meat is wrong in and of itself, but I believe the way that the meat industry is working these days is wrong. God cares about these creatures and we're just treating them like a commodity. He gave humans the right to be ruler over the animals and we're doing a horrible job.

3. It's healthier.

Because of our overuse of meat, our society is seeing large increases in obesity and other problems caused by an over-intake of meat. If done carefully, a vegetarian diet is much more healthy than that of one including meat. If you eat meat two or three times a day, you're not doing your body a favor. We are told that our bodies are a temple for our soul and the holy spirit, and that we should take care of it (1 Corinthians 6:19)

And now, some common questions I get about my not eating meat:

Are you a crazy animal rights activist? Are you part of PETA?

No. I don't feel the need to go out and paint people red and badger them for eating meat. I don't think that I need to force my belief of not eating meat onto anyone else. I feel that I'm doing my part and what I feel is right. I'll be there to answer questions and give insight, but never to convict someone that what they're doing is wrong. People that believe an animal's life is worth more or as much as a human's life is wrong.

Do you eat fish?

Yes, I still eat fish. I have not found any reason not to eat fish. I don't eat it very often and have thought about eliminating it, but at this time I do not abstain from it.

Don't you miss eating meat?

I thought I would, but I really don't. With all the meat replacement products we have now, it's easy to make the transition. I actually enjoy the culinary aspect of eating vegetarian. There's a lot of awesome recipes and options that make it, in my eyes, more varied and exciting.

Will you ever eat meat again?

At this point, I don't see myself eating meat in the future. I really have no need or desire to. That's not to say I won't one day change my mind, but for now, I'm keeping it out of my diet.

So that's a summary of why I've decided to stop eating meat. As for the title, the reason I say "I'm not a vegetarian" is because I've always felt that there was a negative stigma that comes with vegetarianism. I don't mind if someone calls me a vegetarian, but I like to think that what I eat does not dictate who I am.

I was interested to find that there are actually a lot of Christians making this decision to stop eating meat. If you're a Christian and want more information about how the Bible supports vegetarianism today, you can visit the Christian Vegetarian Association's webpage.