Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it, 
But we hae meat and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be Thankit!

That is known as the “Selkirk Grace” and it is credited to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. I wonder how many times Scottish people have said those words before eating a meal.

Notice that the word “meat” is the central theme in that poem. I have visited Scotland, and my hotel served a Scottish Breakfast, and no, it was not vegetarian. I think haggis was included in that meal. If you don’t know what that means, you might want to look up the word “Haggis.”

It is probably true, that Robert Burns was using an old variety of English, from Scotland in his case, and “meat” meant nutritious food, from either plant or animal sources. In older English, “meat” or “mete” could mean any kind of food, including meat from animals.

That old English usage is part of a growing argument. I have friends who are vegetarians and others who are ketovores or carnivores, people who put a strong emphasis on eating meat.

There is a huge argument, in modern western culture, about the best human diet, and I have friends on both sides. 

So, are we supposed to be vegetarians, or carnivores? Is this a spiritual issue?

I know someone on the Carnivore side who only reads the old “King James Bible” and not any of the modern translations. In that old translation, we have this warning:

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4: 1 to 5)

We are warned about a dangerous spiritual movement that will be aggressive and dominant in the “latter times” which Biblically means just before Jesus returns. 

That is a serious warning.

This false spiritual movement will forbid eating meat, and doing some other things. We also have a modern translation the “New King James Version” and many other modern Bible translations. The words in the NKJV are:

forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods [Greek: brōma] which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4: 3)

You can see my friend’s problem with modern translations of the Bible. If you are wondering, the original text is in an old form of the Greek language, and the word “meat” comes from a word “broma” which is related to another word “brosis” which refers to eating. Imagine cows “browsing.”

So, probably my friend could use a newer translation of the Bible with no harm.

The “King James” translation project was sponsored by King James Stuart. His editor in chief or project manager was John Milton, a famous poet. John Milton was a young boy when William Shakespeare was an older man, and Robbie Burns came much later. Milton made sure the Bible translation was literary and poetic, as well as accurate. That explains the popularity of that older English translation. It remains an excellent translation, accurate and a work of literary art.

So, is it spiritual to be a Vegetarian? We have some other words, in the King James Bible:

Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. (1 Corinthians 8: 13)

Note the words “meat” and “flesh.” This is meat from animals in modern English. 

It is spiritual to be spiritual. Material things can be put aside if spiritual truth is at risk, but materialism is not the truth.

Notice the warning in the meat or food passage: “depart from the faith” and “forbidding” are the problems. We can easily believe that saying “No!” to some material thing will make us better than other people, and more spiritual. We are warned that dangerous legalism, and arguments about material things will replace spiritual truth in the “latter times.”

We are warned about a dangerous cult of just-say-no materialism, ‘Just abstain from a few things and you will be saved’ and that is presented as the correct spiritual path.

No doubt, there are material things we should stay away from, like dangerous drugs, but we also need to find God and we have these words in the old Bible translation “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4: 24)

That truth will be replaced by many religious people, in the near future. They will “depart from the faith.” 

Materialism is not a great spiritual truth.

It is good to keep the focus where it belongs: