Romans 14:13-15

For work, I was helping a friend out with a sermon and was reading through the book of Romans when this Scripture caught my eye:

"So stop judging each other.  Instead, this is what you decide: Never put a stumbling block or obstacle in the way of your brother or sister.  I know and I'm convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is wrong to eat in itself.  But if someone thinks something is wrong to eat, it becomes wrong for that person.  If your brother or sister is upset by your food, you are no longer walking in love." -Romans 14:13-15, The Common English Bible

Now I could take this passage literally and use it to say, "Don't hate on vegetarians, guys," which I possibly will at a future time in which I'm being berated for not eating meat- I live in the South, it happens a lot- but I think this also has a deeper meaning.

I've seen many Christians use Scripture to back up hatred and prejudice, but prefacing it with "love."  They might think it is right- this is their "food."  But the people that they are being prejudiced against- whether the prejudice is racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, what have you- are hurt and upset by this "food."  This "food" is what has backed up years of discrimination towards these groups of disadvantaged people.  Sure, they might think that what they're doing is right ("because the ACTUAL BIBLE ACTUALLY SAYS SO GUYS!!!") but they are hurting people that have never done anything to them.  They are no longer walking in love.

This is why I wish for all Christians to take a look at their "food."  If what you are consuming is hurting someone else, you are not spreading the love of God.  William Barclay writes in his commentary on the book of Romans, "Christian liberty must never be used in such a way that it injures another's life or conscience."  I think this is important for everyone to take into account.  I have found that many Christians often overstep their boundaries to the point where they hurt other people and then justify their actions by saying that they were doing it in the name of God, and that's not okay.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is this: Being a Christian is super cool, but don't use your beliefs to justify hurting other people.  If whatever it is you're doing is hurting someone else, even if you believe it's right, you might want to take a step back and think about what it really means to be a follower of Jesus.

Oh, and in the future, if you need Scripture to back up being a vegetarian, I highly recommend Romans 14:21.