‘Fake meat’ approval could lead to additional decline in faith, love of Christ

What is the end goal? The government does not approve anything without an end goal in mind. It’s just how it works in America. The recent announcement that the USDA has approved the commercial sale of “fake meat” produced in a laboratory causes me to ask, ‘What is the end goal?’ Additionally, the end goal may not be on the radar of government officials now. They may have a different agenda. It does not mean that Satan is short sighted. He is certainly not looking at the short-term picture, but the long-term. He has a plan. We must be prepared.

Let’s look at what the ‘fake meat’ approval could mean for the future. Faith in Christ, Church membership, and acknowledgement of God’s existence have all declined in recent decades. “Fake meat” production could cause those numbers to plummet even more.

For you to understand the potential implications of this movement, it is crucial you gain a knowledge of how this ‘meat’ is created and the justifications behind it. The “fake meat”, known as “cultured meat”, is produced in a petri dish. It is cultivated using stem cells (myosatellite) of animals. Workers obtain these stem cells then, in a controlled lab environment, place the cells in a petri dish. The natural amino acids and carbohydrates promote growth to form muscle fibers. The resulting product resembles “meat” in appearance. The synthetic biology used to produce this ‘meat’ is also used to produce things such as electrical circuits, biofuels, drugs, rubber, and vaccines. Sounds appetizing, doesn’t it? The process will produce things such as fake beef, fish, chicken, pork, and duck.

The justification for the purchase and consumption of “fake meat”, as opposed to real meat, claims that “fake meat” will address and reduce many of the environmental problems the country is facing. The claim is that it helps solve issues such as a crowded planet. Consequently, it could easily be utilized to reduce life. In a society that is comfortable in ending life (abortion, assisted suicide, mass shootings, rise in crime, etc.), it is not far fetched to believe things could be added to the “fake meat” during production that would shorten the life span of people. It’s no secret that preservatives already utilized in the food we purchase in grocery stores create health problems and illnesses. What more could it create if the entire “food” was tainted with things similar to preservatives?  Additionally, their justification that artificial meat would reduce the impact on the environment from raising animals and then the necessary process in killing and processing them. The justification falls short when the entire process itself relies on obtaining stem cells from actual real animals.

The Bible is clear how the spilling of blood correlates with God’s plan for forgiveness of sin. God killed the first animal and shed the first animal blood because of sin. It was symbolic of a restoration of relationship between God and mankind. “For the man and his wife, the Lord God made leather garments, with which he clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21) God made “leather” garments for Adam and Eve following their sin. It is not directly mentioned, but it is clear the Lord God shed the blood of an animal to make leather.

The shedding of blood for the remission of sins is also shown in Genesis 4:4 where we see the feud of Cain and Abel. “While Abel, for his part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering.” (vs. 4) If we forward to the New Testament, we see how the suffering and sacrifice of Christ is the sacrificial lamb for the forgiveness of sins. It is the restoration of the relationship between God and mankind that is directly related to the shedding of blood. The Old Testament shows the blood of the sacrificial lambs being placed on doorposts during the Passover, the importance of consuming the entire lamb during the Passover meal, and the shedding of the blood of animals on the Temple altar. The New Testament shows how Jesus is the sacrificial lamb.

Catholic teaching also becomes complicated with the elimination of real meat. The Church teaches abstinence from meat on certain holy days during the liturgical year. It is, however, customary for many Catholics to also adhere to the traditional teaching and practice of meatless Fridays. Catholics refrain from eating meat on Fridays because it is a recognition of Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday, as a result, we refrain from eating flesh meat on Fridays in honor and remembrance of that sacrifice for our sins. This faith practice, which draws us closer to the sufferings of Christ and helps our focus turn to Jesus’ suffering for us, will be eliminated with the replacement of real meat with “fake meat”. It is hard to refrain from meat on specific days for our faith if there is no meat from which to refrain.

If the shedding of animal blood for our benefit (food) vanishes from our culture and world, then the significance of the parallel of Jesus’ shedding of blood on the cross with the sacrificial lamb becomes insignificant. It becomes something that is not relevant to modern life and, as a result, puppets of the devil will argue it is “barbaric” and “cruel” to believe something so “grizzly” was needed for our sake. It minimizes the consequences (or even the existence) of sin and the need for salvation.

It is essential for Christians to be aware of the spiritual forces in play around us. There is a tremendous spiritual battle raging around us and, as followers of Christ, we are called to draw near to the Lord. We do not get the privilege to “opt out” of this war. You are already in it. In Sacred Scripture, we are warned in the book of Revelation to not be “lukewarm”. It is time to be hot or cold for the Lord. Our faith life is not something to simply be another item on our weekly “to-do” list and then check off. Nothing is by accident.