Thanksgiving—Why Do We Eat Turkey (or Lamb or Ham)?

Here at AiG we are especially thankful to our Lord for several things this year. We praise the Lord for the progress at Ark Encounter as construction continues and we get closer to opening in 2016. We’re thankful for all the young people who were able to come through the faith-building Creation Museum because of our 2 Buy 2 promotion. And, as always, we’re thankful for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that He offers.

Now as you gather to give thanks around your Thanksgiving turkey—or lamb or honey-baked ham, as we do in the Ham household (I’m Australian, so it’s lamb and ham for me!)—do you ever stop to consider why you can eat turkey this Thanksgiving? After all, God originally created everything—including humans—to be vegetarian: “And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food’” (Genesis 1:29). Of course, sin changed everything. Because of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God, suddenly death and suffering were introduced into God’s perfect world. Eventually, after the global Flood of Noah’s day, humans were given permission to eat meat: “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs” (Genesis 9:3). So we eat turkey today at Thanksgiving because, following the entrance of sin into the world, God granted us permission to eat meat. Maybe this Thanksgiving would be a great time to remind your family of God’s gracious provision, even after sin.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.