Kangatarians, Eating More Kangaroo, and Thanksgiving

Kangaroo is a red meat and is usually cooked medium or medium rare to make sure it doesn’t get too tough. (Ugh! I like meat well done.) I’ve never tried it myself. As a child I enjoyed watching a TV program called Skippy, about a boy and his pet kangaroo. So I can’t eat Skippy! It would be like eating Bambi! But maybe my fellow Aussies can help keep Australia from being overrun by kangaroos by enjoying a kangaroo steak for dinner!

There are even “kangatarians,” those who eat a vegetarian diet with one exception—yes, kangaroo. These kangatarians believe eating kangaroo meat is the ethical choice because they generally live in the wild, not on farms, and they don’t produce much methane (considered a greenhouse gas), unlike cows.

So, as Christians, can we eat kangaroo or any other meat, for that matter? While we were originally created vegetarian (Genesis 1:29), God gave us permission to eat meat after the Flood:

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything (Genesis 9:3).

Because of God’s provision after the Flood, we can now enjoy meat. It’s part of his care for us in this fallen world.

Today in America is Thanksgiving Day. Whatever you are enjoying today for your Thanksgiving dinner—kangaroo, turkey, or delicious vegetables and pumpkin pie—give thanks to our Heavenly Father who has provided for our physical needs with all kinds of delicious foods.

And happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

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