Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we are required to eat animals. Just because the Bible doesn’t explicitly forbid something doesn’t make it right. For example:
When your brother is reduced to poverty and sells himself to you, you shall not use him to work for you as a slave.... Such slaves as you have, male or female, shall come from the nations round about you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy the children of those who have settled and lodge with you and such of their family as are born in the land. These may become your property, and you may leave them to your sons after you; you may use them as slaves permanently.
Leviticus 25: 39-46
There are many different interpretations of the Bible. Among them is the view that Eden was the state-of-being that God desired for humanity, and in this state, Adam and Eve ate no animal products.
There are plenty of devout Christians and Jews who are vegetarian and vegan, and most theologians would agree that a benevolent God is not going to condemn someone for being compassionate to animals.
Of course, but that’s not the point, you wouldn’t use that argument for a non religious person. I get the religious argument against veganism quite often and it’s nice to have examples from their rule book to combat them. It usually shuts them up pretty quick and they can’t find anything to support their claim.
That something is permitted by one’s particular religious scripture doesn’t necessarily mean that it is required. For observant Christians who draw inspiration from the Bible, there’s nothing in veganism that could be deemed a sin by Christian standards, so other moral considerations should (therefore) come to bear.
I’m not a Christian, but I find different viewpoints fascinating and from that perspective I thought that it was really interesting to note that generally any reference to eating meat was either negative (eg the old testament on eating shellfish) or after the point where God decides that humanity is so wrong that it’s time to wipe us all out and start again (excepting Noah’s lineage, of course). The only place we really see a reference to the perfect lifestyle/diet on Earth I could find was in Genesis 1:29 - 1:30 that basically says to only eat fruit, seeds, greens… basically plants. On a side note, I find it doubly interesting the reference to only eating fruit “that bears seed” with all these super hybridised / GM plants that bear fruit, but can’t reproduce as they have no seeds. Like I said, I’m not a Christian, but my scientific health opinion is with the Bible on this one!