 |
|
|
CVA
BLOG |
|
Christian Vegetarian Association
Blog
Discussions
Update Newsletters
Take
Heart!
Take Heart Contents
| Animal Issues |
Articles |
Bible | Children |
Devotionals | Environment
| Food | Health |
Opinion | Quotations |
Recipes |
Who Protects God’s Animals?
Monday, May
23, 2011 Blog
Image by
Macwriter - http://s1004.photobucket.com/home/MacWriter
1. Humane Meat?
2. Famous Quote – Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet
4. Bible verse – Proverbs. 11:17
6. This Week’s Video – Meet the Survivors: MFA Rescues Calves from Texas Factory Farm
1. Humane Meat?
Sunaura Taylor, a disability scholar, discusses the serious ethical issues surrounding "humane meat." Taylor, a disabled person, shares how the world sees her has profoundly affected her views on animals. She believes that "humane meat" is an oxymoron, citing examples such as the struggle conscientious omnivores appear to have with their own empathy toward animals: Michael Pollan overcoming his hesitance and shame in hunting a wild boar, to newspaper stories on the new meat movement where people try to overcome their uneasiness about killing animals by taking a butchering class, to the Nimans’ own stories of their grief when sending their animals to slaughter. To read the article please search online for Humane meat? No such a thing
“Humane” implies compassion and care. How is it taking the life of a creature that deeply values it compassionate or caring? Human history has shown that we are capable of rationalizing even the most atrocious acts. However, our Faith and values should lead us to make decisions that seek to reduce the harm we do and increase the joy and healing in God’s Creation. As far as our diet applies, eliminating animal products accords to our Faith and values.
2. This Week’s Famous Quote
“The inner feminine is our intuition, our sensitivity, and our ability to sense the profound interconnectedness of events and beings, and it is vital to peace, wisdom, joy, intelligence, creativity, and spiritual awakening.
With every baby calf stolen from her mother and killed, with every gallon of milk stolen from enslaved and broken mothers, with every thrust of the raping sperm gun, with every egg stolen from a helpless, frantic hen, and with every baby chick killed or locked for life in a hellish nightmare cage, we kill the sacred feminine within ourselves.
By ordering and eating products from the industrial herding complex that dominates the feminine with an iron fist, we squelch our opportunities for maturing to higher levels of understanding, sensitivity, and compassion. We remain merely ironic in our quests.”
~ Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet
3. Violence in God’s Name
Bruce Friedrich, Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), writes about the consistent endorsing of violence by Christians at the time of eating. While the Bible clearly states that cruelty to animals is wrong, most Christians don't think twice and continue to support the meat, dairy and egg industries, which undeniably cause unimaginable and unnecessary pain, suffering and early death to God's animals. Friedrich points out that Pope Benedict XVI "boldly and rightly condemns violence that is carried out in God's name." To read the article please search online for Are we supporting violence in God's name?
The Bible, for Christians, is a moral compass that helps us guide our choices and decisions. It also clearly states that God's animals were created as companions for us and that we have sacred stewardship over them. This stewardship conveys care and respect, two traits that the factory farming industry obviously lacks. Our actions should be consistent with our beliefs; therefore, adopting a plant-based diet should be our logical choice as followers of Jesus Christ.
4. This Week’s Bible Verse
(RSV) Proverbs. 11:17
“A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.”
When we cause misery to others, we invariably cause misery to ourselves as well. We cannot be so arrogant as to believe that there are no consequences for our behavior, especially if we cause unnecessary suffering to God’s creatures. Transitioning to a plant-based diet helps us to avoid causing pain to God’s animals and to ourselves.
5. Who Protects the Animals?
Mark Bittman, an American food journalist and author, writes a compelling piece about the recent undercover video released by the animal advocacy group Mercy For Animals that shows horrific acts of cruelty in a calf farm in Texas (E6 Cattle Company). Bittman correctly points out that videos like this one are not only very valuable but extremely necessary to expose the institutionalized cruelty in factory farms, and that the fact that some states are trying to pass legislation to make it illegal to take photographs or videos of factory farms should be a huge concern for everyone. In fact, Bittman believes that there should be cameras in factory farms videotaping how animals are raised, especially because there are no federal laws that protect these animals. Bittman also cites previous undercover videos that revealed sickening acts of cruelty to farm animals, such as the ones at Iowa swine factory farms and the Hallmark slaughterhouse in California, making a point that “standard procedures” in factory farms translate into a life of misery for the animals. To read the article please search online for Who Protects the Animals?
“Who protects the animals?” is a question that everyone should meditate on. I think that the answer rests on each and everyone of us, who have the free-will to make a choice at the time of eating. While it would be great if laws were passed to protect farm animals, ultimately the responsibility is ours, the consumers. If none of us supported the meat, egg and dairy industries with our purchases, then factory farms would disappear and no animals would be tortured for the sake of profit and taste. This is one of the instances in which every Christian, in our role of stewards of God’s Creation, should ask him/herself: “What would Jesus do in this case?” The answer seems clear: it’s very unlikely that Jesus would support industries that show no compassion, mercy or love to God’s creatures.
6. This Week’s Video – Meet the Survivors: MFA Rescues Calves from Texas Factory Farm
A few weeks ago, we shared with out readers the shocking undercover Mercy For Animals' video depicting the most egregious cruelty acts on calves at E6 Cattle Co. (a dairy farm) in Hart, Texas. Mercy for Animals released a second video, this time one of hope and healing, involving the rescue of 4 calves from E6 and their transport to their new home at “The Gentle Barn”, in Santa Clarita, California, where abused and troubled kids interact with rescued farm animals. To watch this video please search online for Meet the Survivors: MFA Rescues Calves from Texas Factory Farm and share with friends and family!
Paul Hansen, one of our sustaining members, shared some comments with us that I think are very appropriate in this case: "Ironically, The Gentle Barn, located in Santa Clarita, California, is the sort of place where mission-minded Christian churches might want to send abused kids to interact with rescued farm animals, whose story of abuse echoes that of the kids and helps therapeutically to “heal” the kids. Yet, those same churches don't give a second thought to their support of industries (like dairy) that routinely abuse such animals, separate calves from their mothers prematurely and sell them for veal. This is not just an irony, but a moral-cultural disconnect.".
Return to CVA Blog - Home Page
Return to CVA Blog - Past IssuesYour question and comments are welcome
| Copyright 2007 © Christian Vegetarian Association. All rights reserved. |
