- Activist Feedback
- Clarification on Last Week’s Essay
- Thoughts on The Better Angels of Our Nature,
Part 2
- This Week’s
Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
1. Activist Feedback
Brian, who leafleted with Mike, Leslie, and Lori at a recent
Women of Faith event in San Jose, CA, writes:
Since I leaflet
colleges so frequently, sometimes it’s hard to gauge the receptiveness
of students and how things are changing over time. It’s just like when
you lose or gain weight… you look the same each day but gradually over
time you change. Today was an opportunity to see change.
I
distinctly remember leafleting Women of Faith over 2 years ago (maybe
it was even 3 years ago?). Some were receptive, others were
indifferent, some were downright cold. Today was so drastically
different. Many women thanked us for being there. The acceptance rate
was fantastic and we saw many hanging around the front reading the
brochures. Very few came back to return the brochures, once they
realized we weren’t officially part of the conference. I overheard
quite a few comments like, “Oh yes, this is important” or, “We were
talking about this the other day” etc. More than anything though, the
FEELING I got about the event… just the general vibe about our
presence was incredibly more positive than 2 (or 3?) years ago.
An excellent use of a time for sure. So glad to have such
great volunteers helping me out today too. I am a lucky
leafleter!
Upcoming Outreach Opportunities
3/29
MI Ypsilanti Winter Jam Christian
Rock Fest
3/30 IN Indianapolis
Winter Jam Christian Rock Fest
3/30-31 MO Cape
Girardeau Extraordinary Women Conference
3/30-31 TX
Dallas
Acquire the Fire Youth Conference
3/30-31 WA Everett
Acquire the Fire Youth Conference
3/31
AZ Phoenix
TODD AGNEW Faith and Family Outreach Night with Phoenix Coyotes
3/31 IL Champaign
Winter Jam Christian Rock Fest
3/31
TX Austin
Women of Faith Dream on For Teen Girls
3/31
KS Wichita
Women of Faith One Day
3/31 MD
Baltimore Women of Faith One Day
3/31 TX Austin
TABLE Texas Veg Fest
4/1 MI
Grand Rapids Winter
Jam Christian Rock Fest
4/12-14 CA San Diego
Joyce Meyers Conference 2012
4/13-14 CA Sacramento
Acquire the Fire Youth Conference
4/13-14 NJ Rutherford
Acquire the Fire Youth Conference
4/14
OH Cincinnati Women of Faith "One Day"
Conference
4/14 CO Loveland
Women of Faith "One Day" Conference
4/20-21 FL Tampa
Acquire the Fire Youth Conference
4/22
CA San Diego TABLE EarthWorks'
EarthFair 2012
4/22 MO St. Louis
TABLE Earth Day Festival
4/26-28 KY Louisville
Joyce Meyers Conference 2012
4/28-29 CT Hartford
TABLE Connecticut Vegetarian & Healthy Living Festival
5/20
CA Van Nuys TABLE WorldFest
2012
6/23 VA Richmond
TABLE Richmond Vegetarian Festival
Contact Paris at
christian_vegetarian@yahoo.com if you can help. To find out about
all upcoming leafleting and tabling opportunities in your area, join
the CVA Calendar Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christian_vegetarian/.
2. Clarification on Last Week’s Essay
One reader noted that my
comment that no major power has gone to war since the Second World War
was not accurate. Indeed, the United States (among others) has fought
several wars. What I meant to say is that no two major powers have
gone to war with each other.
3. Thoughts on The Better
Angels of Our Nature, Part 2 [See March 14,
2012 Newsletter]
In his recent book The Better
Angels of Our Nature, Stephen Pinker notes that there has been a
growth of respect for the rights of individuals who historically have
suffered grievous oppression and victimization, including women,
ethnic minorities, homosexuals, and animals. Animal advocates might
dispute the last category, since the number of animals abused, and the
severity of their abuse, is unequalled in human history.
In my
view, Pinker is partly correct in his assessment. There has been an
increase in concern for animal well-being, manifested by animal
protection laws, public outrage when animal abuse comes to light, and
the growth of the animal protection movement. Why has animal abuse
nevertheless increased dramatically?
Industrialized
agriculture has made the growth of factory farms possible. The cost of
feeding animals has dropped substantially, mechanized feeding and
waste removal systems have reduced labor costs, and antibiotics have
made it much easier to crowd animals intensively. Meanwhile, greater
societal wealth has permitted larger investments in activities that
involve animal abuse, including vivisection, wearing animal skins, and
animals in entertainment.
Many activities that involve animal
exploitation would not necessarily result in great abuse, but people
generally choose less inexpensive products of all kinds, particularly
when consumers are far removed from and largely blind to the sources
of those products. This blindness is partly a choice – for example
people who want to eat flesh and other animal products don’t want to
know whether the source of those products involves unethical
practices. Similarly, consumers generally don’t want to know whether
their clothing and other products came from sweat shops. Nonhumans are
particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse because nearly
everyone believes they benefit from animal exploitation, and because
nonhumans are neither able to articulate their suffering nor able to
fight their oppressors.
When animal advocates expose the
abuses of factory farms, this discomforts those who want to consume
flesh, dairy, and eggs. When animal advocates connect the dots and
encourage a plant-based diet, this is generally an unwelcomed message.
What is most disappointing to me is that our churches generally don’t
take to heart Jesus’ words “the truth will set you free”, but instead
they discourage or even oppose efforts to bring animal issues onto
their “radar screens.” Presumably, church leaders fear that
discomforted churchgoers will take their tithes elsewhere.
This brings us to a practical issue. Should we attend churches that
refuse to address animal issues? I’ll reflect on that next week.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
4. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
Why
Should People Abstain From Flesh Foods?