Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - September 6, 2021
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)


  1. Saving Civilization
  2. All-Creatures.org

1. Saving Civilization (continued)

We are fortunate to inherit cultural traditions that can improve the quality of our lives in myriad ways. We should be grateful for the many remarkable novelists, musicians, painters, architects, dancers, and more who have provided opportunities for esthetic and intellectual enrichment. Further, scientists across a wide range of disciplines from particle physics to astronomy have given us amazing insights into the workings of the universe and our place in it. Medicine’s discoveries have profoundly reduced childhood mortality and eased physical burdens for nearly everyone who lives a full human lifetime

There is no guarantee of permanence for any of these wondrous gifts. The threats to human civilization, including nuclear war, climate change, global financial collapse, and worldwide authoritarian rule, threaten our ability to pass on our inheritance.

Throughout human history, communal cohesion has come through the scapegoating process, which involves expulsion of “others”. The scapegoating process is always violent and always leads to an unstable equilibrium that invariably results in repeated violent expulsions. This is not sustainable in a world suffused with weapons of mass destruction and where those who lose their freedom to authoritarian regimes find it nearly impossible to regain freedom on account of extremely effective surveillance technologies.

It seems to me that perhaps our only hope is to find a way to unite humanity in a common cause that does not require the violence of the scapegoating process. The campaign to celebrate and pass on our cultural heritage – which derives from humans throughout the world – might inspire people to work together.

This project will require education, which includes but is not limited to an understanding and appreciation of the arts, political science, economics, philosophy, and psychology. Nearly every human has the capacity to gain a deep understanding of all these disciplines. I will start to discuss education as a lifelong project next.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

We welcome comments and questions relate to this and other essays.


2. From All-Creatures.Org Ministry

New Publications and Additions: What's New on All-Creatures.org


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