Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - February 1, 2023
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Activist Feedback
  2. "We Did It" Vegan Support and Advocacy
  3. Looking for a Moral Compass: Rationalizations
  4. Golden Rule Advocacy

1. Activist Feedback

Rick Hershey writes:

I handed out 1230 CVA booklets at Rupp Arena for Winter Jam. This crowd seemed smaller than last year, and 30 mph winds made leafleting difficult.

2. "We Did It" Vegan Support and Advocacy

Susan Sparks writes:

weDIDit is a global movement for a happy, healthy, well-fed vegan world through improved interpersonal communication, curated content, and community. Their GrassRoots Ambassador certification empowers Vegan & WFPB consumers and enthusiasts to initiate powerful change — for the health of humans, animals, and our planet.

Learn more about their certification here, or subscribe to their YouTube Channel: weDidit.health

You can view two recent presentations by Dr. Angel Crawford, Psychologist, Transformational Coach, and Vegan Lifestyle Educator:

Be well,
Susan

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3. Looking for a Moral Compass? Rationalizations

It is difficult to convince people to do things that run counter to their perceived self-interest. Humans have a remarkable capacity to rationalize their choices, convincing themselves that their interests and morality have a fortuitous alignment. People do make some ethical choices, and motivations include a kind disposition, a sense of duty, a fear of feeling guilty, an unwillingness to face social condemnation, and concern that cosmic forces (e.g., God) will punish them for misdeeds.

Humanity’s treatment of nonhumans demonstrates well the limitations of appealing to human goodwill. If the vast majority of people care more about their own food preferences than unrelenting pain and misery for countless creatures, then we can’t count on humans to make significant sacrifices for the greater good. Fear of social condemnation was a powerful motivation in small communities, particularly when people depended on each other for survival. In large, industrial societies, having money is an effective substitute for having reliable family and friends. The most obnoxious people have no difficulty finding people willing to sell goods and services.

Fear that unethical behavior might result in punishment in this world or the next has often limited human immorality. Today, many people doubt that a cosmic balance of justice exists, and many are also drawn to religions and cosmologies that excuse or even endorse malignant behaviors.

This might seem quite discouraging, but all is not lost. I will next offer some thoughts on how humans might be encouraged to act ethically without requiring that they adopt religious beliefs that many people find unreasonable.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D. 

4. Golden Rule Advocacy

Last week’s essay discussed the Golden Rule. Here is a nice booklet that shows the power of this ethic, particularly when applied to nonhumans: GoldenRuleism.pdf - Google Drive. 

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