Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - March 4, 2023
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Activist Feedback
  2. Narratives That Can Guide Us
  3. All-Creatures.Org Ministry

1. Activist Feedback

Rick Hershey writes:

Although the rain hampered my efforts half of the time, I handed out 2,400 CVA booklets at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC for Winter Jam today. Most of the booklets went to kids, and everybody was polite and friendly.

As Rick’s reports illustrate, these events are perfect for leafleting – young, enthusiastic people who are receptive to our message. If you volunteer, the CVA donates $25/hr to the veg. or animal advocacy group of your choice. With a little luck, you might be able to leaflet with super-leafleter Rick Hershey! Contact Lorena at lorenavalenziveg@gmail.com to learn more. 

2. Narratives That Can Guide Us

Narratives must do more than express values that might benefit society. They must also resonate with readers and listeners. Many of today’s most highly regarded writers, painters, composers and other artists were largely ignored or rejected by their contemporaries, because their audiences were not ready to appreciate their insights.

We need stories today that can validate the worth of all individuals and can encourage care of the earth for the benefit of future generations. Fortunately, nearly all religions teach compassion and concern for others. Christianity teaches that the ideal world, as depicted in the Garden of Eden (Genesis) and at the end of time (Isaiah) is nonviolent and vegan. The religious leaders of many faiths were vegan and taught love and compassion. Further, nearly every religion teaches some variation of the Golden Rule – to do to others as you would others to do to you.

But, good stories alone will not suffice. We need audiences that want a world in which all individuals are valued and which is mindful of the needs of future generations. Natural human tendencies, including narcissistic desires for personal pleasure and power as well as tribalism that favors one group of people over others, undermine the adoption of an ethic that has concern for all sentient beings.

During times of crisis, people often come together and ignore the petty rivalries that frequently divide us. Unfortunately, the “solution” to the crisis often involves scapegoating vulnerable individuals. Can we live together peacefully in the absence of an acute existential crisis and, in the middle of an existential crisis, can we avoid the attractions of the scapegoating process? I have some thoughts on how that might happen, and I encourage readers to submit their thoughts on this question. If you include your name with your thoughts, please let me know whether I can include your name in the next installment of this series.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

3. From All-Creatures.Org Ministry

Have you ever heard of “chicken roping”? We thank the brave people who uncovered this violence. Read about it and much more in this edition.

Our weekly newsletter contains up-to-the-minute good news for animals, action alerts, vegan/animal rights stories, poetry, and prose, thought provoking articles, vegan religion and spirituality, recipes, events, and much more!

All-Creatures.org Weekly Newsletter, March 1, 2023

Do you have things that you would like to see included? Then send to us at veda@all-creatures.org.

In the Love of the Lord,
Frank L Hoffman
All-Creatures.org

and

Kindness,
Tams Nicholson
Executive Directress
All-Creatures.org 

2023 Newsletters Archive