Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - July 23, 2023
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Milan Kundera 4/1/29-7/11/23
  2. The Problem of Evil, Part 7
  3. All-Creatures.Org Ministry

1. Milan Kundera 4/1/29-7/11/23

Milan Kundera, a renowned Czech-French novelist, died this week. In his most famous novel The Unbearing Lightness of Being, he wrote, “True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power. Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.”

Comment: The absence of human goodness – human evil – threatens human civilization. There are many existential threats, and each derives from the failure of humans to be guided by the faith of Christ. Christianity need not become the world’s religion, and indeed much evil has been done to protect or expand Christian institutions. Perhaps Father Zossima in Dostoyevski’s The Brothers’ Karamazov best described the faith of Christ:

Brothers, have no fear of men’s sin. Love a man even in his sin, for that is the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth. Love all God's creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love. Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Do not trouble them, don't harass them, don't deprive them of their happiness, don't work against God's intent. Man, do not pride yourself on superiority to the animals; they are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces of your foulness after you--alas, it is true of almost every one of us!

2. The Problem of Evil, Part 7

Jesus understood well the pervasiveness of evil, which he witnessed around him and ultimately experienced with his suffering and death through crucifixion. As he faced his destiny, Jesus said,
“Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42; see also Mark 14:36, Matthew 26:34). Jesus chose to be faithful, despite the enormous cost.

This, I think, is our calling as Christians: to be willing to bear the cross in service to God. We are to struggle for justice, even to the point of death. We should not, as Dietrich Bonhoffer advised, give up our lives cheaply. But, we should not cherish our lives above all else.

If the faith of Christ were a uniquely Christian faith, then its value to humanity would be limited to Christians. While numerous, Christians are less than a third of the world population. Children tend to adopt to their family’s religion, in part because their upbringing makes their religion seem true and in part because rejecting their family’s faith often results in losing cherished ties to family members. In a global community, where social, economic, political, and environmental concerns encompass the world, we need a universal ideology that transcends local, national, cultural, and religious boundaries.

I think the faith of Christ is a possibility. Christians are naturally encouraged to adopt such a faith, and I think this faith accords with nearly all the world religions. I will discuss this further.

Stephen R Kaufman, MD

3.  From All-Creatures.Org Ministry

Join us this Sunday, July 16, for the free Reading Vegan Books Aloud Group as we work our way through Christian vegan author Matthew King’s newest book. You must register for this free group. Register now! Here are the details: Reading Vegan Books Aloud Together - Pride Goes Before Destruction (all-creatures.org)

All-Creatures.org Newsletter for July 12, 2023
We hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter. Factory farming Octopus, Squid, Cuttlefish! — Planetary health: recipe for sustainable future — alpaca wool cruelties — how to do a vegan ice cream giveaway — baby Stanley’s need for family — more NIH funding for animal torture ends — caring about the suffering of ALL beings — too many ‘unwanted’ Roosters — secrets in every living being — 23rd horse ‘died’ at Belmont’s track — and more…

All-Creatures.org Newsletter, July 19, 2023
In this week’s newsletter: The power of empathy/listening — another horse racing track to shut down — Philly’s first electric horseless carriage — do we need to call Animals ‘friends’ to advocate for them? — AniCare Model: treating children who abuse animals — Veganizing America’s comfort foods — vegan curricula designed for Catholic schools — the amazing power of language in advocacy — Elon Musk’s cruel brain experiments — SHARK’s July newsletter — and more.

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

and

Kindness,
Tams Nicholson
Executive Directress
All-Creatures.org 

2023 Newsletters Archive