The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)
Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - October 6, 2024
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)
1. Truth and What Really Matters
I would like to reflect on a quote from Roger Scruton, who was cited by Douglas Murray in a recent “Things Worth Remembering” column in The Free Press: The truth is difficult, and can be uncomfortable—so, people turn away from it. That’s reasonable—I’m not saying they shouldn’t do that. But, they’re missing out on something. Maybe, missing out on everything that matters.”
This seems to relate to Socrates’ statement (quoted in Plato’s Apology) that the unexamined life is not worth living. As I see it, there are two major paths we might take as we navigate the challenges of human existence. Most people do not choose one path exclusively but rather favor one path over the other depending on circumstances and their needs at the time.
One path is to trust “authorities” who provide clear, simple, definitive, reassuring answers to difficult moral and existential questions. This path requires little intellectual work, can be psychologically comforting insofar as lends itself to a sense of certainty, and can be socially rewarding insofar as it accords with prevailing opinion.
The other path involves skepticism about authorities, including those who claim certainty because of professional expertise or divine knowledge. Skeptics see human understanding as limited. At best, we might gain knowledge and insight over time, but we will never have certainty about matters that mean the most to us.
We have no choice but to trust, to varying degrees, other people who we regard as authorities, even if we don’t trust them absolutely. There is too much information, and we can’t become experts in every topic that significantly impacts our lives. However, I suspect that, among those who inwardly or outwardly trust a person or persons absolutely, there is an element of doubt. This doubt manifests as internally as anxiety and often externally as passionate opposition to skeptics. This, I think, is why people of different religions often fight each other. A claim to certainty about God does not leave room for competing claims.
Animal advocates often incur the wrath of many people who directly or indirectly participate in animal abuse. I suspect that this relates to an awareness among animal exploiters, at some level of consciousness, that they might be wrong about animals’ rights and therefore what they are doing might be very wrong. The examined life, in which we fearlessly explore the ethical implications of what we believe and do, is difficult. Exposing lies that others find comforting or self-serving and resisting injustice are at best uncomfortable and can be dangerous. Yet, lives grounded on integrity and courage are lives that really matter.
Stephen R. Kaufman, MD
2. From All-Creatures.Org Ministry
All-Creatures.org Newsletter, September 25, 2024
Organizations endorsing bogus ‘humane meat certifications’ (exposed again) — contagious viruses on fur farms (exposed again) — Amazon death rattle — another horse track to close — Captain Paul Watson remains jailed — Sage Grouse gets millions of dollars of protection — role of disgust in dairy ‘education’? — campaign strategies to stop losing campaigns — Run (sheeps’ bolt for freedom?) — and more…
All-Creatures.org Newsletter, October 2, 2024
Exploration into vegan identities — fur-sellers busted — monkey lab prison scrapped — civet ‘shit’ coffee? — being connected in kindness — another ‘humane’ farm’s cruelty exposed — say NO to exotic hybrid cats — misanthropic bunker for activists – articles about avoiding activist burnout — Ventilation Shutdown VSD provided $89.3 million payout to another chicken egg factory farm — and more…
Do you have things that you would like to see included in future newsletters? Then send it 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
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