13 January 2011 Issue - Christian Vegetarian Association Update Newsletters


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Update Newsletters
13 January 2011 Issue

1. Upcoming Activist Opportunities

2. Reflections on the Lectionary, January 16, 2011: John 1:29-34

3. The January Issue of “The Peaceable Table” Is Now Online

4. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

5. Elizabeth Farians on YouTube

6. Special Offer from Veggiebrothers

7. Correction

1. Upcoming Activist Opportunities

1/21 IA Des Moines Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

1/21 OK Owasso Revive Tour Christian Rock

1/20-21 TX Dallas Revolve Tour Dream On! - Youth Conf

1/22 IL Dekalb Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

1/23 IN Ft. Wayne Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

1/24 IN Newburgh Abandon Christian Rock Concert

1/26 IN Newburgh Abandon Christian Rock Concert

1/28 KY Louisville Abandon Winter Blitz Youth Event

1/28 PA University Park Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

1/28-29 GA Duluth Revolve Tour Dream On - Youth Conf

1/28-29 VA Richmond Acquire the Fire Youth Conference

1/29 OH Columbus Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

1/30 TN Nashville Mikechair Christian Rock Concert

1/30 OH Cleveland Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

2/3 MS Tupelo Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

2/4-5 MN Minneapolis Acquire the Fire Youth Conference

2/4-5 MO Kansas City Revolve Tour Dream On - Youth Conf

2/5 NC Greensboro Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

2/10 GA Augusta Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

2/11 SC Greenville Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

2/11-12 MO Kansas City Acquire the Fire Youth Conference

2/12 AL Birmingham Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

2/14 KY Louisville Winter Jam 2011 Tour Spectacular

2/18-19 CO Denver Revolve Tour Dream On - Youth Conf.

2/25-26 AZ Phoenix Revolve Tour Dream On - Youth Conf

3/4-5 OR Portland Revolve Tour Dream On -Youth Conf

4/11 FL Tampa TABLE Talking Animals Festival

7/5-8 OH Cincinnati TABLE Church Turning the World Upside

Contact Paris at christian_vegetarian@yahoo.com if you can help. To find out about all upcoming leafleting and tabling opportunities in your area, join the CVA Calendar Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christian_vegetarian/

2. Reflections on the Lectionary, January 16, 2011: John 1:29-34

This passage begins with John the Baptist declaring, upon seeing Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” There has been much reflection among Christian theologians as to what is the “sin of the world.” I suggest that the “sin of the world” is the universal sin that has its origin in human nature. The human desire for self-esteem inclines us transfer guilt from ourselves onto other individuals (human and nonhuman). Those deemed “guilty” are typically punished and abused. This transfer of guilt is the essence of scapegoating, and scapegoating is a fundamental sin (arguably “the sin of the world”) because it undermines justice, is the basis of victimization, and is incompatible with a peaceful, harmonious world. There cannot be God’s realm “on earth and in heaven” as long as there is scapegoating.

How can we eliminate scapegoating? Accusing people of scapegoating doesn’t work. Communities involved in scapegoating don’t recognize their scapegoating activities. If they did, then scapegoating would not raise self-esteem. People generally respond to exposure of their scapegoating with defensiveness, derision, and, often, violence. Therefore, the “lamb of God” cannot refute accusers if the “lamb” is to take away the sin of the world. Indeed, Jesus did not reply to Pilate’s accusations, because anything he said in his defense would have been regarded as deceitful and grounds for punishment. By remaining silent, Jesus removed a possible excuse for executing him, making his innocence more obvious.

Scapegoating can’t be defeated by force, however justified the use of force might seem to be. The reason is that the recipients of force will consider themselves victims and thirst for revenge. Scapegoating must be exposed for the scandal that it is, because it is grounded on lies. Jesus, by allowing himself to be a victim, exposed the “sin of the world,” and indeed Jesus’ innocence was acknowledged by Judas (Matthew 27:3-5), Pilate (Luke 23:4), the prisoner (Luke 23:40-43), and the centurion (Luke 23:47). Those present at his crucifixion went home beating their breasts (Luke 23:48), which would only have happened if they recognized that an innocent person had been killed, i.e., that he had been a victim of scapegoating. Finally, among other things, the Resurrection account validated that God considered Jesus innocent.

It is not enough to stop scapegoating humans. As long as society at large participates in scapegoating, everyone is at risk. The reason is that, frequently, blaming animals for our shortcomings isn’t enough – in order to regard themselves as “good,” people often find it necessary to accuse other people. Accusation lies at the root of scapegoating, but if we abstain from accusation, how can we hold people accountable for their actions? We’ll consider this next week. The following week, we’ll explore ways in which animals are victims of scapegoating.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

3. The January Issue of “The Peaceable Table” Is Now Online

Contents include:

* The Editorial, "The Inner Light and the Honor Code," presents some basic ideas from Kwame Anthony Appiah's new book The Honor Code, about the moral revolutions that ended such evils as Chinese footbinding and Atlantic slavery. In what ways might awareness of honor issues help us in our efforts to bring about a revolution on behalf of animals?

* Do animals have spiritual experiences? According to a NewsNote, a neurological study suggests that they do.

* In one of the Letters, John Gilheany deals with the relevance to non-British readers of his historical book Familiar Strangers, reviewed in the December issue. He also offers another example of one of the witty exchanges between adversaries Shaw and Chesterton.

* The Recipes for January are for a hearty lentil and pasta soup and a mouth-watering breakfast coffee cake. Try them and enjoy!

* The January Pioneer is Bramwell Booth, son of the co-founders of the Salvation Army and a compassionate vegetarian who saw a nonviolent diet as crucial to his ministry to help realize the Kingdom of God on earth.

May the year 2011 see more and more people turning away from systemic violence against animals, and returning to their own innermost nature where the Light/Love of God dwells.

Love to all,

Gracia Fay Ellwood, Editor

To read this issue, go to http://www.vegetarianfriends.net/issue73.html

4. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

True Love and Compassion Will Always Lead to Justice
http://www.all-creatures.org/sermons97/s7jan90.html

5. Elizabeth Farians on YouTube

CVA member Elizabeth Farians has a moving YouTube video done at World Peace Yoga 2010 , in which she encourages people to visualize the traumatic experiences of cows and calves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWJ41mQanWo

6. Special Offer from Veggiebrothers

I’m often on the run, and I’ve found Veggiebrothers meals nutritious and tasty, but they are a bit pricy. This month, they have a buy two, get one free offer on select items.

http://www.veggiebrothers.com/specials

7. Correction

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau‘s web site is http://www.compassionatecooks.com/.

Your question and comments are welcome

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