 |
|
| 2012
Newsletters |
|
Christian Vegetarian Association
Blog
Discussions
Update Newsletters
Take
Heart!
Take Heart Contents
| Animal Issues | Articles |
Bible | Children |
Devotionals | Environment
| Food | Health |
Opinion | Quotations |
Recipes |
CVA Weekly Newsletter
July 11, 2012
1. Veganpalooza 2012
This is an event that nobody should miss! Starting on Wednesday, July 11, you are invited to FIVE DAYS of informative and inspiring interviews with the leading minds in vegan and conscious living. Wait until you see the remarkable roster of thought leaders lending their enormous experience and expertise for this event.Take a glance at http://www.nanacast.com/vp/108649/347088/
Thirty highly-respected teachers, authors, and researchers will speak during this online event. The best part is, you don’t have to leave home to partake of Veganpalooza! Interviews are being conducted by Dr. Will Tuttle, author of The World Peace Diet, and Steve Prussack, host of Raw Vegan Radio.
The event is totally FREE, but if you decide to become a VIP member when you sign-up or even later on and take advantage of the many benefits such as interview recordings, books, DVDs, etc., you can help the CVA earn some money!Just make sure you register for Veganpalooza by visiting this link: http://www.nanacast.com/vp/108649/347088/
2. Comments on Last Week’s Guest Essay by CVA Member Paul Hansen
Paul Hansen’s essay is superb, especially the last paragraph! And I agree that man as the image of Spirit must be comprised of spiritual qualities -- qualia!
I grasp God's nature more clearly when I think of three synonymous names that best describe Him: Life, Truth, and Love.
So, where Genesis 1:26 says "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over ..." I read: "Let Life, Truth, and Love make man in their image and likeness and let Life, Truth, and Love have dominion over..."
(Man, of course, is a generic term meaning both men and women.)
Man made in the image and likeness of Life has dominion over death: he does not kill the fellow-beings he is charged with keeping safe, healthy, and happy.
Man made in the image and likeness of Truth has dominion over lies: he does not deceive his animal friends, to whom he is bound by loyalty, fidelity and respect.
Man made in the image and likeness of Love has dominion over hate and fear: he does not treat his nonhuman neighbors any differently than he treats his human neighbors, according to the Golden Rule.
Man, as the complete, comprehensive, complex, compound culmination of God's creating--man who has been given total consciousness of creation, as well as benign control over it--is designed to exercise only Life-mirroring protection, Truth-mirroring justice, and Love-mirroring compassion toward the creatures for whom he is responsible.
The bottom line, for me, is that Love is incapable of sanctioning anything less than Love and thus would never allow man to be complicit in any form of violence. Love only knows how to be harmless. And Love's man is infused with the spirit of harmlessness toward all Love's own.
Susan
One could get the impression from Paul Hansen's essay that a "human exceptionalism" which puts animals down is an intrinsic part of being pro-life on abortion. This is not the case. The pro-life movement is very diverse, and includes people with different views on animal rights as well as many other issues.
There have been groups such as Vegans for Life and the British PEACH - Peace, Ethics, Animals and Consistent Human Rights, and a newsletter "Live and Let Live" that have tied together being pro-life on abortion with advocacy for animal rights and a vegetarian lifestyle. There are some Catholic monastic orders which are historically vegetarian, and these would also be pro-life.
Consistent Life, the network which promotes the consistent life ethic (and of which I am currently President), has no official position on animal rights or vegetarianism but includes many vegetarians and has a policy of serving only vegetarian food when there is a gathering at which it controls what food is served.
It seems to me that there is a natural affinity in being inclusive in respecting life, whether it be of unborn humans or animals of other species.
Both are expressions of compassion, an attribute that I believe is divinely embedded in both humans and in many other species, and more and more studies are showing its innateness in various species. To me a compassionate life involves respect for all sentient life, leading to revulsion at war, abortion, harsh means of "justice", mistreatment of animals, the slaughter and consumption of animals, and all other practices which fail to respect the dignity and value of life.
Bill Samuel
3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
Are We to Follow Everything in the Bible?
Your question and comments are welcome
| Copyright 2008 © Christian Vegetarian Association. All rights reserved. |
