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CVA Weekly Newsletter
September 5, 2013
- Upcoming Activist Opportunities
- Essay: Who Is a Person?
- This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
- Vasu Murti Essay on the Soul
- The latest Issue of The Peaceable Table Is Now Online
1 . Upcoming Activist Opportunities
The Christian Vegetarian Association is looking for volunteers to leaflet at the upcoming events with our “Would Jesus Eat Meat Today?” booklets to spread the word about vegetarianism as good stewardship of all of God’s Creation. Volunteers have a great opportunity to earn $18.00 per hour (up to 2 hours) per person to be donated to their favorite Animal Advocacy or Veg Group.For more information please contact Lorena at lorenavalenziveg@gmail.com.
09/13 CA Anaheim Women of Faith
09/13-14 NY Rochester Women of Faith
09/20 TX Dallas Women of Faith
09/20 FL Orlando Women of Faith
09/27 MO Kansas City Women of Faith
09/27 WI Milwaukee Women of Faith
09/12 NY New York Third Day
09/14 AZ Phoenix Point of Grace
09/14 AR Fort Smith Rock the River
09/28 DC Washington DC Veg Fest
09/28 VA Charlottesville Cville Vegetarian Festival
09/21 IL Chicago VeganMania
09/20-21 VA Middleburg Awakening Festival 2013
09/15 GA Athens The Only Name Tour
09/20 MO Kansas City The Only Name Tour
09/14 TX Waco Manic Drive – Small Town America Tour 2013
09/27 NC Charlotte Plumb
09/28 SC Columbia Plumb
09/29 GA Macon Plumb
09/29 PA Philadelphia Mercy Me
10/04 NY NYC Hillsong United (Radio City Music Hall) United
10/18 CA Los Angeles Hillsong United
10/29 PA Pittsburgh JCTV Tour
10/19 FL Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Veg Fest
10/10–10 AL Fort Payne The Courage
10/09 FL Tampa Tampa Veg 2013
10/18-19 ON Mississauga ATF
10/11 OH Cincinnati Newboys Tour
10/06 MA Pittsfield Kings and Queens Tour 2013
11/01 Blakely PA Third Day
11/01-02 OH Cleveland ATF
11/08-09 CA Anaheim ATF
11/08 CA Ontario Winter Jam Tour
11/09 GA Atlanta Atlanta Veg Fest
11/09 NV Las Vegas Winter jam Tour
11/10 AZ Glendale Winter Jam Tour
11/12 CA Ontario Hillsong United
11/14 NJ Newark Hillsong United
11/14 ID Boise Winter Jam Tour
11/15 OR Portland Winter Jam Tour
11/15 MA Boston Hillsong United
11/16 PA Pittsburgh Hillsong United
11/16 CA Sacramento Winter Jam Tour
11/17 CA Fresno Winter Jam Tour
11/18 NC Greensboro Hillsong United
11/19 SC Greenville Hillsong United
11/21 NM Rio Rancho Winter Jam Tour
11/22 CO Colorado Springs Winter Jam Tour
11/22 FL Tampa Hillsong United
11/23 FL Miami Hillsong United
11/24 TX Ft. Worth Winter Jam Tour
11/24 TN Nashville National Youth Convention
11/26 TX Houston Hillsong United
12/07 NY NYC Toby Mac Hits Deep Tour
2. Essay: Who Is a Person?
United States law recognizes humans as persons, which makes sense. In addition, corporations are persons in the eye of the law, with the right to sue and be sued. In other words, they can wrong other persons (including other corporations) and be wronged. However, in the eyes of the law, nonhumans are not persons. They do not have standing to sue other persons if they are wronged in ways not proscribed by law. Further, they do not enjoy the basic rights of a person, such as the right not to be physically abused and killed. Should we regard nonhuman beings as persons?
I think that any individual who can be wronged should be regarded as a person with basic legal rights. While certain rights such as freedom of religion or the freedom to vote obviously must be restricted to humans, all persons should have the right not to be abused or unnecessarily killed. Which living beings should be regarded persons? I think those with feelings – who can suffer and/or experience pleasure – are persons. I don’t think there is any compelling evidence that plants can have such experiences, and I don’t regard them as persons. I’m very skeptical that insects and mollusks meet this criterion, but I think there is compelling evidence that birds, reptiles, and fish do, as well as mammals.
If we are to work toward recognizing the personhood of nonhumans, I think it would be helpful to refer to them as nonhuman persons*. Calling them “animals” seems to describe humans and nonhumans as fundamentally different from each other, a view contradicted by both biological science and Ecclesiastes (3:19). Consequently, I think it is easier to justify abuse of “animals” than “nonhuman persons.” I am also concerned about the effectiveness of the popular term “nonhuman animals” in part because it sometimes scandalizes those who deny that humans are animals. So, when possible, I will endeavor to use the term “nonhuman persons” whenever possible.
* I’m told that an early, but perhaps not the first, reference to this term is in the book In Defense of Dolphins (Blackwell Publishing, 2007), written by Thomas L. White.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
God Requires True Repentance
4. Soul Meets Body
In response to recent essays on the nature of the soul, Vasu Murti, author of They Shall Not Hurt or Destroy, has written an essay that explores this question and offers a range of viewpoints. Read Soul Meets Body:
http://serv-online.org/murti_soul-meets-body.html
5. The latest Issue of The Peaceable Table Is Now Online
Contents include:
The Editor's Corner essay, "Return to Eden, Part III: The First and Final Day," explores the meaning of Sunday, the weekly Christian holy day borrowed from the Jewish Sabbath of Jesus and his original followers. Both days point to God's dream of a good and beautiful earth where none hurt or destroy, and Sunday, like the Sabbath, is best celebrated with a joyful feast of good things appropriate to the commemoration and return of Eden.
One of our Unset Gems comes from the author of Isaiah 61: The spirit of the Lord God is upon me . . . he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives. . . ." In Luke 4 Jesus reads these prophetic lines, which today certainly refer also to our caged animal cousins.
The good news in one of the NewsNotes is that three hundred chimpanzees in publicly-funded labs are to be released to sanctuaries.
Michael Klaper, M.D., a leading physician of preventive and nutritional medicine, who not only promotes a plant-based diet but is a Man of Peace committed to compassion for all beings, is the author of the "My Pilgrimage" essay for this issue.
You can read this issue online at http://www.vegetarianfriends.net/issue98.html
"Let us take the adventure that is sent us." -Thomas Malory
Your question and comments are welcome
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