Weekly Newsletter - June 10, 2015
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Upcoming Activist Opportunities
  2. Essay: Is Having a Soul Morally Relevant?
  3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

1. Upcoming Activist Opportunities

Leafleting and tabling with CVA materials are effective means of outreach, and the CVA will donate up to $18/hr to the veg. or animal advocacy group of your choice.

Contact Lorena at lorenavalenziveg@gmail.com if you can help.

LEAFLETING

06/14/2015 CO, Morrison Third Day
06/19-20/15 PA, Pittsburgh Promise Keepers
06/27/2015 FL, Miami Xtreme Christian Music Conference
07-24-25/15 OK, Oklahoma City Women of Faith 2015
08/4//2015 TN, Nashville Casting Crowns
08/7-8-15 CO, Denver Women of Faith 2015
8/14-15/15 KY, Louisville Women of Faith 2015
08/14-15/15 TX, Dallas Promise Keepers
8/14-16/15 AL, Birmingham Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham
8/21/22/15 PA, Philadelphia Women of Faith 2015
8/22-23/15 OK, Oklahoma City The Good News Festival with Franklin Graham
9/11-12/15 CA, Anaheim Women of Faith 2015
9/17-19/15 MO, St. Louis Love Life Women’s Conference
9/18-19/15 FL, Orlando Women of Faith 2015
9/25-26/15 IL, Hoffman Estates Women of Faith 2015
10/2-3/15 TX, Dallas Women of Faith 2015
10/16-17/15 MN, St. Paul Women of Faith 2015
10/22-24/15 New Jersey Hillsong Conference
11/1-14/15 CT, Hartford Women of Faith 2015
11/06-07/15 WA, SeaTac Promise Keepers
11/20-21/15 CA, Sacramento Women of Faith 2015
12/4-5/15 OR, Portland Women of Faith 2015

TABLING

06/20-21/15 CO, Golden Vegfest Colorado
06/27/2015 WI, Madison Mad City Vegan Fest
07/9-12/15 NC, Hot Spring Wild Goose Festival
08/15-16/15 IL, Lisle Veggie Fest 2015
08/02/2015 NY, Buffalo VegFest
10/03/2015 DC, Washington DC VegFest 2015
10/10/2015 IL, Chicago Vegan Mania 2015
10/17/2015 TX, Dallas Texas Veggie Fair
10/24/2015 FL, Orlando Central Florida VegFest 2015
10/24-25/15 MA, Boston Boston Veg Fest 2015
11/1/2015 MN, Minneapolis Twin Cities Veg Fest 2015
11/7/2015 FL, Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Veg Fest
11/7/2015 GA, Atlanta Atlanta Veg Fest 2015

2. Essay: Is Having a Soul Morally Relevant?

Many defend harmful exploitation of animals on the grounds that humans have a soul and nonhumans do not. Assuming that it is true that only humans have a soul, is this morally relevant?

If only humans have a soul that continues to exist after the body dies, then arguably we should be especially concerned about animal welfare, since this earthly existence is all they have. Our brief stint on earth is relatively irrelevant compared to the everlasting life of the soul. We should have much more concern for the earthly pains and pleasures of nonhumans than our own.

Some people regard human life as important insofar as our activities determine whether we enjoy a pleasant eternal afterlife. If our eternal destiny relates to the morality of our choices, it behooves us to refrain from unnecessarily harming nonhumans, since the Bible and nearly all ethical systems condemn cruelty to animals.

Justifying animal abuse on the grounds that only humans have souls strikes me as rather convenient and self-serving. Next week, I will argue that the Bible actually supports the notion that nonhumans have souls.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

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

Greediness Opposes Serving God

Archived 2015 Newsletters
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