Weekly Newsletter - May 24, 2017
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Activist Feedback
  2. On Faith, part 9
  3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

1. Activist Feedback

Liz, who tabled at Earth Day in Columbus, writes:

I  wanted to report on the Earth Day event here in Columbus. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity and privilege to represent CVA at this event. I had a wonderful time and would welcome the chance to table again next year!

The event brought many blessings to be thankful for, including good weather (no rain!), helpful event organizers who provided both tents and tables, and many kind, curious people I enjoyed talking to throughout the day and into the evening. I had many interesting conversations with Christians and others--some vegan or vegetarian, and some just curious. Several of the Christians I spoke with commented on the need for an organization like CVA, since their impression has been that many Christians are unaware of, indifferent to, or even somewhat antagonistic to the idea of plant-based eating and living. More than a few people said they were glad to see CVA at the fair.

Peace and Best Wishes,
Liz C. in Columbus

Upcoming Activist Opportunities

Leafletting

05/30/2017 NY, NYC Mercy Me
06/10/2017 CA, Anaheim Toby Mac
06/16/2017 GA, Locust Grove Tenth Avenue North – AtlantaFest
06/16/2017 CA, Santa Clarita Casting Crowns
06/23/2017 AZ, Prescott Valley Matthew West
07/02/2017 TN, Springfield Tenth Avenue North
07/21/2017 GA, Duluth Joyce Meyer Ministries Conference Tour
08/01/2017 PA, Clearfield Matthew West
09/15/2017 CA, Fresno Sisters, Celebrating the Art of friendship (Women of Faith)
10/13/2017 IN, Indianapolis Joyce Meyer Ministries Conference Tour
11/2-7/2017 CA, Los Angeles Hillsong Conference
11/10/2017 NC, Charlotte Joyce Meyer Ministries Conference Tour

Tabling

06/01/2016 WI, Madison Mad City Vegan Fest 2017
06/03/2017 OH, Cleveland Cleveland Vegfest 2017
06/10/2017 NC, Asheville Asheville Veganfest
06/17/2017 TX, Houston Houston VegFest
07/22/2017 WA, Spokane Spokane Vegfest
07/22-23/17 CO, Golden VegFest Colorado
08/12-13/17 IL, Leslie Veggie Fest 2017
09/12/2017 DC, Washington DC Vegfest
09/17/2017 OH, Columbus 2017 Ohio Vegfest
09/23/2017 IL, Chicago Chicago Vegan Mania
10/01/2017 CA, San Francisco World Veg Festival Weekend
10/14/2017 OR, Portland Portland VegFest
10/28/2017 FL, Orlando Central Florida VegFest
11/11/2017 GA, Atlanta Atlanta Veg Fest


2. On Faith, part 9

Humans and nonhumans routinely engage in scientific thinking. We gather data and make decisions based on our feelings (such as hunger, desire, and fear, which largely reflect millions of years of evolution), prior experiences, and what we have been taught. When it comes to how we spend our money or whom to trust, our decision-making tends to be very scientific. We use our experiences and the experiences of people we trust to guide our choices. However, many important questions do not lend themselves well to such scientific analysis, such as “Where did I come from?”, “What am I supposed to do with my life”, and “What happens to my sense of self and identity when I die?” Many of us look to religion to address these questions.

Problems arise when we trust religious texts or traditions to answer questions best addressed scientifically. Galileo was under house arrest for the last nine years of his life for asserting that the earth circled the sun, because the Bible indicates that the earth is stationary (1 Chronicles 16:30, Psalm 93:1, 96:10, 104:5) and the sun circles the earth (Joshua 10:13, Ecclesiastes 1:5). In the long run, those who reject scientific findings tend to make bad decisions that hurt individuals and communities and sometimes even doom their civilizations. For example, the original inhabitants of Easter Island cut down all the trees to create giant stone idols for worship. They were therefore unable to make boats needed to trade for essential raw materials. This resulted in mass starvation and collapse of their civilization.

There is a major difference between scientific and religious thinking. Even though science is a cultural enterprise that is biased by human desires such as power, privilege, and prestige, at the end of the day it is self-correcting. If enough new observations and new data contradict existing theories, eventually those theories fall into disrepute. Any truths the old theories contained are incorporated into the more comprehensive and accurate new theory. In contrast, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, test or disprove a religious conviction. For example, outside of religious texts, we appear to have no data about heaven (near-death experiences, though intriguing, are not conclusive, because the person isn’t fully dead). There is no way to test or disprove any claim about whether heaven exists, what heaven is like, or who is there.

People generally would not regard any claim grounded in scientific analysis as “religious.” How can we have confidence that our faith puts us on the path of truth and righteousness? I will continue to explore this next week.

Stephen R. Kaufman, MD


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

Changing Worldly Ways


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