A Question about Vegetarianism for Moral Reasons

[Proletarian]

"We are granted lordship over the earth (to cultivate it) in Genesis. So we have the right to kill animals for our food and neccessity. But Jesus didn’t teach his followers to walk around the world mindlessly taking those things to which they were entitled, **especially from those weaker than them. The Church hasn’t taught it either. Justice (everyone getting what is their due) is a virtue…but so is Charity (the strong voluntarily giving the weak more than justice demands). **

By using this argument one degrades the personhood of humanity, and ultimately trivialises Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Jesus Came to liberate people not animals!

 

[Hellisreal]

What about those poor little locusts St. John the Baptist ate…?

I respect anyones right to be a vegetarian for any and all reasons they do.

Just dont put me down for not being one.

I hope the radical vegetarians who do look down on us carnivors dont buy their veggies at Whole Foods that supports the homosexual movement.

See how this can get crazy?

The Church does not stop me from having my meat,(except for days of fasting) so I have it. The end my friends.

When it comes from Rome I cant do it anymore, I will stop.

 

[cockatoo]

What about those poor little locusts St. John the Baptist ate…?

I respect anyones right to be a vegetarian for any and all reasons they do.

Just dont put me down for not being one.

I hope the radical vegetarians who do look down on us carnivors dont buy their veggies at Whole Foods that supports the homosexual movement.

See how this can get crazy?

The Church does not stop me from having my meat,(except for days of fasting) so I have it. The end my friends.

When it comes from Rome I cant do it anymore, I will stop.

A lot of vegetarians go there. They have a lot of vegan foods even cake. I used to get my birthday cake from there when I was a vegan. They also support PETA, I think, and that would get a lot of the “radical” vegetarians to go there.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

BTW, I think the correct classification of human beings is that we are omnivores, bot carnivores. We eat meat, fish and plants.

Myself, I’m of French descent and as a result, while the rest of the world has to eat to live, I live to eat.

Jim

 

[Cari]

But in terms of being inhumane to animals… the vegetarians probably don’t think about the combine or sickle mower going through the fields, chopping little bunny rabbits’ heads off as it harvests the grain. Or the clearing of wild habitat to cultivate fields. Even the home gardener has to make a choice - am I going to feed my vegetables to my family, or am I going to let the gophers, snails, and catterpillars eat their fill first? By and large we outsource our food production to other people, so most of us have no clue what the real impact on animals is, even for vegetable products. Suffice it to say, it’s not so simple as saying “it’s a plant, so no animals were harmed”.

As a devout Catholic who has been a vegetarian for moral reasons more than half my life, I can address this particular argument.

Yes, I do think about the destruction of animals in the production of vegetable-based foods. It is sad, and gruesome. However, it is in no way parallel to the reality of factory farming. The first case is an unfortunate by-product of agriculture. The other is the deliberate action of the meat industry to increase profits.

I am not a militant vegetarian. I’m not going to link to the PETA “Meet Your Meat” video. However, suffice it to say that most people don’t WANT to know what goes on in a slaughterhouse because they have a vague idea that it’s fairly awful. Factory farming has taken God’s creatures and justified the abject misery they endure for profit. We were given stewardship over the Earth- that doesn’t mean we were given carte blanche to trash it and inflict wanton cruely upon it.

I think there’s a big difference between, say, small-scale organic meat production and what goes on at the local slaughterhouse for Tyson chicken. Again, since I in no way want to come across as a militant vegetarian, I’ll avoid the details, at the cost of my argument.

That said, I still think that for most of us living in the Western world, we are given more than ample access to nutritious, non-animal foods. We don’t need our meat 3 and 4 times a day (esp. given the quality of most conventionally-produced meats), and I find that the correct moral choice for me is to NOT exercise my stewardship of God’s creation by eating it, since I don’t have to in order to maintain a healthy life.

As for the whole, “Jesus ate meat” arguement, all I can say is that vegetarianism was the norm in Eden- meat eating didn’t come into play until after the Fall. Jesus, obviously, entered into a Fallen world, and adjusted His eating habits accordingly. Plus, it’s not like He had access to soy-fish or Boca Burgers- this was a case of human health depending on animal-based foods.

Anyway, that’s my take on it. My children and I are vegetarians. My husband isn’t. Do I give him the evil eye every time he sits down to a steak dinner? Yes- but only because of the horrible gas that I know is going to ensue.

 

[Hellisreal]

Do I give him the evil eye every time he sits down to a steak dinner? Yes- but only because of the horrible gas that I know is going to ensue.

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That got me on the floor