Animals You Eat: Bad Meat!

[yellowbird]

Do you hunt/raise them yourself? Or do you let someone else do the dirty work? If you are in control of all aspects of their rearing and slaughter then maybe you are eating good meat. If not–rethink this. If someone else is treating these animals inhumanely can you eat them in good conscience? Are you absolved of any mistreatment if you did not partake in the mistreatment, but by your purchases you enable this mistreatment to continue? This is not a joke. I implore you all TO THINK of how Christ would respond/react. This is a religious forum, is it not?

OK, let’s say that I wanted to eat only animals that were treated humanely… which, you may be suprised to know that I actually believe has merit. Not so much because of the animal, but moreso because the anti-biodics pumped into our food creeps me out… I worry that someday we’ll realize that’s what is giving us all cancer.

So in addition to growing my own vegetables, eating mostly organic including milk…I currently only purchase eggs from free range chickens. We eat Amish chickens without anti-biodics and meat from my local butcher who gets it from small farms in Wisconsin. I do not purchase meat from the grocery store because I don’t care to eat food from other countries and if you look on the federal mandated packaging - it says where the meat came from and it’s no where close to home.

But what else could we do if we wanted to eat meat that came from animals who were treated humanely? How would we find this meat?

 

[Leopard]

Do you hunt/raise them yourself?..

I eat fish that I catch myself, but I do not line in an agriculture-zoned area, so I do not raise other meat animals. It is not legally permitted in my municipality.

…Or do you let someone else do the dirty work?..

I have no qualms about about slaughtering animals and do not consider it dirty work, except insofar as those who do this work probably need a good bath when they’re done.

…If you are in control of all aspects of their rearing and slaughter then maybe you are eating good meat…

I do, even though others raise and slaughter it.

…If not–rethink this…

Why? I already know it’s good. As long as I don’t burn it or something.

…If someone else is treating these animals inhumanely can you eat them in good conscience? Are you absolved of any mistreatment if you did not partake in the mistreatment, but by your purchases you enable this mistreatment to continue?..

As previously stated, I have some experience with dairy farming. Your video does not give an honest picture of conditions at dairy farms. Why should it it then be considered a credible report of conditions at other farms or food processing facilities?

…This is not a joke…

This is correct. Jokes have a point.

…I implore you all TO THINK of how Christ would respond/react. This is a religious forum, is it not?

It is. I think Christ might first say “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

 

[bbarrick8383]

*Why would you need to feed a small town eggs? *How did they supply eggs in Christ’s time? What did they do about the coyotes? We have small free range farms here. No coyotes here–this is not Oklahoma. Some people buy free range eggs–the farms stay in business. The vast majority of people buy the factory farmed eggs–where they sear off the chickens beaks. I don’t buy any eggs at all because they are not healthy to consume in large quantities. The fats in animal products are what clog the arteries and cause heart disease. Ask Dr. Oz. I use plums in all of my baking–no need for eggs–no cholesterol etc.

I am on my cell phone so ill try to keep it short. the fact is if u can’t stomach what you might see at a murder scene don’t be a cop. if you aren’t strong enough to hear about a murder avoid the news. you should stay away from those videos if you can’t handle the truth. what humans do to each other is far worse than what we do to chickens.

 

[Marfran]

I am on my cell phone so ill try to keep it short. the fact is if u can’t stomach what you might see at a murder scene don’t be a cop. if you aren’t strong enough to hear about a murder avoid the news. you should stay away from those videos if you can’t handle the truth. what humans do to each other is far worse than what we do to chickens.

It is wrong for us not to watch the news, be aware of what is going on in the community, work to make our community murderfree, crimefree etc. We also can not turn a blind eye to the degradation that we are causing our planet. We have a responsibility to make sure that all of our food sources are safe, for everyone. We also have an ethical responsibility to treat animals that we raise for food humanely. Would Christ have it any other way? Does anyone out there remember St. Francis?

 

[Marfran]

I eat fish that I catch myself, but I do not line in an agriculture-zoned area, so I do not raise other meat animals. It is not legally permitted in my municipality.

I have no qualms about about slaughtering animals and do not consider it dirty work, except insofar as those who do this work probably need a good bath when they’re done.

I do, even though others raise and slaughter it.

Why? I already know it’s good. As long as I don’t burn it or something.

As previously stated, I have some experience with dairy farming. Your video does not give an honest picture of conditions at dairy farms. Why should it it then be considered a credible report of conditions at other farms or food processing facilities?

This is correct. Jokes have a point.

It is. I think Christ might first say “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

Are you bearing false witness?
It is not my video. I will find some more for you. Try the *Lisa Ling *video from the Oprah show. If you are associated with a humane dairy farm that’s wonderful! Your farm does not make the cows pregnant for 9 months out of the year and take away the newly born male calves to kill for veal, kill the dairy cows when their production declines (and make them into hamburger), allows them to move around and get excercise, does not give them antibiotics, etc. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR HUMANE FARM! If you shop at certain stores–like WHOLE FOODS–you can buy products from farms that operate humanely. The HUMANE FARM should be the standard–not the acception. We should not ignorantly purchase products from companies unless we are aware of their methods of operation, humane or inhumane practices, etc. TELL US about your farm and how Jesus shines through you, and how you do not participate in this cruel, barbaric behavior.

 

[Leopard]

Are you bearing false witness?

No. The video is. Or to be more precise, PETA (or whoever did that) is when they say it accurately portrays conditions on dairy farms. I will defer judgement regarding other types of farms and food processing facilities to others with direct experience.

 

[Marfran]

OK, let’s say that I wanted to eat only animals that were treated humanely… which, you may be suprised to know that I actually believe has merit. Not so much because of the animal, but moreso because the anti-biodics pumped into our food creeps me out… I worry that someday we’ll realize that’s what is giving us all cancer.

So in addition to growing my own vegetables, eating mostly organic including milk…I currently only purchase eggs from free range chickens. We eat Amish chickens without anti-biodics and meat from my local butcher who gets it from small farms in Wisconsin. I do not purchase meat from the grocery store because I don’t care to eat food from other countries and if you look on the federal mandated packaging - it says where the meat came from and it’s no where close to home.

But what else could we do if we wanted to eat meat that came from animals who were treated humanely? How would we find this meat?

Hello yellowbird–I love your name.

I don’t know where you live but many communities have co-ops that carry produce, dairy products, and meats from local farms. WHOLE FOODS, if there is one in your area has very high standards and you can find these products there.

I used to buy cage free eggs but now I have discovered that I do not need eggs at all. I use plum juice in baking–it holds the cake, cookie, etc. together without the fat and cholesterol of an egg.

My whole family drinks the *Silk *soy milk. It is more easily digested by the body and because it is from a plant source it also contains fiber. The best flavor is Very Vanilla

My husband’s family has a long history of heart disease. Animal fats contribute to heart disease–he’s an omnivore–but eats very little meat.

Sounds to me like you are very conscientious.

I started this discussion not because I want eveyone to become a vegan/vegetarian (even though that is a very healthy lifestyle and has many benefits)–but because animals are not treated in our society as God would want them to be treated.

In Christ’s time very little meat was consumed. Meat eating was reserved for the wealthy and the royalty. Meat was hunted or harvested and eaten immediately as there was no refrigeration.

It was not until the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION and the advent of the refrigerator, that meat, dairy, and eggs became commonplace items at our breakfast, lunch and dinnertables.

The entire marketplace has changed, transformed. Our modern diets reflect this change. Look at the rise in obesity , heart disease, diabetes etc.

Don’t mean to go off on a tangent–these animals are here for us to use? Are we abusing them along with the use? Ignore it? Look the other way? Do something about it? Or not?

 

[maryjk]

It is wrong for us not to watch the news, be aware of what is going on in the community, work to make our community murderfree, crimefree etc.

So, I am not supposed to eat meat or eggs and I am not supposed to drink milk. I should only drink soy milk. Right?

And I HAVE to watch the news? It there an age minimum with that? Should my 13 year old son watch when they report rapes? How about the murder of a child? And how about reports about abortion? (And you never did answer that question. What are your views about the lives lost to abortion?)

Any other rules? Because I wonder how you keep up with them all.

 

[rpp]

Then I have to ask - on what basis, other than a completely arbitrary, speciesist distinction, to you base your objection to killing an unborn, nonsentient human foetus, when you clearly have no objection to killing a fully sentient cow for food?

Not arbitrary. Animals do not have an immortal soul. Even Jesus ate meat and presumably participated in the slaughter of animals. To claim that the Christina teaching tell us not to eat meat is profoundly ant-Catholic.

 

[rpp]

I’m having trouble navigating here. I read some replies–can’t seem to find them again. Spent a lot of time responding–lost everything. I was born and raised Catholic. I don’t have an agenda. Christ ate little meat. In his time meat was hunted/harvested immediately. Meat was a rich man’s food. Meat was not frequently on the table, as it is today, because of the lack of refrigeration. Meat did not become a commonplace dietary item until after the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. I chose the You Tube video because it is easy to find, and from all of my studies it IS very accurate. Oprah recently had a show on this very topic and included pro-factory farmers and small local farms that did not engage in these cruel practices. EATING MEAT is not as much of the issue as is the treatment of these animals in these mass factory farm conditions. Please view the video–or I can find some other video if you do not like that one. My question is–how can we turn our backs on this? How can we condone this behavior. What would God say about all of this? I can’t imagine Jesus searing off the beaks of 10 living chickens with a hot gun and then stuffing them into a cage to produce eggs for his breakfast. Can you? Would he not let them be free and comfortable and collect any eggs that they desired to give Him? How is it UnCatholic to have these concerns? Perhaps it is UnCatholic to ignore.

There is much speculation in this post tht is baded on mothing else otjer than iushful thinking. What in the world do you thin the shepherds who were greeted by the angels when Christ was born were doing?

Animal rights is an uttelry anti-Christian concept.

 

[yellowbird]

There is a whole foods about 30 minutes from where I live… I will check it out. I also love Silk Soy Vanilla milk! My kids like dairy milk though so I buy organic, non-hormone. As I said, I’m most concerned with additives/hormones in our food.

I’ve never heard of plums in place of eggs? That sounds interesting. Who would’ve thought?!

I agree that the average American diet is very unhealthy. We have obese children who are developing not only diabeties but also kidney stones - something that was previously only seen in adults. I just read about it in the newspaper. I think people should, for their own health and the health of their children make better choices when it comes to food. If that includes considering meat options from animals that have been humanely treated, that is certainly an option and something I would support if the meat was additive/hormone free. It’s unfortuntate that eating healthy costs so much though… cheap meat & processed food is less costly and easy so if a family with two working parents don’t have the time or can’t afford healthy food, I’m not going to fault them for that.

I think information is good… but it has to be honest information or people ARE going to be dismissive and disregard everything that is said. I think PETA purposly distorts the truth because they believe so strongly in their cause. They are willing to say anything to get people to change. That is wrong. It also makes me to know that they care more about animals than unborn people. But I’ve already gone on & on about that…

At any rate, God bless you!

 

[rpp]

I will not say the what I or th average American eats, is healthy. I will say that it is not intrinsically evil, as some here contend.

 

[yellowbird]

I will not say the what I or th average American eats, is healthy. I will say that it is not intrinsically evil, as some here contend.

Oh, I don’t think it’s evil… not at all. I do think it’s not healthy though. Most people eat too much of the wrong kinds of foods, not enough of the good stuff and they don’t get enough excercise.

I’m not judging… I eat my share of stuff I shouldn’t. I’m just saying… we’d all probably feel better and live longer lives if we ate more fruits and vegetables and walked around the block a few times.

But no it’s not evil. To steal from you, that’s utterly ridiculous.

 

[Mea_Culpa]

Wouldn’t the Catholic approach be to use moderation in our approach to our diets. We are called to be good stewards, and that includes of our bodies, which will be resurrected when Jesus comes again.

Americans eat too much meat and it’s not good for us - also too much junk food (empty calories with no nutritional value like chips, sodas, etc.) Obesity and type-II diabetes are becoming epidemic in America. This is while many in the world go hungry every day. Where does this fit in with Church teachings?

Jesus did eat meat - but at nowhere near the level that Americans do today. He ate fish mostly, and lamb on Passover and other special occasions. Many Americans eat red meat 2-3 times daily. That is not moderation, or being a good steward. The Church doesn’t teach that we should be like pigs at the trough while others go hungry.

 

[rpp]

Wouldn’t the Catholic approach be to use moderation in our approach to our diets. We are called to be good stewards, and that includes of our bodies, which will be resurrected when Jesus comes again.

Americans eat too much meat and it’s not good for us - also too much junk food (empty calories with no nutritional value like chips, sodas, etc.) Obesity and type-II diabetes are becoming epidemic in America. This is while many in the world go hungry every day. Where does this fit in with Church teachings?

Jesus did eat meat - but at nowhere near the level that Americans do today. He ate fish mostly, and lamb on Passover and other special occasions. Many Americans eat red meat 2-3 times daily. That is not moderation, or being a good steward. The Church doesn’t teach that we should be like pigs at the trough while others go hungry.

Too much junk food I will accept. But who and by what standard do you claim Americans eat too much meat? And how do you know how much meat Christ ate? Seems you are making some very serious unfounded assumptions. Please cite sources for your assertions.

 

[bbarrick8383]

Many Americans eat red meat 2-3 times daily. That is not moderation, or being a good steward.

If you are not exagerating here, I’d like to see where you get those numbers. I keep a freezer full of stocked pork and beef and I do not eat red meat 2 to 3 times a day. I do however eat it 2 to 3 times a week. My family is a meat and potato family, we sit down and have good hearty meals. It has been like this in my family for generations, and those in my family who have not smoked or drank lived to be late 80’s early 90’s.

You want to live a long life, moderation is the key. But it’s not moderation in eating, it’s moderation in everything. Worrying is number one, those who worry so much about how some chickens are dying that they flip out on a forum telling everyone to watch a video that has been around, or some videos like it have been around for years is overdoing it.

If you are vegan because you worry about animals you are not healthy. You can go to Wal-Mart and buy a bag of chicken that says it is from the U.S. and has no hormones in it. How they kill it should not be much of a concern considering that the people who raise and kill those chickens have a pretty big job feeding other people.

If you can not live a normal life without worrying about animals, what can you do about it?

1. Join Peta - waste of time.
2. Become a lawyer and sue these people - will raise the price of chicken, eggs are some of the cheapest ways to feed someone who does not have money, sueing a company just increases the price of their products.
3. Become a politician - then you can pass regulations to force a business to do things in a way that would help you sleep at night, effective but still will cost the consumer in the long run.
4. Become an engineer - and invent a machine or method of killing chickens that would be cost effective and humane, probably the most effective way to do it. Good luck.
5. Stop eating meat - be sure and stock up on vitamins and talk to your doctor, vegetarians have to be careful because there are nutrients in meat that can not be duplicated in fruits and vegetables.

 

[Marfran]

There is a whole foods about 30 minutes from where I live… I will check it out. I also love Silk Soy Vanilla milk! My kids like dairy milk though so I buy organic, non-hormone. As I said, I’m most concerned with additives/hormones in our food.

I’ve never heard of plums in place of eggs? That sounds interesting. Who would’ve thought?!

I agree that the average American diet is very unhealthy. We have obese children who are developing not only diabeties but also kidney stones - something that was previously only seen in adults. I just read about it in the newspaper. I think people should, for their own health and the health of their children make better choices when it comes to food. If that includes considering meat options from animals that have been humanely treated, that is certainly an option and something I would support if the meat was additive/hormone free. It’s unfortuntate that eating healthy costs so much though… cheap meat & processed food is less costly and easy so if a family with two working parents don’t have the time or can’t afford healthy food, I’m not going to fault them for that.

I think information is good… but it has to be honest information or people ARE going to be dismissive and disregard everything that is said. I think PETA purposly distorts the truth because they believe so strongly in their cause. They are willing to say anything to get people to change. That is wrong. It also makes me to know that they care more about animals than unborn people. But I’ve already gone on & on about that…

At any rate, God bless you!

You sound like a very smart person. I don’t know much about PETA, other than maybe they’'ve done some stupid things to progress their cause. I guess the video is from PETA. The narrator is…I can’t remember his name… There is so much other information out there by so many others…nowadays PETA is kind of a drop in the bucket. Like I said, even Oprah did a show on this–and she’s honest and fair and likes to put the spot light where it needs to go. She also did a show on PUPPY MILLS. Does anyone out there want to argue with me about that? If you agree that PUPPY MILLS are abusive to animals and that it should stop, how can you let the inhumane practices in the slaughter, dairy, egg industries continue? (That rhetorical question was not meant for you yellowbird.)

Our bodies and our lives are ARE showing the price for our unhealthy diet. You would be grossed out if you really knew what was in some of that junk food. All the unusable parts from the slaughter industry find their way into the doughnuts and ding dongs, disguised with long unrecognizable names–hence more fat and more fat.

yellowbird–you said that the costs of all this good healthy food is high–but it is all based on supply and demand. When we consumers stop buying the garbage–they will stop making it. When we start buying the good healthy food–they will have to make more and the cost will go down.

 

[Marfran]

Wouldn’t the Catholic approach be to use moderation in our approach to our diets. We are called to be good stewards, and that includes of our bodies, which will be resurrected when Jesus comes again.

Americans eat too much meat and it’s not good for us - also too much junk food (empty calories with no nutritional value like chips, sodas, etc.) Obesity and type-II diabetes are becoming epidemic in America. This is while many in the world go hungry every day. Where does this fit in with Church teachings?

Jesus did eat meat - but at nowhere near the level that Americans do today. He ate fish mostly, and lamb on Passover and other special occasions. Many Americans eat red meat 2-3 times daily. That is not moderation, or being a good steward. The Church doesn’t teach that we should be like pigs at the trough while others go hungry.

You are totally a smart cookie! Don’t let those bullies get to you. They do not want to see the light.

 

[Marfran]

If you are not exagerating here, I’d like to see where you get those numbers. I keep a freezer full of stocked pork and beef and I do not eat red meat 2 to 3 times a day. I do however eat it 2 to 3 times a week. My family is a meat and potato family, we sit down and have good hearty meals. It has been like this in my family for generations, and those in my family who have not smoked or drank lived to be late 80’s early 90’s.

You want to live a long life, moderation is the key. But it’s not moderation in eating, it’s moderation in everything. Worrying is number one, those who worry so much about how some chickens are dying that they flip out on a forum telling everyone to watch a video that has been around, or some videos like it have been around for years is overdoing it.

If you are vegan because you worry about animals you are not healthy. You can go to Wal-Mart and buy a bag of chicken that says it is from the U.S. and has no hormones in it. How they kill it should not be much of a concern considering that the people who raise and kill those chickens have a pretty big job feeding other people.

If you can not live a normal life without worrying about animals, what can you do about it?

1. Join Peta - waste of time.
2. Become a lawyer and sue these people - will raise the price of chicken, eggs are some of the cheapest ways to feed someone who does not have money, sueing a company just increases the price of their products.
3. Become a politician - then you can pass regulations to force a business to do things in a way that would help you sleep at night, effective but still will cost the consumer in the long run.
4. Become an engineer - and invent a machine or method of killing chickens that would be cost effective and humane, probably the most effective way to do it. Good luck.
5. Stop eating meat - be sure and stock up on vitamins and talk to your doctor, vegetarians have to be careful because there are nutrients in meat that can not be duplicated in fruits and vegetables.

STANDARD AMERICAN DIET (SAD) It’s called SAD for a reason!!!

You can find this information ANYWHERE!!! Type SAD STANDARD AMERICAN DIET INTO YOUR BROWSER

If you were to list the factors that increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, intestinal disorders ? just about any illness ? the standard American diet has them all:

High in animal fats
High in unhealthy fats: saturated, hydrogenated
Low in fiber
High in processed foods
Low in complex carbohydrates
Low in plant-based foods
The striking fact is that cultures that eat the reverse of the standard American diet ? low fat, high in complex carbohydrates, plant-based, and high in fiber ? have a lower incidence of cancer and coronary artery disease (CAD). What’s even more sad is that countries whose populations can afford to eat the healthiest disease-preventing foods don’t. The United States has spent more money on cancer research than any country in the world, yet the American diet contributes to the very diseases we are spending money to prevent.

 

[bbarrick8383]

You sound like a very smart person. I don’t know much about PETA, other than maybe they’'ve done some stupid things to progress their cause. I guess the video is from PETA. The narrator is…I can’t remember his name… There is so much other information out there by so many others…nowadays PETA is kind of a drop in the bucket. Like I said, even Oprah did a show on this–and she’s honest and fair and likes to put the spot light where it needs to go. She also did a show on PUPPY MILLS. Does anyone out there want to argue with me about that? If you agree that PUPPY MILLS are abusive to animals and that it should stop, how can you let the inhumane practices in the slaughter, dairy, egg industries continue? (That rhetorical question was not meant for you yellowbird.)

Peta has done some very stupid stuff. They want ice cream makers to use human breast milk.That’s just one of the stupid things they have asked for. I personally dont care for Oprah, honest and fair maybe…if she wants to be. It’s her show. But I am against puppy mills, so I’m careful where I get my dogs.

Our bodies and our lives are ARE showing the price for our unhealthy diet. You would be grossed out if you really knew what was in some of that junk food. All the unusable parts from the slaughter industry find their way into the doughnuts and ding dongs, disguised with long unrecognizable names–hence more fat and more fat.

Hmm, not sure about unusable parts of a cow being put in donuts. A little too far fetched for me to believe. I do know that a lot of unusable, but not unetible animal parts end up in dog food factories. As a matter of fact there is a place in California, the meat is so clean it could be cooked and eaten by humans. But like I said, it’s the part humans dont usually eat. Not in America anyway.

yellowbird–you said that the costs of all this good healthy food is high–but it is all based on supply and demand. When we consumers stop buying the garbage–they will stop making it. When we start buying the good healthy food–they will have to make more and the cost will go down.

Umm…last I checked if demand was high, and supply is hard to reproduce…cost will go up.