Are strict vegetarians acting morally?

[MariaG]

And I agree that the motivation referenced by many vegetarians is in protest of the way animals are treated. However, if that were the real reason, I conclude that they would not be vegetarians, they would instead be ‘moral meat eaters’; they would restrict their meat to that which was humanely raised and slaughtered.

Thanks again!

Dan

Respectfully, your conclusion is in error. There is at least one reason one may not be a “moral meat eater” and simply be a vegetarian, cost being the first that comes to my mind. Free Range animals and animals raised humanely are much more expensive.

This makes sense but as you indicate, it is not a suggestion that vegetarianism is morally correct. Rather than it being ethical to eat less meat, wouldn’t it be most ethical to eat just pasture raised meat?

Dan

Again, cost can definitely come into the equation here.

 

[whatevergirl]

Have any of you seen the movie, Fast Food Nation? It could cause me to become a vegetarian…but I do like a good steak or burger now and again.

If you’re going to eat meat…try at times, when you can, to buy organic. It’s scary what is being done to cattle these days–to enlarge them…to sell more meat. I don’t think God had that in mind, when He told mankind He could have ‘dominion over the animals.’

 

[Dan_Grelinger]

Hey, Black, ignore that fellow from Gladstone, Mo. Come to Southern Missouri where there are a LOT more deer than there are in Northern Missouri where he is. Here, you have to shoo the other deer out of the way to shoot the one you really want. (Sorry Dan, but we’re getting overrun, and I need to recruit hunters.)

I don’t often LOL in reality, but you had me rolling this evening.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[Dan_Grelinger]

Respectfully, your conclusion is in error. There is at least one reason one may not be a “moral meat eater” and simply be a vegetarian, cost being the first that comes to my mind. Free Range animals and animals raised humanely are much more expensive. Cost can definitely come into the equation here.

And respectfully accepted, as well. I’ve just never met a strict vegetarian who does it because of cost. I see no reason they can’t exist, though. All strict vegetarians I have met and had the opportunity to discuss the issue with refuse to eat meat on ‘moral’ grounds.

Dan

 

[Dan_Grelinger]

If you’re going to eat meat…try at times, when you can, to buy organic. It’s scary what is being done to cattle these days–to enlarge them…to sell more meat. I don’t think God had that in mind, when He told mankind He could have ‘dominion over the animals.’

Yes, word of true wisdom. Dominion is not the same as abuse. Dominion is the responsible control and proper use.

Dan

 

[Katie1723]

And respectfully accepted, as well. I’ve just never met a strict vegetarian who does it because of cost. I see no reason they can’t exist, though. All strict vegetarians I have met and had the opportunity to discuss the issue with refuse to eat meat on ‘moral’ grounds.

Dan

I am a Vegan and I do it for health reasons, not moral grounds.
Kathy

 

[Dan_Grelinger]

I am a Vegan and I do it for health reasons, not moral grounds.
Kathy

Strict vegan? Would one serving of meat a week cause you health problems? I don’t want you to share anything that you consider personal, it’s just that I have not been exposed to any health conditions where any meat at all would cause noticable health problems.

Dan

 

[cor]

The Bible clearly says originally we were only meant to eat vegetables. Someone already cited one passage – coupled with this one there can be no doubt:

“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

Genesis 9:3

But for some reason Jesus chooses to eat fish after his Resurrection.

I would probably be a vegeterian if I had the courage or temperance to be one.

 

[Katie1723]

Strict vegan? Would one serving of meat a week cause you health problems? I don’t want you to share anything that you consider personal, it’s just that I have not been exposed to any health conditions where any meat at all would cause noticable health problems.

Dan

No meat, no fish, no dairy. Except for the fact I sometimes use honey, I suppose I would be considered a “strict vegan” I am not going to get into the health reasons I feel meat is bad for you. Suffice to say I eat what I eat and you eat what you eat for all the reasons we do.
Kathy

 

[estesbob]

My wife is a strict vegetarian (though not a Vegan) she does not look on it as a matter of being mroal or not. She never preaches about it and eevn makes great pork chops for me… She just thinks her diet is very heathy

 

[cckz7]

After studying the concept of vegetarianism for quite some time, and having the opportunity to talk to several vegetarians, I have come to the conclusion that not only is it OK to eat animals; it is the good and moral thing to do so. I saw a bumper sticker several years ago that perhaps oversimplified this concept, but nonetheless rang true. “If God did not want us eating the animals, why did he make them out of meat?”

‘Strict vegetarianism’ would seem to be rejecting one of God’s gifts, and to be entertaining the heresy that mankind is not much more beautiful and meaningful to God than the animals. It seems difficult to raise animals up to near the value of mankind without the value of mankind being lowered to that near an animal as a result. Since rejecting God’s gifts and promulgating heresy are serious issues, this is a topic I would like to increase my understanding of.

I’d like to pose one of the many questions that I have been unable to have adequately answered to date: (please feel free to post, of course, but if you post, please do me the courtesy of trying to answer this very important question for me)

Why do strict vegetarians believe that it is OK to eat plants but not animals?

Plants are living things that were created by God as part of his Creation. The plants do not choose to be eaten. They have no free will to choose, just like the animals. We take them by force and eat them. They can’t even run away, they are so helpless. They die in the process of being harvested and eaten; their life is taken for our needs.

And yet, vegetarians must believe that there is something inherently different between eating God’s living creatures we have classified as plants, versus eating God’s living creatures we have classified as animals. And it gets a bit sticky, because plant versus animal is man’s classification system, not God’s. We invented that classification system. And biologists know that it is an imperfect classification system. Some species have attributes we associate with plants and animals both. It’s impossible to accurately classify them.

Anyone have the answer (one that makes sense)?

Dan

Don’t have much time, but no vegetarian (strict) ever lived very long (none that i know of). The people who live to be 100 and over are meat-eaters. To me, this proves, if nothing else does, that God intented us to eat meat… The Okinawans, who have more over100 yr old people than anywhere else, eat pork and plenty of it…
Vegetarians seem to get cancer a lot…
OUr bodies are made up of protein, fat and water, mostly… So is meat… Therefore, meat is not such a shock on our system as some other foods can be… Gotta go.

 

[Katie1723]

Don’t have much time, but no vegetarian (strict) ever lived very long (none that i know of). The people who live to be 100 and over are meat-eaters. To me, this proves, if nothing else does, that God intented us to eat meat…

That sounds pretty ridiculous to me.
Kathy

 

[cckz7]

In Gensis, we can see that eating meat was apparently not part of God’s original plan (cf. Gen. 1:29-30). Consequently, many religious orders have adopted the practice of eating no or very little meat, and the Church has long approved of what is essentially vegetarianism (sometimes in a limited form) as a more perfect way of living.

Additionally, many vegetarians don’t eat meat, not because they believe that eating meat is wrong, but because of they way animals are treated (or how they think animals are treated inhumanely).

Man choosing 2 sin was also not part of God’s original plan (except He knew we probaby would…). Maybe (big Maybe)… we originally WERE supposed to eat veggies only, but man fell… and when he fell, his body fell too… It could be that man was therefore in need of meat…
When God told the Jews in the OT to put the blood of (goats??) on the doorposts, they had to devour the entire sacrificed animal first… As they did at all the holocausts they offered to God…
It doesn’t sound like God is against eating meat by a long shot… Also, vegetarians don’t live as long as people who eat meat…
Jesus ate meat at the Passover…
Also, if being vegetarian was so spiritually superior to eating meat, Jesus would have said so… He would have made sure it was inscripturated… if it was all that important to him…

 

[cckz7]

That sounds pretty ridiculous to me.
Kathy

Well, it can sound ridiculous to you but its true…

I know many people who are nearly the age of 100. All of them eat meat daily.

The Okinawans eat pork daily and they live longer than any other society…

I have studied this kind of thing for many years…

 

[cckz7]

My wife is a strict vegetarian (though not a Vegan) she does not look on it as a matter of being mroal or not. She never preaches about it and eevn makes great pork chops for me… She just thinks her diet is very heathy

Sorry, but she’s wrong… (see other posts here).

 

[cckz7]

No meat, no fish, no dairy. Except for the fact I sometimes use honey, I suppose I would be considered a “strict vegan” I am not going to get into the health reasons I feel meat is bad for you. Suffice to say I eat what I eat and you eat what you eat for all the reasons we do.
Kathy

Yeah, you can be healthy being vegetarian - for a period of time… but not for very long…

I am a vegetarian too… For a day here and there…

 

[JLSacred]

I think the Seventh Day Adventists, who tend to be vegetarian, have been found to have longer lifespans. A diet heavy on meat isn’t supposed to be healthy. I think meat is good in moderation, but too much is unhealthy.

 

[LilyM]

Yes, word of true wisdom. Dominion is not the same as abuse. Dominion is the responsible control and proper use.

Dan

Yes, but by the same token we are not simply permitted to treat animals however - as pars 2415-2418 of the Catechism make abundantly clear.

I’d say a lot of “ethical” vegetarians/vegans object to the particular methods currently used in farming animals and killing them and may believe that in themselves they cause severe and needless suffering to the animals - which IS immoral, of course.

No to mention the flow on effects on humans. For example by the fact that grain and other plantstuffs that could be used as a source of food for starving people are instead probably being used much less efficiently by being diverted to feeding animals. And the land used for farming animals too, possibly could be better employed growing more grain and plant foods.

Certainly there’s room for some subjective judgement of such things. I don’t think it’s immoral to eat meat, for a lot of reasons, but I wouldn’t criticise anyone who does.

 

[distracted]

I think the Seventh Day Adventists, who tend to be vegetarian, have been found to have longer lifespans. A diet heavy on meat isn’t supposed to be healthy. I think meat is good in moderation, but too much is unhealthy.

heard that wasn’t entirely true… that SDA die of a certain kind of cancer (can’t recall which one)…

 

[JLSacred]

heard that wasn’t entirely true… that SDA die of a certain kind of cancer (can’t recall which one)…

Oh, I wonder what it is???