Ethics of Fur

  • Thread starter Thread starter Marfran
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
fultonfish said:
Have you all ever watched what animals do to one another out in the wild?

B-R-U-TA-L.
Click to expand...
Their brutality toward each other however is not something that is contrary to human dignity because in this case it is not humans that cause animals to suffer or die - and I’d guess it is seldom needless
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
I found a very interesting report: I found it interesting that zoos use the carcasses to feed the animals. Poor zoo animals, especially the endangered ones, I wouldn’t want them to go hungry. :bighanky:

furcommission.com/resource/Resources/MFIUS.pdf
Click to expand...
It is good to know that nothing is wasted, and that there are some regulations on how the animals are but to death - but fur still seems to me IMHO to be needless, so this still seems unjustified. 🤷
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
I found a very interesting report: I found it interesting that zoos use the carcasses to feed the animals. Poor zoo animals, especially the endangered ones, I wouldn’t want them to go hungry. :bighanky:

furcommission.com/resource/Resources/MFIUS.pdf
Click to expand...
Thank yu for the ino and the link. However the aricle is from a not very objective source Further, even if they are killed in the manner described, it still does not justify the use of fur.
 
4elise said:
vz71:

Perhaps it is just me - but your posts always sound like you are so angry - “So…”

I love the Holy Father and completely understand that the fur he is wearing comes from an animal that died 50 years ago and is worn representative of his position as the leader of the Catholic Church.

Raising animals TODAY for fur when there is no need for it is IMHO just not in keeping with the teaching of the Church.

Now… I’ve no doubt you may again try to parse my answer to find a ‘gottcha’ but that is not the kind of back and forth communication I am really interested in -

Please feel free to ask a clarifying question and I will again try to answer it respectfully.
Click to expand...
Yes, the ermine robes that the Holy Father wears are approximately 50 years old. He is not having more animals killed TODAY to make more robes. I have a buckskin coat that belonged to my mother–it is approximately 60-65 years old. There is a program, I think with HSUS, where people can donate old furs. These furs are then given to wildlife rehab centers that use them for bedding/comfort for wild animals in their care. An old fur or pelt can be refurbished, you can get them also from re-sale shops–no need to keep killing animals TODAY for more fur.
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
I found a very interesting report: I found it interesting that zoos use the carcasses to feed the animals. Poor zoo animals, especially the endangered ones, I wouldn’t want them to go hungry. :bighanky:

furcommission.com/resource/Resources/MFIUS.pdf
Click to expand...
Did you read that biased article? One really horrible statistic really jumped out at me. The article talks about** one **fur farm that that feeds its mink 2 million pounds of expired cheese, and 1 million pounds of damaged eggs. So we are wasting all this food, it’s expiring, we’re feeding it to animals, and PEOPLE are starving all around the world, BUT the mink are fed well so that wealthy women can wear fur.

CCC **2418 **It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.
 
vz71 said:
I see.
So you also make exceptions for symbology.

Are there any other exceptions to your catechism?
Click to expand...
And again for clarification it isn’t just my catechism - this is our Catholic Catechism.
 
fultonfish said:
Have you all ever watched what animals do to one another out in the wild?

B-R-U-TA-L.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Predators kill. We are made in the image of God. God is compassionate, merciful, loving. God is not a predator. Meat and fur are the products of predation. I choose not to emulate the predator animal, the beast, and to rather show him mercy and extend compassion to him, in the role of steward bestowed upon me.
 
Marfran said:
Hemp is a distant cousin of marijuana. Good article on hemp, 4elise.
Click to expand...
So, is there debate over whether marijuana can be made out of regular hemp? I really don’t know much about it. How come it isn’t used more?
 
bigfootbob said:
So, is there debate over whether marijuana can be made out of regular hemp? I really don’t know much about it. How come it isn’t used more?
Click to expand...
votehemp.com/
I found this when I was looking into the issue - very interesting, like you I don’t know much about this - seems like changes should be made, but again just looking at the surface of this subject.
 
4elise said:
DanteAlighieri;5850903:
Perhaps one does not NEED beef, but one needs food. Perhaps one does not need leather or fur, but one needs clothing. It is, as you pointed out in the CCC, perfectly legitimate for humans to use animals for food and clothing; what is contrary to human dignity is to treat animals cruelly – that is the heart of the “suffer or die needlessly” clause. It is not meant to suggest that killing animals for clothes when you are capable of creating synthetic fabrics is wrong.
Click to expand...
And I think this is the crux of the issue - and where people come to different conclusions based on this teaching… I believe that in fact - since we are capable of replacing fur (or leather) with synthetic fabric we should.

(snip)

But this thread is about fur - I do not know of a legitimate use or real need of fur in the fashion industry - perhaps we could start there - try to influence the idea of owning a fur for fashion, status, etc… among our own communities. I know that among some it is a status of ‘I’ve arrived’ ‘I’m doing well’ — surely we can find another way to communicate that if such a thing is important to an individual?

And my point is that all of this is merely your opinion, as you have stated. It is objective fact that Catholics are not required to reject the use of fur; to argue otherwise is to elevate your personal opinion to the level of Church dogma.

You are entitled to avoid the use of fur because you feel morally obligated to do so. To use fur against your conscience is, in fact, a violation of Catholic moral teaching. I personally have no use for fur, but I like a nice leather belt, shoe, or baseball glove, and since I have no problem with producing or using those items, I have no objection to fur coats.

Peace,
Dante
Click to expand...
 
Marfran said:
Exactly. Predators kill. We are made in the image of God. God is compassionate, merciful, loving. God is not a predator. Meat and fur are the products of predation.** I choose not to emulate the predator animal, the beast**, and to rather show him mercy and extend compassion to him, in the role of steward bestowed upon me.
Click to expand...
Meat and fur are also the products of ingenuity, wit, and resourcefulness. Animals do not possess these faculties.

The above bolded comment suggests that people who do eat meat or use fur are behaving like beasts.

You have every right to avoid eating meat. Nobody is debating that. But it is uncharitable to suggest in the subtext of your comment that a person who eats meat is behaving like an animal.

If you want people to come to your side, try to avoid insulting them with passive-aggressive commentary.

Peace,
Dante
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top