Why I am a Catholic vegan

[milimac]

I believe all life, including animal life, should be respected. However, I think some groups have twisted the meaning of “humane”. Being humane concerns our role as stewards of creation. I believe this role allows us to take the lives of animals for our use as food or use them to serve man (ex. horses).

This is a humane thing for us to do, and it is perfectly humane not to do it as well, if you wish. Using animals as food and as work animals would be a very inhumane thing to do if the animal happened to be a human, but animals aren’t human.

Treating animals harshly or causing unnecessary suffering or killing animals for the pleasure of killing would be examples of poor and sinful use of the powers given to us as stewards of God’s creation. In fact, I believe I have read that many who take pleasure in abusing, killing, or maiming animals go on to serious crimes against fellow human beings. But such people shouldn’t be confused with those who enjoy a good steak now and then.

p.s
Just a hunch, but I bet there are at least a few meat-eaters who are now saints in heaven. I wonder if St. Francis was vegan?

 

[RobedWithLight]

milimac:

I believe all life, including animal life, should be respected. However, I think some groups have twisted the meaning of “humane”. Being humane concerns our role as stewards of creation. I believe this role allows us to take the lives of animals for our use as food or use them to serve man (ex. horses).

This is a humane thing for us to do, and it is perfectly humane not to do it as well, if you wish. Using animals as food and as work animals would be a very inhumane thing to do if the animal happened to be a human, but animals aren’t human.

I fully agree. We are the stewards, not owners of creation, hence we would have to give an accounting to God for the way we used His creation. God intended animals to be used for the benefit of man, as work animals, or food. To be frank, animals are not persons, they are things which can be owned or sold for our benefit. What we oppose is the maltreatment of animals, the abuse of this valuable God-given resource.

Gerry

 

[Almeria]

I’m not a vegetarian, and I doubt I ever could be. My best friend is, though, and I totally understand her reasons. When she was a child, her grandpa had a farm. She named a new calf when she was 4 or so. Several years later, after watching the cow grow up, she was sitting down to a steak dinner at grandpa’s farm when she realized she didn’t see Bessie in the barn. She hasn’t eaten meat since.

 

[jurist12]

I have nothing against anyone being a vegan or a vegetarian, I tried being a vegan for about a year or more. One thing to watch is protein deficiency and calcium deficiency, also take vitamin B-12 supplements, meat is the primary and main source of B-12 which is very important, those on meat free diets need to do this. I am still pretty much a vegetarian for health reasons as I am on a low Cholesterol, low fat, low sodium diet. I do eat some Chicken every so often, Fish for the important Omega-3 fats which reduce “bad Cholesterol” and low fat or fat free Yoghurt, no salt added low fat cottage cheese and fat free milk or buttermilk for Calcium and Vitamin D. If you use oil in salads or sautee or cooking use only Extra Virgin Olive Oil, again the fats in Olive oil are very beneficial and counter act “bad cholesterol”. Avoid any foods which contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, these are even worse for you than full fat butter or even lard. Some say Soy is good but I have read a lot that says otherwise so my suggestion is also to avoid any Soy products. Peanuts (for those who are not allergic to them) are a good source of “good fats” and protein. When you buy Peanut Butter buy only the ones that contain just ground Peanuts, you may have to stir it uo as the Peanut oil rises to the top. Avoid all the major brand Peanut Butter, IE Jiff, Skippy, Peter Pan etc as these contain sugar, salt, and hydrogenated oils. Beans are another good source of Protein and dietary fiber. Use only dried beans, avoid canned beans(too much Sodium). Just soak the beans overnight in a pot of water and make your own baked beans the next day. I also make my own pasta sauce from no salt canned tomatoes with fresh onions peppers and garlic and basil and oregano. I hope these tips help. In Christ, jurist12

 

[Melchior]

I did not fit into any of the categories. I am not currently Catholic but I was a vegetarian for a couple of years. I was actually very healthy and felt great during that time. But having a balanced diet is a challenge. Vegetarians and especially Vegans tend to eat an unhealthy amount of carbohydrates to fill their bellies. As a result there have been studies to show that vegeterians and, again, especially vegans tend to have shorter lives than those who have a more balanced diet that includes moderate, but regular, amounts of red meat, poultry and fish. One of the problems is raised glycemic index due to over carbing. This constant elevation of sugars on peoples system’s can and often does lead to diabetes.

One thing that I found true as a vegeterian is that it is much harder to build muscle than when I went back to moderate meat consumption. No matter what combo of foods you eat a complete string of amino acids cannot be duplicated. It can only be found in meats or in it’s best form - egg whites. As a result I would never recommend a vegan diet. But a vegeterian diet with lots of egg whites would be fantastic.

My 2 cents.

Mel

 

[Malachi4U]

I could not answer your poll since all the answers were leading.

I am not and never will be a vegitarian/vegan by my choice “EVER”! God put all the four legged animals on this earth for us. We need meat for a balanced diet and outside of a modern society like ours it is hard to maintain a balanced diet without meat. We have even had cases of children with health problems in our country due to vegitarian/vegan diets.

I do respect those who have chosen to be vegitarian and have no problem eating their meals (other then lack of taste). I have good SDA friends and we have no problems going out to eat with each other. (We avoid talking about the Catholic Church, the Whore of Babylon, with the Pope as the anti-Christ to them!:whacky: ) They eat our salads we eat their steaks. Vegitarianism should be a voluntary decission and the children should be well looked after to avoid malnutrition.

My SDA friends admit that many vegan children do have malnutrition due to this eating choice.

 

[Karl_Keating]

I find vegetarians and vegans to be inconsistent in their principles and inconsiderate in their practices. The chief problem is that, while both disapprove of killing animals, they approve of killing plants.

From Catholic theology we know that man, animals, and plants all have souls. Man’s soul is a spirit and therefore is immortal. The souls of animals and plants, as St. Thomas Aquinas noted, are material principles. They die when the animals and plants die.

Thus there is a symmety between animals and plants. There is no good reason to treat them differently. It is false to say that animals must be protected but that plants are expendable.

I don’t think it’s right to kill either animals or plants. Thus I subsist on water and minerals only. I use a mortar and pestle to grind up a complex of minerals that works for me. I admit that the taste leaves a bit to be desired, but that is a small price to pay for doing the right thing.

In this part of the country I can find all the minerals I want at abandoned quarries and mines. We do have a lot of sandstone, though, and I have to work around it because I don’t care for the gritty feel in my mouth. My favorite mineral is tourmaline, particularly the deeper shades. They result in a smoother taste. Garnet isn’t too bad either, but I know it upsets some people’s stomachs.

Since I’m against killing animals and plants, I’m also against using their byproducts. Not only does this mean no fur but also no cotton or other natural fibers. Everything I wear is synthetic. This has made for some problems during humid weather–another reason I live in the arid Southwest.

Recently, I admit, I’ve come into a moral conundrum. I tardily have realized that the synthetics I wear are made from petroleum, and petroleum ultimately comes from animals and plants. If I don’t believe in eating dead animals and plants, how can I justify wearing them?

I have tried to fashion clothing out of inorganic matter but am having trouble doing so. The best I have done is to make a long tunic out of wired-together oblongs of glass. (Clay obviously doesn’t work–much too brittle.) The tunic looks okay, but I sound like a wind chime whenever I walk. I find I can’t sit down because that would shatter the glass, and I could end up with shards in my posterior.

I am considering using metal instead of glass, but I don’t have a furnace hot enough to work pieces of it. I suppose I could take the easy route and use an old 55-gallon barrel, but that would look cheesy (and barrels are heavy!). As with the glass tunic, I wouldn’t be able to sit, since a barrel has no flex.

One alternative is aluminum foil, but I shy away from wrapping myself in it because it crinkles at every movement and can appear a bit immodest if not properly draped.

I always have prided myself in applying first principles consistently, but I seem to have brought myself to an impasse. Yet I can’t escape the logic. If it is wrong to kill and eat animals, it is wrong to kill and eat plants. (I have known some plants that were smarter than some animals, so please don’t tell me that what matters is the respective intelligence.)

And if it is wrong to kill and eat animals and plants, it is wrong to kill them and use them for any other purpose, such as clothing …

Wait a minute! I think I just reasoned myself into a solution! My problem has been using dead things, particularly dead plants, as clothing.

All I need to do is to figure out how to adorn myself with live plants. Maybe I could make a tunic out of small clay pots, each of which grows a leafy plant.

Yes, that’s it! I even can do Adam one better if each pot grew a miniature fig tree!

 

[tru_dvotion]

I for one am totally against consuming innocent inorganic matter. But I respect all those who disagree with my stance and enjoy the occasional nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

I am in FULL support of PETA…

P eople
E ating
T astey
A nimals

“Vegetables are tastey”

“Vegetables are great”

“Vegetables are awesome when served with a STEAK”!

We are supposed to not give scandal to others as to their dietary choices…so why is it that one NEVER sees a meat eater imposing or “suggesting” THEIR eating habits on Vegans…but we ALWAYS have Vegans imposing, suggesting, running ads, etc on us meat eaters?

In a vision Jesus said to rise, KILL and EAT (ANIMALS)

That’s good enough for ME.

 

[tru_dvotion]

Faithful 2 Rome,



We were created omnivores. If we were to be herbivores, we would have an extra belly. Besides an occasional dose of animal protein makes the brain work a little better. When in doubt as to what to do, check out Jesus. He ate meat. Good enough for me.

 

[shannin]

Catholicvegan:

A lot of people think that being a vegetarian is weird. Many people probably also think that being a vegan is being a tree-hugging nut, right? Well, I am here to tell you that I became a vegan for simple moral reasons. I became a vegetarian first, followed by going on to veganism. I learned about a meat industry that abuses most animals, and how their life is miserable until they are inhumanely killed. I encourage everyone here to explore vegetarianism and maybe even veganism. Here are some sites to get you started, or at least thinking.

www.peta.org
www.goveg.org
www.meetyourmeat.com

Have you read, “A Fast Food Nation”???

Shannin

 

[Emmy]

mjdonnelly:

Today there are more options, such as “open range” products. I’ve found that open range chicken has more flavor. The more people support these alternatives, prices will come down and companies may take notice.

I think that is what we call biological farming here and we have special butchers here that sell meat only from those farms.
I agree that the flavor is much better.

Emmy

 

[CARose]

I had an interesting conversation with someone while out helping my daughter sell Girl Scout cookies last year (yes, I’ve subsequently heard concerns re: GS and I’m looking into it). It was an acquaintance and he said they have difficulty buying most processed foods, because as vegans, they are especially avoiding eating eggs. Apparently they are following the teachings of “an awesome Indian Guru” with whom they had done a number of retreats and they had come to appreciate the “sanctity of life” (or words to that effect).

Well I was facinated to learn that they were concerned that they might inadvertantly eat an egg that had been fertilized and as a result be responsible for ending the life of this little chicken. “Wow, what a wonderful realization,” I responded, “I too once had little regard for life as it appears to us in an egg. Didn’t it really make you reconsider your position on the Pro-Life / Pro-Choice question?”

“No, that would be imposing our position on others, and that’s their choice.”

Wow, it’s ok to sit back and allow others to kill what we recognize is life and not just any life, but HUMAN life, a soul who knows no personal sin, a soul who, when baptised could be in the perfect state of grace. A person who might have an incredible vocation prevented from knowing life.

I respect human life and I will work to protect it at all stages, from conception to natural death. I place human life above animal life. God created the universe and when he did, he established a hierarchy. He is at the top, humans are below him, but above the rest of creation as we know it. With this incredible privilege comes responsibility. It is our responsibility to be good stewards of our world, the animals, plants and minerals.

We need to care for all in our domain as the master would desire. Are we truly doing our jobs, our individual vocations according to His will? He desires that we be healthy, he has given us a world full of things to satisfy our greatest desires. We are to use it all wisely, prudently, judiciously. Are we honest in our dealings with the rest of creation? If so, we have done well, and God has told us through scripture that this is His will. The Church has given us much telling us about our responsibilities, read the Catechism. Accept this before searching for other “answers” which may or may not be rooted in Truth.

God Bless,

CARose

 

[vz71]

Karl Keating:

Thus I subsist on water and minerals only. I use a mortar and pestle to grind up a complex of minerals that works for me. I admit that the taste leaves a bit to be desired, but that is a small price to pay for doing the right thing.

In this part of the country I can find all the minerals I want at abandoned quarries and mines. We do have a lot of sandstone, though, and I have to work around it because I don’t care for the gritty feel in my mouth. My favorite mineral is tourmaline, particularly the deeper shades. They result in a smoother taste. Garnet isn’t too bad either, but I know it upsets some people’s stomachs.

Have you given any thought as to what to do with the bowling ball sized kidney stones (assuming you survive passing them)?

Smile

Z

.02 duly deposited

 

[Karl_Keating]

vz71:

Have you given any thought as to what to do with the bowling ball sized kidney stones (assuming you survive passing them)?

Smile

Z

.02 duly deposited

I’ve anticipated that problem. A weekly dose of H2SO4 cleans out the system just fine. Of course, it has to be fairly dilute.

 

[Erich]

Faithful 2 Rome:

I am in FULL support of PETA…

P eople
E ating
T astey
A nimals

beef.unl.edu/FAQ/200401260.shtml answers the question “On average, how many pounds of corn make one pound of beef?” The answer varies depending on production practices and one’s definition of a pound of beef, but for any number greater than 1 lb corn / lb beef it strikes me as being more efficient to just eat the pound of beef instead of the equivalent weight in corn! :whacky:

 

[chemcatholic]

Karl Keating:

I find vegetarians and vegans to be inconsistent in their principles and inconsiderate in their practices. The chief problem is that, while both disapprove of killing animals, they approve of killing plants.

From Catholic theology we know that man, animals, and plants all have souls. Man’s soul is a spirit and therefore is immortal. The souls of animals and plants, as St. Thomas Aquinas noted, are material principles. They die when the animals and plants die.

Thus there is a symmety between animals and plants. There is no good reason to treat them differently. It is false to say that animals must be protected but that plants are expendable.

But there is an important difference between animals and plants - animals have a central nervous system, and plants do not. Animals can process and feel pain, plants cannot. I do agree that it is illogical to object to the killing of animals just because they are living creatures, since plants are also living. However, I see it as perfectly logical to object to inhumane treatment of animals that can feel and experience pain, and not object to ‘inhumane’ treatment of plants that cannot feel and experience pain.

Peace

 

[mjdonnelly]

chemcatholic:

But there is an important difference between animals and plants - animals have a central nervous system, and plants do not. Animals can process and feel pain, plants cannot. I do agree that it is illogical to object to the killing of animals just because they are living creatures, since plants are also living. However, I see it as perfectly logical to object to inhumane treatment of animals that can feel and experience pain, and not object to ‘inhumane’ treatment of plants that cannot feel and experience pain.

Peace

They may not be able to feel pain like we do, but they do react to their environment, and some plants will even bend away from the heat of a fire.

 

[agname]

God didn’t have a problem with animal sacrifices.

Gen 22:13: “Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of his son.”

Notice Abraham didn’t offer up a zucchini.

 

[chemcatholic]

mjdonnelly:

They may not be able to feel pain like we do, but they do react to their environment, and some plants will even bend away from the heat of a fire.

And a stream of water from your faucet will bend away from a statically charged comb. Reacting does not equate feeling.

Going back to the original post:

Catholicvegan:

I learned about a meat industry that abuses most animals, and how their life is miserable until they are inhumanely killed.

The words ‘abuse’ and ‘miserable’ are associated with pain, experienced through the central nervous system. If plants experience pain the same as humans and animals do, then how come we don’t have laws against plant abuse?

Now, I eat meat and am very happy eating meat, but the ‘plants are alive too’ argument is completely illogical when talking to someone who is not concerned about whether the animal is killed, but rather the treatment of animals raised for slaughter.