kind of an offshoot from the Vick thread... One of my issues with Christianity is the lack of reverence for all life forms. Growing up Christian (Catholic), empathy for life other than human was never stressed, ever. I never heard a prayer for other life forms. Vegetarianism would probably be met with ridicule. I have personally seen churches have "pro-life" barbecues. They have a reverence for life, but only human life. Yet there have been several notable Christian vegetarians, mostly ascetics, like Saint Basil, Saint David, Saint John Chrysostom, Tertullian, Thomas Merton, St. Francis of Assisi and even Matthew. But their vegetarianism seems to be forgotten or glossed over. And there is the Christian Vegetarian Association http://www.all-creatures.org/cva/ , but you don't hear much about them. To me one of the reasons Christianity is inadequate is because it doesn't emphasize compassion, mercy and forgiveness for all forms of life. I think part of why many Christians have a hard time with the concept of evolution is even thinking of themselves as a part of the animal family. They are taught that they have command or stewardship over other life rather than understanding our complete interrelationship with life. They fail to see that human life is a part of all life (and non life). They believe that ultimately they are separate from the rest. They fail to see that protecting human life is not possible without also protecting the lives of animals, plants, and so on. What is the reason for this? Is it based in Genesis and man having dominion over all other life forms? Is it the idea that no other life has a "soul"? Is it the notion that the Earth is not the kingdom of their god, and the afterlife is of greater importance? Is it Jesus saying human life is worth more than a bird life? How important should vegetarianism be to Christianity?
why does the religion always have to serve everyone's needs and demands? the more that life goes on the more demands are generated and we expect that religion should adapt and meet the change in life styles no matter how extreme they go. Religion is made for people to follow, not for it to follow people.
If you read the Bible enough, Christianity does indeed only stand for humans. So it is not wrong for Christians to treat animal cruelly. If you don't like that, you can create your own Christian sect that embraces other life forms. Or you can convert to Buddhism. By the way, if you really care about all life forms. You can follow fruitarianium and only eat fruits.
I think Christians should show respect to all of God's creation. And I agree with you that there is a great impact to all people by the way this respect is held. God in the beginning gave the plants for food. Later He gave meat also. In the Christian life we are to be thankful for our food without judging one another. Vegetarianism can be a very healthy lifestyle, one which should be respected. However it is not a commandment to eat certain foods.
I personally have no respect for various forms of life, including those known as Periplaneta americana and Aedes albopictus. In fact, I actually revel in destroying these forms of life. Furthermore, I don’t mind taking antibiotics to help my body to disrespect the forms of life such as the various species of Streptococcus, and would not mind doing so for a host of other forms of life that I have yet to encounter like Yersinia pestis or Variola major. And though it has never happened, fundamentally anything that is thinking about eating me is immediately subject to reciprocation without guilt. If this makes you think I am a monster, then so be it. If you are concerned about the well being of these things, I think you lead too easy of a life and are out of touch with nature. I really want to see this film which touches on some things of relevance here.
I thought the whole point of Christianity was that people were made in God's image and that Adam and Eve were above all the animals and plants in the Garden of Eden thus giving people free license to rape the word. If you want religion that respects nature become a Pagan.
The paradox of life is that death is needed to sustain it. Christianity isn't necessarily incomplete because it doesn't share explicit reverence for animals. For one thing, people then had far less alternatives to survive without eating animals. Another is that compassion for all people has been and still is a revolutionary way of thinking. As for practicing Buddhists who still eat meat, I guess its teachings isn't persuasive enough.
Well, not really. There is an interesting dichotomy in the bible in that man is supposed to be dominant over all life on earth, yet is also supposed to maintain and cherish it. Most christianity (no doubt as a product of society, but that is another debate) tends to espouse the former - or as Rachel Carson puts it, a "control of nature - a phrase conceived in arrogance, born of the Neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man." Genesis 2 - man is to "tend and keep" the garden of eden. (Of course, chapter 1 gives man dominion)
I think you you're inadequate . Seriously, do you say some of that stuff just to get a rise out of people? I've read your posts for 3 or 4 years now and you've never seemed so ignorant. I know plenty of Christians who are vegetarians. I was for almost 10 years. Not anymore for one reason or another. Mainly because I eat a lot of fish. And plenty of Christians are environmentalists as well. I, myself, piss green. Have you ever been to Jamaica? Tony Campolo is a good Christian author who writes about environmental others and, frankly, there are just too many other examples of Christians who are vegetarians, animal lovers or environmentalists. Aloha, brah, I'm out. Jah love.
Here, dude. Romans 14:19-23 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
environmental issues, not environmental others. this bloody computah. i'm too tired to be respond in correct grammatical fashion. where's the edit button? carry on, then, and good night.
Read below and watch video. Input welcomed. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/05zhL1YUd8Q"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/05zhL1YUd8Q" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
The video, intentionally or not, tries to equate eating meat with being an all out carnivore, like a cat - that is that man either eats all meat or eats all plants. There are various stages in between. It also fails to point out some equally relevant facts which don't support its conclusions, for instance that we don't have the second cellulose destroying 'stomach' of ruminants like cows. Our digestive systems are closer to cats than cows. Also the comment in the video about carnivores having short guts to avoid absorbing fat is simply stupid. For carnivores fat is a highly concentrated source of calories that carnivores need. This website makes what is to me a very persuasive argument that man is arranged to ba an opportunistic meat eater, based on comparison, among other things, to orangutans, which apparently are very fond of meat if they can get it. It also debunks some of the 'no claws' types of argument as seen in the video.
Hey at least Christians get to eat Bacon !!! Life would suck without 2 things. Vince Young and Bacon.
Not sure why the OP thinks that Vegetarianism would be met with ridicule by Christians. If you choose to live your life that way, and have the discipline to do that then that's very commendable. In any case, I don't think the thread is as much a well intentioned debate as it is a soapbox from which to rehash points which I've seen the OP post several times before
