 |
|
|
CVA
BLOG |
|
Christian Vegetarian Association
Blog
Discussions
Update Newsletters
Take
Heart!
Take Heart Contents
| Animal Issues |
Articles |
Bible | Children |
Devotionals | Environment
| Food | Health |
Opinion | Quotations |
Recipes |
CVA Blog
Monday, June 7, 2010
Are We Supporting Victimization with Our Choice of Diet?
2. Famous Quote – Isaac Bashevis Singer
3. Link between Slaughterhouses and Violent Crime
4. Bible verse – Psalm 103:17-18
5. Farmed Animals Totally Unprotected by Law
6. This Week’s Video – The Cruelty Behind the Egg-Industry
1. Animals Have Feelings
Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, animal behaviorist and author of "Pleasurable Kingdom and Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals," sheds light on the inner lives of animals and the ethical issues that this knowledge raises in regards to the way we treat them. For example, he mentions that "Each year, we confine more than 50 billion [animals] in industrialized conditions before sending them to slaughter. The problem with this is that animals have feelings."
To read the full article please search online for: Do right by animals: Accumulating research shows they are a lot more like us than most of us think
We live in a society in which we are used to giving in into our desires and pleasures, many times forgetting or choosing not to acknowledge, the great suffering we cause to so many of the creatures that share the planet with us. However, the extensive evidence that shows God's animals have feelings, fear death and pain, and enjoy life, should be more than enough to stop their exploitation. Our Christian faith calls us to be compassionate and merciful.
2. Famous Quote
"If there would come a voice from God saying, 'I'm against vegetarianism!' I would say, 'Well, I am for it!' This is how strongly I feel in this regard."
~ Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yiddish Laureate of literature, 1978 Nobel Prize recipient, (1904-1991)
3. Link between Slaughterhouses and Violent Crime
It seems that there's enough evidence to link an increased rate of violent crimes in an area and slaughterhouses. Amy Fitzgerald, criminology professor at University of Windsor, studied this possible link by crunched numbers from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report database, census data, and arrest and offence reports from 581 U.S. counties from 1994 to 2002. Her results indicate that as the number of slaughterhouse workers in a community increases, the crime rate also increases. This might have to do with the desensitization that slaughter workers go through in order to kill sentient beings.
To read the full article please search online for Probing the link between slaughterhouses and violent crime
The participation in the killing of God’s animals, sentient beings who without doubt suffer pain and fear death, has to have an effect on the heart and psychological state of the person. If we are exposed to the intense suffering of animals being slaughtered and are taught/paid to ignore it, we learn to ignore other types of suffering as well.
4. This Week’s Bible Verse
(RSV) Psalm 103:17-18
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
God's love is the central theme of our faith and it is the one that compels us to reflect that love onto all Creation by following His commandments.
5. Farmed Animals Totally Unprotected by Law
This article deals with the fact that farmed animals are totally unprotected by law from abuse and torture. For example, The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act requires farmers to knock out livestock with a single blow, shot, or electrical charge before being butchering them, but the law only governs slaughterhouses, not farms. Ohio law prohibits keeping animals "in an enclosure without wholesome exercise and change of air," unless they are livestock, of course.
To read he full article please search online for Cow Whipping: How Violent Can a Farmer Get with His Livestock?
There is no piece of legislation that protects God’s farmed animals from the daily abuses they suffer. Since the government has been unwilling to address this issue it us, consumers, who must stand up for God’s defenseless creatures and therefore stop supporting the meat, dairy and egg industries. When we apply Jesus’ teaching of compassion, mercy and love to our daily lives, we find that there is no room for a based diet based on animal products.
6. This Week’s Video: The Cruelty Behind the Egg-Industry
Undercover video taken at 4 egg-laying facilities owned by the US's largest egg producers (Rose Acres Farms and Rembrant Enterprises) shows despicable acts of cruelty that are unfortunately widespread. To watch the video and read the full article please search online for Appalling Cruelties at Nation's Top Egg Producers
The suffering caused to egg-laying hens is truly unimaginable. We need to ask ourselves: what would Jesus do today if confronted with this suffering? Would he support this industry and their products? Would he speak out and denounce this victimization? Jesus' ministry was one of compassion, mercy and love, which leads us into believing Jesus would not approve or support the victimization of God's animals..
Return to CVA Blog - Home Page
Return to CVA Blog - Past IssuesYour question and comments are welcome
| Copyright 2007 © Christian Vegetarian Association. All rights reserved. |
