Weekly Newsletter - May 25, 2016
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Dara leafleted at The Bible Tour concert in New York
  2. Discerning Motivations, part 2
  3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

1. Dara, who leafleted at The Bible Tour concert in New York, writes:

It was a fun night of leafleting at the Beacon Theater for The Bible Tour concert. I handed out a couple hundred brochures. My favorite encounter was a woman who said she was just telling her husband on the way to the concert that she was thinking of giving up meat again (because she felt better when she did) - and then she received the CVA brochure affirmation! That alone made the evening worth it.

Upcoming Activist Opportunities

06/12/2016 NY, NYC Stryper
06/13/2016 MO, St. Louis Passion Tour
06/14/2016 OH, Cleveland Stryper
6/16-18/16 GA, Locust Grove Atlanta Fest 2016
07/6/2016 TN, Nashville TobyMac
07/16/2016 DC, Washington Casting Crowns
07/19/2016 FL, Miami Chris Tomlin Worship Night in America
07/23/2016 NY, NYC Chris Tomlin Worship Night in America
08/12/2016 FL, Miami Outcry
08/17/2016 NC, Raleigh Needtobreathe
8/19-20/16 OH, Columbus Belong Tour 2016
08/19/2016 AR, Little Rock Outcry
08/20/2016 CA, San Francisco Matthew West
08/21/2016 TX, Dallas Outcry
08/24/2016 AZ, Phoenix Outcry
08/25/2016 CA, San Diego Outcry
08/25/2016 OH, Columbus Needtobreathe
08/26/2016 OH, Cincinnati Needtobreathe
08/26/2016 AZ, Phoenix Matthew West
08/26/2016 NV, Las Vegas Outcry
08/27/2016 IN, Indianapolis Needtobreathe
08/28/2016 CA, Anaheim TobyMac
09/08/2016 CA, San Jose Needtobreathe
09/10/2016 CA, Los Angeles Needtobreathe
09/11/2016 CA, San Diego Needtobreathe
9/16-17/16 PA, Philadelphia Belong Tour 2016
09/18/2016 GA, Atlanta Matthew West
9/23-24-16 CO, Denver Belong Tour 2016 (Loveland, CO)
09/29/2016 MO, St. Louis Love Life 2016 Women’s Conference
09/30/2016 TX, Dallas Belong Tour 2016
09/30/2016 TX, San Antonio Women of Joy
09/30/2016 VA, Roanoke Extraordinary Women Ministries
10/01/2016 TX, Dallas Belong Tour 2016
10/7-8/2016 CA, San Jose Belong Tour 2016
10/14-15/16 FL, Florida Belong Tour 2016
10/21-22/16 MN, St. Paul Belong Tour 2016
12/16/2016 TX, Dallas MercyMe
01/02-04/17 GA, Atlanta Passion 2017

Tabling

06/11-12/16 NC, Asheville Asheville VeganFest 2016
06/18/2016 WI, Madison Mad City VeganFest
07/6-10/16 PA, Johnstown Vegetarian Summerfest 2016
07/23-24/16 CO, Denver VegFest Colorado 2016
07/23-24/16 IL, Lisle Veggie Fest 2016
09/24/2016 DC, Washington DC VegFest
10/02/2016 NJ, Morristown New Jersey VegFest
10/22-23/16 OR, Portland Portland VegFest
10/22/2016 TX, Dallas Texas Veggie Fair 2016
11/12/2016 GA, Atlanta Atlanta Vegfest 2016

2. Discerning Motivations, part 2

We humans are quite adept at convincing ourselves that our actions are fully justified, even when our behavior is harmful and self-serving. Last week, I suggested that seeking the views of those who regard themselves as victims can help us ascertain whether or not we are victimizing others. However, people sometimes victimize by claiming to be “victims,” so this strategy has its weaknesses. I offer another approach that, while imperfect, can help us determine whether our motives are laudable.

If we honestly looked at how we feel when we make decisions, doing our best to be impartial observers, we might gain insight into our own motivations. For example, if we felt good about the death of a perceived enemy, then less than admirable motivations might be at play, such as revenge, glory for “our” group, or personal gain. On the other hand, if we genuinely regretted the harm we caused, regardless of whether or not the victim was identified as an “enemy,” our leading motivation might have been self-defense or the defense of other potential victims.

This strategy has its limitations when it comes to animal issues. Animal exploitation pervades our entire culture, and tragically such exploitation is generally linked to extreme animal abuse. People participate in animal exploitation so routinely that doing so generates little emotional response. For example, few people recognize how they feel when they eat animal flesh, though they might get some insight into how strongly they feel about eating flesh if they imagined becoming vegetarian or vegan. That prospect is so disturbing for many people that they refuse to even think about it.

Next week, I’ll conclude my thoughts about evil.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

3. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

Wisdom, God’s Gift

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