religious arguments

[Guest guest]

I don't want to get into a religious debate over vegetarianism, or anything

else for that matter (that can get quite offensive and messy), I would

just like to offer a piece of Christian-vegetarian-religious "ammunition".

"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave

you the green plants, I give you everything. Only you shall not eat flesh

with its life, that is, its blood. For your lifeblood I will surely require

a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man."

Genesis 8:4-5

There are different versions of it, this one isn't the best, but most

make it clear that yes, you can (I think as in "able to") eat meat, BUT

you'll have to pay for it later. I've had to use this argument before to

my uncle....and I found it to be a very strong Karma reference in the bible.

So if you get into another one of those religious arguments about eating

meat, haul out Genesis (this is right after the flood story) and find this

passage. I'm sure there's more, this is the only one I can remember at

the moment! In my bible, which is newer, (this one is from a different

bible than mine, this one is much older) the statement is much clearer.

I encourage you to look it up, if you need religious arguments from the

bible, feel free to use this one. Many other religions are against the

use of animals for food and other things as well, if there is anyone from

another religion, I would love to hear those passages too. Feel free to

respond privately if you wish. I am very interested in all religions and

non-Americanish (I'm Canadian) cultures, I'd love to hear about them and

their views on vegetarianism.

aphrodite wrote:

 

You

are not alone. I have been a veg for 10 years now, a lacto-ovo (

have dairy if it is in bread i am eating, or if i am at a resteraunt and

there is a tiny bit of cheese they can't leave off; i eat free range organic

eggs on rare occasion).when

i first decided to become a vegetarian at the age of 14 it was because

my friend and i were eating these big italian hoagies and as we were eating

them i starting trying to figure out what animal all the meat came from.

the more i looked at the sandwich the slower i chewed and then i just felt

ill. i threw it away and told my mom i would never eat animal again.

of course it was "just a phase." that is what my family called it

for the first 4 years. in those years i faced ridicule and negativity

from my friends and family, no support whatsoever. i was raised in

a big meat eating family, bowl of ice cream every night kind of a house,

and here i was saying, hey, you know what? this is wrong, and i am

not going to do this anymore. in reflection i think maybe they were

a little uncomfortable with the fact that they knew i felt what they were

doing was immoral. i never said so, but that is how i felt, and they

knew it.we would sit at

dinner and my brother would put chicken wings in my face and make clucking

noises. my dad would make mmmmmm noises as he happily chewed his

rare steaks. and i was told to cook for myself since i wasn't good

enough to eat the family dinners. i paid for my own food, and because

there "wasn't enough room in the refrigerator for all that health food"

i got a cooler that i kept in my room. now, i know all of this seems

cruel, and i hate to make my family sound like ogres. but people

get a little funny sometimes when they are afraid of what they don't know.nowadays

i have formed my own way of handling the constant barage of questions and

firing squad lineups that any veg is sure to encounter at some point and

time, even as vegetarianism becomes more and more acceptable each day.since

i have found through experience that most people get annoyed to find out

you are a veg, when i am asked why i choose to live this lifestyle, i reply

"well, i have a lot of reasons, it is kind of a long story." "well,

like what?" "well, i break it into categories, environmental, moral,

medical, and political." Now, at this point you either get "oh."

or you get "well, like what specifically?" at which point i say "well,

if you really want to know, pick a category and i will explain it to you,

but understand that i in no way wish to argue about this with you."i

know maybe it sounds silly. but it works. because the thing

is that people DON'T want to hear about what they are eating, because when

they find out exactly what it is going on out there they have no excuse

to continue doing the wrong thing. and believe me, i have heard so

many justifications for meat eating. "support the farmers!"

"what else would we do with all those cows?" and my favorite to date

"well the bible says we should eat meat because it is God's way to thin

out the herds." WHAT? i literally laughed out loud at that

one, which by the way came from a member of the family my mom married into.

we were having a cookout and i was eating a veggie burger when my new uncle

asks me why i don't eat meat. i inwardly groan, tell him i just don't

like to eat animals, and open a giant can of worms. next thing i

know, he is literally following me around the house with a bible quoting

scriptures and not listening to a thing i say.so

you see, we all go thru some kind of torture at some point and time.

i used to be really into educating people about vegetarianism. i

always let them ask, and then tried to present it in a positive and informative

manner. but after the first 5 years or so i got tired and cranky

because i was endlessly defending myself against people who felt guilty

and needed to justify their own beliefs.today

my life is much easier. i work at Whole Foods Market where i am able

to be happy and informative to people all day long who are afraid of tofu,

need to know what to do with seitan, or just need some support. i

get to encourage and enlighten every day, and it has really put my veggie

soul a lot more at peace. since i started really learning to cook

a few years back, i have gotten really good at it, and when i go to my

mom's to visit she always asks me to cook. we never eat tofu or anything

so freaky as that(lol), but i always make a vegan meal that rocks her world.

i even got my dad to eat tofu fajitas one night because they smelled so

good he couldn't resist. and he loved them. : )my

boyfriend is the executive chef at a highly rated restaraunt in ft lauderdale.

when we first started dating he was nervous about what he could possibly

make me to eat that wasn't pasta, pasta, pasta. after 6 months of

training, he runs amazing vegan specials that sell for $25 a plate.

he loves tvp, seitan, and all the new grains i have intoduced him to.

and there is something deliciously gratifying about someone being able

to serve my dishes at a restaraunt as highly aclaimed as his.i

am truly sorry that any of us ever have to go thru this kind of negativity,

and i definitly know how it feels to be the joke at work, or the picky

eater, or the pain in the butt. i understand how you feel completely.

try not to take it personally. my boyfriend and i joke about it.

he always asks what i am hungry for "a big juicy steak?" and laughs

wickedly. i always say "well, okay, but only if it has a big stack

of bacon and cheese on top, and don't forget the lard." or something sarcastic

like that. one of the more amazing things he has said to me was one

night we took a walk and he looks into my eyes and says, "you know, i never

want to see you eat meat." i was taken aback, this came from nowhere,

and i said "where did that come from?" and he said "you being a vegetarian

defines you and it makes me proud to know you and see how compassionate

you are, and see how strictly you follow your beliefs, but don't force

it on anyone else. i respect that tremendously." and these

are the kinds of people you meet in your life and hold onto.as

for your fellow workers, maybe you can try to suggest going to an indian

buffet or a more veg friendly restaraunt for a change. and when they

say they are going for a big juicy burger, tell them to add lots of ketchup

to cover up the taste of all those hormones and antibiotics they are eating.

wonder out loud if all the pain and suffering and drugs make the meat juicier

ot more tender. or better yet, just sit there and smile and wave

goodbye, and pat yourself on the back for being a good person and standing

up for what you believe in. and enjoy your sprouts and avacado on

honey whole wheat with stone ground dijon and hothouse tomato and basil.i

support you. i believe in you. and i thank you.laurie

 

-

 

Pam

& Frank Mouton

 

Saturday, October 21, 2000 8:22

AM

teasing

Are there any of you out there that

are constantly teased about your vegan/vegetarian lifestyle? When

I am at work I get tired of people making a big thing of telling me that

they are going out to get a big juicy burger, etc. After a while it gets

really old. I don't know why they can't just live and let live.

I don't ram my lifestyle down anyone's throat or try and convert people.

I merely tell them about my diet simply as a matter of politeness so that

they will understand why I don't "do lunch" with them. Anyone

else have the same problem? Just curious.

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contact owner: -owner

Mail list:

Delivered-mailing list

List-Un: -

no flaming arguing or denigration of others allowed

contact owner with complaints regarding posting/list

or anything else. Thank you.

please share/comment/inform and mostly enjoy this list