Overview:
To start off, I'm going to say that I'm not a fan of vegetarians and vegans that make a religion out of their food choices. From my experience with visiting vegan forums for recipes and talking with some face to face, I've noticed that a significant minority of vegetarians and vegans become rather dogmatic about their lifestyle, are quick to censor or avoid contrary viewpoints, and develop a "holier than thou" attitude to people that don't share their beliefs in food choices. I think in some ways this behavior is working against their own goals or values.
That being said, I am a vegetarian and avoid most animal products as much as possible and think it's important that people do share information that they believe is important. I respect the food choices of other people and I feel strongly about reducing suffering as much as possible, so I like dialogue about it. I have many friends that eat meat and we get along fine, but I am rather open about my views.
A long time ago I went vegetarian (no meat), and then after that I also cut out dairy and egg products. In college, because I didn't have a kitchen and had to rely on my school's prepared meals, I began loosing weight. My school had some vegetarian options, but I was basically eating the exact same dishes every day because they didn't offer much in the way of vegan choices and I didn't have money to buy a lot of food outside of my school's food plan. After a while, when my friends were worried about my weight, I went back to eating foods that had a little bit of dairy or egg. (Cake, chocolate, cheese ravioli, basically just more calories.) When I got my own apartment with a kitchen, I went back to cutting out dairy and egg and haven't had a problem since.
My overall philosophy is that I try to avoid as many animal products as possible that cause harm or suffering to the animals. I don't eat meat, dairy, or eggs. (I have no issue against wool or lanolin, though.) I check nutrition labels, but sometimes I miss one or am unsure of some of the ingredients and let it through. I've noticed that some of my hygiene products contain substances that may be derived from animals, so I've been switching some of them out. Many non-food items I use don't include ingredient lists. In these circumstances, I kind of view it like the Law of Diminishing Returns. I just cut out as much as possible, and when you get close to 100% it gets more and more difficult to completely avoid anything related to animals, and I'm generally ok with that.
I personally don't support hunting or fishing, though I see it as an improvement over factory farming because it's somewhat better for the animal in most cases. Animals in the wild get to live a free life and then die to a predator, whereas factory farmed animals live in squalor their whole life and are bred basically as meat sacks. I still don't think killing animals is necessary, but I view hunting as lesser of two evils.
Reasons why I personally don't eat meat:
-With factory farming, animals are kept in generally wretched states of existence. I don't want to support that industry.
-I can meet all of my nutritional needs with a diet based exclusively on the plant kingdom, and so I view it as unnecessary to purposely kill animals.
-Eating lower on the food chain is more efficient per land area and can help to reduce food shortages and hunger.
-The meat industry is a major polluter of air, water, and land, and a major source of deforestation and reduction in biodiversity.
-I no longer desire to eat it after avoiding it for so long.
-No animal fats, lower cholesterol, and tons of vegetables and fruits in my diet.
-I wish not to be a predator, and hate the predator/prey system of the world. We all kill just by existing, but I want to reduce the number of animals that die because of me, especially relatively complex and intelligent animals.
Addressing some common counterarguments:
-Where do you get protein?
I get protein from nuts, beans, grains, and vegetables. I make sure to get enough each day, and from a variety of sources to ensure I get all the types I need.
-Eating meat is natural.
So? The human body is primarily herbivore, but has luckily adapted to eat meat for greater variety and so is really an omnivore. If I were in a position where I had to eat meat or starve, I would eat meat. From what I hear, humans developed their intelligence partly because of protein intake from meat, and I don't contest that. Surely, we arose out of the predator-prey system and are here because of it. But because I can get all essential nutrients including complete proteins from plants, I no longer wish to eat animals. Developed societies have moved away from a lot of "natural" things. Some people who argue against vegetarianism seem to want to view themselves as civilized and distinctly different from other animals, but quickly jump back to this argument often.
-Why are you so cruel to plants?
In general, I'm less worried about death of animals and more worried about suffering of animals. Many animals have nerves and can feel pain and can suffer. Many intelligent animals can truly feel pain and pleasure. While animals and plants may all be cells on the microscopic level, my basic goal is to avoid suffering as much as possible. Plants don't have central nervous systems like many animals do.
-Animals die in mechanized farming anyway.
This is generally true. Mice and snakes and bugs die when crops are harvested. Ideally, we'd have farms with all hand-picked crops, but we live in the real world and many crops are produced on a large scale. In this case I generally use the same reasoning that I do with hunting: It's a lesser of two evils, because at least the animals are wild. A lot of it has to do with intention to. Sure, mice and snakes may die for my corn and potatoes. I may accidentally crush bugs with my feet as I walk or car tires as I drive. But as part of developing myself, I wish to avoid intentional harm as much as possible.
Animal Suffering and Religion:
Eastern Religions
For the most part, Eastern religions have been more sensitive towards animals than western ones. Many Hindus and Buddhists believe that avoiding killing animals is necessary for their spiritual improvement. Many Hindus believe that God looks unfavorably upon animal killers. These religions typically believe that souls can reincarnate in various realms including as animals and humans, so from a metaphysical perspective, it's the same type of soul, just at a different level and so is basically murder. These religions typically follow the ideal of nonviolence, which consistently includes animals.
Judaism and Islam:
Many Jews and Muslims freely eat meat. Many of them avoid certain animals like pigs. They typically believe that God gave humans lordship over animals, and that animals are partially meant for food. I question the benevolence of such a deity that would endow some animals with the ability to feel pain and suffering and then intend for them to be hunted and killed. A deity that would specifically make life to be fed to other life worries me.
Christianity:
With respect to vegetarianism, Christianity baffles me. It's often advertised as a religion of nonviolence, where followers are meant to be as sheep, as the meek that shall inherit the Earth. And yet, this nonviolence only applies to humans, as other animals are routinely eaten. I view this as inconsistent, and again question the benevolence of a deity that would set up the predator-prey system.
In addition, many young earth creationists believe that before the fall of mankind, nothing died or suffered. I've literally seen creationists argue that the venom of snakes was meant to digest fruit matter, as all animals were claimed to be vegetarian before the fall by some creationists. If that's the case, then why do so many of them eat animal flesh now? If the kingdom of heaven is upon us, and developed countries can easily support vegetarian and vegan diets, why not avoid meat? Unless you believe animals will die in heaven, why not work to avoid their suffering and death for the sake of humans here? Sure, they will still die in the wild, but why contribute to it?
I just ask that people really take a close look at their food choices and determine for themselves whether or not their diet accurately represents their values. Be as conscious as possible about what you eat.
-Lyn
To start off, I'm going to say that I'm not a fan of vegetarians and vegans that make a religion out of their food choices. From my experience with visiting vegan forums for recipes and talking with some face to face, I've noticed that a significant minority of vegetarians and vegans become rather dogmatic about their lifestyle, are quick to censor or avoid contrary viewpoints, and develop a "holier than thou" attitude to people that don't share their beliefs in food choices. I think in some ways this behavior is working against their own goals or values.
That being said, I am a vegetarian and avoid most animal products as much as possible and think it's important that people do share information that they believe is important. I respect the food choices of other people and I feel strongly about reducing suffering as much as possible, so I like dialogue about it. I have many friends that eat meat and we get along fine, but I am rather open about my views.
A long time ago I went vegetarian (no meat), and then after that I also cut out dairy and egg products. In college, because I didn't have a kitchen and had to rely on my school's prepared meals, I began loosing weight. My school had some vegetarian options, but I was basically eating the exact same dishes every day because they didn't offer much in the way of vegan choices and I didn't have money to buy a lot of food outside of my school's food plan. After a while, when my friends were worried about my weight, I went back to eating foods that had a little bit of dairy or egg. (Cake, chocolate, cheese ravioli, basically just more calories.) When I got my own apartment with a kitchen, I went back to cutting out dairy and egg and haven't had a problem since.
My overall philosophy is that I try to avoid as many animal products as possible that cause harm or suffering to the animals. I don't eat meat, dairy, or eggs. (I have no issue against wool or lanolin, though.) I check nutrition labels, but sometimes I miss one or am unsure of some of the ingredients and let it through. I've noticed that some of my hygiene products contain substances that may be derived from animals, so I've been switching some of them out. Many non-food items I use don't include ingredient lists. In these circumstances, I kind of view it like the Law of Diminishing Returns. I just cut out as much as possible, and when you get close to 100% it gets more and more difficult to completely avoid anything related to animals, and I'm generally ok with that.
I personally don't support hunting or fishing, though I see it as an improvement over factory farming because it's somewhat better for the animal in most cases. Animals in the wild get to live a free life and then die to a predator, whereas factory farmed animals live in squalor their whole life and are bred basically as meat sacks. I still don't think killing animals is necessary, but I view hunting as lesser of two evils.
Reasons why I personally don't eat meat:
-With factory farming, animals are kept in generally wretched states of existence. I don't want to support that industry.
-I can meet all of my nutritional needs with a diet based exclusively on the plant kingdom, and so I view it as unnecessary to purposely kill animals.
-Eating lower on the food chain is more efficient per land area and can help to reduce food shortages and hunger.
-The meat industry is a major polluter of air, water, and land, and a major source of deforestation and reduction in biodiversity.
-I no longer desire to eat it after avoiding it for so long.
-No animal fats, lower cholesterol, and tons of vegetables and fruits in my diet.
-I wish not to be a predator, and hate the predator/prey system of the world. We all kill just by existing, but I want to reduce the number of animals that die because of me, especially relatively complex and intelligent animals.
Addressing some common counterarguments:
-Where do you get protein?
I get protein from nuts, beans, grains, and vegetables. I make sure to get enough each day, and from a variety of sources to ensure I get all the types I need.
-Eating meat is natural.
So? The human body is primarily herbivore, but has luckily adapted to eat meat for greater variety and so is really an omnivore. If I were in a position where I had to eat meat or starve, I would eat meat. From what I hear, humans developed their intelligence partly because of protein intake from meat, and I don't contest that. Surely, we arose out of the predator-prey system and are here because of it. But because I can get all essential nutrients including complete proteins from plants, I no longer wish to eat animals. Developed societies have moved away from a lot of "natural" things. Some people who argue against vegetarianism seem to want to view themselves as civilized and distinctly different from other animals, but quickly jump back to this argument often.
-Why are you so cruel to plants?
In general, I'm less worried about death of animals and more worried about suffering of animals. Many animals have nerves and can feel pain and can suffer. Many intelligent animals can truly feel pain and pleasure. While animals and plants may all be cells on the microscopic level, my basic goal is to avoid suffering as much as possible. Plants don't have central nervous systems like many animals do.
-Animals die in mechanized farming anyway.
This is generally true. Mice and snakes and bugs die when crops are harvested. Ideally, we'd have farms with all hand-picked crops, but we live in the real world and many crops are produced on a large scale. In this case I generally use the same reasoning that I do with hunting: It's a lesser of two evils, because at least the animals are wild. A lot of it has to do with intention to. Sure, mice and snakes may die for my corn and potatoes. I may accidentally crush bugs with my feet as I walk or car tires as I drive. But as part of developing myself, I wish to avoid intentional harm as much as possible.
Animal Suffering and Religion:
Eastern Religions
For the most part, Eastern religions have been more sensitive towards animals than western ones. Many Hindus and Buddhists believe that avoiding killing animals is necessary for their spiritual improvement. Many Hindus believe that God looks unfavorably upon animal killers. These religions typically believe that souls can reincarnate in various realms including as animals and humans, so from a metaphysical perspective, it's the same type of soul, just at a different level and so is basically murder. These religions typically follow the ideal of nonviolence, which consistently includes animals.
Judaism and Islam:
Many Jews and Muslims freely eat meat. Many of them avoid certain animals like pigs. They typically believe that God gave humans lordship over animals, and that animals are partially meant for food. I question the benevolence of such a deity that would endow some animals with the ability to feel pain and suffering and then intend for them to be hunted and killed. A deity that would specifically make life to be fed to other life worries me.
Christianity:
With respect to vegetarianism, Christianity baffles me. It's often advertised as a religion of nonviolence, where followers are meant to be as sheep, as the meek that shall inherit the Earth. And yet, this nonviolence only applies to humans, as other animals are routinely eaten. I view this as inconsistent, and again question the benevolence of a deity that would set up the predator-prey system.
In addition, many young earth creationists believe that before the fall of mankind, nothing died or suffered. I've literally seen creationists argue that the venom of snakes was meant to digest fruit matter, as all animals were claimed to be vegetarian before the fall by some creationists. If that's the case, then why do so many of them eat animal flesh now? If the kingdom of heaven is upon us, and developed countries can easily support vegetarian and vegan diets, why not avoid meat? Unless you believe animals will die in heaven, why not work to avoid their suffering and death for the sake of humans here? Sure, they will still die in the wild, but why contribute to it?
I just ask that people really take a close look at their food choices and determine for themselves whether or not their diet accurately represents their values. Be as conscious as possible about what you eat.
-Lyn
