God Does Not Eat Meat By Arthur Poletti
From All Creatures Book and Video Review Guide

Chapter Three: How Bad Things Used to Be

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That evening during dinner, Brad asked his father, Richard, to explain why it took thousands of years for humans to finally realize that eating animal flesh was so detrimental. Richard Knox answered, “The best way to answer your question is to look back at the state of violence toward animals and humans that existed in most of the world throughout history until 2008. Until then modern man was not much different psychologically than he was thousands of years ago. He was violent, greedy, and selfish, and was just the push of a button away from being completely destroyed by nuclear war. Never ending violence and decadence throughout the world made it impossible to have long lasting peace and harmony.

“The straw that finally broke the camel’s back was the coincidence of several critical factors. First was the proof that diseased cells from the dead flesh of slaughtered animals were being nourished within the bodies of billions of meat eaters.

“Starting in December of 2006 were continuous reports of hundreds of people in the United States dying from the very mysterious new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a brain –eating affliction that experts said was the human version of BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease. Because of a lack of regulation it was impossible to know to what extent the disease had entered and spread throughout the food chain.

“Evidence confirmed the transspecies link gave credence to the notion that the disease which had a long an undetermined incubation period would someday become much more wide spread.

“The worldwide horror about the Mad Cow Disease arose from the hideous nature of it. Over a prolonged and ghastly period, victims displayed involuntary movements and appeared insane. The theory was that many people became infected with the brain-wasting disease after eating beef from cows that had been fed brain and nerve tissue of infected animals.

“Meats were proven contributors to all major illnesses and countless deaths to humans as well as animals. Most Americans became convinced that eating dead animal flesh played a significant role in perpetuating a worldwide cycle of confusion, cruelty, disease, and death to humans and animals.

“Subsequently millions of people throughout the world began to finally realize that meat was so harmful to their health, and that cruelty to animals was so appalling, it made no sense to continue killing billions of animals for human consumption.”

“Ending most cruelty to animals in the United States in 2008 was the first step toward setting an example of the benefits of kindness to humans and animals for the world to emulate and benefit from.”

Just then Brad’s mother, Laura, began serving dinner. It was a family favorite: salad, then vegetarian turkey and stuffing with a rice and bean soufflé, along with mashed potatoes and side dishes of broccoli and tomatoes. The family’s three pets—Maggie, an English springer spaniel; Heidi, a wire haired Dachshund; and Yogi, a Siamese cat—generally ate the same dinner food in the adjoining room.

Shortly after dinner, Brad decided to go to bed so he could be well rested for the next day’s classroom presentation. Immediately after falling asleep he began to dream again. This time he found himself sitting at a dinner table with the hunter Mondo in a crowded restaurant.

Mondo was talking. “This is the only joint in town that serves rabbit food. That’s why I thought you would like it.”

“Good to see you again, Mondo. What do you have a taste for?”

“You tell me,” said Mondo. “It all looks like it’s already been eaten to me.”

“How about a vegetarian Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, vegetarian gravy, and sweet corn. Maybe for starters, pea soup with homemade buns and salad. For desert, homemade cherry pie.”

“Forget the salad,” Mondo said, “and make sure to ask for a barf bag for me.”

While the meal was being prepared Brad decided to find out more about Mondo’s life.

“So, Mondo, tell me: when did you start hunting animals?”

“Actually, my father began teaching me how to fish when I was five years old. Then when I was ten he taught me how to hunt pheasants. I began deer hunting with my father when I was twelve. Have you ever hunted?” 

“No, when I was a child there was no such thing as hunting, except for those who broke the law.”

“Did you ever eat meat?” asked Mondo.

“No.”

“What about chicken or fish?”

“No.”

“How about baby food? You must have eaten meat in your baby food!”

Brad shook his head. “For my entire life it has been against the law to buy, sell, or eat food that contains any type of animal meat. My parents fed me baby food that was composed of much healthier ingredients then meat. My vegan form of eating began at birth and will continue for the rest of my life.”

“You’re not bullshitting me now? What you have said is the truth?”

“Correct. What I have said is the truth. I was raised in an entirely different environment than you. I have never seen butchered meat of any kind, and no one I know would risk being caught with meat in his or her possession. My parents never ate meat; and my grandparents who lived many years before 2008 did not eat meat.

“My true feeling is that if I lived in the same type of society you were raised in I would most likely eat meat and would probably hunt and kill animals. Mondo, if you had been raised in the society I live in you would not have been a hunter and you would have never eaten meat.”

“So what’s the catch?” Mondo asked. “Why did everyone stop eating meat?”

“Funny you should ask. I am currently doing a presentation for my philosophy class explaining how much better off the world is because of kindness to animals. In order to answer your question I will explain some of the important points that are in my presentation.

“During your time in history, especially between 1990 and 2008, many animal rights organizations began to find ways, through massive member support, to make millions of people aware of the cruelty toward and needless killing of animals. Most of the adult population in the United States became convinced that meat was extremely harmful to their health, and that cruelty to animals was senseless. Congress was finally persuaded to institute new animal rights laws in 2008. The new laws forbade any type of cruelty to animals including hunting, killing, slaughtering, laboratory experimentation, and consumption of any type of meat.

“In 2007 all elementary schools throughout the United States made it mandatory to include classes for children beginning in the third or fourth grade teaching them the importance of nonviolence and the importance of kindness to animals.”

Mondo spoke up. “I find it hard to imagine that this will all happen. Hunters must have been extremely opposed to the passage of the laws you say will take effect in 2008.”

“During the early stages of change, prior to 2008, most hunters did fight vigorously to maintain their rights to hunt and kill animals,” agreed Brad. “However, hunters gradually became more considerate and sympathetic toward the arguments in favor of protection, kindness, and love for animal life. Most rational hunters began to realize that there was no real benefit in killing animals. Their motivation to kill helpless animals gave way to a feeling of compassion and protection, and the numbers of hunters began to decrease rapidly.

“Religious books promoting ancient beliefs about protecting animals became popular and were sold in book stores throughout the United States. They were advertised often by every form of media available. Pamphlets containing inspirational sayings were often handed out to hunters by animal rights protesters, especially just prior to and during hunting seasons. Let me recite two of the Hindu sayings:

"Goodness is never one with the minds of these two: One who wields a weapon and one who feasts on a creature’s flesh.

When an individual’s consciousness lifts and expands, he or she will abhor violence and not be able to even digest the meat, fish, or fowl he was formerly consuming. India’s greatest saints have confirmed that one cannot consume meat and live a peaceful, harmonious life.”

Brad paused to look at Mondo and noticed that Mondo seemed somewhat transfixed and was glaring off into space.

“So Mondo, any thoughts about what I just said?”

“You made me think about my childhood and how different our lives have been. My true gut feeling is that I never really enjoyed killing animals. Hunting was just something most of my family and friends often did. Actually it was very difficult for me emotionally to kill the first several deer, and then I slowly became numb to it all. Many times I wondered why I was killing a helpless, defenseless animal that had caused me no harm.”

“Mondo, unlike yours, my childhood memories are filled with many teachings taken from ancient beliefs, which stressed the importance of kindness to all living creatures. My parents made certain that their Hindu philosopher, Doctor Monrovia, would begin teaching me about the value of kindness to animals when I was four years old. He is still my advisor to this day. All through grammar school, high school, and college, I and most of my classmates were taught to be kind to all animals and to protect them from any type of harm.

“Mondo, please consider reading the Tirukural written about 2200 years ago. This ethical masterpiece was written by the South Indian sage Tiruvalluvar. The author masterfully and eloquently expresses an ageless form of wisdom, and truth. There are many verses within the Tirukural that convincingly explain why it is much wiser to take the path of nonviolence.”

“Ok, I’ll give it a whirl, even though this all sounds like some kind of unrealistic fairy tale.”

Mondo began to eat his vegetarian meal. He slugged the food down so fast it was amazing he was able to breathe at the same time. “That was absolutely delicious!” he said. “Thanks for the recommendation!”

“I am pleased you enjoyed it. Where I live, the food tastes even better and there are many more choices.”

“You have an entertaining, story-telling imagination,” replied Mondo.

Brad responded, “Please remember if you must go out hunting again, especially when you are aiming at a helpless deer, that only a heartless person would kill a harmless, innocent animal. You can glorify the activity and rationalize the necessity all you want, but the truth is there is nothing good about killing.”

Just then the dream ended again. Brad hoped that he could continue the dream some other time because he was very curious about the way animals used to be treated in Mondo’s world.

“The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men.”
~ Leonardo da Vinci, artist and scientist


Go on to: Chapter Four: More Benefits from Protecting Animals
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