In anticipation of the celebration of Independence Day this year,
there was a lot of publicity about the eating of hotdogs (and not
vegan ones – that’s for sure!). A champion eater of the most hotdogs
was described as a “hero” (that’s right – the word “hero” was used).
All this mindless hoop-la concerns an activity that in reality has a
detrimental effect on our country and, in my opinion, is the opposite of
patriotism:
“Cutting back on meat is also good for our country and the rest of
the planet in a number of ways. In 2006, for example, the United
Nations released a report showing that raising animals for food
generates 40 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars,
SUVs, trucks and airplanes in the world combined. People who go
vegetarian miss fewer days of work and have fewer health problems,
meaning that our nation's healthcare costs decrease. Changing our diet
would also help the hungry. It takes about 16 pounds of grain to
produce one pound of meat. That grain would go much farther feeding
humans; indeed, if we were to divert the grain used in livestock
production to human use, there would be enough food for everyone in
the country – and the world. The environmental cost of animal
agribusiness is also staggering, filling our waterways with
pesticides, antibiotics and the powerful growth hormones used on
farmed animals. An EPA report from 2004 states that chicken, hog and
cattle excrement have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and
contaminated groundwater in 17 states.”
From “Compassion Is Patriotic: Go Veggie” by Mark Hawthorne. To read
the entire article, please visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-CompassionPatriotic.html
Also read “Independence Day? For Whom?” at:
http://www.all-creatures.org/sermons98/s20080706.html
Furthermore, I believe that making a hero out of someone who can eat
more hotdogs than others is simply another example of glorifying evil in
a fallen world. In Genesis 8:21 of the Hebrew Bible, God says that “…the
intent of man's heart is evil from his youth.”
Ecclesiastes 9:3 states: “Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men
are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their
lives.” And in Isaiah 5:20 we find: “Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil.”
Since the King James Version of the Bible mentions the word “evil”
613 times and the New American Standard Bible, 505 times, I could go on
and on (but I won’t
J).
