Letter from Ruth About Slaughtering Animals to "Teach" Children - 17 Feb 2010
Letters From All-Creatures.org and The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation

Letter from Ruth About Slaughtering Animals to "Teach" Children - 17 Feb 2010

[Ed. Note: For background information, read Head Teacher Who Slaughtered Lamb Resigns.]

Dear Frank and Mary,

The following letter was sent to protest the slaughter of a young lamb, hand raised by students at a grade school, Marcus, ordered by the head mistress to teach the children 'reality'. In this instance there was a partially positive outcome, the head mistress Andrea Charman, resigned her position due to threats of violence from angry individuals who were so offended by her lack of compassion (see attachment below):

To:
[email protected]
CC: [email protected]; [email protected] S
ubject: Marcus: Teaching Children to Kill
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:08:01 -0400

Dear Mr Howard,

Marcus, a young lamb, was slaughtered as a lesson in 'reality'.

Marcus is not the first victim of religiously sanctioned abuse in the United Kingdom, as the predominant Christian view of animals states that man has dominion over them and may harm or slaughter them for his own benefit.

A few years ago in Skanda Vale Wales, Shambo, a beautiful young bull, showing no signs of illness was put to death because he tested postive for bovine TB. His story was especially poignant as he was being cared for in a sanctualry run by Hindu monks. Though the monks fought an intelligent, courageous and non-violent battle to save Shambo, which drew attention from around the world, the Welsh government, egged on by angry farmers, decided that Shambo must die. Despite the fact that the monks had arranged travel for Shambo to India where he would be treated for TB and allowed to live out his days in peace, government officials broke through a puja honoring the lives of ALL beings in progess at the Hindu sanctuary and dragged Shambo off to be killed. In so doing they violated the religious view of 'reality' of the Hindu monks whose religion teaches them to cherish and respect all lives.

Shambo had a Hindu organization to campaign for him and still he was not saved.

Marcus had only young school children, whose sense of compassion was more highly evolved than that of their head mistress, Andrea Charman. Their hearts were broken as they had hand raised Marcus and cared for him. They will learn with time that the views of a predominantly Christian nation do not allow for compassion to animals. They will also assimilate the message that despite the love and affection one may have for another living being, it is appropropriate to kill this being for your own gratification. They did not learn, what the head mistress, termed 'reality'. Instead they learned the Christian view of reality, that there is nothing wrong with killing a cherished friend for your own benefit.

"No society that feeds its children on tales of successful violence can expect them not to believe that violence in the end is rewarded" --Margaret Mead

When we teach children to kill a living being, viewed as lesser, we are sowing the seeds of future acts of violence both to humans and animals. We are teaching them a view of 'reality' that often leads to future acts of gratuitous violence. We are in effect teaching them that life is NOT sacred and that one may kill for any number of reasons, from anger, to gratification, to revenge

It is irresponsible and cruel to teach children to kill.

There is much to be learned from a view of 'reality' which honors and respects the lives of ALL beings. It is time to consider whether the Christian concept of dominion has outlived it's usefulness in a world so filled with violence.

Respectfully,

Ruth

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