Vegetarian Discipleship
[The
following material is from the book Good
News for All Creation by Stephen R. Kaufman and Nathan Braun.]
Jesus encouraged his followers, "Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). With
baptism, we become new creations in Christ, dedicated to following
Jesus' path of love, compassion, and peace, and encouraging others
to do likewise. For many Christian vegetarians, this commitment to
help bring about the realm of God "on earth as it is in heaven"
(Matthew 6:10) is central to their Christian witness.
Vegetarian advocacy is a form of Christian stewardship and
discipleship, because vegetarianism honors God by showing respect
for God’s environment, animals, and humans. When our lives honor
God, we feel closer to God and spiritually more fulfilled. So,
encouraging people to try vegetarianism is offering a gift, for them
as well as for the rest of Creation.
Telling people what to do rarely influences their actions, unless
you have power over them. Voluntary change requires changing one's
perceptions. Nobody considers oneself to be irrational. When someone
appears irrational, we usually don't fully appreciate his/her
worldview–the core set of beliefs based on one's knowledge and past
experiences. People don’t see their own choices as irrational—they
believe that their actions derive from their worldviews.
Consequently, there are two principal ways people may change. First,
they may find that their worldviews are incomplete or incorrect. For
example, once informed of the cruelties inherent in modern factory
farming, many people will stop regarding modern animal agriculture
as a benign institution. Hopefully, people will increasingly
recognize that factory farming is cruel and conclude that it
violates God’s will.
The second way that people change is by realizing that their
behavior actually does not faithfully reflect their worldviews.
People are seldom aware of such inconsistencies, because they often
uncritically adopt attitudes and behaviors from a culture that
provides conflicting messages. This is dramatically the case when it
comes to animal welfare because children are taught to be kind to
animals and simultaneously told to eat their meat "or you won't get
dessert." Regarding animal welfare, Christians almost universally
agree that Jesus preached love, compassion, and mercy, and most
Christians oppose animal cruelty. However, they often fail to
connect their compassion for animals with their daily dietary
choices. Discussing society's inconsistencies can encourage people
to reexamine their own attitudes.
Many people simply don't know about the cruelties inherent in
modern animal agriculture, and a critical question is, why don't
they know? The reasons for this are complex, and an attempt to
explain fully is beyond the scope of this book. No doubt, one reason
is that the animal agriculture industries effectively hide their
practices from the public, restricting access to factory farms and
slaughterhouses and employing skilled public relations personnel to
mislead the public. However, the information is quite readily
available online as well as in books and videos, to those who wish
to educate themselves.
It seems that many people choose to remain uninformed. Most
already believe that animals deserve respectful treatment and
strongly suspect that the animal agriculture industries often treat
animals badly. Evidently, many people recognize that learning about
the animal agriculture industry would likely leave them in an
uncomfortable predicament. They don't want to give up meat or see
themselves as contributing to cruelty. No wonder people so often
receive Christian vegetarians with hostility. We seem to offer an
unpleasant choice–change your lifestyle or your self-image.
People generally avoid threats to their lifestyles and
self-images. It turns out, however, that vegetarianism is good news
for Christians (as well as non-Christians). When one learns of the
benefits to human health, animals, world hunger, and the
environment, vegetarianism becomes much more palatable.
We recommend that, when you’re discussing vegetarianism, you try
to keep bringing the conversation back to the fact that eating meat
is not necessary for good health and that, today, it causes cruelty
to animals and environmental problems while harming human health and
the global poor. Whatever Biblical justification there is for eating
meat 2,000 years ago, none of it answers the central arguments for
Christian vegetarianism—that eating meat today causes serious
violations of basic Christian values like compassion, environmental
stewardship, and respect for our own bodies.
Specific Recommendations for Christian Vegetarian
Discipleship
Lectures
The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) has a slide show
available in 35mm slides and in Microsoft PowerPoint, with
accompanying text, which has been well received. We are also
preparing a video, which will be available in late 2004.
When offering a lecture or workshop in church or some other
public forum, it is important to use images and metaphors that
resonate with the audience. For Christian vegetarian advocacy, this
means talking in terms that Christians find meaningful, such as
compassion, love, mercy, and humility. Jesus exemplified these
attributes, and Christians understand that we are called to follow
Christ's example.
Other Christian frameworks may resonate with your audience. For
example, encourage people to think about viewing all of Creation
from God's perspective, rather than a human perspective; this will
help them see nature and animals as objects of compassion and
concern. Often, the human view is that animals raised on farms are
meant to be eaten. In contrast, it is hard to imagine that God, who
looked upon all Creation and called it "very good" (Genesis 1:31),
approves of humankind's cruelty and destructiveness. Indeed, you may
point out that factory farming deprives animals of all the natural
behaviors God designed them to have.
It is often helpful to recall that God gave Adam a vegetarian
diet and that Isaiah prophesied that at the end of time all
creatures, once again, will be vegetarian. Of course, many will
respond that Christian traditions, practices, and teachings seem to
support meat-eating, or by pointing out Biblical justifications for
eating meat (e.g., animal sacrifice or the loaves and fishes
miracle). Historically, most Christians have eaten meat; however,
many of the first Christians, including those closest to Jesus,
received Jesus' ministry as encouraging vegetarianism. In addition,
many modern Christian spiritual leaders have embraced vegetarianism.
Below, we offer responses to commonly asked questions, including
questions that discuss biblical passages that seem to support
meat-eating.
In summary, vegetarianism is a statement that we wish to take
care of our God-given bodies and that we are concerned about hungry
humans, an ailing environment, and helpless animal victims. We may
receive every plant-based meal with prayerful thanks to the Creator
for allowing us to live peacefully among the world's creatures.
Leafleting
Many activists have found that leafleting at Christian concerts
and events, at Christian colleges, and outside churches is effective
and efficient. We recommend the CVA’s booklet Honoring God’s
Creation, which people have found concise and compelling. For
Catholic audiences, Fr. John Dear’s essay Christianity and
Vegetarianism (available as a booklet and on CD and cassette from
PETA, www.peta.org) has been well
received.
You should be well groomed and have a sign and/or wear a shirt
that identifies you as a vegetarian advocate. CVA T-shirts are
available for $15, payable to the CVA: P.O. Box 201791, Cleveland,
OH 44120.
If approached in a pleasant manner, many people will politely
accept your booklets. Often, you need to be a little aggressive,
while remaining friendly of course, or people will ignore you. Some
will decline, and a few will attempt to be humorous or sarcastic. In
general, it is best to smile and wish them a good day. If someone
says something really nasty, you might simply comment in an even
tone, "That was an unkind thing to say." Of course, your attitude is
as important as your literature. If your pamphlet says that
vegetarianism expresses the love, compassion, and peace of Christ,
but you communicate anger and hostility, the compassionate message
is lost. To those who take the literature, you may say, “Thank you”
or, “Have a great day!”
At churches, we recommend that you stay off private church
property. Otherwise, it may appear that the church endorses your
literature, and this may be resented. Unfortunately, this may
restrict you to larger urban churches, because churchgoers elsewhere
often park on church property. Call the church to check the worship
hour(s). Start to leaflet about 20 minutes before service starts or
be there about 50 minutes after the start time to greet people as
they leave.
Bible Study/Discussion
Often, a discussion can be rewarding for both you and other
participants. It is sometimes helpful to reflect on two or three
biblical passages as springboards for conversations. Good candidates
include Genesis 1:28-31, which invites discussion of dominion and
demonstrates that the Bible's ideal diet is vegetarian; Isaiah
11:6-9, which envisions a vegetarian Messianic Age; and Matthew 6:10
because it reminds people that we are to seek the kingdom of God on
earth. Alternatively, you can explore why we favor members of
certain species and then consider which animals matter to God.
Informal Interactions
Discussing your commitment to vegetarianism in a friendly,
nonjudgmental manner encourages people to consider their own
lifestyle choices. Chapter 6 and appendix A address dealing with
family and friends in greater detail, but a few additional thoughts
are in order here. Some people argue that we should never discuss
vegetarianism while people are eating meat, but others have found
that this is an excellent time to have the discussion, if you can
keep it from becoming hostile. If people bring up the topic over
meals, you might smile and acknowledge the importance of dietary
choices, and then say that you don't like to talk about
vegetarianism during meals. Keep handy some literature that you can
offer to them, like Honoring God’s Creation
and/or Try Vegetarian! Afterwards, you may recall the
earlier discussion and comment.
Your Community
Give your doctor a pamphlet about vegetarianism. Talk to your
pastor about vegetarianism, and discuss ways to develop church
educational programs that explore the impact of diet on animals,
human health, world hunger, and the environment. You may speak or
arrange a speaker, or show a videotape. If your church will put them
in its library, both the Christian Vegetarian Association and People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) offer free books about
Christianity and vegetarianism. If you can place literature in a
“take-one” area, both groups will provide you with brochures at a
discount or for free, and you can download their literature at no
cost at
www.ChristianVeg.com
and at
www.PETALiterature.com. Register with your community, library,
and school speakers' bureaus. Display your pro-vegetarian message
with bumper stickers, pins, and clothing. Ask managers of health
food stores, vegetarian restaurants, and other sympathetic outlets
to offer CVA pamphlets in their literature sections.
News Media
Be on the lookout for editorials or news items about which you
may comment with letters to the editors of your local newspapers.
Also, contact your local newspapers' food editors and ask that more
vegetarian recipes be included. If possible, provide recipes
yourself, remembering that simple and tasty dishes are often most
helpful.
Take Care of Yourself
Effective vegetarian advocates nurture their own souls. Develop
meaningful relationships and put some time aside to relax. Remember
that vegetarianism is one aspect of expressing Christ's love,
compassion, and peace; try to relieve human and nonhuman suffering
in other ways when you can. Don't despair. Nobody can cure all the
world's ills, but we can all help alleviate them.
Be Informed
In order to be an effective advocate for vegetarianism, it's
important to learn about healthful eating and the reasons for
vegetarianism. Many people have found our book Good News for All
Creation
a useful resource.
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