By John Gilheany
One of the healthier facets of the animal rights movement (we can all
think of outstanding flaws with honest reflection, as easily as our
observers) is the harmony which exists between activists of strikingly
diverse backgrounds.
There tends to prevail a realisation that however dynamic or
conflicting our own particular beliefs may be they still take on a pale
perspective alongside the vast levels of animal suffering which we seek
to reduce within a wider society that may never care less.
It seems desirable to emphasise this context (as I see it) before
extolling Church-related activism in a general vegan journal. The
majority of Vegan Views readers are likely to keep Christianity at a
safe distance and besides adherence to atheism, paganism and other
spiritual traditions the main reason is almost too obvious a cliche to
state. Nonetheless, we have all encountered, or at least heard of devout
Christians whose ignorance and/or callous attitude towards animal
suffering (and animal life itself) defies any degree of contempt which
could be conveyed towards them without loss of inner or outer composure
although many activists are prepared to make that sacrifice wherever the
situation seems to merit it!
When the modern animal rights movement began to emerge in the UK, the
Church was one of the first institutions to fall within the focus of a
newly-motivated generation of activists. In 1973, the Fellowship of Life
emerged as a broad network of individuals whose aims were articulated in
an early mission statement by founder, Margaret Lawson (1919-2006) as:
"To 1) establish vegetarianism as a Christian way of life and 2) unite
believers of all religions, or none, in a way of life which neither
hurts nor destroys needlessly any part of creation, human, animal or
environmental."
A noble vision, naturally and one which it remains necessary to
cultivate. Indeed, it should hardly be surprising, if 35 years later the
majority of Christians remain set in their meat-eating ways. Whilst
there has been explicit advocacy of vegetarianism in the Christian press
by FoL supporters and others over recent decades, 'non-secular' activity
has often acquired a marginal status within the movement as a whole.
When animal rights activism began to solidify through the
mobilisation of an energetic grassroots during the early 80's, the
institutional Churches received the tactical attention of Animal Aid and
several independent local groups. The success of Compassion in World
Farming in securing legislation to outlaw veal production in Britain
stemmed from a three year campaign and legal battle with the monks of
Storrington Priory. In the 1990's there were determined but ineffectual
Anglican attempts at persuading Church Commissioners to prohibit hunting
and factory farming on Church of England land. While among the chinks of
light were expressions of episcopal support for animal welfare during
the major Live exports protests and in the Lynx booklet 'Bishops say No
to Fur'. The 1990's gave rise to further accessible and authoritative
theology which led to more purposeful activism and the formation of the
Christian Vegetarian Association of the U.K.
Yet attempts at 'Christianising the Churches' are nothing new and may
well have peeked within the Food Reform movement of a century ago
through the largely forgotten activity of the Order of the Golden Age.
The First World War may even have prevented the arrival of a concerted
animals' rights movement by the 1920's and vegetarianism certainly
remained in the shadows (of Shaw and Gandhi for the most part) during
the mid-twentieth century.
In the 1950's, the Vegetarian Society published a booklet on 'The
Bible and Vegetarianism' even though dozens of earlier tracts had
prompted Henry Salt (1851-1939) to remark: "The bible-quoting vegetarian
is just one sort of crank brought into existence to silence
another...hence the many sermons, dissertations, and text-twistings that
have appeared from time to time in vegetarian journals..."
However the situation remains whereby spiritual adherents to Western
religion resort to 'Biblical' excuses for animal exploitation in the
face of ethical reasoning and compassionate insight. The animal
rights/liberation/protection movement has always recognised the need for
adept advocacy wherever the basic interests of non-human beings are at
stake. For vegan Christians, it remains necessary to cultivate goodwill
and ensure that the negative notions which infect contemporary
Christendom are not allowed to prevail through default, or in other
words: the odious elements of Christianity have no right to drive the
pure in heart out of our churches.
Perhaps organised religion will perish or develop an observer status
while veganism becomes the national norm...or perhaps not; in which case
we owe it to the animals to liberate the theology that perpetuates their
misery. In reality, it's not particularly difficult to advocate
compassion, mercy, pity, peace, love and basic consideration, as being
integral aspects of any credible religious journey through today's
world. The resources are there for anyone who may feel an innate
inclination to become grounded and involved in educating what remains a
significant proportion of the public. For as Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
remarked in an earlier era:
"The Vegetarian movement ought to fill with gladness the souls of
those who have at heart the realization of God's kingdom upon earth, not
because Vegetarianism itself is such an important step towards the
realization of this kingdom (all steps are equally important or
unimportant), but because it serves as a criterion by which we know that
the pursuit of moral perfection on the part of man is genuine and
sincere."
New Review, July 1892
A particularly helpful and readable guidebook has been produced by
the Christian Vegetarian Association.Good News for All Creation is
available to download from their website: www.all-creatures.org/cva
For details of current campaigning activity in Britain, visit the
website of the Christian Vegetarian Association of the U.K. at:
www.christianvegetarian.co.uk
The Fellowship of Life website exists as an archive of articles,
letters to churchmen and newspapers, pamphlets etc from the 1970's
onwards: www.all-creatures.org/fol
Originally published in the Vegan Views book (2010)
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