Tams Nicholson
Tams Nicholson
Executive Director, All-Creatures.org
"Ethical veganism is not a fringe ideal; it is the natural fulfillment of our highest spiritual callings: mercy, justice, peace, and love for all God’s creation."
"We are not just faith-based ethical vegans. We are missionaries. We have been placed—purposefully by our loving Creator—within our communities not to blend in, but to help transform them."
"All interpretations of Holy Scripture are influenced by the perspective of the interpreter as well as by their historical knowledge, contextual knowledge, personal beliefs, common sense, and through the peace or violence secretly hidden within their hearts. We live in a world where scripture has been given to us through the lens of violent eyes and hearts for centuries. Let's reexamine it through the lens of peaceful faith-based veganism."
"I founded Silent Communion after adopting an ethical vegan lifestyle in 2008 and then hearing Richard Rohr's "A New Cosmology: Nature as the First Bible" in 2009. The loving Creator who I know does not exclude creatures from the ability to commune with their Creator - and in realizing that simple truth, I reread scripture again with eyes of love and compassion to see very different meanings."
"The Five Precepts of Silent Communion were born out of the desire to share true stewardship with others. "
"Our every thought and action matter not only for the creatures, but also ourselves and planet earth."
"The word dominion was corrupted in our thoughts and language
and it somehow has been twisted into actions of domination. We must
awaken to the truth while there is still time. Humanity's ongoing
stance of domination is destroying the creatures, ourselves, and the
planet."
"When those of us who are faith-based speak up gently but firmly in our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and circles of prayer, we are living out a sacred call to restore the integrity of our faith traditions and to restore God's abundant love."
"We live in a time when violence is woven into nearly every thread of daily life—deforestation, species extinction, factory farms poisoning our waters and soil, food systems and product consumerism that treat life as disposable. Ethical veganism is not simply a dietary or buying choice or political stance—it is the antidote."
"When we practice and preach compassionate living, we offer our world an embodied vision of the Peaceable Kingdom foretold in Isaiah."
"And remember, every missionary has felt completely alone at some point – and wondered what the heck they were doing. Be courageous – do it anyway! Through your life, your kindness, and your faith, you are helping usher in a world where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven—a world of peace for all beings."
"Ethical veganism is not a burden—it’s a liberation. It frees us from participating in violence we never truly agreed to, a system of normalized harm we were born into but never had the chance to consent to."
"Ethical veganism invites us into alignment: with our values, our Creator, and the creatures who share this world with us."
"This sacred path calls us back to the garden—not as a metaphor, but as a real possibility. It calls us back to the image of God, back to a way of living that blesses rather than dominates, that protects rather than profits, that heals rather than harms. Every meal becomes a liturgy of peace. Every act of kindness toward animals becomes a testimony."
"In the United States and many other countries, we’ve watched the medical community shift as research increasingly reveals the health consequences associated with eating animals. Millions of us have also come to know our own bodies well enough to understand that we do not need to kill or use animals for nourishment or to thrive. Many long-term vegans find themselves healthier and more energetic than they were before becoming vegan, while also experiencing a deeper alignment with thoughts of peace, compassion, and nonviolence.
One of the great advantages for people becoming vegan in the U.S. today is that they are benefiting from decades of work by those who came before them. Long-time vegans and animal advocates spent decades fighting for animals while also pushing for changes in grocery stores, restaurants, food production, and countless other areas—and that work continues. As a result, people in the United States and many other developed countries now live amid an extraordinary abundance of plant-based choices. For millions of us, it has never been easier or more financially economical to choose nourishment without violence —to simply make the compassionate choice."
