Why Animals Matter : A Religious and Philosophical Perspective Introduction
Quotations
Christianity
Below are quotations from Christian scripture and leading Christians both past and present concerning animal rights; the humane treatment of animals and adopting a vegetarian/vegan diet. This page is part of a section about animal rights and religious and philosophical belief, it is the forerunner of an in-depth article concerning Christianity and animal rights which I hope to include here in due course. Also links to Christian Vegetarian societies and websites of interest.
For ease of reading all quotations appear in a Purple Font
Please note: External links will open into a new window
Quotations from Scripture, Christian Saints and other noteworthy Christians past and present
Firstly a short commentary about the sacred text of Christianity:
The Bible
The Bible is the central religious text of both Judaism and Christianity—the Hebrew or Christian sacred scriptures respectively. The Christian bible is however different from the Judaic Hebrew Bible also called the Tanakh. The Christian Bible is divided into two sections, the Old and the New Testament, in the Hebrew bible there is of course no New Testament. The Hebrew bible is never referred to as the old testament as this would imply a new testament. The Judaic equivalent to the Christian Old Testament is very similar although the books are divided differently and some books are combined. Nevertheless despite the differences mentioned the Hebrew bible and the Christian old testament are more or less the same.
The New Testament is comprised of the Gospels ("good news"), the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles (letters), and the Book of Revelations. The New Testament recounts the life and teachings of Jesus Christ through the Gospels, the letters of the Apostle Paul and other disciples to the early church.
Vegetarianism or Veganism, it is not a requirement of the Christian religion but if a Christian would prefer to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet there is no reason why he or should not do so. A significant number of Christians are becoming vegetarian or vegan.
Quotes From Christian Scripture
God gave man a vegetarian diet
God's vision of an ideal world is presented in the book of Genesis by the Garden of Eden as a peaceful paradise, where there is no suffering, and all creatures live in peace and harmony, there is no exploitation of one creature over another, no violence. In this earthly paradise all creatures are vegetarians or more precisely vegan as with vegetarianism there is still the exploitation of animals to some degree, such as cows for milk. It is clear that God intended that all his creatures should eat only vegetation. In Genesis God Says to Adam:
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 1:29 Christian Bible old testament New International Version
Area of confusion occurs in the King James version of the bible were you will read:
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed: to you it shall be as meat....
Genesis 1:29 Christian Bible old testament.
From the context of the passage in this earlier translation it is obvious that the word meat is of course not used in the literal sense at all. The king James bible was written in 1611, in the 17th century the word meat was used to refer to a meal of any kind whether on not it contained actual meat. Moreover with the discovery of earlier versions of Greek texts there is now thought to be many errors in translation from the original Greek and in many instances it has been shown that the word "meat" is amongst these errors in translation. The majority of words incorrectly translated as "meat" are trophe, meaning nourishment and broma meaning food and other words such as bromis the act of eating.
Eating, slaughtering and mistreating animals goes against Gods ultimate goal for our world and that is as a place of peace, peace for all creatures. This ideal is often much quoted and should be familiar to both Christianity and Judaism, yet many ignore this; it is a prophecy from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.
Isaiah 11:6-9 Christian Bible old testament.
6. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them.
7. Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den.
9. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
The above passage from Isaiah pertains to the Peaceable Kingdom.
The Peaceable Kingdom is the ultimate destiny of humanity referred to in the texts of Isaiah, Micah, and the Sermon on the Mount.
God's ultimate plan for this world is a cessation of killing, an end to meat eating, the need for one animal to devour another in order to live, even the lion will eat straw.
God intends for there to be a vegan world.
Peaceable Kingdom the last of a series of paintings by John Hicks
The peaceable kingdom the new realm of God described in Isaiah's vision is a far cry from the state of affairs that exists today. Often the excuse to overlook this is that these events will take place at a future time and will be orchestrated by God. We seem to think that we have no role to play in this transformation. Certainly we can do little to bring about peace for instance between a wolf and a lamb but we certainly have the power to bring peace between our selves and all living creatures. This is what Christians believe God wants for this world, therefore to blatantly and consistently go against His ultimate goal to bring about His peaceful kingdom into existence surely goes against the will of God. How can we have a peaceful world when we kill billions of sentient beings to sate our appetite for meat, when we hunt and kill animals for mere pleasure or experiment on animals or use them as labour. Ask yourself: Do you really think that God approves of factory farming, animals suffering torture in laboratories, or used as labour?
"In recognition of these beliefs we seek to become signs of the peaceable Kingdom by living as far as possible non-violently with other creatures.
We anticipate the coming Kingdom by adopting now the diet of the age to come and living as ethical vegetarians."
Rev. Dr. Andrew Linzey Referring to the Peaceable Kingdom:
Declaration of the Peaceable Kingdom - Christian Vegetarian Association
.
The righteous one regards the life of his animal but the heart of the wicked is without mercy.
Proverbs 12:10 950 BC Christian Bible Old Testament. King Solomon the son of David and king of Israel is the principle writer.
"For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth the beasts, even one thing befalleth them: As the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast.'
Ecclesiastes 3:10 Christian Bible old testament. Written about 250 BC, authorship unclear although once attributed to King Solomon.
"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.'
Bible Isaiah 66:3 Christian old testament. Traditionally thought to be written by the eight century prophet Isaiah
You have only to ask the cattle, for them to instruct you, and the birds of the sky, for them to inform you. The creeping things of earth will give you lessons, and the fish of the sea provide you an explanation: there is not one such creature but will know that the hand of God has arranged things like this! In his hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of every human being!
Job 12:7-10
Wherefore, if food maketh my brother to fall into sin, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to fall into sin.
1 Corinthians 8:13 Christian Bible New testament.
Christian Saints
Saint Clement of Alexandria.
Born 150 AD Saint Clement was a Greek Christian theologian and was said to be the most educated and philosophical of all the Christian fathers.
It is far better to be happy than to have your bodies act as graveyards for animals. Accordingly, the apostle Matthew partook of seeds, nuts and vegetables, without flesh.
The unnatural eating of flesh meats is as polluting as the heathen worship of devils, with its sacrifices and its impure feasts, through participation in it a man becomes a fellow eater with devils.
Sacrifices were invented by men to be a pretext for eating flesh.
St. Francis of Assisi.
Saint Francis, 1181/82 -1226, founder the monastic order of Franciscans and Patron Saint of Animals is perhaps the most popular and well known Christian Saint, he is mostly remembered for his compassion towards animals and it was said that animals, most particularly a lamb, followed him everywhere.
If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
St. Francis of Assisi.
All creatures have the same source as we have. Like us, they derive the life of thought, love, and will from the Creator. Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them; but to stop there is a complete misapprehension of the intentions of Providence. We have a higher mission. God wishes that we should succour them whenever they require it.
St. Francis of Assisi.
All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man, God wants us to help animals, if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected.
St. Francis of Assisi.
Saint Basil
Called the Great. AD ?329-379. Greek patriarch; one of the founders of monasticism.
Prayer by St Basil
Enlarge Within Us a Sense of Fellowship
By St. Basil (300? - 375 A.D.)
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.
Oh, God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things; with our brothers the animals to whom Thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us.
We remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty so that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to Thee in song, has been a groan of travail..
May we realize that they live not for us alone, but for themselves, and for Thee, and that they love the sweetness of life even as we, and serve Thee in their place better than we in others.
St Basil
The steam of meat meals darkens the spirit. One can hardly have virtue if one enjoys meat meals and feasts. In the earthly paradise, no one sacrificed animals, and no one ate meat.
St Basil
Saint Jerome
Saint Jerome 347 – September 30, 420 was an Illyrian Christian priest and apologist. He is best known for his new translation of the Bible into Latin, which has since come to be called the Vulgate and his list of writings are extensive.
He is recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint and Doctor of the Church. He is also recognized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, where he is known as St. Jerome of Stridonium or Blessed Jerome
The eating of meat was unknown up to the big flood, but since the flood they have the strings and stinking juices of animal meat into our mouths, just as they threw in front of the grumbling sensual people in the desert. Jesus Christ, who appeared when the time had been fulfilled, has again joined the end with the beginning, so that it is no longer allowed for us to eat animal meat.
Saint John Chrysostom
Greek patriarch, AD ?345-407 and archbishop of Constantinople from 398 to 404.
The saints are exceedingly loving and gentle to mankind, and even to brute beasts ... Surely we ought to show them [animals] great kindness and gentleness for many reasons, but, above all, because they are of the same origin as ourselves.
Christians from the more recent past
John Wesley
John Wesley, June 1703 – March 1791, was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the English Methodist movement.
He wrote the following to the bishop of London in 1747:
Thanks be to God! Since the time I gave up the use of flesh-meats and wine, I have been delivered from all physical ills."
Partly inspired by Isaiah's vision of the Kingdom of Peace, where "on the new earth, no creature will kill, or hurt, or give pain to any other" (Is. 11:6-9), Wesley further taught that animals "shall receive ample amends for all their present sufferings.
John Wesley , 1703 – 2 March 1791, was the Founder of Methodism and Wesleyanism.*1)
I believe in my heart that faith in Jesus Christ can and will lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to the broader concern for the well-being of the birds in our backyards, the fish in our rivers, and every living creature on the face of the earth.
John Wesley
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881, was a Russian writer his two most famous novels were Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. He was a Christian and adhered to the tenets of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Love all of God’s creation, love the whole, and love each grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love animals, love plants, love every kind of thing. If you love every kind of thing, then everywhere God’s mystery will reveal itself to you. Once this has been revealed to you, you will begin to understand it ever more deeply with each passing day. And finally you will be able to love the whole world with an all-encompassing universal love.
Love animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Do not trouble their joy, don't harrass them, don't deprive them of their happiness, don't work against God's intent. Man, do not pride yourself on superiority to animals; they are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces of your foulness after you - alas, it is true of almost every one of us!
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy a well-know Russian author best known for his novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Tolstoy was however more than a writer he was a moral philosopher, a humanitarian and a mystic. His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centring on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields. What I think about vivisection (operating on a live animal for the purpose of scientific research) is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit to their cruelty.
Leo Tolstoy
If he be really and seriously seeking to live a good life, the first thing from which he will abstain will always be the use of animal food, because ...its use is simply immoral, as it involves the performance of an act which is contrary to the moral feeling -- killing.
Leo Tolstoy
Contemporary Christians
Bishop John Baker
Former Bishop of Salisbury from 1982 until 1993 John Baker has long advocated treating animals with compassion and in his sermons was one of the first bishops to speak out against factory farming.
It is in the battery shed that we find the parallel with Auschwitz....To shut your mind, heart and imagination from the sufferings of others is to begin slowly, but inexorably, to die. Those Christians who close their minds and hearts to the cause of animal welfare, and the evils it seeks to combat, are ignoring the Fundamental spiritual teachings of Christ himself.
Rev. Andrew Linzey
Rev. Andrew Linzey, is a member of the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford and held the world’s first academic post in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare — the Bede Jarret Senior Research Fellowship at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.
Animals are God's creatures, not human property, nor utilities, nor resources, nor commodities, but precious beings in God's sight. ... Christians whose eyes are fixed on the awfulness of crucifixion are in a special position to understand the awfulness of innocent suffering. The Cross of Christ is God's absolute identification with the weak, the powerless, and the vulnerable, but most of all with unprotected, undefended, innocent suffering.
Rev. Andrew Linzey
To stand for Christ is to stand against evil of cruelty inflicted on those who are weak, vulnerable, unprotected, undefended, morally innocent, and in that class we must unambiguously include animals.
Rev. Andrew Linzey
Rt. Rev. John Chandler White, D.D.
Late Episcopal Bishop of Springfield, Illinois
As a Bishop of the Church of God, I am ashamed to say that the Church as an organization has never made any official pronouncement on the subject of the care and treatment of animals that I am able to find. I am more and more amazed as I have studied the matter to find that the Church has almost completely ignored the animal kingdom... It is time, fully time, that all Christian people awake to the necessity of taking an active part in the fight against what I dare to call the Crime of Animal Cruelty. Everyone who loves God and animals should help bear the burden of the fight against this insidious evil.
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Since its beginnings in the 17th century, the Religious Society of Friends has had a concern for animals.
Quaker Faith and Practice states:
“Show a loving consideration for all creatures and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world. Work to ensure that our increasing power over Nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life.”
To say that we love God and at the same time exercise cruelty toward the least creature is a contradiction in itself.
John Woolman, the 18th century American Quaker and anti-slavery pioneer
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Quaker Concern For Animals Membership of Quaker Concern for Animals is open to people of all faiths and none
William and Catherine Booth
Founders of the Salvation Army.
It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work in the world is done by men who never taste anything but vegetable, farinaceous food, and that of the simplest kind. There are more strength-producing properties in wholemeal flour, peas, beans, lentils, oatmeal, roots, and other vegetables of the same class, than there are beef or mutton, poultry or fish, or animal food of any description whatever.
Orders and Regulations of the Officers of the Salvation Army
Ellen G. White
Ellen White one of the founders of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church was a vegetarian and a health reformer, she believed that the human body represented God's Temple , it was due to her efforts that vegetarianism and other health issues became and continue to be part of the teachings of the Seventh Day Adventists. It is interesting to note that Seventh Day Adventists are considerably more healthy than the general population and on average live 20 years longer.
It will not be long until animal food will be discarded by many besides Seventh-day Adventists. Foods that are healthful and life sustaining are to be prepared, so that men and women will not need to eat meat...Not an ounce of flesh meat should enter our stomachs....
For the moral evils of a flesh diet are not less marked than are the physical ills. Flesh food is injurious to health, and whatever affects the body has a corresponding effect on the mind and the soul. Think of the cruelty to animals meat-eating involves, and its effect on those who inflict and those who behold it.
How it destroys the tenderness with which we should regard those creatures of God! We should therefore never be ashamed to say, "No thank you; I do not eat meat. I have conscientious scruples against eating the flesh of dead animals.
How much better to get it direct by eating the food that God provided for our use!
God gave our first parents the food He designed that the race should eat. It was contrary to His plan to have the life of any creature taken. There was to be no death in Eden. The fruit of the trees in the garden was the food man's wants required.
The majority of the diseases which the human family have been and still are suffering under, they have created by ignorance of their own organic health, and work perseveringly to tear themselves to pieces, and when broken down and debilitated in body and mind, send for the doctor and drug themselves to death.
More quotations: History of Vegetarianism - Ellen G. White (1827 - 1915)
Arthur Poletti
Author and animal rights activist is a vegan
Think how wonderful it will be and how great you will feel when you stop using your stomach as a graveyard for decaying flesh from the corpses of tortured and murdered animals? Certainly, if heaven really does exist, you can be sure that
animals are not tortured, murdered and eaten there. Therefore, since there is no animal flesh to eat in heaven, now might be anexcellent time to change your eating habits. Consider the real possibility that when you attempt to rescue or protect any of Gods creatures from the ravages of cruelty and unnecessary death, you may in turn, rescue a part of your soul. Animal flesh eaters, may your sincere affections and sympathy for animals lives generate love, compelling you to seek an identity with this cause? God sees each one of us for what we really are, not necessarily for what we profess to be. God knows whether we are genuine or a fraud!
God Does Not Eat Meat By Arthur Poletti - All Creatures Guide to Kingdom Living
"God Does Not Eat Meat is a new e-book that explores the cruelty of animal slaughterhouses and asks the reader, What If? The book, which can be read for free online or downloaded for a small fee, uses history and fact to weave a shocking, life-changing narrative. The author, Arthur Poletti, was inspired by his intuitive relationship with animals, the earth and God to write the story."
Philip Ochoa
Look deep into the eyes of any animal, and then for a moment,
“trade places.” Their lives become as precious as your life, and
you become as vulnerable as them. Now smile if you believe all
animals deserve our respect and our protection. For in a way,
they are us, and we are them.
Philip Ochoa — All For Animals.
http://www.eworldwire.com/mediauploads/poletti-fulldocument.pdf
The Vatican
The pope is the Bishop of Rome and as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church
Pope John Paul 1920 – 2005
...the future of humanity and planet earth are in danger because of a lack of respect for animals and the environment. It is necessary and urgent that following the example of the poor man [St. Francis] one decides to abandon inconsiderate forms of domination, capture and custody with respect to all creatures.
Pope Puis XI, in his Letter on St Francis of Assisi
St Francis was led to love all things which he knew had the same origin as he, and in which he recognised the goodness of God. For he followed his Well-Beloved everywhere and in every trace of Him to be found in His creatures, he made of all things a ladder to reach His throne.
Pope Benedict XV
Written In 1915 to the head of the Italian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
His Holiness rejoices to know that the object of your Society is in perfect accord with the doctrine which the Church has always taught and the Saints have always followed, leaving us innumerable beautiful examples of compassion and tenderness
The fact that the Nations have not always followed the precepts of the Church and the example of the Saints moves the Sovereign Pontiff all the more to favour all that tends (while reserving supreme honour to the King of Creation) to foster respect for these other creatures of God, which Providence forbids us to exploit without concern and enjoins us to show wisdom in our use of them …
Therefore the August Pontiff trusts that you will find faithful and efficient fellow-workers in the priests of God, since it is their duty to conform to the teaching of the Church and the example of the Saints.
It is for them nobly to train souls in sentiments of enlightened gentleness and fostering care and guidance, so that they may offer to the animals refuge from every suspicion of roughness, cruelty or barbarism, and lead men to understand from the beauty of creation something of the infinite perfection of the Creator
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X wrote an autograph blessing ‘for all who protect from abuse and cruelty the dumb servants given to us by God’, and wished ‘prosperity and success to all workers in this field.’ Of Pius X, his secretary, Cardinal Merry del Val wrote:
His Holiness is pleased at being called upon, as head of the Church, for his support in so noble an undertaking, which has the lofty object of caring for the lives and treatment of animals and which at the same time endeavours to eradicate from the hearts of men barbarous and cruel tendencies
Pius X, Pope
More papal quotes :
Pope Quotes - Archive - The Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare -
Christian Vegetarian Associations and Societies
Christian Vegetarian Association
Our Mission
"To support and encourage Christian vegetarians around the world.
To share with non-vegetarian Christians how a vegetarian diet can be a powerful and faith-strengthening witness to Christ's love, compassion, and peace.
To show the world that plant-based diets represent good, responsible Christian stewardship for all God's Creation."
Christian Vegetarian Association
Christian Vegetarian Association Yahoo forum
Description
This discussion group is for those Christians interested in vegetarianism as a way to witness to the compassion, love, and peace of Christ by choosing vegetarian diets. We see vegetarianism as good, responsible stewardship of God's Creation. At christianveg, we ask questions and discuss ideas and strategies for encouraging other Christians to consider plant-based diets.
christianveg : Christian Vegetarian Association Yahoo forum
The Christian Vegetarian Association UK
Working towards a violence-free World
Our Mission:
Support and encourage Christian vegetarians in the UK.
Share with other Christians how a vegetarian diet can add meaning to their faith.
Show that a plant based way of life represents good Christian
stewardship for all of God’s Creation
Quaker Concern
Membership of Quaker Concern for Animals is open to people of all faiths and none
Quaker Faith and Practice states:
“Show a loving consideration for all creatures and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world. Work to ensure that our increasing power over Nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life.”
Quaker Concern for Animals activities include:
Providing literature, articles and newsletters
Supporting conferences and religious services
National and international co-operation with other animal protection groups
Lobbying of organizations, media and politicians
Protests against animal cruelty
Funding animal charities, especially the smaller specialised ones.
We are committed to our ecumenical and interfaith policy
Quaker Concern For Animals
Links
Vegetarian Friends
A Vegetarian Journal for Quakers and Other People of Faith
The Peaceable Table is intended for the mutual support, education, and inspiration of people of faith in the practice of love for our fellow animals and observance of a vegetarian diet
Vegetarian Friends
Catholic Concern for Animals
Catholic Concern for Animals exists to influence the Christian Church and, ultimately the wider society, into adopting a more just, understanding and compassionate attitude towards the animal creation. We research and disseminate authentic teachings of the Catholic Tradition, and of other religious beliefs, to help bring about a way of living in accordance with the Creator’s design. We support and encourage those working towards these aims.
We believe that all life is God-given and therefore to be highly respected – and that life, of course, includes all human life, particularly that of the most vulnerable, the unborn, and the terminally ill or dying. We hold strongly to a pro-life approach, both for humans and for sentient non-humans, and resist any suggestion that we care ‘only’ for animals at the expense of human life.
Catholic Concern for Animals - Formerly The Catholic Study Circle for Animal
History of Vegetarianism - Was Christ a Vegetarian?
An article by Ted Altar
History of Vegetarianism - Was Christ a Vegetarian?
Why Should Christians be Vegetarians
"Jesus' message is one of love and compassion, yet there is nothing loving or compassionate about factory farms and slaughterhouses, where billions of animals live miserable lives and die violent, bloody deaths. Jesus mandates kindness, mercy, compassion, and love for all God's creation. He would be appalled by the degree of suffering we inflict on animals to indulge our acquired taste for their flesh.
Christians have a choice. When we sit down to eat, we can add to the level of violence, misery, and death in the world, or we can respect His creation with a vegetarian diet."
A PETA website
Information, Scholarly articles, Vegetarian starter kit
Why Should Christians be Vegetarians?
Compassionate Spirit
A web site on simple living, nonviolence, vegetarianism, and spiritual concerns
A web site with wealth of information
About this site
"The chief spiritual focus of this web site is the religion of Jesus, but Buddhism and other religions are touched on as well. My hope is to bring together people who are interested in a variety of issues related to urgently needed social and cultural reforms. "
I'm concerned about . . .
Simple Living and Nonviolence
Vegetarianism / Veganism
Jesus and the Ebionites
Social and political implications of environmental destruction and resource depletion
Compassionate Spirit
Christian Animal Rights Effort
Welcome to "Christian Animal Rights Effort". I started this ministry because of my love for animals and the fact that so many other Christians I knew did not seem to care about animals. Most Christians I spoke with were under the impression that animals had been put on earth by God simply for our use to do with as we want. In their minds, this included killing and eating them, as well as hunting them for sport. This belief is a far cry from what God has commanded.
Christian Animal Rights Effort(C.A.R.E.), justice, peace, love, compassion, ca
Christianity and Vegetarianism Pursuing the Nonviolence of Jesus
An article by Fr. John Dear,S.J.
"My name is John Dear, and I’m a Catholic priest, a peace activist, a writer, and a vegetarian. I’ve traveled the world promoting peace and nonviolence and served as the executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest and oldest inter-faith peace organization in the United States. I’d like to reflect with you about Christianity and vegetarianism.
When I look at the world today, I see a culture addicted to violence. As I write, there are more than 30 wars being waged. There are more than 1 billion people suffering from malnourishment and its effects. There are more than 2 billion people without access to clean water, barely surviving in dire poverty. According to the United Nations, about 60,000 people, mostly women and children, die every single day from starvation and starvation-related diseases. Right here in the U.S., we see executions, rampant homelessness, and injustices of all kinds, including racism and sexism. And in the U.S. alone, we kill more than 9 billion land animals each year by slitting their throats, sometimes while they’re still conscious. We also kill more than 15 billion sea animals, generally by suffocation, bodily decompression, or crushing, every single year."
Please read the rest of this excellent article
JesusVeg.com: Christianity and Vegetarianism text
Christian Resources
A comprehensive selection of links to websites related to Christianity and vegetarianism
Christian Religion and Vegetarian Resources
Also check out the main website for a good selection Christian related vegetarian information
Christian Resources - True Teachings of Jesus Christ
all-creatures.org: Working for a Peaceful World for Humans, Animals, and the Environment
Working for a Peaceful World for Humans, Animals and the Environment
A wealth of information concerning animal rights, not only Christian but all religions, also stories, recipes, blogs, photographs, animal stories and much much more.
A Commentary on the peaceable kingdom
Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul speak about peace on this earth, not as something unattainable and rooted in wishful thinking, but as a reality and a choice that everyone can achieve; that is, if they want to.
A Peaceable Kingdom For Today – 15 July 2007 - From Joyful Curmudgeon Blog - p
References
1) Famous Vegetarians (w/short quotes) - Christian Vegetarian Association -
Important please note:
I am not an animal expert of any kind just your average person who loves animals, all animals, and feels deeply about the plight of many of our fellow creatures. Neither am I a writer, or any other expert. Therefore please keep in mind that the information included in this website has been researched to the best of my ability and any misinformation is quite by accident but of course possible.
Copyright, accreditations and other matters, please read
Credit
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durham_Cathedral_from_near_Haughton_House.jpg
Quotations
Christianity
Below are quotations from Christian scripture and leading Christians both past and present concerning animal rights; the humane treatment of animals and adopting a vegetarian/vegan diet. This page is part of a section about animal rights and religious and philosophical belief, it is the forerunner of an in-depth article concerning Christianity and animal rights which I hope to include here in due course. Also links to Christian Vegetarian societies and websites of interest.
For ease of reading all quotations appear in a Purple Font
Please note: External links will open into a new window
Quotations from Scripture, Christian Saints and other noteworthy Christians past and present
Firstly a short commentary about the sacred text of Christianity:
The Bible
The Bible is the central religious text of both Judaism and Christianity—the Hebrew or Christian sacred scriptures respectively. The Christian bible is however different from the Judaic Hebrew Bible also called the Tanakh. The Christian Bible is divided into two sections, the Old and the New Testament, in the Hebrew bible there is of course no New Testament. The Hebrew bible is never referred to as the old testament as this would imply a new testament. The Judaic equivalent to the Christian Old Testament is very similar although the books are divided differently and some books are combined. Nevertheless despite the differences mentioned the Hebrew bible and the Christian old testament are more or less the same.
The New Testament is comprised of the Gospels ("good news"), the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles (letters), and the Book of Revelations. The New Testament recounts the life and teachings of Jesus Christ through the Gospels, the letters of the Apostle Paul and other disciples to the early church.
Vegetarianism or Veganism, it is not a requirement of the Christian religion but if a Christian would prefer to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet there is no reason why he or should not do so. A significant number of Christians are becoming vegetarian or vegan.
Quotes From Christian Scripture
God gave man a vegetarian diet
God's vision of an ideal world is presented in the book of Genesis by the Garden of Eden as a peaceful paradise, where there is no suffering, and all creatures live in peace and harmony, there is no exploitation of one creature over another, no violence. In this earthly paradise all creatures are vegetarians or more precisely vegan as with vegetarianism there is still the exploitation of animals to some degree, such as cows for milk. It is clear that God intended that all his creatures should eat only vegetation. In Genesis God Says to Adam:
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 1:29 Christian Bible old testament New International Version
Area of confusion occurs in the King James version of the bible were you will read:
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed: to you it shall be as meat....
Genesis 1:29 Christian Bible old testament.
From the context of the passage in this earlier translation it is obvious that the word meat is of course not used in the literal sense at all. The king James bible was written in 1611, in the 17th century the word meat was used to refer to a meal of any kind whether on not it contained actual meat. Moreover with the discovery of earlier versions of Greek texts there is now thought to be many errors in translation from the original Greek and in many instances it has been shown that the word "meat" is amongst these errors in translation. The majority of words incorrectly translated as "meat" are trophe, meaning nourishment and broma meaning food and other words such as bromis the act of eating.
Eating, slaughtering and mistreating animals goes against Gods ultimate goal for our world and that is as a place of peace, peace for all creatures. This ideal is often much quoted and should be familiar to both Christianity and Judaism, yet many ignore this; it is a prophecy from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.
Isaiah 11:6-9 Christian Bible old testament.
6. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them.
7. Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den.
9. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
The above passage from Isaiah pertains to the Peaceable Kingdom.
The Peaceable Kingdom is the ultimate destiny of humanity referred to in the texts of Isaiah, Micah, and the Sermon on the Mount.
God's ultimate plan for this world is a cessation of killing, an end to meat eating, the need for one animal to devour another in order to live, even the lion will eat straw.
God intends for there to be a vegan world.
Peaceable Kingdom the last of a series of paintings by John Hicks
The peaceable kingdom the new realm of God described in Isaiah's vision is a far cry from the state of affairs that exists today. Often the excuse to overlook this is that these events will take place at a future time and will be orchestrated by God. We seem to think that we have no role to play in this transformation. Certainly we can do little to bring about peace for instance between a wolf and a lamb but we certainly have the power to bring peace between our selves and all living creatures. This is what Christians believe God wants for this world, therefore to blatantly and consistently go against His ultimate goal to bring about His peaceful kingdom into existence surely goes against the will of God. How can we have a peaceful world when we kill billions of sentient beings to sate our appetite for meat, when we hunt and kill animals for mere pleasure or experiment on animals or use them as labour. Ask yourself: Do you really think that God approves of factory farming, animals suffering torture in laboratories, or used as labour?
"In recognition of these beliefs we seek to become signs of the peaceable Kingdom by living as far as possible non-violently with other creatures.
We anticipate the coming Kingdom by adopting now the diet of the age to come and living as ethical vegetarians."
Rev. Dr. Andrew Linzey Referring to the Peaceable Kingdom:
Declaration of the Peaceable Kingdom - Christian Vegetarian Association
.
The righteous one regards the life of his animal but the heart of the wicked is without mercy.
Proverbs 12:10 950 BC Christian Bible Old Testament. King Solomon the son of David and king of Israel is the principle writer.
"For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth the beasts, even one thing befalleth them: As the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast.'
Ecclesiastes 3:10 Christian Bible old testament. Written about 250 BC, authorship unclear although once attributed to King Solomon.
"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.'
Bible Isaiah 66:3 Christian old testament. Traditionally thought to be written by the eight century prophet Isaiah
You have only to ask the cattle, for them to instruct you, and the birds of the sky, for them to inform you. The creeping things of earth will give you lessons, and the fish of the sea provide you an explanation: there is not one such creature but will know that the hand of God has arranged things like this! In his hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of every human being!
Job 12:7-10
Wherefore, if food maketh my brother to fall into sin, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to fall into sin.
1 Corinthians 8:13 Christian Bible New testament.
Christian Saints
Saint Clement of Alexandria.
Born 150 AD Saint Clement was a Greek Christian theologian and was said to be the most educated and philosophical of all the Christian fathers.
It is far better to be happy than to have your bodies act as graveyards for animals. Accordingly, the apostle Matthew partook of seeds, nuts and vegetables, without flesh.
The unnatural eating of flesh meats is as polluting as the heathen worship of devils, with its sacrifices and its impure feasts, through participation in it a man becomes a fellow eater with devils.
Sacrifices were invented by men to be a pretext for eating flesh.
St. Francis of Assisi.
Saint Francis, 1181/82 -1226, founder the monastic order of Franciscans and Patron Saint of Animals is perhaps the most popular and well known Christian Saint, he is mostly remembered for his compassion towards animals and it was said that animals, most particularly a lamb, followed him everywhere.
If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
St. Francis of Assisi.
All creatures have the same source as we have. Like us, they derive the life of thought, love, and will from the Creator. Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them; but to stop there is a complete misapprehension of the intentions of Providence. We have a higher mission. God wishes that we should succour them whenever they require it.
St. Francis of Assisi.
All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man, God wants us to help animals, if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected.
St. Francis of Assisi.
Saint Basil
Called the Great. AD ?329-379. Greek patriarch; one of the founders of monasticism.
Prayer by St Basil
Enlarge Within Us a Sense of Fellowship
By St. Basil (300? - 375 A.D.)
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.
Oh, God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things; with our brothers the animals to whom Thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us.
We remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty so that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to Thee in song, has been a groan of travail..
May we realize that they live not for us alone, but for themselves, and for Thee, and that they love the sweetness of life even as we, and serve Thee in their place better than we in others.
St Basil
The steam of meat meals darkens the spirit. One can hardly have virtue if one enjoys meat meals and feasts. In the earthly paradise, no one sacrificed animals, and no one ate meat.
St Basil
Saint Jerome
Saint Jerome 347 – September 30, 420 was an Illyrian Christian priest and apologist. He is best known for his new translation of the Bible into Latin, which has since come to be called the Vulgate and his list of writings are extensive.
He is recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint and Doctor of the Church. He is also recognized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, where he is known as St. Jerome of Stridonium or Blessed Jerome
The eating of meat was unknown up to the big flood, but since the flood they have the strings and stinking juices of animal meat into our mouths, just as they threw in front of the grumbling sensual people in the desert. Jesus Christ, who appeared when the time had been fulfilled, has again joined the end with the beginning, so that it is no longer allowed for us to eat animal meat.
Saint John Chrysostom
Greek patriarch, AD ?345-407 and archbishop of Constantinople from 398 to 404.
The saints are exceedingly loving and gentle to mankind, and even to brute beasts ... Surely we ought to show them [animals] great kindness and gentleness for many reasons, but, above all, because they are of the same origin as ourselves.
Christians from the more recent past
John Wesley
John Wesley, June 1703 – March 1791, was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the English Methodist movement.
He wrote the following to the bishop of London in 1747:
Thanks be to God! Since the time I gave up the use of flesh-meats and wine, I have been delivered from all physical ills."
Partly inspired by Isaiah's vision of the Kingdom of Peace, where "on the new earth, no creature will kill, or hurt, or give pain to any other" (Is. 11:6-9), Wesley further taught that animals "shall receive ample amends for all their present sufferings.
John Wesley , 1703 – 2 March 1791, was the Founder of Methodism and Wesleyanism.*1)
I believe in my heart that faith in Jesus Christ can and will lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to the broader concern for the well-being of the birds in our backyards, the fish in our rivers, and every living creature on the face of the earth.
John Wesley
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881, was a Russian writer his two most famous novels were Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. He was a Christian and adhered to the tenets of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Love all of God’s creation, love the whole, and love each grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love animals, love plants, love every kind of thing. If you love every kind of thing, then everywhere God’s mystery will reveal itself to you. Once this has been revealed to you, you will begin to understand it ever more deeply with each passing day. And finally you will be able to love the whole world with an all-encompassing universal love.
Love animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Do not trouble their joy, don't harrass them, don't deprive them of their happiness, don't work against God's intent. Man, do not pride yourself on superiority to animals; they are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces of your foulness after you - alas, it is true of almost every one of us!
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy a well-know Russian author best known for his novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Tolstoy was however more than a writer he was a moral philosopher, a humanitarian and a mystic. His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centring on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields. What I think about vivisection (operating on a live animal for the purpose of scientific research) is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit to their cruelty.
Leo Tolstoy
If he be really and seriously seeking to live a good life, the first thing from which he will abstain will always be the use of animal food, because ...its use is simply immoral, as it involves the performance of an act which is contrary to the moral feeling -- killing.
Leo Tolstoy
Contemporary Christians
Bishop John Baker
Former Bishop of Salisbury from 1982 until 1993 John Baker has long advocated treating animals with compassion and in his sermons was one of the first bishops to speak out against factory farming.
It is in the battery shed that we find the parallel with Auschwitz....To shut your mind, heart and imagination from the sufferings of others is to begin slowly, but inexorably, to die. Those Christians who close their minds and hearts to the cause of animal welfare, and the evils it seeks to combat, are ignoring the Fundamental spiritual teachings of Christ himself.
Rev. Andrew Linzey
Rev. Andrew Linzey, is a member of the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford and held the world’s first academic post in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare — the Bede Jarret Senior Research Fellowship at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.
Animals are God's creatures, not human property, nor utilities, nor resources, nor commodities, but precious beings in God's sight. ... Christians whose eyes are fixed on the awfulness of crucifixion are in a special position to understand the awfulness of innocent suffering. The Cross of Christ is God's absolute identification with the weak, the powerless, and the vulnerable, but most of all with unprotected, undefended, innocent suffering.
Rev. Andrew Linzey
To stand for Christ is to stand against evil of cruelty inflicted on those who are weak, vulnerable, unprotected, undefended, morally innocent, and in that class we must unambiguously include animals.
Rev. Andrew Linzey
Rt. Rev. John Chandler White, D.D.
Late Episcopal Bishop of Springfield, Illinois
As a Bishop of the Church of God, I am ashamed to say that the Church as an organization has never made any official pronouncement on the subject of the care and treatment of animals that I am able to find. I am more and more amazed as I have studied the matter to find that the Church has almost completely ignored the animal kingdom... It is time, fully time, that all Christian people awake to the necessity of taking an active part in the fight against what I dare to call the Crime of Animal Cruelty. Everyone who loves God and animals should help bear the burden of the fight against this insidious evil.
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Since its beginnings in the 17th century, the Religious Society of Friends has had a concern for animals.
Quaker Faith and Practice states:
“Show a loving consideration for all creatures and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world. Work to ensure that our increasing power over Nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life.”
To say that we love God and at the same time exercise cruelty toward the least creature is a contradiction in itself.
John Woolman, the 18th century American Quaker and anti-slavery pioneer
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Quaker Concern For Animals Membership of Quaker Concern for Animals is open to people of all faiths and none
William and Catherine Booth
Founders of the Salvation Army.
It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work in the world is done by men who never taste anything but vegetable, farinaceous food, and that of the simplest kind. There are more strength-producing properties in wholemeal flour, peas, beans, lentils, oatmeal, roots, and other vegetables of the same class, than there are beef or mutton, poultry or fish, or animal food of any description whatever.
Orders and Regulations of the Officers of the Salvation Army
Ellen G. White
Ellen White one of the founders of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church was a vegetarian and a health reformer, she believed that the human body represented God's Temple , it was due to her efforts that vegetarianism and other health issues became and continue to be part of the teachings of the Seventh Day Adventists. It is interesting to note that Seventh Day Adventists are considerably more healthy than the general population and on average live 20 years longer.
It will not be long until animal food will be discarded by many besides Seventh-day Adventists. Foods that are healthful and life sustaining are to be prepared, so that men and women will not need to eat meat...Not an ounce of flesh meat should enter our stomachs....
For the moral evils of a flesh diet are not less marked than are the physical ills. Flesh food is injurious to health, and whatever affects the body has a corresponding effect on the mind and the soul. Think of the cruelty to animals meat-eating involves, and its effect on those who inflict and those who behold it.
How it destroys the tenderness with which we should regard those creatures of God! We should therefore never be ashamed to say, "No thank you; I do not eat meat. I have conscientious scruples against eating the flesh of dead animals.
How much better to get it direct by eating the food that God provided for our use!
God gave our first parents the food He designed that the race should eat. It was contrary to His plan to have the life of any creature taken. There was to be no death in Eden. The fruit of the trees in the garden was the food man's wants required.
The majority of the diseases which the human family have been and still are suffering under, they have created by ignorance of their own organic health, and work perseveringly to tear themselves to pieces, and when broken down and debilitated in body and mind, send for the doctor and drug themselves to death.
More quotations: History of Vegetarianism - Ellen G. White (1827 - 1915)
Arthur Poletti
Author and animal rights activist is a vegan
Think how wonderful it will be and how great you will feel when you stop using your stomach as a graveyard for decaying flesh from the corpses of tortured and murdered animals? Certainly, if heaven really does exist, you can be sure that
animals are not tortured, murdered and eaten there. Therefore, since there is no animal flesh to eat in heaven, now might be anexcellent time to change your eating habits. Consider the real possibility that when you attempt to rescue or protect any of Gods creatures from the ravages of cruelty and unnecessary death, you may in turn, rescue a part of your soul. Animal flesh eaters, may your sincere affections and sympathy for animals lives generate love, compelling you to seek an identity with this cause? God sees each one of us for what we really are, not necessarily for what we profess to be. God knows whether we are genuine or a fraud!
God Does Not Eat Meat By Arthur Poletti - All Creatures Guide to Kingdom Living
"God Does Not Eat Meat is a new e-book that explores the cruelty of animal slaughterhouses and asks the reader, What If? The book, which can be read for free online or downloaded for a small fee, uses history and fact to weave a shocking, life-changing narrative. The author, Arthur Poletti, was inspired by his intuitive relationship with animals, the earth and God to write the story."
Philip Ochoa
Look deep into the eyes of any animal, and then for a moment,
“trade places.” Their lives become as precious as your life, and
you become as vulnerable as them. Now smile if you believe all
animals deserve our respect and our protection. For in a way,
they are us, and we are them.
Philip Ochoa — All For Animals.
http://www.eworldwire.com/mediauploads/poletti-fulldocument.pdf
The Vatican
The pope is the Bishop of Rome and as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church
Pope John Paul 1920 – 2005
...the future of humanity and planet earth are in danger because of a lack of respect for animals and the environment. It is necessary and urgent that following the example of the poor man [St. Francis] one decides to abandon inconsiderate forms of domination, capture and custody with respect to all creatures.
Pope Puis XI, in his Letter on St Francis of Assisi
St Francis was led to love all things which he knew had the same origin as he, and in which he recognised the goodness of God. For he followed his Well-Beloved everywhere and in every trace of Him to be found in His creatures, he made of all things a ladder to reach His throne.
Pope Benedict XV
Written In 1915 to the head of the Italian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
His Holiness rejoices to know that the object of your Society is in perfect accord with the doctrine which the Church has always taught and the Saints have always followed, leaving us innumerable beautiful examples of compassion and tenderness
The fact that the Nations have not always followed the precepts of the Church and the example of the Saints moves the Sovereign Pontiff all the more to favour all that tends (while reserving supreme honour to the King of Creation) to foster respect for these other creatures of God, which Providence forbids us to exploit without concern and enjoins us to show wisdom in our use of them …
Therefore the August Pontiff trusts that you will find faithful and efficient fellow-workers in the priests of God, since it is their duty to conform to the teaching of the Church and the example of the Saints.
It is for them nobly to train souls in sentiments of enlightened gentleness and fostering care and guidance, so that they may offer to the animals refuge from every suspicion of roughness, cruelty or barbarism, and lead men to understand from the beauty of creation something of the infinite perfection of the Creator
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X wrote an autograph blessing ‘for all who protect from abuse and cruelty the dumb servants given to us by God’, and wished ‘prosperity and success to all workers in this field.’ Of Pius X, his secretary, Cardinal Merry del Val wrote:
His Holiness is pleased at being called upon, as head of the Church, for his support in so noble an undertaking, which has the lofty object of caring for the lives and treatment of animals and which at the same time endeavours to eradicate from the hearts of men barbarous and cruel tendencies
Pius X, Pope
More papal quotes :
Pope Quotes - Archive - The Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare -
Christian Vegetarian Associations and Societies
Christian Vegetarian Association
Our Mission
"To support and encourage Christian vegetarians around the world.
To share with non-vegetarian Christians how a vegetarian diet can be a powerful and faith-strengthening witness to Christ's love, compassion, and peace.
To show the world that plant-based diets represent good, responsible Christian stewardship for all God's Creation."
Christian Vegetarian Association
Christian Vegetarian Association Yahoo forum
Description
This discussion group is for those Christians interested in vegetarianism as a way to witness to the compassion, love, and peace of Christ by choosing vegetarian diets. We see vegetarianism as good, responsible stewardship of God's Creation. At christianveg, we ask questions and discuss ideas and strategies for encouraging other Christians to consider plant-based diets.
christianveg : Christian Vegetarian Association Yahoo forum
The Christian Vegetarian Association UK
Working towards a violence-free World
Our Mission:
Support and encourage Christian vegetarians in the UK.
Share with other Christians how a vegetarian diet can add meaning to their faith.
Show that a plant based way of life represents good Christian
stewardship for all of God’s Creation
Quaker Concern
Membership of Quaker Concern for Animals is open to people of all faiths and none
Quaker Faith and Practice states:
“Show a loving consideration for all creatures and seek to maintain the beauty and variety of the world. Work to ensure that our increasing power over Nature is used responsibly, with reverence for life.”
Quaker Concern for Animals activities include:
Providing literature, articles and newsletters
Supporting conferences and religious services
National and international co-operation with other animal protection groups
Lobbying of organizations, media and politicians
Protests against animal cruelty
Funding animal charities, especially the smaller specialised ones.
We are committed to our ecumenical and interfaith policy
Quaker Concern For Animals
Links
Vegetarian Friends
A Vegetarian Journal for Quakers and Other People of Faith
The Peaceable Table is intended for the mutual support, education, and inspiration of people of faith in the practice of love for our fellow animals and observance of a vegetarian diet
Vegetarian Friends
Catholic Concern for Animals
Catholic Concern for Animals exists to influence the Christian Church and, ultimately the wider society, into adopting a more just, understanding and compassionate attitude towards the animal creation. We research and disseminate authentic teachings of the Catholic Tradition, and of other religious beliefs, to help bring about a way of living in accordance with the Creator’s design. We support and encourage those working towards these aims.
We believe that all life is God-given and therefore to be highly respected – and that life, of course, includes all human life, particularly that of the most vulnerable, the unborn, and the terminally ill or dying. We hold strongly to a pro-life approach, both for humans and for sentient non-humans, and resist any suggestion that we care ‘only’ for animals at the expense of human life.
Catholic Concern for Animals - Formerly The Catholic Study Circle for Animal
History of Vegetarianism - Was Christ a Vegetarian?
An article by Ted Altar
History of Vegetarianism - Was Christ a Vegetarian?
Why Should Christians be Vegetarians
"Jesus' message is one of love and compassion, yet there is nothing loving or compassionate about factory farms and slaughterhouses, where billions of animals live miserable lives and die violent, bloody deaths. Jesus mandates kindness, mercy, compassion, and love for all God's creation. He would be appalled by the degree of suffering we inflict on animals to indulge our acquired taste for their flesh.
Christians have a choice. When we sit down to eat, we can add to the level of violence, misery, and death in the world, or we can respect His creation with a vegetarian diet."
A PETA website
Information, Scholarly articles, Vegetarian starter kit
Why Should Christians be Vegetarians?
Compassionate Spirit
A web site on simple living, nonviolence, vegetarianism, and spiritual concerns
A web site with wealth of information
About this site
"The chief spiritual focus of this web site is the religion of Jesus, but Buddhism and other religions are touched on as well. My hope is to bring together people who are interested in a variety of issues related to urgently needed social and cultural reforms. "
I'm concerned about . . .
Simple Living and Nonviolence
Vegetarianism / Veganism
Jesus and the Ebionites
Social and political implications of environmental destruction and resource depletion
Compassionate Spirit
Christian Animal Rights Effort
Welcome to "Christian Animal Rights Effort". I started this ministry because of my love for animals and the fact that so many other Christians I knew did not seem to care about animals. Most Christians I spoke with were under the impression that animals had been put on earth by God simply for our use to do with as we want. In their minds, this included killing and eating them, as well as hunting them for sport. This belief is a far cry from what God has commanded.
Christian Animal Rights Effort(C.A.R.E.), justice, peace, love, compassion, ca
Christianity and Vegetarianism Pursuing the Nonviolence of Jesus
An article by Fr. John Dear,S.J.
"My name is John Dear, and I’m a Catholic priest, a peace activist, a writer, and a vegetarian. I’ve traveled the world promoting peace and nonviolence and served as the executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest and oldest inter-faith peace organization in the United States. I’d like to reflect with you about Christianity and vegetarianism.
When I look at the world today, I see a culture addicted to violence. As I write, there are more than 30 wars being waged. There are more than 1 billion people suffering from malnourishment and its effects. There are more than 2 billion people without access to clean water, barely surviving in dire poverty. According to the United Nations, about 60,000 people, mostly women and children, die every single day from starvation and starvation-related diseases. Right here in the U.S., we see executions, rampant homelessness, and injustices of all kinds, including racism and sexism. And in the U.S. alone, we kill more than 9 billion land animals each year by slitting their throats, sometimes while they’re still conscious. We also kill more than 15 billion sea animals, generally by suffocation, bodily decompression, or crushing, every single year."
Please read the rest of this excellent article
JesusVeg.com: Christianity and Vegetarianism text
Christian Resources
A comprehensive selection of links to websites related to Christianity and vegetarianism
Christian Religion and Vegetarian Resources
Also check out the main website for a good selection Christian related vegetarian information
Christian Resources - True Teachings of Jesus Christ
all-creatures.org: Working for a Peaceful World for Humans, Animals, and the Environment
Working for a Peaceful World for Humans, Animals and the Environment
A wealth of information concerning animal rights, not only Christian but all religions, also stories, recipes, blogs, photographs, animal stories and much much more.
A Commentary on the peaceable kingdom
Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul speak about peace on this earth, not as something unattainable and rooted in wishful thinking, but as a reality and a choice that everyone can achieve; that is, if they want to.
A Peaceable Kingdom For Today – 15 July 2007 - From Joyful Curmudgeon Blog - p
References
1) Famous Vegetarians (w/short quotes) - Christian Vegetarian Association -
Important please note:
I am not an animal expert of any kind just your average person who loves animals, all animals, and feels deeply about the plight of many of our fellow creatures. Neither am I a writer, or any other expert. Therefore please keep in mind that the information included in this website has been researched to the best of my ability and any misinformation is quite by accident but of course possible.
Copyright, accreditations and other matters, please read
Credit
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durham_Cathedral_from_near_Haughton_House.jpg