Vegan

Thoughts on Veganism and Religion:

A person who is vegan is a strict vegetarian, using no animal products at all. They eat no milk, cheese, or eggs; nor do they use leather or silk or even honey; to do so, (in their religious thinking, their worldview) would exploit the animals these items come from.  Sometimes they believe that naturally  carnivorous animals, like dogs and cats should be vegan too.  In the mind of vegans, it would be unethical for humans to harm living creatures of any kind, sometimes even insects, and ethically wrong for man to dominate the beasts.  

Donald Watson in 1944 first defined veganism as follows: “Veganism is a way of living which excludes all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, the animal kingdom, and includes a reverence for life. It applies to the practice of living on the products of the plant kingdom to the exclusion of flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, animal milk and its derivatives, and encourages the use of alternatives for all commodities derived wholly or in part from animals.”

Even Vegan knitters, also do not use animals products for their knitting.  Vegans are always on the lookout for using organic, plant based, "cruelty-free" products.  Cotton, hemp, linen, bamboo, ingeo , as well as synthetics like acrylic, nylon, and microfiber—are fibers that do not come from animals.


But how are such synthetic fibers, such as ingeo, produced and collected?  Are they produced in factories?  Who makes them?  Who  are the little people working so hard to turns vegetable materials into such fine gold?  

It is a little confusing to think that man made, synthetic items produced in factories.. like Nylon , would be better than the things natural and more desirable than the things produces naturally, things of the natural world.  And one must wonder if synthetic meats are really desirable to be eaten or just some weird political maneuver.

You get the idea, after reading about vegans and veganism, (Thank you Dr. Sapon and others that some people think that veganism is the answer to man's proplems.  Some think it is what we eat that will solve the the problem of  death and suffering we see all around us in the world,.  They believe that death and suffering, can avoided in this world... if we would only change our ways. Truth is, it is not what goes into a man that defiles him (Thank you Jesus) but what comes out, and in this world, such things as both suffering and death, cannot be avoided.

May the good Lord bless, the plants and animals, as well as other men and women, who give their lives that we can live, in this world!  All things, are not beneficial, but permissible... and all things with thanksgiving to the the One who in the very beginning of life on Earth, made them all.

Even if we overlook the realities of suffering and death... avoid them like the plague...or try to fix them by changing the choices we make, the products we buy, we are still buying and selling and we are still going to see death of both man and beast sometime in our lives, unless of course, we sterilize everything we do and never get in touch with nature, (sad day.)  or appreciate it.  The righteous man does not exploit his animals, in fact he tends to his animals needs.

Things in nature live and die, some suffer too, which can only be avoided if we give ourselves liscences to kill them, ignoring the command of God, who also by the way, demanded blood of goats and rams to be sacrifices as a means of making retribution for man's sin... but that is another story.... His; and it's a story about how he himself became flesh and blood and dwelt among mankind, and showed man true kindness.... and showed huanity how unkind and unjust man really was when he allowed evil to be poured out onto himself, giving his life, his flesh and blood, like a lamb to the slaughter, so that  we who were imperfect could see the reality of sin.

Denying reality and the natural world, we prefer to go synthetic and think ourselves to be no difffernet than the animals, even tot he point of excusing ourselves with rationalities we make up, when we act like them.

We create our own products, make our own human laws and want to think we are but animals, animals of a more superior mind and heart than even God.  We reject the generosity of God, and his righteous judgment... and neglect our responsibility to properly manage, feed, care for and learn from and about the animals.  This is much like the responsibility God gave to Noah, on the Ark...

and to David, who was a shepherd boy.

David knew that the job of the shepherd was not to dominate the animals, but to live with them, and among them, knowing they were there to help him and that God had given mankind dominion over them, and as such he cared diligently for them. He would even lay down his own life for them,

and they for he.

Vegans often have good intentions in pursing their world view... after all, when God created Adam and Even in the garden of Eden, they were probably Vegan.  But we are not in Eden now, and to force veganism... or vegetarian for that matter is not a natural view of the world and how it now works because, Adam and Eve sinned, and we are not in the garden of GOd anymore, but we do have his promise of his love and redemption from sin.

Sin has brought death into this world and since the flood God has given man the animals for food.... and for sacrifices to show us that a perfect sinless life can be given in exchange for an imperfect life..
 to reveal our need for God, and our redeemer, Jesus Christ.  One day though, God will make all things new....In many ways vegan people are simply trying to create their own Eden state of being...unfortunately, this cannot be done because we live in a fallen world.  Only God can fix the problem we are in and he has.... through Jesus Christ.

Do you hate sin and what it has done to this creation?  I do. 

Good news... Jesus saves.

I know, you have probably heard it a thousands times before... but it is true and Jesus is something you can, naturally, believe in.  He was flesh and blood just like you and I... like a good shepherd he loves us and gave his own life for ours.

If you are wondering what to eat or not eat... consider, Mathew 15:11  or  Romans 14:2. If anyone knew what he was talking about, especially regarding veganism, it would be God, who created Adam and Eve to be Fruitarian.... (Genesis 1:29)

After they left Eden they tilled the soil and were vegetarians.... until after the flood.