The
Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all allow the eating of meat because
animals are not considered to have souls.
|
GodSquad is column in Newsday, a big
circulation newspaper in Long Island New York, as well as
boroughs of NYC. They also have a cable tv show on Telecare TV on Long Island.
GodSquad is Jewish Rabbi--Marc Gellman and Catholic Priest--Msgr.Thomas Hartman.
They have an advice column in Newsday, in which the following column appeared on
9/23/02.Q. My daughter has become a vegetarian. She thinks this is
a spiritually correct diet. Can you tell me the religious significance of vegetarianism?
A. Animals feel pain, are often raised and killed in tortuous environments and
use massive amounts of
grain that could feed people. Animal fats also are a cause of obesity and heart
disease. The basic spiritual teaching of all faiths is that it is a religious virtue
to eat things that do not feel pain when they are killed. Buddhists, Jains, Taoists
and post-Vedic Hindus are very strict in this view and command adherents to be
vegetarians.
The Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all allow the eating of meat
because animals are not considered to have souls.
However, all three faiths have many teachings that point followers toward vegetarianism as
a higher,
healthier and more spiritually advanced diet, and Catholics have days of abstinence such
as Lent when
they do not eat meat. The biblical texts on this subject are interesting. Adam
and Eve are given
permission to eat only fruits and vegetables in the Garden of Eden: "See I give you
every seed-bearing
plant that is upon all the earth and every tree that has seed bearing fruit. They
shall be yours for food"
(Genesis 1:29). |
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