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Must Christians Be Vegetarians?
Crisis Magazine ^
| October 25, 2013
| Austin Ruse
Posted on 10/25/2013 3:09:26 PM PDT by NYer
Is there a religious obligation not to eat meat? Is there an obligation of faithful Catholics to become vegetarians or even vegans? Quite astonishingly, Professor Charles Camosy of Fordham University says yes in his new book For Love of Animals: Christian Ethics, Consistent Action.
Genesis, according to Camosy, makes it clear that God intended only for us to eat green and grain because that is what He gave mankind to eat. God did not say we could eat the animals. Camosy argues that recent popes, when they have called for the care of creation, implicitly endorse this view. He also cites the Universal Catechism for his point of view.
Camosy is not the only one making these arguments. The modern granddaddy of these arguments is former Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully who published a book called Dominion that has turned many to vegetarianism. Camosy was deeply affected by Scullys book, as was my dear friend Mary Eberstadt who has written the foreword to Camosys book. And in recent days Weekly Standard writer Jonathan Last has joined their ranks and come out as a campaigning vegetarian.
With the exception of Scully each are religious and each are practicing Catholics and make religious arguments to back their claims. In a recent National Review article, Scully quotes Pope Franciss first sermon where he called for respecting each of Gods creatures and Benedict condemning the industrial use of animals and John Paul II asking farmers to resist the temptations of productivity and profit that work to the detriment of nature.
They also make a great deal about what is called factory or industrial farming. The accusation is that such farming is profoundly cruel. Sows are boxed so they cannot move, only eat, defecate and grow fat. Chickens, too. They never go outside. Male chicks are immediately ground into nothing because they cannot lay eggs and take too long to grow for meat. After suffering their whole lives these animals are led to slaughter with at least some kind of knowledge of what is about to happen to them.
One thing Camosy et al have in common is that they are pro-life. You would understand this to mean the protection of unborn children from abortion, the protection of human embryos from experimentation, and the protection of the elderly from euthanasia. They would include animals in this. In fact, Camosy says he became a vegetarian in order to be more authentically pro-life.
There is a practical political aspect to vegetarianism. Mary Eberstadt, whom I have praised to the high heavens in these pages and will continue to do so, argues that Millennials can be reached more effectively if we speak to them as vegetarians. In fact, the main thrust of this current campaign, which is running almost exclusively in the online pages of National Review, is to convince pro-lifers to be pro-animal and that a great bonanza of support for our cause lies among the vegetarian set who think we are hypocrites for protecting unborn babies yet happily eat our cheeseburgers.
And so what of their arguments? First, know that these are very smart and learned people. Most of us would be unequipped to argue with them on many topics including this one. And while I find their arguments interesting, I do not find them ultimately compelling. And some of them I find offensive.
On the question of factory farming, there is the charge of wanton, unspeakable cruelty. Take pens used to confine nursing hogs, for instance. It sounds awful. The pens hold them tight so they cannot turn around. Perhaps the most interesting writer in defense of modern farming is Missouri farmer Blake Hurst who began writing for the American Enterprise Institute when Michael Pollans anti-meat and much else Omnivores Dilemma came out a few years ago. Hurst runs not a factory farm but a family one. He says such pens are necessary because mother sows have a nasty tendency to lie down and crush their young. Sometimes they eat their young. Even so such pens are outlawed in some states.
Hurst goes on at great length defending the practices condemned by Camosy et al. He describes a turkey farmer who wanted to raise them free range but who did not know that turkeys do not come in out of the rain and can drown beaks up open wide. He lost 4,000 turkeys in one storm. He now raises them in a more confined space, where they wont drown or be eaten by other animals. But Camosy et al are not simply against factory farming of livestock. This is their hard-case argument. In fact, they oppose the eating of any animal no matter how they are raised.
The religious question is not as complicated as the factory farm question. There simply is no demand by the Church that we not eat meat. The Catechism is quite plain and says we may use animals for food. Camosy points this but then emphasizes the Catechism says we cannot do it needlessly. Strictly speaking you can live your whole life without eating meat and therefore the only time Camosy would allow us to eat meat is traveling through Death Valley by horseback with no choice but to eat the horse. But the Church does not teach that. The Church asks for a meatless fast on Fridaysstill does by the waywhich implies we may eat meat every other day. Whats more the Bible is chock full of meat eating. Where Genesis 1 gives us green and grain to eat, Genesis 9 gives us all the animals to eat. Jesus ate fish, gave fish for others to eat, and being a faithful Jew there is little question that he ate the lamb at Passover.
It is perfectly fine for Scully and the others not to eat meat. It is perfectly fine for them to campaign for their point of view. And I must say their description of factory farming has given me pause. But to cast this as religiously required is deeply offensive, particularly for someone like Camosy who teaches at a Catholic school. Sure, recent Popes have called for care of creation including animals but none of them have said we cannot eat meat. I have been blessed to spend time in the residence where Pope Francis now lives and recall enjoying some delicious cuts of dead calf. The Church clearly does not teach what Scully and Camosy says it does.
Finally, to suggest that being a vegetarian makes you authentically pro-life is a kind mischief making that all pro-lifers ought to reject. Pro-life does not mean raising the minimum wage or easing immigration restriction or not eating meat. The seamless garment has done a great deal of harm already. Lets not allow it to stretch any further.
TOPICS: Catholic; Religion & Culture; Religion & Science
KEYWORDS: christian; fordham; scripture; vegetarian
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To: UriÂ’el-2012
Exactly. But let the Catholic Church decree no meat on Fridays, fish only, and watch the “faithful” line up. No questioning the reasoning, they march lock-step to defend and follow the leader to the fish market. In their minds this makes perfect sense. Go follow...
61
posted on
10/25/2013 4:16:38 PM PDT
by
smvoice
(HELP! I'm trapped inside this body and I can't get out!)
To: trisham
How could someone who lived and died before Christ be a Christian?Who has lived before Yeshua?
62
posted on
10/25/2013 4:17:34 PM PDT
by
roamer_1
(Globalism is just socialism in a business suit.)
To: NYer
We already have more than enough S**theads in the Catholic Church, many of whom are Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals. We don’t need any more, especially this idiot ranting about God not meaning for humans to eat animals. I suppose that includes fish, in which case most of the Apostles were committing the sin of fishing nearly every day.
63
posted on
10/25/2013 4:17:53 PM PDT
by
CdMGuy
To: NYer
I think there is a strict Biblical invocation against eating dinosaur meat.
64
posted on
10/25/2013 4:22:54 PM PDT
by
yefragetuwrabrumuy
(Welfare is the new euphemism for Eugenics.)
To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
If you’re not going to eat crocodiles, you probably wouldn’t eat dinosaurs, either.
65
posted on
10/25/2013 4:25:50 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("The heart of the matter is God's love. It always has been. It always will be."~Abp. Chaput)
To: NYer
" In fact, Camosy says he became a vegetarian in order to be more authentically pro-life." What? Like that famous pro-life vegetarian Hitler?
66
posted on
10/25/2013 4:39:52 PM PDT
by
Flag_This
(Liberalism: Kills countries dead.)
To: NYer
Vegetarians are cool. All I eat are vegatarians, except for the occasional Mountain lion steak—Ted Nugent
67
posted on
10/25/2013 4:40:21 PM PDT
by
cyclotic
(Hey BSA-I'm gone. Walk Worthy-traillifeusa.com)
To: roamer_1
I have a basic understanding of linear time.
68
posted on
10/25/2013 4:58:36 PM PDT
by
Fuzz
To: Fuzz
69
posted on
10/25/2013 5:00:31 PM PDT
by
GeronL
To: NYer
70
posted on
10/25/2013 5:05:41 PM PDT
by
bboop
(does not suffer fools gladly)
To: NYer
“Most of us would be unequipped to argue with them on many topics including this one.”
Speak for yourself dude. I’m an Irish-American from NYC, I’m 100% equipped to argue with anybody at anytime on any subject.
A pig is not a dog is not a boy. I made that comment over at NRO on one of the pieces on this subject, they took it down.
I find the idea that there is any equivalence between animal and human life to be highly offensive.
You can be pro-animal, you can be a vegetarian (although I think veganism is unhealthy and bizarre) but to equate this with opposition to abortion and euthanasia is to concede something that should never be conceded. I’d think such smart people would understand that.
And quite frankly I don’t think the Sandra Flukes of the world will listen to us even if we eat nothing but beans and rice for the rest of our days.
71
posted on
10/25/2013 5:36:30 PM PDT
by
jocon307
To: SampleMan
72
posted on
10/25/2013 6:02:52 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: NYer
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Genesis 9:3
73
posted on
10/25/2013 6:50:34 PM PDT
by
Old Yeller
(Obama: A dark spot in this country's history.)
To: jocon307
I find the idea that there is any equivalence between animal and human life to be highly offensive. Agreed. I am sick to death of people acting like critters are fuzzy humans.
74
posted on
10/25/2013 6:55:46 PM PDT
by
Fzob
(In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. Jefferson)
To: sitetest
Gonna go eat some nice chicken piccataInteresting. Got a recipe?
75
posted on
10/25/2013 7:01:21 PM PDT
by
Rio
(Proud resident of the State of Jefferson)
To: dfwgator
What kind of “herbs” are we talking here?
Green herbs.
76
posted on
10/25/2013 7:07:21 PM PDT
by
Rides_A_Red_Horse
(Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
To: Always A Marine
This kind of idiocy is hard to believe, but is widespread today because it tickles the ears of proud fools who believe themselves to be wise, and declare that God’s Truth must conform to their own fleeting whims — instead of the other way around.
Liberals want to make their “god” in their own image. It’s easier than turning to the One True God, repenting and letting the “Potter” shape the clay.
77
posted on
10/25/2013 7:12:59 PM PDT
by
Rides_A_Red_Horse
(Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
To: NYer
The world was not created with death of creatures possessing the breath of life, that came with the fall of man. Eating meat was not permitted until the aftermath of the flood, however. The author is correct to an extent about early Creation but ignores everything else to the contrary that comes after the Biblical passages that support a vegetarian diet. We are permitted to eat meat. We are to be good shepherds of the creatures in our care. The wise man is merciful to his beast, but the tenderest mercies of the wicked are cruel. Be vegetarian if you want, there’s nothing innthe Bible contrary to doing so. But, make no mistake, eating meat is not condemned.
To: NYer
Every Rainbow should remind us to go out and have sex with our spouse (within the sanctity of marriage), have a steak dinner, and condemn a homosexual to death.
At least those were provide by God in His rainbow He provided man.
79
posted on
10/25/2013 7:21:10 PM PDT
by
Cvengr
(Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
To: Flag_This
What? Like that famous pro-life vegetarian Hitler?
Somone asked me how I can claim to be pro life while eating dead animals.
I explained that when you stick a fork in a live animal they tend to run away.
80
posted on
10/25/2013 7:37:01 PM PDT
by
Rides_A_Red_Horse
(Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
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