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On February 25, Christians around the world will observe Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season by fasting. On this day, which marks the beginning of 40 days of prayer and contemplation, many Christians will choose to give up something as a sign of their faith. Why not give up cruelty by giving up meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs during Lent?
Going vegan is in keeping with Jesus' message of loving compassion. The Lenten season allows Christians time to pause and reflect on the suffering of the innocent and the weak. The Rev. Andrew Linzey explains it this way: "[A]nimals 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." St. Gregory commanded veganism in a letter to St. Augustine, "We abstain from flesh meat and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, and eggs." This rule was common law of the Catholic Church at the time. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, believed that a faith in Jesus Christ will eventually "lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to a 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." Lent is a time to reflect upon changes that will bring us closer to God's ideal throughout our lives-changes that will not end with the holy season. Becoming vegan strengthens our bodies by making us healthier and less susceptible to heart disease, cancer, strokes, obesity, diabetes, and other ailments. But perhaps even more importantly, it is a commitment to compassion and mercy. Other animals, like humans, are God's creations. They feel pain and experience joy, loneliness, and fear. When we eat their bodies, we support a system of oppression and misery that means suffering and death for a half million animals every single hour of every day in the U.S. alone. Why not choose to respect Christ's message of love by deciding to go vegan? Try it for Lent-you might find that you want to stick with it for a lifetime. Click here to find out how easy it is. EO 1624 03-09-04 |
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Intro to Veganism
"Meet Your Meat"
Free Vegetarian Starter Kit
Recipes
Jesusveg.com
