meat-eating and money matters
Lauren Merritt of The Christian and Creation continues our series on compassionate eating with a needed look at one factor which often influences our decision making at the grocery store, especially when it comes to the additional expense of more humanely raised meats. Here is "Meat-Eating, Money Matters, and Some Hard Questions," which will be followed in the next few posts by some additional perspectives on reducing the amount of meat we eat ...
God created Eden as a vegetarian paradise (yes, I said it – vegetarian, if not vegan) where animals had no fear of man and were Adam and Eve’s companions. There was no death, therefore it should be obvious no killing, not even of animals for food. The dominion God gave Adam and Eve over the creatures of the earth and sea did not, in his original plan, include using them for food (or even labor, as the land, unstained by sin, easily gave forth its fruit). The command to have dominion over the animals was given before the fall, when man and creatures were peaceful, gentle, and basking in the presence of God.
Fast forward a few millennia. Now God allows us to eat animals. Why he made this provision after the flood is not explained in the Bible, and there are not any helpful hints in surrounding Scriptures. The most likely explanation (this is my opinion, as well as that of many others) is that God gave humanity over to its passions in this area and allowed for meat eating. By this time perhaps the relationship between man and animal was already irreparably destroyed by sin. But, since there is no clear explanation, I find it more profitable to move on to addressing how we can eat meat to glorify God.
Scripture may be silent on why we are allowed to eat animals, but it has much to say about our conduct. 1 Corinthians clearly demands that, ”whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (vs 31, ESV, emphasis added).
A heart of thankfulness is a necessary place to start. We must be thankful for the food on our plates, for God’s gracious provision of life-sustaining nourishment. If we move backward from our forks to the farms, we will find that there is more we can do to glorify God in our eating. Indeed, I argue, there is much more that we must do to live compassionate lives as God’s chosen and set-apart people. Just because food is cheap and easily accessible, does not mean it is the food we must purchase and eat. Our hands are not tied. We cannot cry in defeat, "but we have no choice." There are many ways for our meals and purchasing choices to reflect God’s compassion on his creatures. In later posts I’ll give some practical and hopefully useful advice on how your family can make changes toward that end.
As mentioned in my previous post on eating humanely, for the entire agricultural system to move from industrial-style farming to more humane animal raising may very well be impossible, because as we can observe in every sector of the world the dollar trumps compassion. As a stay-at-home mom whose husband is in the ministry and in seminary, I am acutely and sometimes painfully aware that humane meat costs more. If your primary reason for not pursuing a humane diet is finances (as mine was for a long while), I ask that you lay aside financial concerns for just a while as we move through Scripture and look at what it means to be compassionate. I urge you, if you have a heart for God’s creation and a desire to change, don’t consign yourself to a life of letting money rule your choices.
As I’ve put my family’s meals down at God’s feet and asked to find a way to feed them cruelty-free food, God has blessed me with clear conviction, creativity, and resources I’d never imagined. I can’t wait to share them with you, but first, we must have a foundation for our actions.
First, what are we objecting to? While I don’t intend to spend a lot of time discussing the welfare issues of each farmed animal species in this series, but rather how we can avoid becoming complicit in those issues, I would refer you to Farm Sanctuary to learn for yourself. Farm Sanctuary (whose mission I am not completely in line with, if you explore their page a little more) has a good overview of the issues involved in all the farmed species we’re familiar with. It is the most thorough resource I’ve come across. For the best information, including all their sources, click on the research report link at the top of each species’ page. I suggest you pick your favorite food and begin learning how it gets to your plate.
Don’t read passively. Ask yourself a few questions as you read. These are the questions I grappled with in my soul while thinking about where my food came from: Is the way cows/pigs/chickens/etc are raised and killed for me to eat pleasing to God? Does my participation in this industry reveal belief in God’s compassion for all his creation? Does treating animals in this way reflect a love and reverence of their Maker? Knowing what I now know, can I pray "God bless this food" without a sense of irony? Will I raise my children to know the truth that this is where meat comes from? How will I explain the process to them?
Secondly, why do we object to those standards?
With what you’ve learned in mind, in my next post we’ll look at the nature of compassion as shown in the Bible and see that this world – Christians included- is falling tremendously short. (editor's note: You can find the other four posts in Lauren's series on humane eating here, which are well worth taking in.)
(thanks to Lauren, a regular and valued contributor, for sharing "Meat-Eating, Money Matters, and Some Hard Questions," originally posted on her blog The Christian and Creation; photos courtesy/copyright Daryl DeVries and 123rf.com respectively)
February 14, 2011
Reader Comments (4)
I appreciate your thoughtful column, and your willingness to look at what so many people turn a blind eye to. I share your belief that the way we treat animals is a moral and spiritual issue.
I support animal welfare reforms -- in fact, I support anything that begins to shift away from the factory farm/ industrial agribusiness model that pervades meat production in this country -- but after reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, I've come to believe that the idea of "humane meat" is just a myth. Even where animals are treated with some dignity during the majority of their lives, there are significant welfare problems with hatching facilities and slaughterhouses that appear to be insurmountable 99% of the time (enough to make the idea of humane meat for everyone impossible). Unfortunately, this is the case even with farms like Polyface, which have a reputation of doing things better than most.
People who care about animals need to focus on eating plant-based diets. I'm not saying we all need to be strict vegans, but we need to eat like vegans most of the time. (You talk about this approach in one of your other posts on this topic.) Meat, dairy, and eggs should be costly because proper stewardship of an animal over the course of a year or more, and making slaughter as humane as possible, is expensive. Happily, beans, rice, and seasonal vegetables tend not to be -- and making bread or soymilk from scratch can cost pennies.
One good resource for this approach is laid out in the booklet "Even If You Like Meat" by Vegan Outreach: http://www.veganoutreach.org/EIYLM.pdf
Jessica, thanks very much for your note. I know Lauren in particular would eventually like to raise her own animals on her own farm, probably for some of the same reasons you mention. I personally agree with a lot of your concerns about whether humane husbandry of animals is really humane, and my wife and I are vegetarian for now (not vegan as yet, though we've eliminated or reduced our use of some other products). I've tried to encourage a range of entrance points into the compassionate eating discussion, not only because it can be pragmatically hard for most of us to consider a wholesale dietary change, and little steps do make a difference, as you mentioned, personally and eventually socially as well. But many Christians in particular struggle with the call to vegetarianism, let alone veganism, because the Bible, the New Testament in particular, approaches the issue with a good amount of flexibility, and not legalism, even as it points back as well as forward to a time when there will be no violence toward creatures of any kind. So I've tried to honor the same, while still reminding of the welfare concerns which are out there. Thanks again for your thoughtful note, and by the way, I'm hoping to run a series on Christians and veganism a little later on this Summer. best wishes, Ben
Even though I appreciate your advocacy of eliminating some of the horrors of conventional animal slaughter via purchasing "humane" meats, I have to disagree- and I know this isn't biblical, God forgive me for it- with the idea that we should seek out free-range meats instead. I know an all or nothing mentality is not conducive to convincing the majority of people to make less cruel choices, but I fail to see where any killing of an animal- except, perhaps, when it is old and suffering and could be euthanized- can be considered not cruel. I know God gave us permission to eat meat after the fall, and that is, admittedly, a huge stumbling block in my faith; but for any reason to eat meat- even "humane" meat- I can think of better, albeit somewhat secular, reasons to abstain and instead indulge in legumes, grains, fruit, and vegetables.
Kristen, thank you for your note, and your respectful disagreement. Just so you know, I actually identify with where you're coming from very much on a personal level. But as you suggested, pragmatically it helps to give people a range of entrance points into eating compassionately, and biblically it's not advisable to make an absolute case for vegetarianism. That said, I'd love to dialogue with you more about this question, and how it affects your own faith. Please feel free to email me personally if you'd like to talk more (ben@notonesparrow.com) - best wishes, and thanks again for your input, Ben