Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said, ‘There is sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed’. Has the West become gluttonous in its appetite for meat, factory farming being a consequence of this greed? Is it not unnatural and inhumane to cram livestock together to feed a population who eat far too much meat anyway?
Most of us abhor cruelty to animals, so why are we ostrich-like when it comes to factory farming where animals are denied their natural habitat; for example chicken, one of Britain’s favourite meats, live a short life intensively farmed in windowless sheds under bright light to encourage maximum activity, feeding and drinking for nearly 24 hours, not allowing rest: there is much evidence that sick birds are trampled to death in the crowded squalor and infections spread like wildfire, resulting in gross over-use of antibiotics. Ducks are farmed in the same way today and what is alarming about this practice is that they never see the light of day nor do they have access to water.
Speaking up
Philip Sampson pointed out in an article in EN a couple of years ago that the evangelicals of the past had a lot to say on the subject, so why are we not more outspoken? The over-consumption of meat is also a major contributing factor in the current environmental chaos and imbalance. Shouldn’t we, as Christians, be more responsible stewards of God’s creation? Aren’t we being selfish and greedy, aren’t we eating too much meat, couldn’t we all help to curb climate change if we ate less meat? I say selfish because we are betraying the world’s poor and starving. The International Food Policy Research Institute has calculated what the effect on the developing world would be if the industrial world reduced its meat consumption by half over a 15-year period. If we in the industrial world reduced our meat consumption by half, 33 million people would be saved from starvation, of whom 3.6 million would be children; and that is if we only reduced our consumption by half. The reason is that meat production in the West relies on the importation of grain and other foodstuffs from the developing world as animal feed. Wheat and soya are resources which could feed the poor, but are being fed to animals instead.
Eating meat
How healthy is meat-eating anyway? Flesh protein uses a lot of energy to digest. It does not break down as easily and quickly as fruit and vegetables in the digestive system, and uses a lot of energy to do so; it then often putrefies because it takes so long. Flesh food does not supply fuel; carbohydrates provide the fuel needed for energy. Also there is hardly any fibre content in meat, which is important for the digestive system to function healthily.
Meat eating has become habit and conditioning, and some institutions promote the myth that we need meat for protein. I’ve never heard of anyone dying from a lack of protein, but if you are that concerned, meat is not the only source. Do we really need as much protein as we have been led to believe? Protein is created in the body by amino acids which can be obtained from fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and bean sprouts. Some of the strongest animals on our planet, such as elephants, horses and the silverback gorilla, create protein from the grass and fruits that they eat; they do not eat flesh for strength. We do not build protein in the body from eating protein; the source of protein is amino acids which are obtained from most foods that grow in the soil.
Alternatives
I am not advocating that we all become vegetarian overnight because that is not realistic, but thankfully there is an increase of interest in vegetarian food. There is still a comfortable sentimental view of farming, despite common knowledge of factory farming. We still imagine cows grazing happily in daisied meadows; some do, but, increasingly, meat production is a very furtive industry. Being vegetarian does bring with it a wholesome and healthier way of life. Flesh taints our meals, disguise it as we may; and it doesn’t mean an absence of meat or protein on the plate, it means a presence of so many tasty alternatives.
Biblical reasons
God’s creation has a meaning and worth beyond mere human utility. Unfortunately some of God’s people respond to vegetarians by quoting isolated passages from the Bible suggesting they are misguided, extreme and ignorant of the Scriptures. The most common argument is that God allows us to eat meat. Yes, God did permit us to eat meat. In Genesis 9.3, he said: ‘Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything’.
However, prior to this, in Genesis 1, God said: ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food’.
After the Fall and the Flood, God’s relationship with man changed, violence and corruption had entered the earth as a result of man’s sin, and the Lord was grieved that he had made man. It is in this context, subsequent to the Fall, that the permission to kill for food in Genesis 9 should be understood. Furthermore, this permission to ‘eat all flesh for food’ is far from unconditional or absolute. See Genesis 9.4,5: ‘But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting, I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man’.
Concession not right
In other words, as interpreted by the Rev. Professor Andrew Linzey, Senior Research Fellow in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare at the University of Oxford, in his book Animal Theology: ‘You may kill for food. But you may kill only on the understanding that you remember that the life you kill is not your own — it belongs to God. You must not misappropriate what is not your own. As you kill what is not your own — either animal or human life — so you need to remember that for every life you kill you are personally accountable to God’. So it is important to note that God does not give us a right to kill; he allows it as a concession, and not according to his original will and intention. Another verse often quoted is with reference to the notion of ‘dominion’ or ‘rule’ over animals: ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground”’ (Genesis 1.26).
This is certainly no licence to abuse God’s creatures or to use them as mere commodities. This should be understood as unselfish guardianship with love and compassion, not selfish power.
I am writing with the firm belief that animals are sentient beings, and self-conscious. We know that animals have a nervous system just as we do, and anyone who owns a dog, for instance, will know that it yelps when hurt. I would go so far as to say that I believe it is immoral and unnecessary to kill animals for food. Was it God’s original intention, or has it just become the norm in a corrupt world, as was slavery at one time, and just as poverty exists and yet is tolerated? All creatures are valued by God and his rights in creation are for us to recognise the duty we have to value animals. I am not saying that God has an equal regard for animals and humans, by no means. John Wesley in his writings points out: ‘God regards his meanest creatures much; but he regards man much more’ (Sermons on Several Occasions, Vol II, Wesleyan Conference Office, London, 1874, pp.281-86, quoted in Animals and Christianity).
I look forward to the day when, ‘The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea’ (Isaiah 11. 6-9).
References
Animal Theology and Why Animal Suffering Matters: Philosophy, Theology and Practical Ethics, both by the Rev. Professor Andrew Linzey
