In Reference to: 13 April 2008 - When Is a Church Not a Church?

Hi Mary,

My guess is that _everyone_ on this list is in the same situation as you, as far as finding a congregation that predominately accepts the views of vegans.

I know from what others have said and from my own experience, though, that our words and examples can make a difference in changing other people, even if they appear to initially reject our ideas about the implications of Jesus’ teachings that apply to our relationship with other beings.

I’m teaching Sunday school this spring. Our topic this morning was Jesus’ lessons of compassion and justice. I used the opportunity to show the first five or six minutes of the CVA’s DVD “Honoring God’s Creation” – to demonstrate how the Christian message of non-violence may be easy to accept in our heads but nonetheless difficult to implement – even in our own personal, everyday actions and decisions. (As you may know, Frank Hoffman, whose post you replied to, appears in the film, as does this list’s moderator, Steve Kaufman.)

The normally boisterous class was quiet afterwards. Their faces revealed inner reflection. A chord was struck, and I moved on to other parts of the lesson.

This is an excellent work, and I recommend to everyone that you make it available to members of your congregations when possible. It’s not a treatise on the meaning of Bible verse, which as your (Mary's) experience indicates, people can debate endlessly. It’s an appeal to the heart, and that’s where this cause will be won.

Charlie

Go on to:  Comments by Steve Kaufman - 13 Apr 2008