Why does the subject of meat abstention stir up such opposition?
Could it be that
our stomachs come before the welfare
of our less fortunate brethren? In a world where 2 out of 3 are
hungry it has been estimated that 1.65 acres of land will feed ONE
person on a meat and vegetable diet and FIVE persons on a meatless
diet. In the UK, 400 million animals are massacred annually.
Man, being a coward, has always exploited the weak. All the
evidence points to the fact that man became carnivorous at the onset
of the Ice Age, approximately 50,000 years ago. He should have
evolved beyond the need to kill.
Cruelty is not compatible with Christianity and in this modern
world of factory farming (far removed from the farming methods of
Jesus' time), we daily eat the products of cruelty.
If my letter has raised doubts in people's minds about the
morality of flesh eating then I am truly glad and redouble my
prayers. Like Leonardo da Vinci, I look forward to the time when men
will look on the murder of animals as they now do of men.
To anyone contemplating the step of a non-meat diet, then I say,
'Come on in, the water is lovely'. Then indeed, life takes on a new
dimension and only then can one truly partake in the oneness and
beauty of Creation.
Irene Casey
Area Contact - Compassion In World Farming
Member of Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare
(11/11/79)
