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By Craig Cline - 1 Jun 2016

Hi Frank and Veda,

GREAT to see you involved with the Compassion Project Frank!  I've already given it my financial support and a positive comment on the gofundme site.  

You had said to me previously:  "We'll try to do something."  I appreciate that you took this route.  It is the only realistic way, in my opinion, to potentially capture the hearts and minds of the billions of people that we need to come on board to adopt a plant-based lifestyle.

If we have about 7 billion humans on the planet now, and 80% of them are spiritual or religious, that's over 5 billion.  And there are about 2.2 billion Christians amongst them; the dominant religion, representing almost one-third of the human race.

I hope that a huge part of the CP platform is the "new and improved definition of the Golden Rule":  My version reads like this (paraphrased):  "Do not do onto others -- either directly or indirectly --  (where others includes ALL sentient beings) that which you would not have done onto you."

I think that making the distinction between "direct" participation and "indirect' participation  in any and all forms of animal abuse is important.  Most religious and spiritual people "get" the direct idea -- they would not themselves typically participate in causing animals to suffer or die prematurely (with the unfortunate exceptions of rodents, insects, and other creatures that they apparently classify as lesser and as "vermin," and therefore eligible for suffering and death).

However, these same people fail -- massively -- when it comes to their indirect participation in causing the same consequences for animals.  Of course, the classic example is buying "meat" from the grocery store or butcher.

The new and improved version of the Golden Rule would cause spiritual and religious people to reflect on its "expanded application," to ALL sentient beings.  And as part of that reflection, I also ask the CP to point out that in fact we are ALL animals, given that humans are members of the Animalia Kingdom.  This is a fact that has been largely unspoken, and it fits well within the context of the CP.

As you know, I've written several articles on the Golden Rule, and would offer them to the CP for consideration.  I might even write a new one, bringing the CP into the mix.

Many thanks to you, Frank, for taking the position that virtually all spiritual and religious leaders SHOULD take --  but thus far don't take.  It is time for them not only to change their own moral and ethical standards as regards the "other" animals, but also to lead their respective flocks and followers toward the new and improved Golden Rule as well -- by the BILLIONS.

Craig Cline

Go on to comments: By Diana - 22 Jun 2016
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