Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org

Rev. William Melton's Post Animal Use World Vision

From PAUW Post Animal Use World
April 2023

My vision simply is that we should work together rather than at odds, and that as a result positive progress and results will improve by many orders of magnitude.

My visions for Veganism and animal rights advocacy, and the post-animal-use world can be expressed as three separate visions:

ETHICAL VISION

My ethical vision is that (1) humans will extend to non-human animals the same compassion, non-harm, kindness, and empathy that are fundamental principles of all religions and spiritual belief systems, and (2) humans will no longer believe that the purpose of animals and the reason for their existence is to serve and be subjugated by humans.

For me, this means:

• Humans will not eat any kind of animal flesh, drink dairy milk, eat dairy cheese, or consume any animal products at all
• Humans will not wear leather, wool, fur, or any other animal products, and will find sustainable and safe homes for the farm animals where they will not be used for any human consumption
• There will be no more CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), factory farms, slaughterhouses, fur farms, or other organizations that exist for the mass destruction of animals
• Humans will have converted their animal farms to farms that grow plant products
• Humans will no longer torture and slaughter other living beings for the “3 F’s" of human food, fashion, or fun
• There will be no zoos, circuses with animals, rodeos, aquariums, or Sea-World-style entertainment venues
• There will be no use of animals for cosmetic, medical or any other kind of testing
• Humans will have completely stopped hunting, fishing, and killing animals “just for fun” and/or trophies to mount on their walls.
• Humans will have stopped destroying the earth’s environment through animal agriculture practices

I basically live my life in accordance with the above principles, to the extent these are within my control. However, I do not judge those who are not yet awake to these concepts. As an ordained minister, I believe in trying to understand why people do what they do, rather than waste energy judging another person. In addition, I believe it is more effective to, first, listen to these people and find out where they are coming from. This can provide an opening to offer information, education, and alternatives. I believe that no good ever results from trying to make others feel bad about themselves.

And finally, until my late 40’s (after marrying Victoria Moran) I engaged in many of the above activities on a regular basis (although never hunting, I am happy to say). At that time, I did not know or, to be honest, think about the pain and suffering involved in the food on my plate or the belt around my waist. This raises an obvious dilemma: How can I pass judgment on others for doing exactly what I did for most of my adult life?

PRACTICAL VISION

I attempt to take a practical approach to achieving my ethical vision. My ethical vision will not be achieved any time soon, if ever. It certainly will not be achieved during my lifetime. However, I endeavor not to become discouraged or get burned out. I try to stay positive and hopeful. I believe that the Vegan and animal rights community is making incremental progress. Of course I wish it were happening at record speed, but my approach is to contribute to this progress in whatever ways that I can, and take joy in the obvious growth in Veganism, animal advocacy and, most importantly for me, human compassion for non-human animals. Together with Victoria and Rev. Sarah Bowen, we have co-founded the CompassionConsortium, an Interfaith religious center and 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our mission is to offer spiritual guidance, support, and fellowship to Vegans, vegetarians, animal rights activists, animal lovers, and all humans who care about and advocate for animals and the planet. We hold spiritual services on the fourth Sunday of each month, as well as book and film nights and other spiritual events. We also offer a real-time certification and ordination program in animal chaplaincy. Our principles, which are consistent with my combined ethical and practical visions, are set forth in our Tenets of Agreement at CompassionConsortium.

Rev. William Melton and Friends...

VISION OF COOPERATION

I have a third vision, achievable in the shortest time frame: cooperation among Vegans and animal protection people of every stripe. There are many different organizations and institutions working to promote Veganism/plant-based eating, or to advocate for animal rights. We have different approaches and philosophies, but we are working towards a common end. For example, DxE has a very different approach toward its activism than the Compassion Consortium does. Yet I understand why they do what they do, and I appreciate their contribution to our mutual goals. I am particularly impressed by their courage in saving animals from CAFOs, slaughterhouses, transport trucks, etc., at the same time exposing themselves to criminal prosecution. I wish that I had this level of courage. The fact that our approaches are different does not mean that we cannot respect and appreciate what our respective organizations are attempting to accomplish. In my opinion, this should be case for all organizations involved in our movement, regardless of the differences in our approach or philosophy.

So, in sum, my vision simply is that we should work together rather than at odds, and that as a result positive progress and results will improve by many orders of magnitude.

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