The Gospel and Animals

For this post, I'm going to delve a little deeper than the usual fluff that comprises my blog. I'm doing this for two reasons mostly; one, to practice my writing (I'm doing a lot of it this semester), and two, it is something I want to share.

Deciding to become vegetarian and eventually vegan was not easy. I had only met a few other people in my life who were vegetarian, and one of them was a girlfriend of my brother. I was little at the time, but I remember how my family was bewildered, and how they had no idea what to give her for dinner. Growing up, I was pretty sheltered when it came to other ways of eating, and I hardly ever questioned the food that I ate on a daily basis.

As I learned more and more about how animals are treated in this world, there was no way I could go back to eating that way again. It was almost an uncomfortable feeling; knowing what I knew and knowing that I had to do something about it. I couldn't keep going down the same path, because I knew it would only cause inner turmoil. I gradually dropped hints to my family here and there that I wasn't going to eat meat anymore. Telling your family that you don't want to eat meat, dairy, or eggs is pretty stressful, especially if it is an integral part of your life growing up.

As I told people here and there about it, one argument that was constantly thrown in my face was something to the effect of, "That's why animals are here, Candice. That is the purpose of (insert chosen animal here)."

Is it though? I would think about it everyday. If I was going to be a vegan and animals were supposedly here for us to use and for our benefit, does that mean I am not a Christian? Being vegan felt so right to me, that in my mind, there was no way it could be wrong. What did Heavenly Father mean when he gave us dominion over them? 

It was then that I came across some articles and quotes on lds.org that made me feel so much better, and in many ways, were answers to my prayers. One of my favorite articles is titled "The Gospel and Animals" by Gerald E. Jones.

Joseph F. Smith once said, "I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds unless he NEEDS them for food...I am a firm believer in the simple words of one of the poets: 'Take not away the life you cannot give, for all things have an equal right to live'." 

Then add to that another quote by Joseph F. Smith, "The unnecessary destruction of life begets a spirit of destruction which grows within the soul. It lives by what it feeds upon and robs man of the love that he should have for the works of God. It hardens the heart of man. The unnecessary destruction of life is a distinct spiritual loss to the human family. Men cannot worship the Creator and look with careless indifference upon his creation. The love of all life helps man to the enjoyment of a better life. ...Love of nature is akin to the love of God, the two are inseparable." Unnecessary destruction of life is killing and using an animal when something else could have easily be substituted in its place. 

The point at which I knew I couldn't turn back was my realization that all animals are the same. Every animal has a soul. The baby calf out in my father's field was no different than my cat resting in my house. Basically, the calf deserved the same treatment and respect that my precious cat did, because he was created by my Heavenly Father.  

Hyrum Smith once said, "God knows what course to pursue to restore mankind to pristine excellency and primitive vigour, and health; and He has appointed the Word of Wisdom as one of the engines to bring about this thing, to remove the beastly appetites and... promote peace between him and the brute creation...let them be sparing of the life of animals, it is pleasing saith the Lord that flesh be used only in times of winter, or of famine."

So why am I vegan if it says "only in times of winter, or of famine"? As I see it, we are so blessed with an overabundance of food, that we have many varieties of things to eat. There are many meat replacements that are easily available to us year round, such as beans, tofu, tempeh, and nuts. We can easily go to the grocery store and buy all that is available to us, all the time. I can understand eating meat if it was the winter, about 100 years ago, and storage ran out. I see meat as something only to eat to prevent us from starving to death.

It is hard to be vegetarian and not consider the welfare of animals in the dairy and egg industries. Without going into too much detail, many of these animals are sorely neglected and most end up dying because their production levels drop and the owner cannot afford to keep them. Dairy and eggs are completely unnecessary, and for the most part are unhealthy foods. I think it is important to think of the welfare of animals that are considered production plants just so we can eat what they produce. 

In simple biology, we also learn that cows get their calcium from the grass they eat. By drinking milk or eating their cheese, we only receive approximately one-tenth of that calcium. It is much easier to get calcium from the plentiful greens around us (e.g. kale, spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, etc).

Of course, one has to take into account all the environmental effects of eating a diet full of animal products. An article on the website fao.org titled "Livestock a major threat to environment", states that "According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation." 

This is something that we can easily remedy by having the willingness to change our diet, even by a little. By choosing not to eat meat, dairy, or eggs, I believe that I am doing my part in respecting my Heavenly Father's creations that he has blessed me with. Going back to the article "The Gospel and Animals", Gerald E. Jones closes by saying, "The prophets have been consistent in reminding men of their duty to the animal world. As the Lord told Noah, '… the blood of every beast will I require at your hands.' (JST, Gen. 9:11.) It is our sacred stewardship to care for the earth and all the creatures on it."

I couldn't agree more.