A few people have asked my why I decided to become a vegetarian so here's the low down I gave to Cath...
Basically I was chatting with Joanna, a friend of mine, about this whole vego issue (she is a very passionate vegetarian) and she sent me the link to a short video on what goes in in factory farming.
Now obviously the video showed the crulest people at work and the worst parts of it all BUT the objective reality of factory farming is that animals are being raised in a way that is not proper to the dignity of an animal, who are also a part of God's creation and give him glory by their very lives.
They are raised so fast their legs don't hold them, the only time many of them see sun is on the way to be killed, they are not allowed to care for their young, they are treated most inhumanely. Now I am no animal rights activist and I think there are much bigger issues in the world, like abortion, but I realised we cannot wait for the world to be perfect before we correct another smaller areas of our life. Life requires an attempt at balance at all times in all areas. I am not against us eating animals, I think that is one of the primary motives God gave them to us so technically I am not a vegetarian but more to the point I am not eating factory farmed meat for moral reasons.
At first I didn't know what the correct response would be to such knowledge but the best thing I figured I can do is to simply not eat meat that has come from treating animals like merely a resource to be used and abused. I was a bit concerned about the health aspect but so long as one still has dairy and plenty of grains, nuts, seeds etc everything is covered. It does require one to rethink the way they eat but so far so good.
So basically in a nutshell that is the story.
If you want to watch the video that kicked it all off here it is. I do warn you it is very cruel and graphic in some parts. It is basically a short doco that is voiced over by Alec Baldwin. It is released by a group called PETA and while I certainly would not subscribe to their mailing list I believe the video does raise very worthwhile points about the industry that is factory farming. If you do watch it I would be interested to hear possible other responses to such cruelty.
"Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness." 2416"God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing..." 2417
"It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly..." 2418
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
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