In regards to eating meat

[Tenet Nosce]

1) physical health
Certainly, when speaking of physical health alone, it seems reasonable to follow what the body needs, assuming that the body is healthy enough to give clear signals. There is, however, in general, evidence that certain foods promote better health and cause less harm.

Those studies were conducted out of the assumption that there is a "one true way" to begin with. There is an unspoken premise that all bodies are the same, and that it makes sense to generalize based on a research finding. This is despite mountains of other evidence which clearly indicate that every body is different.

2) sustainability
The health of ecosystems, all life, and the Earth itself are aspects to consider when deciding what to grow and eat, and how to do it.

That's all very nice to take into consideration. And yet- the fact of the matter is- we don't really know how it all fits together. In truth- we have little idea how all of these things come together to impact "all life" or "the planet"- but that doesn't seem to stop people from presenting theories as facts.

In my opinion- which is an opinion and not a fact- the majority of damage to the ecosystem that we observe is due to the farming of wheat, corn, and soy. As such, many vegans/vegetarians are just as much a part of the problem as the meat-eaters. Biodynamic farming is one solution offered to this- but it uses animals in the process, and eats them in the end.

3) treatment of other-selves
"In regards to eating meat," which is the subject of this thread. Our animal brothers and sisters.

Again, that is an interesting discussion. But the fact is- we don't know. We don't know how "the animals" feel about this situation because they haven't spoken to us. And as far as I am aware, there is not a single example of any entity from beyond the veil that has channeled a message on behalf of the animals imploring us to stop eating them.

If the animals were so "offended" by humans eating them, then why would the Creator have chosen to fashion us out of an omnivorous species? And no, I don't buy into the whole "because we are being tested" argument. That sounds like some "Christian" mumbo-jumbo to me. The Creator doesn't "trick" us.

4) spiritual implications
This aspect is complex.

To the contrary- this is the most simple of them all. The spirit cannot be damaged, but for the possible exception of a nuclear blast, and even that is repairable. It is pure, pristine, and inviolable. All "spiritual growth" is the result of a progressive understanding of the inviolable nature of spirit.