(08-20-2012, 06:09 PM)Bring4th_Monica Wrote:(08-20-2012, 09:48 AM)Bring4th_GLB Wrote: To the avowed vegetarian, no form of animal slaughter is permissible, no matter how painless and no matter with what respect the animal is regarded.
Since I am one of those 'avowed vegetarians' you are speaking for, I will respond and tell you it's not accurate.
Most vegetarians I know all agree that such a slaughter as you just described, when done out of absolute necessity, is acceptable.
The key here is necessity.
I agree with Monica, as a spiritual being, not as a vegetarian. Yes, I am vegetarian, but I am vegetarian because I respect life, all life. One could just as easily call me a "respecter of life" rather than "vegetarian."
In my opinion, the issue is the sacredness of life, not about choice in diet. Life is the underlying principle, and what one eats flows from one's depth of understanding of, and inner-connectedness to, all life.
(08-22-2012, 03:07 PM)Pickle Wrote: My wife had made some sweet treats for the kids years ago. For fun she had put a face on the cookies and boy was my daughter pissed. This was before she was speaking yet. She handed the dish back indignantly and would not eat anything until my wife had removed the face. Is it odd to refuse to eat anything with a face on it?
She pretty much lives on fruit now. It has bothered me as to how she focuses on fruit, but after a reading done on her it seems to be a preprogrammed trait that is focused on health at a very young age. I still try to sneak greens and supplements into her food.
Your daughter seems the quintessential "crystal" child, born with so much already in place.
Quote:The crux of my whole position is that it is okay, acceptable, and ethical to eat animal meat *provided* the animal is able to live a relatively natural life and does not needlessly/excessively suffer in the process of death.
Questions regarding this line of thinking (not directed toward any individual, rather to the philosophy):
1. How is "needless/excessive suffering" defined?
2. What does "relatively natural" mean? (Natural for an animal is in the wild, on its own, in the environment it evolved in.)
3. Can one ever say it is "ethical" to take the life of an animal for food, considering it is not necessary?