Archive for July, 2009

Do animals have souls?

July 13, 2009 at 5:09 am · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , , , ,

Do animals have souls?

I know this is a strange question coming from a vegan. And yet I’m not sure I have the answer. I believe we have to answer his question with yet another question.

What do you consider a soul?

I have found people who call themselves Christians or some derivative thereof define a being with a soul as someone possessing the ability to be forgiven by the “grace of God” so that they may live for eternity in heaven. Typically this means that Christian people, who quite often have not though this through in my opinion, believe that animals can not be forgiven and therefore do not possess a soul. This gives many (not all) the freedom to defend their meat-eating ways. It might lead to a statement like, “animals have no souls so it doesn’t matter how we treat them.” In this case it would not matter to this type of person that pigs suffer great physical and emotional torture in gestational crates having repeated pregnancies where their babies are robbed from them each and every time to make bacon.

For someone that may not be religious or perhaps is religious but has spent time bonding with any type of animal, they might find this viewpoint hard to swallow as I do. To me, any sentient being that has the ability to feel pain, sorrow, love, loss, joy, or happiness embodies a soul. If you can look into the eyes of your cat or dog and see that they love you, that they want you to be happy, that their chief goal in life is to please you each and every day, how can you not believe that there is something more there than just flesh and bones? Personally I do not need a book to define the meaning of a soul. To me it is a feeling, a knowing that goes deeper than words, of kinship with other living beings.

How to respond to people who say animals have no souls

Response #1: I think if any sentient being has the ability to feel pain, sorrow, love, loss, joy, happiness then they have a soul. And that we each as sentient beings have the ability (and responsibility) to show empathy and compassion for one another. Just because and animal can’t say, “I hate this flipping cage”, it doesn’t give us the right to keep her in there solely for human benefit, profit, food or any thing else.

Response #2: I know I won’t be able to convince you that animals have souls in the way you define someone with a soul as one who can be redeemed before your God. Regardless of whether or not you think animals have souls, why do you want to intentionally cause pain and suffering to animals that have done absolutely nothing to harm you when you don’t have to?

Response #3: I think if you take a closer look at your bible, you may find that there are passages that do in fact suggest animals can seek redemption just as you believe humans can. You may want to look into these passages:

  • “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Revelation 5:8-13)
  • “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19)
  • “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21)

What do you think

Obviously this is somewhat of a controversial topic. I’m sure each person has their own ideas of what defines a soul to them. What do you think? And how do you respond to people who say animals have no souls?

Resources:
Do Animals Have Souls?, Bert Thompson, Ph.D. and Sam Estabrook, http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/448

Good News for All Creation: Vegetarianism As Christian Stewardship, Stephen R. Kaufman and Nathan Braun, Vegetarian Advocates Press, 2004.

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Vegetarian Calcium Sources

July 7, 2009 at 5:17 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , ,

There is one question that has come up more often than others lately. People keep asking me where vegans get calcium if they don’t eat cheese, milk, or other dairy products. The answer is simple … there are many foods high in calcium that have nothing to do with animals. And then an educational opportunity ensues.

Why is calcium important?

Obviously kids need calcium because it helps their bones grow. After puberty, bone growth ends but bone density increases until roughly age 30.1 So that means if you don’t eat your calcium, you may fall apart! But literally, many people suffer from weak bones as they get older and you can imagine that having weak bones means they break a lot or impede functioning. Women are at a greater chance of calcium depletion especially during pregnancy when calcium shifts from the mother to the fetus.

The recommended level of calcium for adults age 19 through 50 years is 1000 mg per day.2 You can increase or maintain bone density by choosing foods high in calcium, taking vitamins with calcium, and exercising to preserve bone mineral content. Of course here were going to talk about getting calcium from food since food is one of my favorite topics.

Why not get calcium rich foods from animals?

As with many food ideologies we tend to have as a culture, I think it is such a tragedy that people think they can only get calcium from animal sources. However as a communications professional, it consistently shows me the power effective marketing can have over time. Marketing, lobbying and misinformation, have all worked together to increase profits in the dairy industry and make food cheap for people. What does that mean? It means in the end as consumers we are being told that dairy products come from happy cows and that we need them to grow up big and strong. Ahem …. I have to disagree.

In fact research shows that dairy products can actually leech (that is a nice word for “suck out”) calcium from your bones. According to milksucks.com, “both clinical and population studies show that milk-drinkers tend to have more bone breaks than people who consume milk infrequently or not at all.”3 I know! Hard to believe after what we’ve been taught for generations. According to Michael Greger, MD, milk does indeed come with a lot of calcium but it also comes with a lot of baggage like cholesterol, saturated fat, and even puss and feces. Overall it is harmful to humans. It is the number one source of artery clogging fat in the United States diet. It is also one of the top allergens in the US diet. Dr. Greger says “the calcium found in leafy green vegetables like kale and broccoli is absorbed about twice as well as the calcium in milk.”4

What are vegetarian calcium sources?

So what are vegetarian calcium sources? Below are some of my favorite vegan sources of calcium:

  • tofu
  • soy milk
  • tempeh
  • tahini
  • kale
  • collard greens
  • broccoli
  • spinach
  • oranges
  • black beans
  • peas
  • almonds
  • molasses

More information on foods high in calcium:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm

What are your favorite calcium-rich foods? Make a list and pass it along to your friends.

Notes:

(1) Preserving Bone Density, Julian Huang, MD, http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/pain-medication/preserving-bone-density, accessed 6-24-09.

(2) Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

(3) Milk Sucks: Got Osteoporosis?, www.milksucks.com/osteo.asp

(4) Dr. Michael Greger, Latest in Clinical Nutrition 2008, www.drgreger.org

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