Can meat eaters be true animal lovers?

[DaveRobin]

I like animals. I hate seeing any sort of cruelty towards them but also understand why a mahoot or a jockey, for example, need to hit their ride with a stick sometimes. There's a line, it's not black and white, but commonsense tells you roughly where it is, but I eat their meat. My demand created the supply, or slaughter, of that animal; without that demand, the animal wouldn't have been killed.

Some questions to ponder:

Can you eat the meat of only certain species and still be an animal lover?

Why do people think it's OK to eat cow, but not dog or cat?

Are some animal species higher than others?

Do you feel animals and humans are the same spiritual/evolution level?

Is there a hierarchy of living things?

I sincerely want to be vegetarian. I feel guilty about eating animals but 40 plus years of eating sausages and burgers is a difficult habit to break. I eat far less meat now than before but I'm still not clean. I even avoid killing ants and mosquitos now which is a habit I've developed from the wife's Buddhist beliefs. The more I kill, the more they seem to bother me!




'I love animals as I eat one every day' is an old joke that some of the less sensitve members of this forum may utter so I have preempted to negate.

[good2bhappy]

Many breeds of animals would not exist if it were not for mans need to eat meat.

[kingwilly]

Animals R for eating. simple. to project human emotions & feelings onto animals because they look cute etc is just silly nonsense.
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[DaveRobin]

Many breeds of animals would not exist if it were not for mans need to eat meat.

A good point but does that justify their killing for food? Should humans find alternative food sources?

[good2bhappy]

Given their greenhouse emissions it's an idea. I hear that in the lab they can now "grow" meat!

[melvbot]

Should humans find alternative food sources?

Such as what ?

[jandajoy]

Trolls flambe ?

[good2bhappy]

Instead of porter house steak we could have porterdown steak

[kingwilly]

Should humans find alternative food sources?

Why? humans evolved as omnivorous animals, we need to eat meat as part of a balanced diet.

[Cujo]

If god didn't mean for us to eat animals why did he make them so delicious then?

[melvbot]

Some questions to ponder:

Can you eat the meat of only certain species and still be an animal lover?

Yes, many people eat meat but care for animals daily

Why do people think it's OK to eat cow, but not dog or cat?

In the west dogs and cats are seen as pets so there is an emotional element, plus most animals we eat are vegetatarian themselves. Dogs cats etc eat meat which can make their meat taste different.

Are some animal species higher than others?

Yes thats natural selection/evolution

Do you feel animals and humans are the same spiritual/evolution level?

No we are a completely different species with a different type of independent thought.

Is there a hierarchy of living things?

Again evolution/natural selection

I sincerely want to be vegetarian.

If you are so convinced then your willpower should be strong enough to do it

[NickA]

Yes thats natural selection/evolution

Again evolution/natural selection

Rubbish, natural selection is survival of the fittest, hence the organisms surviving the longest would be the highest in the hierarchy. The more advanced organisms tend to get wiped out more easily as they rely on many more other species and conditions to survive and take millions of years to adapt to any changes.

The again, I think there is some truth in the idea that animals and humans have only evolved as a host for micro-organisms to spread from the Earth across the solar system and universe. In that case our job is nearly done and the masters will probably choose to wipe us out with some kind of nasty virus.

Those of you who think this is some kind of David Icke bollox... think about it, if the only function of living things is to live and procreate then the above, by definition must be true

[good2bhappy]

David Icke?
Is he the unrecognised Messiah?

[NickA]

No, actually he believes the Earth is being run by some reptilian master race, which is bollox.

My view that we are only here to serve micro-organisms is a simple fact based on Darwinism. Seriously, these little things want to make sure they aren't wiped out when the Earth gets fucked. The space race is all for them.

[good2bhappy]

Ah yes. He used to do Ski Sunday?

[Sir Burr]

Aren't meat-eaters by definition animal lovers?

[jandajoy]

http://www.davidicke.com/index.php/

[melvbot]

Again evolution/natural selection

Rubbish, natural selection is survival of the fittest, hence the organisms surviving the longest would be the highest in the hierarchy.

Take your point on the hierarchy bit, didnt read it properly. Im off to bow down to our mircro-organism masters and offer them a cup of coffee as a way of saying sorry for being an impertinent humanoid form.

[good2bhappy]

You going to have a chunder?

[Texpat]

I even avoid killing ants and mosquitos now which is a habit I've developed from the wife's Buddhist beliefs. The more I kill, the more they seem to bother me!

Stone cold nutjob.

[sabang]

I have no intention of being vegetarian, but I believe we should eat less meat. This is entirely logical, for both health and ecological reasons.

It is only cultural Mores that dictate whether it is acceptable to eat, or not eat, a cow, pig, dog etc. it's all the same to me- my concern is that they are treated and slaughtered humanley.

[dennis3506]

Somebody said that if they built slaughterhouses with glass walls we'd all be vegetarians.

[Sir Burr]

I don't know about others, but, for me, meat comes from supermarkets, not animals. I never even think about an animal dying to provide my sandwich filling.

If we had to kill everything we eat, it would be different.

[NickA]

slaughtered humanley.

oxymoron of the day

[November Rain]

To answer the OP's question:

IMO, vegetarians (for ethical reasons) become so for two differing reasons

in direct response to their own conscience, or

to project to others what an ethical, caring human being they are.

If you are in the first group, OP, you know whether you wish to be vegetarian or not, your choice would not be difficult, nor would sticking to it.

If you are in the second group, then questions like those you pose would trouble you, as you will have to answer other people on those topics. I would imagine it is harder for the second group to become veggie or to stick at it, as it is more about public perception than their convictions.

Yes, it is possible to be an animal lover & eat meat. You know what's inside you & shouldn't need to justify your choice, either way. If you have to justify your choice it becomes about other people's opinions, not yours.