Meat = Magic or Murder?

[Jaroson]

Hello

This is probably an old debate but I'm asking anyway.

How many pagans eat meat and how many are veggie? Do you believe that the animal you eat SHOULD be eaten or do you just not think about it. If you don't eat meat is this because you feel their lives are as important as yours?

I was a vegetarian for 10 years and never missed or was tempted by meat. Suddenly, 2 months ago, I awoke and felt I physically needed meat. I then went on a four week meat binge, eating everything and anything (at one point I thought my friend's neck and arm looked tasty -I kid ye not!)
The urge is dying down now and I think I'm heading back to vegetarianism so who knows what hapenned?!

Anyway, your thoughts on my original question please.

[thok_ragnarok]

the smith's say meat is murder, I hate the smiths

mmmmm bbq

[Romani Vixen]

Meat is good....

seriously though, I don't value animal life above plant life. I try and do my best to respect the animal. I believe that if you're willing to eat it, you should be willing to kill it. I plan on taking a hunting trip with my brother so that I can know that the animal had a fair chance, and that it was respected, and all the parts used.

When I die, I want a willow tree planted on top of me. I'd prefer to be in a simple box so that the roots can fully take advantage of me.

It's the circle of life....

:)

I was actually raised vegie... and love vegitarian meats though!!! :D

[Aurin]

Every living thing has to eat... I don't see any reason NOT to eat meat... heck, I love meat. I'm a carnivore and I'm sticking to it =D .... (Yes, I eat SOME veggies ... but... not as many as I'm "supposed" to).

Animals in nature kill to eat to survive... are we any different? .... I would not just kill an animal though... I would have to eat it (Bugs don't count though... old squishing :thwack: habits die hard... ) ... Like... don't ask me to go hunting with you ... unless maybe it's deer hunting and we're allowed to take the meat... mmm ... bambi stew... *grin* ...

[Romani Vixen]

the smith's say meat is murder, I hate the smiths

mmmmm bbq
I'm a Smith (really I am). I say it's life and death.

I hate you too.....

:dinnertim

[MerrisHawk]

I love a good grilled steak!
I've never thought of the animals personally, even on the farm. I was raised in a meat and potatoes family and when it was time to fill the freezer for winter we got busy with whatever animals we'd raised. It's a part of my life that I have no regrets over and I still respect those who choose not eat meat.
Doctors advice says to listen to your cravings, there's probably something your body needs.

[NivekDrgnMage]

I eat meat, I even go as far as get the deer antlers, bones and hinds from the hunters I know. So there is no waste. :reindeer:

[soilsigh aingeal]

It's all a part of the food chain baby

[Jaroson]

It's all a part of the food chain baby

Is it though? I understand and accept the notion of hunting and killing your own food for survival but does creating a life i.e a chicken, rearing it, killing it and selling it in shelves for £2 /$3 not cheapen the very essence of life being sacred, especially when if not bought within the sell by date, that carcass is destroyed anyway?

[soilsigh aingeal]

Well aren't plants life too? And then they are cut off of their roots and they die when no one has eaten them? I'm sorry but it's the same thing to me, they're all living, breathing things, just because they don't get up and walk around and all. Doesn't mean anything

[Xentor]

Well aren't plants life too? And then they are cut off of their roots and they die when no one has eaten them? I'm sorry but it's the same thing to me, they're all living, breathing things, just because they don't get up and walk around and all. Doesn't mean anything

Yes, they are. We are carbonics. We burn other carbonics to live. It's the way of our life.

[charmedkisses1]

Considering I'd DIE without iron, I love my filet mignon!!! :hearthear

[LightDancer]

If I could afford organic free range meat, I would eat meat. I don't agree with the conditions factory farmed animals are kept in, or with the ways they are killed. If I were a hunter (I could never do it, personally) I would probably use every last part of the animal that I could.

I believe just because we are omnivors, doesn't mean we need to keep the animals we eat in deplorable conditions.

So to answer the original question, I don't believe meat is murder or magic, it's food. I just don't agree with the conditions in which the animals that give their lives to feed us are raised in, so I don't eat it.

Jamie

[~ Monk ~]

I'm a sucker for this subject...


Well aren't plants life too? And then they are cut off of their roots and they die when no one has eaten them? I'm sorry but it's the same thing to me, they're all living, breathing things, just because they don't get up and walk around and all. Doesn't mean anything
Just out of curiousity - do you feel there's a difference between killing a man/woman and killing an animal?

[Romani Vixen]

If I could afford organic free range meat, I would eat meat. I don't agree with the conditions factory farmed animals are kept in, or with the ways they are killed. If I were a hunter (I could never do it, personally) <<<snip>>>
IMHO, you shouldn't even consider eating meat then. Free range or not.

[Boogins]

I eat meat partly because I pretty much have to. I suffer from a curious condition one doctor told me was related to my rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, called "geographic tongue": the benign symptom is patches of red and white that shift about on my tongue. The not-so-benign symptom is that without enough Vitamin B12, found only in red meat, my tongue starts to literally fall apart. Supplements don't work as well as keeping a supply of red meat in my diet, although I do take them.

As I said to friends in an email, probably half of MW will now start yelling, "Go veggie! Go veggie!" because then I might have to shut up. :D

[Deranged Hermit]

Boo, I don't think anyone wants your tongue to fall apart. We love ya!

I'm not a vegetarian, but would like to be. The last time I quit eating meat, after a month my teeth hurt so badly I couldn't take it anymore. I'm sure I was doing something wrong/missing something vital. I'm going to try again. My V-day (goal date) is August 1st.

[Boogins]

Thanks, DH. :hugz:

Try B12 supplements--might help you with your teeth!

[Brynn]

I don't think meat is murder or magick. I personally hate the taste of meat so I'm almost a vegetarian, but I still need more protein so I end up hiding meat in some dishes.

[Phoenix Blue]

I'm a sucker for this subject...


Just out of curiousity - do you feel there's a difference between killing a man/woman and killing an animal?
You betcha. Some illusions are stronger than others.

[Tarbh Nathroch]

Just out of curiousity - do you feel there's a difference between killing a man/woman and killing an animal?

Yes, I give members of my own species, as do other carnivores (I didn't say all), a free pass to not be killed by me for food. Until we're stranded with no hope of rescue and you die of starvation first. Then I eat you, but I still wont kill you

[Brynn]

I'm a sucker for this subject...
Just out of curiousity - do you feel there's a difference between killing a man/woman and killing an animal?
I do because I believe that humans have souls, consciences, and advanced emotions were as animals do not.

[soilsigh aingeal]

I'm a sucker for this subject...


Just out of curiousity - do you feel there's a difference between killing a man/woman and killing an animal?

Depends on the situation. I do not think that men/women should go around killing each other simply because cows are slayed for hamburgers and pigs for bacon etc. but ya know, if there were nothing else in this world to eat, than there is no difference because it's survival of the fittest, right? I mean, I don't see bears running around with signs telling each other to stop eating fish or deer, do you? Not hardly, but something tells me that if there were two bears and nothing else to eat, one of those bears will be dinner for the other.

[Klucky]

You betcha. Some illusions are stronger than others.

You're right. I'd rather kill the girl for meat and keep the cow alive. ;) But that's just because I hate people...

Eating meat is just a way of life. Other animals do it, too. I don't see the problem. However, we need to eat it in moderation and the conditions of meat farms (or whatever you call them) need to improve greatly.

-Klucky

[djmixon]

Meat GOOOOD Precious Meat. . .my precious. . .gollum. . .

[Boogins]

You ate Gollum? :D

[djmixon]

no. . .nasssty Smeagle. . .has too much time on his handssssss chasing ringssssss. . .and playing with hobbitses

Give me meat raw and wriggling. . .just yank the horns off and slap it on the grilll.. . . .yummmm. . .purrrrrrrr

[Romani Vixen]

I do because I believe that humans have souls, consciences, and advanced emotions were as animals do not.
I disagree with you there.

I can feel my animals emotions. I know better.

[Tsuchimaru]

I'm a sucker for this subject...


Just out of curiousity - do you feel there's a difference between killing a man/woman and killing an animal?

Not at all. We're all alive.....

Anyway, I'm ok with eatting meat, I just wish the animals were treated better...

[Romani Vixen]

One day I will own land. I will buy a couple cows. A few sheep. No... goats... I like goats. Chickens. Pigs. I will love and care for them. And when they're fat, if I can't kill them, I'm going vegitarian. I'll know what wen't into their bodies. I'll know that they were happy. I'll know that they had a chance to reproduce (hello darwin). I'll know that they will be thanked very thoroughly. I'll know that they suffered as little as possible. That's the way I want to do it.

[~ Monk ~]

You betcha. Some illusions are stronger than others.

Yes, I give members of my own species, as do other carnivores
(I didn't say all), a free pass to not be killed by me for food. Until we're stranded
with no hope of rescue and you die of starvation first. Then I eat you, but I still
wont kill you
I do because I believe that humans have souls, consciences, and advanced
emotions were as animals do not.

Depends on the situation. I do not think that men/women should
go around killing each other simply because cows are slayed for hamburgers and pigs for
bacon etc. but ya know, if there were nothing else in this world to eat, than there is
no difference because it's survival of the fittest, right? I mean, I don't see bears
running around with signs telling each other to stop eating fish or deer, do you? Not
hardly, but something tells me that if there were two bears and nothing else to eat,
one of those bears will be dinner for the other.
Woah - quite a few responses! :D

Well, my point in asking that question was simply this - if you believe there's a difference in killing a man/woman and an animal, then you have to believe there's a diifference between killing an animal and a plant.

Not at all. We're all alive.....

Anyway, I'm ok with eatting meat, I just wish the animals were treated better...
And I agree with you. I'm not against meat eating either, I just feel we eat waaay too much of it - and because of the unnecessary demand a pitiful, heartless industry exists.

[Romani Vixen]

Woah - quite a few responses! :D

Well, my point in asking that question was simply this - if you believe there's a difference in killing a man/woman and an animal, then you have to believe there's a diifference between killing an animal and a plant.

And I agree with you. I'm not against meat eating either, I just feel we eat waaay too much of it - and because of the unnecessary demand a pitiful, heartless industry exists.
I hate to tell ya this.... I would most certainly eat more meat if I were able to hunt them, or raise them myself. I have an ex who worked for a time at a slaughter house. I got to sit in the car on the other side of the fence from the ramp. Yeah... I don't like commercial meat. I do like meat though.

I also believe in thanking the plants that give their lives. And I try to waste as little as possible. Plant or animal, respect for life and what it means to give it is what I think of.

[beldam]

yeah i am vegetarian but everyonce in awhile i have a craving for a big juicy steak..very strange if you ask me.. :cutie:

[asamananara]

I subscribe to the old belief that the consumption of flesh
imbues the eater with the spiritual essence of the eaten. I
don't often eat meat, as the creatures we cull it from are broken
beasts farmed in spirit crushing conditions. Why would I eat
a cow unless I wished to become more docile and complacent?
I have no moral issues with the killing and eating of animals,
nor with the practice of factory farming. I would simply rather not
muddle my spirit by assimilating impotent virtues.
And sometimes, I'll just go grab a nice juicy steak. :shrug:

[LadyTrinity]

Cant really choose one :lol: You made it soo hard! Okay.. i dont think its murder.. yet i dont think meat is the best thing on the planet :rotfl: I do eat meat.. but rarely do :hehehe:

[LadyTrinity]

Well aren't plants life too? And then they are cut off of their roots and they die when no one has eaten them? I'm sorry but it's the same thing to me, they're all living, breathing things, just because they don't get up and walk around and all. Doesn't mean anything

I agree

[Tsuchimaru]

I subscribe to the old belief that the consumption of flesh
imbues the eater with the spiritual essence of the eaten.

I like that. I can think of no greater respect than to be consumed by my comrades and/or nature.....

[WynterWynd]

Mmmmmmm, meat:mmm: I eat meat.

[TWILIGHTSKY]

I love meat, it's tasty and it's part of the reason we humans evolved into the thinking beasts we are. Protein fed the brain, and all that.
I don't think about it too often, but it does bother me how animals are forced to live their lives just to make a business thrive. All of life is sacred and all deserves respect, maybe that's why I couldn't raise my own food- I would fall in love with the animals because they all have personalities- even the cows- the ones on the farm next door to where I grew up definitely did. I would have a hard time hunting food for myself, but I think if my kids were hungry and there was no other way to feed them I would find the strength to. It saddens me when I see an animal die for no good reason- road kill, sport hunting(when they cut off the head and leave the meat to rot), and fur trapping. I'm sorry, but as long as the animal's body is going to feed someone, and their life was taken with respect, I think it's ok.
I would probably have a much easier time killing a human that deserves to die( a child murderer) than I would an animal that attacked a human because it was backed in a corner.
This sounds stupid, I know, but I grew up in the country and I really loved the trees and flowers and bushes that were all around, sometimes I wonder if they ever sigh into the wind with nostalgia for the days when we would climb their branches and lean against them and read. There is definetly an awareness that all of nature has, beast+plant.

[Theres]

meat is food. you can choose to eat it or not.
i choose not to, because the way most meat reaches the market is too disgusting to think about. i don't need it physically, and i don't particularly miss it. but i indulge once or twice a year, purely for the gluttony of it all.

the point is that i can't answer the poll, as i don't think highly enough of meat to consider it magick, but i certainly don't think it's murder.

{edit}
"i'm not a vegetarian because i love animals, but because i hate plants"

[BC_Druid]

I try to eat as little market meat as possible, as I'd much rather hunt it with a bow and make it more fair to the animal. My 2 cents

[soilsigh aingeal]

Well, my point in asking that question was simply this - if you believe there's a difference in killing a man/woman and an animal, then you have to believe there's a diifference between killing an animal and a plant.
Well, I honestly never thought about it that way, but you're right :)

[mucgwyrt]

Hello

This is probably an old debate but I'm asking anyway.

How many pagans eat meat and how many are veggie? Do you believe that the animal you eat SHOULD be eaten or do you just not think about it. If you don't eat meat is this because you feel their lives are as important as yours?

I was a vegetarian for 10 years and never missed or was tempted by meat. Suddenly, 2 months ago, I awoke and felt I physically needed meat. I then went on a four week meat binge, eating everything and anything (at one point I thought my friend's neck and arm looked tasty -I kid ye not!)
The urge is dying down now and I think I'm heading back to vegetarianism so who knows what hapenned?!

Anyway, your thoughts on my original question please.

That's about what happened to me.
I'm 99% vegetarian again now, but at "that time of the month" I still crave chicken.
I wish I didnt though, because it causes conscience pangs.

edit - I never ever eat red meat though, and never have done - it's just SO bad for you (not to mention the cow...)

[Jaroson]

Macha, I'm a bloke! I don't get crav.....hang on a sec!! Sympathetic pregnancy cravings?

[Phoenix Blue]

Macha, I'm a bloke! I don't get crav.....hang on a sec!! Sympathetic pregnancy cravings?
Yeah, man. They're real.

[mucgwyrt]

Hmmm... sympathetic preggers cravings?! :D
Share the burden!! :lol:

[Phoenix Blue]

And I agree with you. I'm not against meat eating either, I just feel we eat waaay too much of it - and because of the unnecessary demand a pitiful, heartless industry exists.
That, I will certainly agree with. :D

[Aidron]

I think it is neither.

I myself do not consume meat products, but that is only due to the fact that they pump things so full of chemicals these days that it's really more about self-preservation than anything. On the other hand, I think it's really tacky how they go about handling it, butchering animals as if they are mindless creatures meant to be humiliated in the process.

If things were different in that they treated the animals better and didn't load them down with a ton of toxins, I'd eat meat. I have no problems with it outside of those two. I also have no problem with anyone who actively decides to eat meat. If you enjoy it, good. However, I find it endlessly amazing how so many omnivores will get all preachy around me and whine about how vegeterians are forever putting down their lifestyle choices. I don't put anyone down if they wish to eat meat, yet all I hear is "It's so unhealthy to be a vegeterian, no wonder you're so thin." Newslfash, I was thinner than this before I quit eating meat. :rolleyes:

Besides all that I feel we do eat too much meat. Around three servings is the recommended meat consumption a day, yet people eat it for every meal and often for most snacks. It's over consumption through and through, and whether it's meat or sugar, it's just not healthy for yourself or the enviroment.

[samiaminsane]

I do eat meat 2-3 times per week, and have considered becoming a vegetarian. Don't think I could do it, even though I feel guilty thinking of the treatment of these animals. I also know that unless I was starving, I would never be able to kill an animal for food...... Ah, the mysterious human mind....sigh

[CloakofStars9]

I do because I believe that humans have souls, consciences, and advanced emotions were as animals do not.
sorry have to disagree there babe, they do have souls & emotions, just becuase animals can't talk as humans etc doesnt mean they have no soul.


http://www.messybeast.com/emoticat.html

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/animalemotions/interview.html

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/SciTech/pets_emotion_031108.html

[mucgwyrt]

OMG! I must have missed that post *shocked* have you never petted with a cat?!

[aluokaloo]

The reason you could have gone on a meat binge is because your body was lacking something a mineral or vitamin thats found more in meat then meat substitutes, as for me I don't really think twice about it. I'm a mostly carnivourous omnivore. :hahugh:

[aluokaloo]

You're right. I'd rather kill the girl for meat and keep the cow alive. ;) But that's just because I hate people...

of course klucky you need the cow for milk to wash down that tasty human :farmerjoe

Eating meat is just a way of life. Other animals do it, too. I don't see the problem. However, we need to eat it in moderation and the conditions of meat farms (or whatever you call them) need to improve greatly.

-Klucky

[aluokaloo]

I think it is neither.

I myself do not consume meat products, but that is only due to the fact that they pump things so full of chemicals these days that it's really more about self-preservation than anything. On the other hand, I think it's really tacky how they go about handling it, butchering animals as if they are mindless creatures meant to be humiliated in the process.

I agree with that they could live a lot better if I had the guts to raise my own meat and not get all sweet on the animals I'd make sure they were free ranging fat and happy and they would get treated with respect, (I'd probably stavre to death)

If things were different in that they treated the animals better and didn't load them down with a ton of toxins, I'd eat meat. I have no problems with it outside of those two. I also have no problem with anyone who actively decides to eat meat. If you enjoy it, good. However, I find it endlessly amazing how so many omnivores will get all preachy around me and whine about how vegeterians are forever putting down their lifestyle choices. I don't put anyone down if they wish to eat meat, yet all I hear is "It's so unhealthy to be a vegeterian, no wonder you're so thin." Newslfash, I was thinner than this before I quit eating meat. :rolleyes:

I've never seen a vegetarian put me down for being a meat eater and I don't put them down for theirs, on the contrary I see them as the herbivores of the human species.

Besides all that I feel we do eat too much meat. Around three servings is the recommended meat consumption a day, yet people eat it for every meal and often for most snacks. It's over consumption through and through, and whether it's meat or sugar, it's just not healthy for yourself or the enviroment.

[Tzhebee]

How many pagans eat meat and how many are veggie? Do you believe that the animal you eat SHOULD be eaten or do you just not think about it. If you don't eat meat is this because you feel their lives are as important as yours?

I eat meat....I don't like veggies. Fresh carrots, lettuce, corn, lima beans and peas are my only exceptions.

Should the animal be eaten? Well, I never really thought about it. I guess I'd rather see the meat eaten than rot away so that the death of the animal has a "purpose".

I like the taste of meat. I don't know if my body craves it because I've never gone a significant amount of time without it. Now coffee on the other hand.... :caffeine:

[Semele]

Considering I'd DIE without iron, I love my filet mignon!!! :hearthear
There are other sources of Iron intake availiable.
http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/Handouts/dietiron.html

[WrathofCirce]

I don't love that I eat meat. I try not to consume mammals. I do eat lots of fish and poultry, mostly because fish like salmon and white meat turkey are important parts of anyone's diet. There are only two meats on the list of 14 super foods and turkey and salmon are it. Other than that, I try to give thanks to the animal before I eat it. I didnt vote in this poll because I don't think it is either murder or magic. It's just food.

Fur, now that is a whole other story... :rant:

[Terestai]

I most certainly eat meat... almost daily. I believe in balance, and so I can't go all meat or all veggie. I eat equal proportions of both. There's a reason we have canines - we're meant to be omnivores!

That said, every time I eat meat, I try my hardest to thank the animal that paid the ultimate price to give me nourishment. I'm not so callous as to eat it and not care. But this is all just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions. ;)

[Yasmine Galenorn]

Neither. Meat is the flesh of an animal. We are part of the food chain. I eat meat, and in turn, will one day be eaten by worms. Now, I respect and thank the spirit of the animal that I've eaten, but I have no qualms about eating meat...my body doesn't digest grains very well, I'm allergic to dairy and wheat, and so my diet consists of meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit.

Yasmine

[KaitlynFae]

This a very old debate.

Personally, I am omnivorous. I enjoy meat and vegetables.

It's hard sometimes though. I have actually had someone say to me, "How can you claim to hold life sacred and then eat commercially processed meats, knowing how the animals are treated before hand?" That is a hard question to answer, especially since I grew up in a family of hunters. It's a good thing too. If my dad had not hunted when I was a kid, there would have been several winters when we would have gone hungry. We couldn't afford to get meat from the store and there are only so many ways you can fix beans and squash.

I just do my best to appreciate and accept the sacrifice made, that I might prosper.

Kaitlyn Fae

[KaitlynFae]

It's the Circle of Life, greater than all of us and demanding of respect.

[frigga]

I voted murder, but no matter veggie or meat, your murdering something! Life takes life to live!

[MoonlightShadow]

The fact is, humans are omnivores. We're made to eat meat and plants.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against vegetarians or that lifestyle, but I am almost offended when people say that no one should eat meat. You don't need to eat meat, but we ARE built for it.

On the issue of how animals are treated...I will admit it is a sad thing. I've seen pictures of slaughterhouses, and I can't eat anything for a while after that, let alone meat. If one of those pictures ever pops up in my mind when I'm eating meat, I want to vomit. Ugh...

One final issue...one thing I don't understand. Why do some vegetarians eat fish? Fish are living beings too. We seem to make them out as lesser beings or something. I wouldn't exactly calling suffocating something to death to be a "humane" way of killing it. And if you look at lobster..*shudder* poor things...always go head first, unless you're lacking a heart.

[Aidron]

And if you look at lobster..*shudder* poor things...always go head first, unless you're lacking a heart.


How do they always go head first? They're boiled alive, doesn't necessarily mean their heads are going in first. :eyebrow:

[Mindflayer]

To survive, you must kill, wether it's a plant, an animal, or in some cases a human being (self-defense)...

It's the way of life, life consumes other life, there's is NO way around it, cause even if you do not eat, and die of starvation, eventually something will eat you (worms :p), you cannot escape the cycle...

So, yes I eat meat, and I would be more than willing to kill an animal myself in order to survive

[Romani Vixen]

I voted murder, but no matter veggie or meat, your murdering something! Life takes life to live!
My boyfriend won't do cut flowers unless it doesn't take the plants life.... and I talked him into that much so that I could get flowers on occasion!!! lol :D

[Romani Vixen]

One final issue...one thing I don't understand. Why do some vegetarians eat fish? Fish are living beings too. We seem to make them out as lesser beings or something. I wouldn't exactly calling suffocating something to death to be a "humane" way of killing it. And if you look at lobster..*shudder* poor things...always go head first, unless you're lacking a heart.
When I fish, I dont let it suffocate. I kill it as quickly as possible. either knife, hammer (it was a small shark ok!) or in the case of crabs, the side of the dock. I stun people who watch me... I do it as quick as possible.

I've seen other people just lay them on the grass squirming... and I get upset....

[Jaroson]

I personally do not believe you can call yourself a vegetarian if you eat fish.

[morrigen]

Vegetarian here, for ethical reasons.

I'm not going to say much else, because on this subject, I have a tendency to get ranty :D

[~ Monk ~]

I personally do not believe you can call yourself a vegetarian if you eat fish.
There are different types of vegetarians - or partial vegetarians, I guess. I believe those who eat fish are pesco-veg?

[mudweed]

Vegetarian here, for ethical reasons.

I'm not going to say much else, because on this subject, I have a tendency to get ranty :D

I'll just echo that. :)

[Dusk]

The only meat I eat is fish or seafood. I still call myself a vegetarian. Calling myself a vegetarian makes it easier for people to understand that I won't eat other forms of meat.

[lovemy1dane]

I am not a big fan of eating meat (I don't really like the taste of it. EXCEPTsteak, I love steak!!!!) My hubby hunts all hunting season and supplies us with about half of our meat. We use as much of the kill as possible and We ALWAYS thank the spirit of the animal that gave it's life to feed us. The funny thing is, he is a big deer hunter but yet, feeds a herd of about 30 deer every winter. And will not even think about hurting one of "his " herd. He threatened his father with his life if his father shot one of the herd. He even names them. So, they go out of the county to hunt.

[boerbabe]

If I voted anything other then I ate and loved meat, I'd have to change my siggy in a hurry....lol.

[DonovanJoseph]

I LOVE BABY BACK RIBS! :fpartyfav

[Phae Talon]

No Omnivore? What about those of us who go through veggie phases?? 8O Sometimes I think that if I even smell meat, I will vomit ... other times I would kill for a steak! LOL

--Phae

[Gwenhwyfar]

I dont have the will power not to eat meat, but Im not totally comfortable with that either.

[Druchii]

I'm a sucker for this subject...


Just out of curiousity - do you feel there's a difference between killing a man/woman and killing an animal?

Yes, chances are the animal didn't deserve it.

[Jaroson]

ok, suspend reality for a moment. If the animal could speak (and let's face it, they do communicate with their own species -it is only our arrogance which says it is not a valid form of communication) and speak in our language, would you still be able to eat it?

[Pesha]

I could not vote on this. The question of eating meat is so very old and so much argued. I will not even picture a cow saying ...please do not eat me.... In my mind, the Divine put things here for us to have as nourishment. I feel that includes meat as well as other things. I find no problem with vegitarianism. It is a personal choice. I do however find fault with someone who screams at me for eating a burger. But that is just the way of the world. I eat meat. I eat fruit and veg. I eat, there fore I am. Sorry I cannot vote on this one. But that is life.

****This is not aimed at anyone who chooses not to eat meat.....****

BB
DS.

[Jaroson]

Sorry if my previous post was misleading. I did not mean that the animal said 'please do not eat me', just that we were able to understand what they meant when they communicated and vice versa.

I would also like to add that I myself am a meat eater currently and that this thread is purely for debate and thought purposes only, not a victimisation of either of the meat/non meat camps.

[Calyx]

Meat rocks!
I am an unashamed meat eater.
The more and the bloodier, the better. :viking:

Yes, there may be instances where I agree with people about the way meat animals are raised (veal, for example) and wish it was better, but it won't stop me from eating it. And they DO have rules, you know, on how to raise animals destined for the meat market. You just don't like the rules. :)

It bothers me more to see a homeless person.

Priorities.....

[Druchii]

Meat rocks!
I am an unashamed meat eater.
The more and the bloodier, the better. :viking:

Yes, there may be instances where I agree with people about the way meat animals are raised (veal, for example) and wish it was better, but it won't stop me from eating it. And they DO have rules, you know, on how to raise animals destined for the meat market. You just don't like the rules. :)

It bothers me more to see a homeless person.

Priorities.....

We could always eat the homeless...:D

[Kyra Kismet]

As I work in a butchers shop some people thought that it would turn me veggie, the opposite, I love meat even more! I get free meat form work! Woot!

[~ Monk ~]

It bothers me more to see a homeless person.

Priorities.....
I think both things can bother a person without one taking priority over the other...but that's just me. ;)

[Calyx]

We could always eat the homeless...:D

They are too stringy! :holycow:

[Calyx]

I think both things can bother a person without one taking priority over the other...but that's just me. ;)


Yes, I believe that you can also. It seems that many of these discussions tend to make you fall in the "either" "or" category, which I don't think is particularly true.

It does bother me about both topics, but never at the same time. If that makes sense. :chatty:

[~ Monk ~]

It does bother me about both topics, but never at the same time. If that makes sense. :chatty:
It does. :)

[Calyx]

It does. :)

Good! :p

Glad you understand me! ;)

[Romani Vixen]

ok, suspend reality for a moment. If the animal could speak (and let's face it, they do communicate with their own species -it is only our arrogance which says it is not a valid form of communication) and speak in our language, would you still be able to eat it?
I can talk to them... and they communicate with me. Even if it isn't in english. And yes.

[Romani Vixen]

We could always eat the homeless...:D
mmmm.... pre marinated in brandy!!!! :D

[boerbabe]

Eating the homeless.. solution to world hunger? o.0

Butcher shop comments... kind of like people asking how I can raise those cute baby goats and send them off to die, isn't it?

[Romani Vixen]

Goats are great! pets, milk, dinner.... whatever!

[Muireannach]

I used to feel guilty, but to be honest now I thoroughly enjoy meat without guilt.

If you look at nature it is both cruel and beautiful. Some animals eat others, and some get eaten. As humans we wield tremendous power so we can consume whatever we like but it is my belief the killing must be fair and swift. If a cow is beaten and abused then killed for meat I am disgusted, but when a cow is let out in a pasture with other cows, gets some "action" gets to have a calf or two and them gets killed swiftly for meat I see no problem. The cow was given a good life but in the end it must succumb to it's purpose.

Personally I would never hunt because I can easily get meat from the grocery store and I consider it wasteful to go kill a wild animal when there is plenty of food available to me. If I lived in a log cabin in the woods and was hungry I would kill an animal but not in my current life situation.

I guess what I am saying can be summed up to: Eat when you are hungry, kill what you need, and never neglect the animal that will give you nourishment.

[Fairywolf]

Meat and/or plants = food.

[boerbabe]

I guess what I am saying can be summed up to: Eat when you are hungry, kill what you need, and never neglect the animal that will give you nourishment.
I think you said it perfectly!

[Jaroson]

when a cow is let out in a pasture with other cows, gets some "action" gets to have a calf or two and them gets killed swiftly for meat I see no problem. The cow was given a good life but in the end it must succumb to it's purpose.
.

Do you not think that this is the height of human arrogance, that we can decide to breed a new life with the sole purpose being decreed by ourselves?

And the debate then links to other religious systems in which the animals are not killed swiftly. Is it then still ok, because humans decree it, to breed the animal, kill it slowly so that it can succumb to it's purpose?

Muireannach -this question is not aimed specifically at yourself and I mean no offense to you personally, I am just posing the question which came to me as I read your post. :fpipesmok

[Pol]

I eat fowl and fish, and very small ammounts of pork/beef/game (usually only about 6 meals a month).

[Muireannach]

Do you not think that this is the height of human arrogance, that we can decide to breed a new life with the sole purpose being decreed by ourselves?

And the debate then links to other religious systems in which the animals are not killed swiftly. Is it then still ok, because humans decree it, to breed the animal, kill it slowly so that it can succumb to it's purpose?

Muireannach -this question is not aimed specifically at yourself and I mean no offense to you personally, I am just posing the question which came to me as I read your post

I understand what you mean and I will explain my point a bit more. In the grand cycle of things a cow for example is a grazing animal. As long as a cow has grass, space company, and water they are happy. So with the aount of land a lot of cattle rancers have it's essentially like putting a fence around what they would be doing naturally anyway. The difference is that instead of hving a pack of wolves knock them down and tear them to bits they are killed quickly (although some meat companys do it in a very disgustng manney, but it's quick.)

In the old days everyone had a cow that they eventually had to kill, the humble and the arrogant alike, they ahd to kill it due to neccessity.

So I think as being omnivores meat is a requirement in out diet, but we should not let us forget that we have a heart, and give the animals a chance to enjoy life first.

As far as killing animals slowly I find it cruel as there is no need for it.

[Jaroson]

I'm nipping off for a minute to cook tea. (I'm having chicken!) :)

[zakzekezedd]

hmmmmmmm..meat.......roast beef, hamburgers, steaks, chicken, pork chops......ok...I'd be a dismal failure as a vegetarian..I suspect I'm probably part of the evolutionary chain that traces it's roots back to good old T-Rex (I have the disposition too! ;) ) I do think that animals, even those raised to be slaughtered deserve to be treated as humanely as possible. They are living, feeling creatures no matter what their "purpose" ultimately might be.

[Laisrean]

There was some amazing animal stories show on tv today about a pig who saved a woman's life by fighting off people who broke into her house. The pig protected her as well as any dog would. Would you eat a pig knowing that they are at least as smart and helpful as any dog? And if so, why would you not eat a dog?

[boerbabe]

Well, consideirng I know pigs are one of the smartest animals on earth, I hate them and I hate the tatse of pig meat.. I try to avoid eating them...lol. But I'd eat lots of them if I liked the taste.

As for dogs, the only reason we don't eat them is because it's not socially acceptable. But if they were raised for food here, and I liked the taste, why not?

[asamananara]

Not much meat on most dogs. They're stringy, greasy, and gamey.
Of course, I assume a farm-raised dog given the proper feeding
regimen and slaughtered at it's prime would be more palatable
than your average housepet.

[boerbabe]

LOL! Looking at my dogs, I'd think that's about right one's quite fat, but I'm sure that's all she's got on her is fat... now those little Xolos.. they were bred for meat. Seriously.

Eating dogs or cats is just like eating beef, or not eating it, depending on country and religion. *shrugs*

[Antoninus]

Do you think man clawed his way up the food chain to eat tofu? :D

[asamananara]

Eating dogs or cats is just like eating beef, or not eating it, depending on country and religion. *shrugs*
Absolutely. Every culture has it's sacred animals. Ours is
no different.

[Phoenix Blue]

Absolutely. Every culture has it's sacred animals. Ours is
no different.
Yeah. . . the US' sacred animal is the greenback. :p

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

I have had a few periods in my life where I have thought seriously about going veggie, but to be honest I'm far too lazy. I like my life of convenience, and my eating habits aren't what they should be as it is. I try not to eat a lot of red meat, but I don't eat much of any meat, to be honest. I am trying currently to get more fruits and veggies into the house (and thus, my body).

I'm not going to vote either way. I don't have a problem eating meat, or veggies. For me, it is all about the balance. I feel that my body needs both to survive.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[punxzen]

meat is murder, doesnt mean it cant be magic to the minds of some

ripping plants up from the roots could also be called murder, but i do think its a bit different as i do not think that a single plant has the same kind of sense of 'I' or 'me' that an animal has.

i personally prefer to sustain myself without killing :thumbsup:

[HorseCrow]

When you kill a living being, it is murder. I eat meat some times, though very seldom, but I don't kid myself. I am eating an animal that has been killed for the purpose of its flesh being eaten by us- there is no two ways about it.